What am I doing wrong?

[snorkem]

I just got a tube of 1 micron dmt dia paste and I refinished my strop and applied the compound. Ive stropped my kershaw tyrade for about 20 minutes and the sharpness level has DRASTICALLY IMPROVED, but here is the catch, I cant shave arm hair very well at all. The knife makes incredible push cuts through paper, but when I put it to my arm I can barely shave hair. Am i doing something wrong, it can also barely whittle hair,

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

My guess is your edge is at least slightly convexed. The only reason I bring this up, is because I've noticed the same thing with the knives that I've recently convexed, using sandpaper on my strop block. Push cuts through paper beautifully, works fantastic at cutting cardboard & plastic, but the shaving & hair whittling performance has diminished somewhat, in some cases completely.

Most of my best hair-whittling edges have all been produced using a guided sharpener which, obviously, puts a more nearly perfect 'V' bevel on the edge. I have done a couple of pocketknives on the sandpaper & leather, with which I made a more deliberate effort to keep the angle very low, making for a 'thinner' or more subtle convex. These particular knives have done a bit better with the shaving/hair-whittling, while still push-cutting paper beautifully.

It's odd to me, but considering the benefits otherwise, I don't mind too much. Whittling hair is fun, but I don't shave with my knives anyway. The true 'working' benefits of the convex are worth giving up the shaving edge, so far as I'm concerned.

 

[snorkem]

Best answer I've ever heard, just looked at my edge and if I look for it, I can see areas where it is slightly convexed, this is actually just fine with me, as long as I am not unevenly rounding my edges convex will serve me better. Thanks for the input

 

[Jason B.]

Sounds like you rolled the edge to me.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Best answer I've ever heard, just looked at my edge and if I look for it, I can see areas where it is slightly convexed, this is actually just fine with me, as long as I am not unevenly rounding my edges convex will serve me better. Thanks for the input

One thing that's helped me, a little bit, is that I often make 2 or 3 very, very light passes on a med/fine ceramic stone after stropping. I sort of expect that I'll round the edge a little on the strop, so this last 'micro-bevelling' step often enhances cutting significantly.

A convex edge will glide almost effortlessly across a strop. It feels great, but it's a little tougher to actually 'feel' the bevel, as with a V-bevelled edge. This is why I think it's easier to accidentally round the edge a little with convexing. Have to be that much more careful to keep the angle conservatively low, and/or make sure you're not using too much pressure.