Originally posted by BruiseLeee
I think I just need a working convex model to go by. Plus maybe watching someone sharpen or resharpen something. Or it'll show me that I need a new hobby, like collecting sticks or something.
Bro, don't ever give up!!!!
You can "give out" all you want to as long as when you rest up you come back for more.
I worked for years to get where I am today on sharpening and even at that couldn't get my Bilton sharp without some serious reworking the geometry of its edge.
:grumpy:
Now the hair on my arm jumps off in fright before the edge of the little knife gets within an 1/8 of an inch.
Besides Bill is spot on when it comes to khuks and shaving sharp edges, you don't need them although I think they're neat to do.
And there's another little secret as well.
A really sharp knife that will "push cut," not "slice cut," paper and shave most, read my, arm and leg hair doesn't necessarily "feel" that sharp. The edge is so dayumed smooth there are no micro teeth to "catch" on the skin of your finger whenever you gently feel the blade.
However a lot of the time when you get any knife to this point all it needs is some careful and "proper" stropping to get that scary sharp "feeling" edge.
You can dull a knife very easily with a strop!!!!
My Bilton was to that point this morning when I put it up for awhile, however when the edge was touched against my thumbnail as if I were going to cut it, it would not slide which told me it was plenty sharp enough.
Later this afternoon after I had rested up a bit I picked up my strop and carefully stropped it several times until that "scary sharp feeling" came up on the blade.
Let me be real clear about this "feeling." It would be very unwise to slide any knife this sharp down your finger and yet done carefully it doesn't "feel" that sharp. The "sharp" feeling comes when the edge is pressed very gently across the fingertips as in a push cut.
Another good idea and one which I've told about many times is going to a flea market or second hand store and buying up some old "THIN" Carbon Steel kitchen knives to practice on.
It's 100 times easier to get an edge on a thin knife than it is a thick knife when you don't have the experience.
Just whatever you do Bruise Please don't give up on such a wonderful hobby because you're having some trouble sharpening a khuk.
They're not always the easiest knife to sharpen for amny reasons.