10-16-2021, 11:01 PM
"But this little sharpening obsession creeps up now and again."
Haha! I totally understand that. I was obsessed with sharpening for many years until I figured out what I needed to know. I too think trying for the ultimate sharpness is fun, but now that I'm old a lazy I consider blades as tools. 100-150 is good enough for me.
While it's fun, I've found that super sharp edges, and even 100-150 don't last that long for cutlery and general purpose blades. Edges dull. Since you have a PT50A, try it for yourself. Get a blade really sharp and then chop some carrots or potatoes or even some kumquats and watch what happens. Super sharp is ephemeral.
Super sharp is super cool while it lasts, but for me at least, the extra effort ain't worth it for general purpose blades and cutlery. Test it for yourself. It's a fun experiment.
The problem for me is that all the knives in my house are plenty sharp. When I have not sharpened for a while I miss it and search through the knives in hopes of finding a blade that hints at needing sharpening. Most of the time I leave saddened and unfilled.
I prefer a toothy edge because I've found they work best. For 99% of cutlery, I use a super simple sharpening method: Kally 1SM+ Kallyrest with a 150 grit Cubitron belt. Depending on the burr, deburr wth very fine Scotch-Brite belt. Always finish with the rough side of plain leather belt with no compound. Edges always seem to pop out 100-130 and nice and toothy.
When I first decided to figure out sharpening I got suckered by all the literature into thinking there was some secret to sharpening. Some secret equipment. Secret Zen Master knowledge, secret Zen super sharpening dust, deburring with secret camel butt leather etc. But after a lot of work, and $$$ spent, in the end I discovered the real secret... Make as small a burr as possible and remove it. That's the big secret.
Lots of different equipment will do a fine job of grinding an edge. The main difference between sharpening methods I've found is efficiency and speed of getting the job done. For me, sharpening is fun and rewarding but I don't want to spend an hour on a blade. After trying stones on sticks, paper wheels, water wheels and by hand stones, etc., I ended up with belts and a guided sharpening rest. Fast, effective, extremely versatile and super inexpensive for different grit belts.
This is just me but... The 'Net promotes way overthinking sharpening. Make a tiny burr and remove it. However you want.
The hardest part is burr removal and understanding burrs. Once a burr is created by grinding from both sides and it is removed the edge will be sharp. The smaller the burr the better. Once a burr is created additional grinding is detrimental.
Maybe you will enjoy this post:
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...41#pid4341
Haha! I totally understand that. I was obsessed with sharpening for many years until I figured out what I needed to know. I too think trying for the ultimate sharpness is fun, but now that I'm old a lazy I consider blades as tools. 100-150 is good enough for me.
While it's fun, I've found that super sharp edges, and even 100-150 don't last that long for cutlery and general purpose blades. Edges dull. Since you have a PT50A, try it for yourself. Get a blade really sharp and then chop some carrots or potatoes or even some kumquats and watch what happens. Super sharp is ephemeral.
Super sharp is super cool while it lasts, but for me at least, the extra effort ain't worth it for general purpose blades and cutlery. Test it for yourself. It's a fun experiment.
The problem for me is that all the knives in my house are plenty sharp. When I have not sharpened for a while I miss it and search through the knives in hopes of finding a blade that hints at needing sharpening. Most of the time I leave saddened and unfilled.
I prefer a toothy edge because I've found they work best. For 99% of cutlery, I use a super simple sharpening method: Kally 1SM+ Kallyrest with a 150 grit Cubitron belt. Depending on the burr, deburr wth very fine Scotch-Brite belt. Always finish with the rough side of plain leather belt with no compound. Edges always seem to pop out 100-130 and nice and toothy.
When I first decided to figure out sharpening I got suckered by all the literature into thinking there was some secret to sharpening. Some secret equipment. Secret Zen Master knowledge, secret Zen super sharpening dust, deburring with secret camel butt leather etc. But after a lot of work, and $$$ spent, in the end I discovered the real secret... Make as small a burr as possible and remove it. That's the big secret.
Lots of different equipment will do a fine job of grinding an edge. The main difference between sharpening methods I've found is efficiency and speed of getting the job done. For me, sharpening is fun and rewarding but I don't want to spend an hour on a blade. After trying stones on sticks, paper wheels, water wheels and by hand stones, etc., I ended up with belts and a guided sharpening rest. Fast, effective, extremely versatile and super inexpensive for different grit belts.
This is just me but... The 'Net promotes way overthinking sharpening. Make a tiny burr and remove it. However you want.
The hardest part is burr removal and understanding burrs. Once a burr is created by grinding from both sides and it is removed the edge will be sharp. The smaller the burr the better. Once a burr is created additional grinding is detrimental.
Maybe you will enjoy this post:
http://bessex.com/forum/showthread.php?t...41#pid4341