Quote:
Originally Posted by Leozinho
Thanks for that.
It looks like Mr. Harsey finishes on a Norton India fine stone (about 320 grit) and doesn't care for stropping or otherwise producing the super-sharp polished edges, as they don't hold up well.
Interesting. Some folks make a big deal of scary sharp blades that will whittle hair. Good to know that isn't necessary and may be counterproductive.
Good stuff.
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Leozinho,
You asked a good question because knifemakers face one thing that most will never see which is a blade that has not been edged before.
When we have knives to sharpen in large batches the volume of steel to be removed to establish the cutting bevel would be difficult to do by hand stoning.
The craft of "edging" is a critical one to the usefulness of the blade and this goes double for using the belt grinder to do it.
I do strop my blades on leather with green chrome oxide buffing compound rubbed in to the leather surface but can make them cut very well without this step.
There really is such a thing as too fine an edge for best possible knife edge endurance in the field.
On angles, Most of us get a feel for how acute an angle we can put on the edge of a given knife. This angle is partially controlled by the cross sectional geometry of the entire blade.
I have never once in my work measured the angle of my sharpening bevels on any knife. Even if I called out an angle how is anyone going to be able to measure or duplicate it in the field?
Professional competition axes are another thing. I have built angle gauges out of bronze to measure the angles of axe edges for some of the guys you watch on ESPN Timber Sports. My axe has an included angle of 11 degrees and can take a shaving off the surface of newspaper without going through the other side.
The axe in pic is mine, all edge work was done by hand stoning. This is a 7 lb. racing axe.
If memory serves the sharpening thread was about field sharpening which means using the few tools one would have in the "field".