Sharpening, whats the big deal?

O

obedriverleather

Joined
Jul 28, 2012
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83
I was laying out the large array of sharpening stones, Both diamond and natural, leather strops and other assorted sharpening goodies trying to decide how i wanted to sharpen the blades i was playing with when my wife walks into the room, she is a RN at a prison and makes the statement in the title. She informs me that the inmates get a razor edge on anything from kitchen spoons to melted plastic simply by rubbing it on the concrete floor, she then gives me that look i get sometimes when she knows she has just won the argument and leaves before i get the chance to explain that no way in heck am i scraping my F1 or KFU on a concrete floor. but still? how much do we really need to sharpen a blade, i remember a conversation i had with Ed Fowler yrs ago when i bought one of his pronghorns and he told me he carried strips of sandpaper in his wallet or would just pick up a smooth stone to maintain his knife with. So whadda ya think should i just give all my stones away and get my wife to take my blades to work and get them sharpened?;)
 
Thanks for the kind offer, but when i mentioned it to my wife, she explained how you carry stuff into a prison,:eek: OWWWWWW. and i better keep doing my on sharpening.:D by the way Austin is my Favorite place to drink in the US, Cheers
 
yeah, if you're carrying things in your build in holster, you probably don't want a hair whittling edge
 
Just tell her to use one of your knives the next time she shaves her legs and then ask, "Can a prison shiv do that?"
 
Its a big deal to someone that does not know the technical side of sharpening and to them it looks extreme, excessive, and ridiculous. Next is the perception of sharp. "They get them razor sharp on a concrete floor" tells me her perception of sharp is something along the lines of, if it will cut ANYTHING then its sharp no matter how well it makes the cut.

So how much do we need to sharpen a blade?

How dull do you like your knife?

If you understand sharpening and your uses you can maintain a given level of sharpness with minimal tools and effort. For example, I typically use a 1200 and 6000 grit waterstone to KEEP a sharp edge. I maybe re-set the bevel on a knife once or twice a year, the rest of the time I maintain the sharpness.
 
Ok guys,
I'll play as the other team...
And put the debate going:

They are kind of right, I mean I'm the first one who has 8 or 9 different stones, but It's a hobby. I like to take a 5mm thick knife, on a rainy sunday afternoon and take it to a mirror polish, but ended up beating an opinel or a SAK and taking back the edge in a couple of swipes on the DC4 and a piece of leather or with a little Arkansas and newspaper or cardboard as a strop.
I have to tell you I'd tried this philosophy for quite a while now and It works because you always have your knife shaving sharp, always even if you hit a rock or a nail, couple of strokes on the DC4 both sides and is again shaving sharp.
And for my that shaving sharp is plenty sharp.

But this is the last beauty I sharpened for the pleasure of It:
P1014204_zps1a64586b.jpg

83CBF974-A80A-4299-8FBB-9DAF1132F3C5-1978-00000371FC137007.jpg


What do you think??

Mateo
 
After reading the same questions here on sharpening over and over, I've wondered the same thing myself. Having one Norton combination stone and cardboard to strop on will keep you edge shaving sharp. Understanding the right technique and not being OCD about it will help. DM
 
knifenut1013 said:
Its a big deal to someone that does not know the technical side of sharpening and to them it looks extreme, excessive, and ridiculous. Next is the perception of sharp. "They get them razor sharp on a concrete floor" tells me her perception of sharp is something along the lines of, if it will cut ANYTHING then its sharp no matter how well it makes the cut.

So how much do we need to sharpen a blade?

How dull do you like your knife?

If you understand sharpening and your uses you can maintain a given level of sharpness with minimal tools and effort. For example, I typically use a 1200 and 6000 grit waterstone to KEEP a sharp edge. I maybe re-set the bevel on a knife once or twice a year, the rest of the time I maintain the sharpness.
Click to expand...

I kinda think her perception of sharp is how big the gash is when they are brought to the infirmary, They do not allow cell phones in so she cannot take pics but i can tell you where i think the term cut from A**hole to elbow comes from. :)
 
Look the thing we have to remember is this is a hobby to us.
When I was a kid I too sharpened my POS folding knife on the sidewalk. It was not "razor sharp", and I suspect prisoners/convicts knives are also not razor sharp but sharp enough to do the job but a ragged job it will be.
I'd rather get cut with a "razor sharp" knife than a sidewalk sharpened knife...ugh.

Sharpening and polishing to a mirror finish and hair popping level is also a hobby and many take pride in the skill and ability to take a piece of metal and sharpen it to a high degree.

No different than the fussy lawn care person, gardener, wood worker, etc.

I generally don't pay attention to people like the women you mention. Not worth my time of my effort...they already have the ir belief and you are not going to change it...so why bother???
 
I worked for the Fl Dept of Corrections for 10 yrs. There are some who do in fact get their shanks "razor" sharp. There are a lot of inmates who are knife nuts. Inmates who work in woodcraft and the mechanics have access to files, grinders and Sandpaper. We found a lot of sandpaper while doing searches.
 
I think i should say in all honesty, even though the conversation did happen just as reported, i was being somewhat sarcastic and funny when i posted this, i really was not trying to ruffle feathers or insult anyones sharpening techniques. And my wife has known me 30 yrs so her intent was much the same, keep on doing what ever makes you happy, and enjoy what to me and from the sounds of it most of you guys also quite an enjoyable experience, if not taken to seriously.:)
 
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