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what is a burr?
- Thread starter hhkang63
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knick on a edge,blue jeans,card board are first time stropping.....
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A burr usually comes in two forms, one from sharpening and one from everyday use. The one from sharpening is like a flake of metal on the edge, it is the last bit of metal that you can sometimes see moving from side to side. The burr that forms from being used is that very thin edge being bent, chipped, rolled, and folded.
This is a pic of a sharpening burr, the burr is the shiny bumps that will be gone in the next pic.
This is a pic of a sharpening burr, the burr is the shiny bumps that will be gone in the next pic.
If you've ever ground plastic or wood, you might notice that at the edge of where you ground, there is fuzzy/frayed material sticking out. That's what a burr is on steel.
Basically what it is is deformed metal due to your grinding at the edge. As frayed material, it is very prone to breakage. If you have a burr on your edge, then when you cut, it will tear off and leave you with a tattered edge.
Thick burrs can usually be felt by running your finger across (NOT along) both sides of the edge. If one side is rough, you've probably got a burr. Another way (more reliable, in my opinion) is to hold the knife in bright light with one side of the blade facing you. Turn it around a little, and if you see a thin "wire" along the edge, you've probably got a burr. You have to check both sides.
The goal of sharpening is to remove this burr so that you have a fine, solid edge, and not one made of this frayed material. This is done by grinding one side to form a burr on the other, then grinding that side to form the burr on the previous side. Then you remove it by doing 1 stroke per side until it's gone. It's much harder than it sounds
Basically what it is is deformed metal due to your grinding at the edge. As frayed material, it is very prone to breakage. If you have a burr on your edge, then when you cut, it will tear off and leave you with a tattered edge.
Thick burrs can usually be felt by running your finger across (NOT along) both sides of the edge. If one side is rough, you've probably got a burr. Another way (more reliable, in my opinion) is to hold the knife in bright light with one side of the blade facing you. Turn it around a little, and if you see a thin "wire" along the edge, you've probably got a burr. You have to check both sides.
The goal of sharpening is to remove this burr so that you have a fine, solid edge, and not one made of this frayed material. This is done by grinding one side to form a burr on the other, then grinding that side to form the burr on the previous side. Then you remove it by doing 1 stroke per side until it's gone. It's much harder than it sounds
