03-08-2017, 05:04 PM
Welcome to the BESS Exchange! Sharpening and sharpness testing have been inextricably linked for centuries. Today the pages of YouTube and the internet are filled with various means and methodologies in grinding a new edge and a nearly equal volume of means in testing the efficacy of those grinding efforts. Until the appearance of CATRA and later ANAGO those edge testing efforts were confined primarily to mostly anecdotal methods. Recognition and credit must be given to these two associations and their members for recognizing the value and need for more definitive edge sharpness testing (“EST”) methods. It is the subject of "value and need" that I would like to address in this, my first and final post in this category. Hereafter, and only as the need may arise, questions will be answered by the appropriate Edge On Up personnel as “EOU”.
The development and use of instrumentation can be traced back to ancient times. The existence and usefulness of these ancient tools and measuring devices are well known and numerous so I won’t waste time here with their recital. Instead, I will pose a question. Surely, most ancient Egyptian people were satisfied with the determination of the time of day by gazing up at the sun. They did live in sunny Egypt, didn’t they? So why did someone drive a vertical rod into the ground in an effort to improve the accuracy of this time calculation? Further still in Egypt, the sundial was followed by the water clock and then the sand hourglass. The hourglass “stuck” for a while. Ferdinand Magellan carried 18 hourglasses on his circumnavigation voyage and I understand that large hour glasses (large enough for the Sunday morning congregation to see) were a common fixture on 18th century British church pulpits.
So, what does the early history of time keeping have to do with the “value and need” for accurate edge sharpness testing? Well, just this. Advancements in time keeping didn’t end with the hourglass and EST development didn’t stop after the first definitive edge sharpness tester was developed. Today, modern EST provides so many more possibilities and, like your current timepiece, serves many more purposes than simply gauging whether you arrived at a destination on time or not.
EST today is not simply about how sharp an edge is at the end of a sharpening session. EST is about the process of sharpening from beginning to end. Cause and effect. Which tools, materials and techniques contribute to the desired effect and which are a poor or wasted use of time and resources. EST instrumentation is easily capable of not only “seeing” edge issues that even a digital microscope cannot but also of measuring the extent of the issue as well. The discovery potential for sharpeners is almost infinite but, without doubt, improvements with the sharpening process is the facet of EST where we receive the most accolades from users. We simply could not put it better than one of our users did “My PT50 turned on the light in my sharpening room”.
In the industrial segment of our business we deal with process engineers on a regular basis and we hope to hear from them here on the Exchange as well. In fact, all sharpeners are process engineers in my opinion whether your business card indicates so or not. We have all purchased equipment and materials and studied the techniques required to produce sharp and durable edges. We all seek to improve and optimize our processes. Please consider EST and the BESS as certainly not the final step, but a very significant step toward improving your process and achieving your goals.
The development and use of instrumentation can be traced back to ancient times. The existence and usefulness of these ancient tools and measuring devices are well known and numerous so I won’t waste time here with their recital. Instead, I will pose a question. Surely, most ancient Egyptian people were satisfied with the determination of the time of day by gazing up at the sun. They did live in sunny Egypt, didn’t they? So why did someone drive a vertical rod into the ground in an effort to improve the accuracy of this time calculation? Further still in Egypt, the sundial was followed by the water clock and then the sand hourglass. The hourglass “stuck” for a while. Ferdinand Magellan carried 18 hourglasses on his circumnavigation voyage and I understand that large hour glasses (large enough for the Sunday morning congregation to see) were a common fixture on 18th century British church pulpits.
So, what does the early history of time keeping have to do with the “value and need” for accurate edge sharpness testing? Well, just this. Advancements in time keeping didn’t end with the hourglass and EST development didn’t stop after the first definitive edge sharpness tester was developed. Today, modern EST provides so many more possibilities and, like your current timepiece, serves many more purposes than simply gauging whether you arrived at a destination on time or not.
EST today is not simply about how sharp an edge is at the end of a sharpening session. EST is about the process of sharpening from beginning to end. Cause and effect. Which tools, materials and techniques contribute to the desired effect and which are a poor or wasted use of time and resources. EST instrumentation is easily capable of not only “seeing” edge issues that even a digital microscope cannot but also of measuring the extent of the issue as well. The discovery potential for sharpeners is almost infinite but, without doubt, improvements with the sharpening process is the facet of EST where we receive the most accolades from users. We simply could not put it better than one of our users did “My PT50 turned on the light in my sharpening room”.
In the industrial segment of our business we deal with process engineers on a regular basis and we hope to hear from them here on the Exchange as well. In fact, all sharpeners are process engineers in my opinion whether your business card indicates so or not. We have all purchased equipment and materials and studied the techniques required to produce sharp and durable edges. We all seek to improve and optimize our processes. Please consider EST and the BESS as certainly not the final step, but a very significant step toward improving your process and achieving your goals.