When to strop?

[Heiheit]

Nevertheless they do have some love/hate thingie going on...
I can see where the remark is coming from

I can see that going on sometimes with them

It seems like the maintenance forum is a bit of a *!&$storm lately.

that being said, there are a huge amount of great people here, but it's a bit tough to sift through the nonsense.

op I've got this horrible fetish with edge pictures; it's debilitating really.

when you're done sharpening and testing them how about you post some pictures for us to enjoy? :thumbup:

 

[cbwx34]

Sometimes sharpness is not even a factor in a knifes ability to cut.

Great statement. Regardless of the 'technical' definition of sharp, if you understand this statement (which he explains later in his post), you'll put a better cutting edge on your knife.

cbw

 

[Heiheit]

Great statement. Regardless of the 'technical' definition of sharp, if you understand this statement (which he explains later in his post), you'll put a better cutting edge on your knife.

cbw

I absolutely agree with this. Look at the explanation Ben Dale (creator of the edge pro) thinks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQKKwojVd28&feature=player_embedded

 

[KarlMaldensNose]

Sometimes sharpness is not even a factor in a knifes ability to cut.

Great statement. Regardless of the 'technical' definition of sharp, if you understand this statement (which he explains later in his post), you'll put a better cutting edge on your knife.

cbw

I absolutely agree with this. Look at the explanation Ben Dale (creator of the edge pro) thinks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQKKwojVd28&feature=player_embedded

It makes sense to me as well. Getting pedantic about a dictionary definition of the word "cut" is missing the point. At this point in the game I think most of us know what he's talking about and agree. The dull but thin bladed SAK's ability to "cut" cardboard is a good example. Sure, technically it might not be "cutting" the material, according to some dictonaries' definitions, but who determines at what point a knife edge is "sharp" "enough" to be "cutting" rather than tearing/ploughing/shearing/ripping, and exactly how is that determination made? It's clearly a subjective matter. It seems to me that some of this thread's participants are focusing too much on who is typing these responses rather than what the responses are.

 

[5.56]

My last post here.

By citing the definition of "cut" I was merely pointing out that sharpness is a factor in the knife's ability to cut, contrary to knifeknuts statement. Forcing a dull SAK through cardboard is no different than me forcing my hand through it. Is it still cutting if I drive my dull hand through it?

 

[Sparljo]

Sharpness is only one factor in an objects ability to cut.

This is true.

So when do I strop again?

 

[KarlMaldensNose]

So when do I strop again?

When your hand cuts cardboard better than your knife.

5.56, I see where you're coming from.

 

[dsmegst]

Hi I use a belt sander for sharpening.Usually I start at 120 then240,,400,
20mic, 9mic. Then strop with leather and green compound, then bare leather.
Finally I put a very small micro bevel with a fine ceramic.
A few posters on this forum say that when going from 400 grit directly
to leather they get sharper blades with better edge retention.How would
a large scratch pattern on the edge accomplish this?
This is not a criticism I'm just trying to understand,thanks.

Hi Mordi,

A post from Sal, the president of Spyderco, regarding serrations comes to mind. He said something to the effect that a serrated knife cuts 3 times longer than a plain edge version of the same knife in the testing he did. And many personal experiences also proves the longevity of serrated blades.

Then there are many who've proved that a perfectly polished continuous edge cuts longer than a toothy edge. The teeth wears down fast and bend back to a dull edge very quickly.

So in between these 2 extremes, there must be a happy medium where micro serrations can be created so that they are durable enough to overcome cutting stresses and at the same time be able to cut longer like normal serrations. And at a microscopic levels, the serrations would be small enough that any tearing effect commonly associated with normal serrations are not evident.

If you took a typical Spyderco factory edge and looked under the microscope, they have what appears to be valleys and slight peaks created by the grinding stone. But unlike the toothy tears and slivers left from a typical bench stone, the factory edge lasts long and cuts very well.

Perhaps going from a medium grit stone to leather is somehow recreating that sort of an edge.

Off topic: Some of the tangents in this thread are pretty funny.