Sharpening Help Needed

S

SharpenedPryBar

Joined
Aug 6, 2001
Messages
9
A steel straightens the edge of a knife. The strop does the same thing. Which one does this task better? Does one or the other do somethng else to help the edge? Also, do Norton India Whetstones require oil? They are advertised as oil soaked, which leads me to believe that it is necessary. Other websites have said that since it is oil soaked you just have to use a little bit of oil. I am going back to my roots, sharpening on a 11 1/2" Norton combination India whestone and then stropping with green chromium oxide paste or steeling. Please help. Thanks.
 
Steeling with a smooth steel does straighten out the edge. A smooth steel will not remove any metal -- that is, it will not sharpen or polish the edge at all. A grooved steel can remove some metal.

Stropping isn't going to be effective is straightening noticeable waves or dings in an edge. What stropping does do is actually remove metal. Normally you charge the strop with a cutting compound, and this does actually bring the edge to a fine finish. If your edge has a burr on it, the strop can flop the burr back and forth until it breaks off. Some people finish off their burr like this, but I prefer to double-grind a burr off.

So, the way I use strops and steels:

A strop is part of the sharpening process; it is my finest level of finish.

A steel is used between knife uses. That is, I use the knife, and then the edge might be out of line, so I steel it to bring it back in line.

If the steel doesn't seem to be bringing the edge back, you probably need to remove some metal (i.e., to sharpen). If your edge isn't too far gone, you might be able to strop it, and that could sharpen the edge right back up again. If that doesn't work, it's back to the benchstones to sharpen, then strop.

Strops sharpen, steels straighten.

Joe
 
Sharpened

Listen to Joe. Most around here (including me) consider him to be the "Oracle" in terms of knife-sharpening knowledge.
 
You can take off a burr or wire edge with a strop, but I don't recommend it, the small pieces can embed in the strop and make polishing the edge more difficult. Stropping on leather should be the final stage (as Joe says), but as yet I have never loaded a strop with anything.

I was brought up with Arkansas stones but have since moved on, I use no oil. The advent of diamond and ceramic stones have freed most folk from this messy method. This does not mean that the same level of skill is not needed!

Proper sharpening still requires attention, patience and skill. There is no easy way out, even using the sharpening 'systems', you have to learn the 'system'. Practice on some less expensive blades until you are confident. :

I only use a ribbed steel on my kitchen knives and don't own a smooth steel.

Hope this helps...


Steve-O
 
I just recently read that Wayne Goddard uses scentless kerosene when using the fine India Norton stone. He doesn't like any of the other Nortons. He said you can even use the scented oil lamp oil.
 
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