Trouble with burr

[roncunningham]

Im using a Sharpmaker and can get my knives sharp but Im getting a burr on the left side nearly every time. I can feel it with my finger nail from the tip to about a third of the way down the blade. I feel like Im just wasting my time. I am also considering a Work Sharp or a Harbour Freight belt sander. Any advice on what Im doing wrong or on the Work Sharp or belt sander would be appreciated.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Getting a burr on the edge is a good thing, from the perspective that it proves you've apexed the edge (or, at least the part with the burr). The goal, ideally, is to produce a burr along the full length of the edge, switch sides to 'flip' the burr the other way, then gradually reduce it. That can be done either with progressively finer abrasives AND lighter pressure, or in the case with the Sharpmaker, to progressively use lighter and lighter pressure on the finest grit rod, to gradually and gently file it away. The burr is the first indicator that the edge has become very fine, so everything that follows should be done very gently, so the burr's removed without otherwise diminishing your fine edge.

This is all the more important, if you're considering using powered tools to sharpen. Burrs will come much more quickly that way, and will likely be larger too.

 

[FlyingKiwi]

I have had that problem when re-grinding and edge. If the burr is on the left, grind the left side until the burr is on the right. It seems that you are not touching the apex from the left side yet. Also if you are sharpening freehand, try you hardest to keep and steady angle as sloppy work will create a more convex edge, removing metal all over the place, not always at the edge. Persevere!

 

[tiguy7]

The best way to get rid of a burr is to go back and forth from right stone to left stone. No burr can long withstand this right left assault. When you grind on the right stone, the burr moves to the left side. When you grind on the left side, the burr moves to the right side. So if you keep moving this burr from one side to the other, the damn thing will fall off.

 

[glockboy]

You can use the "Hard Felt De-Burring Block."

 

[HeavyHanded]

A belt sander won't solve any issues with burrs, it generally makes them a little more challenging to remove. For a finely ground edge you can do a lot of good just cutting into a chunk of hardwood, stropping either side of the blade a few times at a steep angle, and cutting in again. To remove every last trace of burr you pretty much are required to use some sort of abrasive strop, even if it's nothing more than a piece of cardboard, roughly sanded chunk of wood, or leather, felt, textile etc with some appropriate compound applied.

If everything else is done correctly, I agree 100% w/ the other responses that you should be able to make the burr flip fairly easily, just a few passes/ side should push the burr to the other side.

 

[RubiconSS]

Agree with all previous input and I would add, I see the challenge being getting the burr the full length and then notice it on both sides before gently and methodically removing it leaving only your very fine and final product - a very sharp edge.

 

[roncunningham]

Thanks for the replys, I did get the Sharpmaker and got rid of the burr. I cant get as sharp of an edge but it is very easy and will shave. Maybe with practice I can do better. I still want to figure out what Im doing wrong with the Sharpmaker. Maybe I am using too much pressure?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks for the replys, I did get the Sharpmaker and got rid of the burr. I cant get as sharp of an edge but it is very easy and will shave. Maybe with practice I can do better. I still want to figure out what Im doing wrong with the Sharpmaker. Maybe I am using too much pressure?

Regulating pressure, and maintaining consistent angle are what it's all about. No matter what device, system, gadget, method. It always comes down to those basic principles.

I do think you'd benefit by going lighter with the pressure. The goal, ultimately, is to just 'sneak up' on the burr, just enough to see it beginning to form, without going too far and making a bigger and more troublesome burr. That'll come with practice. You'll get there, especially since you now know what to watch for, and how to deal with it. It's all about training the hands to make it more natural and automatic, from here on. Using lighter pressure will reap benefits across the board. It's much less fatiguing on the hands, it minimizes how much metal is removed (just enough, but without overdoing it), and it also helps in maintaining control of the angle (at least it does for me). If you feel like you need to 'lean into it', to get the job done, the better option is to select a coarser grit (let it do the grunt work). Once the burr's formed, removing it and refining the edge is always best done very gently.