07-13-2018, 10:27 AM
Maybe we can help there Larrin and it never hurts to revisit these things. First the indicators that the edge has been rolled are;
1. If the roll is severe enough (250 points or so) often a fingernail or the corner of a business card can be snagged on the rolled side of the edge.
2. 250 point rolled sections of edges are visible to the naked eye with reflected light (edge on)
3. Before rolling the edge was sharper i.e. 150 and after rolling duller i.e. 400 (equals 250 point roll)
The indicator to us that the edge has been rolled as opposed to abraded or smashed is that most 25-250 point rolls can be returned to at or very near their original sharpness levels by a few simple stropping strokes (with some pressure) on a plain piece of leather. In addition, post stropping, now the visible roll section will have disappeared and no longer can you hook a fingernail. Rolls of 300 points are dicey. They can sometimes be brought all the way back and sometimes not. Above 300 points, mediation of the roll can occur with stropping but not returned to original sharpness level usually. The thinking here being that the roll originates so deep in the metal that a solid leather surface can't apply enough force to straighten it. Perhaps a steel could, we don't know because we, apparently, don't know how to use a steel properly.
Of course, all this is hardly new science since any butcher or barber could have told us most of this a hundred years ago.
1. If the roll is severe enough (250 points or so) often a fingernail or the corner of a business card can be snagged on the rolled side of the edge.
2. 250 point rolled sections of edges are visible to the naked eye with reflected light (edge on)
3. Before rolling the edge was sharper i.e. 150 and after rolling duller i.e. 400 (equals 250 point roll)
The indicator to us that the edge has been rolled as opposed to abraded or smashed is that most 25-250 point rolls can be returned to at or very near their original sharpness levels by a few simple stropping strokes (with some pressure) on a plain piece of leather. In addition, post stropping, now the visible roll section will have disappeared and no longer can you hook a fingernail. Rolls of 300 points are dicey. They can sometimes be brought all the way back and sometimes not. Above 300 points, mediation of the roll can occur with stropping but not returned to original sharpness level usually. The thinking here being that the roll originates so deep in the metal that a solid leather surface can't apply enough force to straighten it. Perhaps a steel could, we don't know because we, apparently, don't know how to use a steel properly.
Of course, all this is hardly new science since any butcher or barber could have told us most of this a hundred years ago.