Over many years I've tried many ways of sharpening pocket knives. I started with the typical flat oilstone, briefly tried the "kitchen" sharpeners, spent a lot of time with both round and flat diamond sharpeners, have used ceramic Crock sticks in several configurations and sizes, and currently am using a Lansky system with course, medium, and fine stones.
While I usually manage to sharpen my knives enough for the task at hand, I have always worked toward the finest edge I could manage, and possibly that is wrong. I was watching a guy sharpen one of my pocket knives at a gun show. He was using sharpening wheels on a benchgrinder-type machine. After dressing up the edge to what he thought was best, he TURNED OFF THE GRINDER AND USED THE KNIFE EDGE TO SLOW THE WHEEL TO A STOP, still maintaining the same angle. He explained that this puts a slight burr on the edge of the blade, kind of like micro serrations, as the wheel slows, and this cuts much better than a super-fine edge. I've got to confess that this was the sharpest I've ever seen that particular knife.
Would it be a good idea to sharpen blades as best as possible, then attempt to replicate that slightly burred edge with a couple of strokes of a course stone?
While I usually manage to sharpen my knives enough for the task at hand, I have always worked toward the finest edge I could manage, and possibly that is wrong. I was watching a guy sharpen one of my pocket knives at a gun show. He was using sharpening wheels on a benchgrinder-type machine. After dressing up the edge to what he thought was best, he TURNED OFF THE GRINDER AND USED THE KNIFE EDGE TO SLOW THE WHEEL TO A STOP, still maintaining the same angle. He explained that this puts a slight burr on the edge of the blade, kind of like micro serrations, as the wheel slows, and this cuts much better than a super-fine edge. I've got to confess that this was the sharpest I've ever seen that particular knife.
Would it be a good idea to sharpen blades as best as possible, then attempt to replicate that slightly burred edge with a couple of strokes of a course stone?
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