01-28-2019, 07:47 PM
The general preference for polished edges and shiny bevels does not surprise me. That polish and shiny looks "finished" and I think folks then naturally equate that to a professionally sharpened edge and sharpness. Shiny things always attract the human eye, and shiny trinkets have been used in trade for actually useful items like furs, spices and other goods throughout in human history. I like dazzling and shiny things too. I'll even wax my car every so often.
A freshly sharpened polished edge cuts like a dream, but at least in my experience rolls quickly into a long smooth and round edge that quickly rides on the surface of things being cut. That being right or wrong is not really the issue, and folks will like whatever they like. I think it is true however that only folks really into sharpening have a good understanding of the minutia of edge finish and how it effects performance. That's perfectly normal and expected. I'm sure that someone who is an antique expert would look at some old vase as see it very differently than I would.
I agree that it's easy to remove burr on a polished edge as it can be, for all intents an practical purposes simply ground away with fine abrasives.
Like you say Mr. Mark, burrs created with very coarse abrasives are much tougher to remove as they are larger and the LOW is more pronounced. It's easy to grind it off with fine abrasives but then, in that case, the toothy edge is lost so what's the point of using a coarse abrasive in the first place.
For me at least it took experimenting and practice to be able to sharpen with a coarse abrasive for a toothy edge and remove the burr whilst still maintaining the toothy edge. I think it was worth the effort.
A freshly sharpened polished edge cuts like a dream, but at least in my experience rolls quickly into a long smooth and round edge that quickly rides on the surface of things being cut. That being right or wrong is not really the issue, and folks will like whatever they like. I think it is true however that only folks really into sharpening have a good understanding of the minutia of edge finish and how it effects performance. That's perfectly normal and expected. I'm sure that someone who is an antique expert would look at some old vase as see it very differently than I would.
I agree that it's easy to remove burr on a polished edge as it can be, for all intents an practical purposes simply ground away with fine abrasives.
Like you say Mr. Mark, burrs created with very coarse abrasives are much tougher to remove as they are larger and the LOW is more pronounced. It's easy to grind it off with fine abrasives but then, in that case, the toothy edge is lost so what's the point of using a coarse abrasive in the first place.
For me at least it took experimenting and practice to be able to sharpen with a coarse abrasive for a toothy edge and remove the burr whilst still maintaining the toothy edge. I think it was worth the effort.