Tough sharpening confusion

E

Elmgrovegnome

Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
26
I sharpen my knives using a backward motion. The blade edge is pulled across the stone and strop. Since I learned this technique I have had great results.

I gave most of my crock sticks away since they sharpen in the other direction.

I kept one set of crock sticks and the other day I thought I would just touch up my pocket knife as a test. It got "scary" sharp as some of you say.

I would have thought reversing the direction would have been the absolute Wrong thing to do. Why did this work out? Or is it actually damaging the edge?
 
Both directions work, for strops and sandpaper you need to do edge trailing strokes or you will cut into it.
 
on a microscopic level wouldn't the crock stick be folding the tiny fragments of steel backwards? Or would it just be rubbing them off?
 
Elmgrovegnome said:
I sharpen my knives using a backward motion. The blade edge is pulled across the stone and strop. Since I learned this technique I have had great results.

I gave most of my crock sticks away since they sharpen in the other direction.

I kept one set of crock sticks and the other day I thought I would just touch up my pocket knife as a test. It got "scary" sharp as some of you say.

I would have thought reversing the direction would have been the absolute Wrong thing to do. Why did this work out? Or is it actually damaging the edge?
Click to expand...

It doesn't really make much difference which way you travel along a stone or stick. They will remove metal in both directions. (You could go sideways if you really wanted.) It is easier to remove a wire edge by cutting into the stone. Sharpening in one direction or the other is a matter of habit. If you are maintaining the correct angles, you will get a sharp edge. I learned to sharpen cutting into the stone, but have often trailed the edge when sharpening knives with very, very acute angles such as fillet knives and pen blades.

Edge leading will not work well when using a strop. For that you must trail the edge or you may ruin the strop.

Stitchawl
 
Thanks. I learned to sharpen on my filet knife, kitchen knife and pocket knives. Trailing has worked well on them.

The thicker knives are giving me trouble.
 
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