So I had this idea…
I would write a blog article about the various sharpening techniques being employed by the various sharpeners around Sydney. Sounds simple enough right? I had it all worked out, and I was going to do my best to keep it as unbiased and factual as possible. Stuff like motor RPM’s, diameter of abrasive wheels, types of abrasives, grits, cooled or not cooled etc etc. And in order to keep the article as unbiased as possible, I was even going to leave myself and all the info concerning my techniques out. Putting myself in would’ve been redundant anyhow (I am certainly not one of the ”magic mystery magician” type sharpeners)…almost everything anyone might like to know about what I do is on the ”Tools and Techniques” page of my website and if anyone wishes to know more, I make it clear that all they’s gotta do is ask.
So I began my investigation as anyone would, and at the most obvious starting point, “the beginning”… and so, I contacted some sharpeners via email. One by one the responses came in. They all had different stories or reasons or excuses but they all said the same thing: “No…blah blah blah…I’m not going to give you any information at all”. Now, I can understand that my competitors might be a bit wary of me and my loud mouth, and I can understand the bone chilling fear they may experience when they think of the possible impact that my hugely influential and uber-powerful blog might have on their business. (I mean seriously, there is absolutely no telling the level of severity or the extent of the inumerable possible repercussions which would unfold, engulfing everything like a raging tidal wave of molten lava, once I told the world exactly what variety, type and grit (or micron) of mud that they themselves so willingly provided me to sling (“By the power of Greyskull…I have the power!!! He-man…) OMG! Can you f’n imagine?!?!)
Seriously though…no really I’m being seriously serious…I can understand their scepticisim and trepidation and viewed from where they stand I can see why they might say “no”. However, I made a strong point to say that no names would be named (personal or business) and I would make the article a straight forward ”pros and cons” sort of thing based on the facts that they provide me. Now either I come across as an untrustworthy snake in the grass (inland taipan to be precise) or they are super paranoid or perhaps there is some sort of ”sharpeners code” (like the “Magicians code”) that I don’t know about (Is there? If there is, will someone please throw me a bone? because it will be news to me)? Because I got a whole heap of…nothing…nada…zip…zilch… So after a while I realised the futility of my venture and gave up. But it got me thinking, and so out of curiosity…I instead started calling sharpening services posing as a” serious and knowledgeable yet curious person with some precious knives to be sharpened” to see if as a customer with cold hard cash waiting to fly from my wallet to theirs could get any more answers. And? Again I got…nothing…nada….zip…zilch. Now I know I am not the greatest actor in the world and I probably should’ve gotten a woman with a sexy disarming voice to do my dirty work but total deception was not the point. The point was answers, answers that would and could be willingly provided to questions posed by anyone. I wasn’t necessarily after specific facts, much less their top secret sharpening recipie, all I wanted was info. I asked all sorts of questions, everything from grits to diameters to brand names and blah blah blah and all I got was the run around and prices. Now since I didn’t talk to every sharpener in Sydney I cannot say that this pertains to every single last sharpener and I am sure there are others like me who if asked are happy and excited that some one has shown an intrest in what they do (and love) and will gladly chew your ear off about it but from what I found their as rare as hens teeth, well maybe not that rare but pretty rare. Hmmmmmmm??????
Does anyone besides me find this a bit suspect? I mean, if given the oppertunity to dispell the myths and to clear the air about what you do wouldn’t you take it? Especially if what you did was shrouded my stories of “Oh that guy…he’s crap” etc? Personally, I dive at the chance. In fact, I want people to know about what I do because I want them to know that I know what I am doing and that they can trust me to do a good job. When I asked these guys the questions and got the paranoid, nervous “no” answers alarm bells went off. I can’t think of (and I am a thinkin’ man) very many reasons that a person might react this way. To me it says 1) “I don’t know and therefore don’t know what I am doing” 2) “I know that I am producing a substandard product and don’t want to get caught out” 3) “I am paranoid and don’t want anyone to steal my top secret sharpening technique”…no matter which you pick and/or regardless of the reason, not one of the miriad of possible answers has a positive connotation.
So what gives “sharpener” dude/dudettes? Whats the big f’n deal? Because I don’t understand…I don’t know… and I don’t get it.
Do you really not know what you are doing? Or do you perhaps prey on peoples nieviety and victimise them with a product that you know is inferior or one that you know will fail in x amount of time ensuring possible repeat business? Being able and willing to provide real answers to legitimate questions seems to me like a pretty important thing to be able to do…doesn’t it? Afterall, I know I wouldn’t trust a surgon who couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me in detail about what they were about to do to me. Nor would I trust a mechanic with my vehicle for the same reasons. Whats that you say(?)”What’s the big deal? They’re only knives, and some of them are crap as well! And judgeing by the condition the knives were in when I got them they’re just going to get abused anyway.”
That may be true (except the “just knives” part, knives are tools and tools are important. After all, tool use is one of the most important milestones in the evoloution of a species. Que no?) but it doesn’t matter what “they” do with “their” stuff “they” own it. And “they” can do what ever “they” want with it and ”we” aren’t in any position to say anything about what “they” do with “their” stuff. It does however matter what “we” do with “their” stuff because it’s not “ours” its”theirs” and the fact that ”we” are doing work on ”their” knives means : WE WORK FOR THEM! By hireing us the customer is trusting us enough to do a good job and is paying us their hard (sometimes) earned money and so is our boss man/woman and as such, it is our duty to honor that trust by providing them with the highest quality work that we are able. But instead, ”Our duty” has been completely disregarded by some and because of this our reputation has been draged through the mud. This really chaps my hide.
The quality of work done by sharpeners, especially mobile ones, has become widely suspect, especially to chefs and restaurant owners (who are our bread and f’n butter I might add). Justly so in my opinion. I was shocked when I first moved here by the “quality” (I use that term very, very loosly) of work produced by some mobile sharpeners. I couldn’t believe 1) that people were paying for their knives to be butchered and treated like crap, and more so that 2) someone calling themselves a “sharpener” had the audacity to think that it was ok to do such crappy work on something that wasn’t even theirs, and charge money for it!
Well enter a new era…the public has more choices now and there are guys and gals out there who really care about what they do and are doing their best to provide the absolute best product possible (with respect to their technique, knowledge, and skill). But separating the grain from the chaff is not an easy task and every now and then one will get a big ol’ heap’n bowl of chaff, and it will suck. But don’t let that big bowl of dry gross chaff disuade you from your quest. Don’t say f’ it and go out and buy new knives, venture on (you will find that there are “sharpeners” and there are Sharpeners), and when you finally find the grain that works for you, doesn’t upseet your stomach or make you fart, hold onto it (not the fart).
Holy crap…I don’t know about you but I think that horse is dead…deadand beaten to a bloody, mushy pulp! OK…I’ll shut up now. Stay tuned however for the “My ‘First’ Potential Sharpener Quiz and Checklist”….
First I would like to apologise for the lack of posts and updates. I have recently been having a spate of late finishes and by the time I unload the truck, clean up, drink a beer(s) and organise dinner I usually feel pretty devoid of inspiration. Why all the late finishes? Well it seems as though the fates have been against me and everything from crashes on the motorway to job’s being two or three times bigger than expected have pushed my days well into darkness (daylight and my mood). I wish I could say that it’s been because I am super f’n busy and am making money hand over fist but the reality is that I have been doing a lot of sitting in deadlocked traffic watching the clock slowly tick past my appointment times and more money has been leaving my wallet than entering it.
But that is not the point of this post…
…nor is this (warning, boring sharpening stuff ahead): I have a few exciting (well exciting to me anyway) things in the works. First, I have just acquired some aluminium plate for the platen on my machine. Huh? The platen is the flat plate under the linishing belt on my machine on which I do most of of the sharpening, well, the important accurate bits at least. It is of utmost importance that the platen be perfectly flat and aluminium stays perfectly flat. Aluminium has other benefits as well, 1) it is super slippery, and will reduce the friction between the platen and the belt which means less strain on the motor and faster start-up between belt changes. 2) aluminium is an excellent heat sink, it conducts and sheds temperature very quickly so (so suck your toe, all the way to Mexico…) even though I have more or less beaten the ‘overheating’ bully already, every little bit helps.
I have also just made a leather linishing belt to strop with which is great, no more felt wheel! Well sort of, I will still use the felt wheel for buffing and blending and the like but I now have the supreme accuracy of the belt and platen to finish all blades on. Huh huh? Having the accuracy of the platen to work on means more accurate angles, no compression or flex in the strop and therefore little to no risk of dubbing the edge. ’Dubbing’ is a rounding over of the cutting edge which happens when the strop compresses and rolls over the edge essentially blunting it. Dubbing is to be avoided at all costs, not because it is particularly detrimental or difficult to fix but because it is the most frustrating f’n thing in the whole f’n world when you spend a heap of time sharpening a blade only to find that it doesn’t cut shit (a German named Adolf (no relation) once told me: “Outcome outcome outcome, the outcome is everything. See…you do everything right and (tests scissors)…it doesn’t cut shit!) Well it could probably cut shit but you know what I mean.
Don’t worry the juicy bit is coming up, but not yet, instead…An adjustable tool rest! Huh x3? I have been working on the design for a quick change tool rest that will allow me to set perfectly accurate angles for a large range of different tools and I believe I have done it! This isn’t that big a deal as I have tool rest now that allows me to do the same thing but it is a pain in the ass. The new version, 2.0 that is, will allow more accuracy and speed when I am sharpening a big batch of like items, chisels for example (of which there can be 30 or more at one job all cut to the same angle.) There will be no more screwing around with jigs or worrying about replicating the bevel angle between grits. Essentially it will kick ass.
And the last thing, well that’s top secret. If this thing works as I hope it will…it will also kick ass.
Now finally, the part you have all been waiting for. The part that the title is about (which was a toss up between Public Enemy, and the Misfits, obviously P.E. won.) So i got an email from some guy the other day. A personal email. No proper return address and no last name. Only cowards find strength and bravery in anonymity. Unless of course you’re doing something which would land you in prison, then anonymity is just forward thinking. Anyway, here it is:
“Well Brian, it’s no wonder people don’t comment on your website as much as you would want them to, disgusting language and bad attitude does not help on your part. You must be a very angry person inside.”
For the most part, I don’t really care what people think of me, I am a take it or leave it kind of guy. I do however do my best to be socially respectful, amicable and approachable as I think everyone should be regardless of values or beliefs and I expect the same in return (the contrary is true as well though, approach with ill will and venom and expect the same in return). So when I receive an accusative email full of unfounded opinions…I don’t really care. Like whiskey down an injuns throat, or water and ducks or whatever etc… But what I do care about is not having the opportunity to respond. There was an email address from which the note was sent but it was a generic bulk server type address, _____@genericinbox.com sort of thing. I knew no one would be there at the other end to to read my reply but I sent one anyways…fifteen or so times over several days. I was hoping to catch a fish but I was either using the wrong bait or fishing in the wrong lake….So I wrote:
“I assume the comment you made is in reference to the “Are there any actual humans out there” post I wrote. Maybe a few others as well, I’m not sure.
As to the first part, “Disgusting language”, I do agree that some of the words and phrases I use in my posts to convey my frustration or “anger” on a subject may not be agreeable with some. However this “disgusting language” for others is quite normal, maybe a bit crass, but still an everyday thing. And still others find this “disgusting language” quite funny. I am sure you know there are two sides to everything, some will hate what I write and others will appreciate it and I am sure there are many who are totally indifferent. But to each their own, right? One last thing, the only power that any words have is that given to them by the reader or listener. My writing and the words therein had absolutely no meaning or power until you read them and allowed them to.
As to the second part my “bad attitude” and being an “angry person inside”. It is true that I can be aggressive at times and this aggression may be interpreted as anger but for the most part it is not anger which drives me to express myself the way I do. Most of the time it is frustration, frustration at a lot of things, some trivial and some personal. I do my best to keep things candid while I express my frustration but there will always be those, like yourself, who won’t get the jokes. Collateral damage. I am not an angry person inside. I am a passionate person who believes strongly in certain things and in a certain way of living and it is this passion which prompts me to say what I think. Which brings me to my “bad attitude”. I consider myself quite a friendly, helpful, positive and approachable person and I dare say so do most of the people I know or have met through my daily travels. I do not however feel the need to “pull punches” or “spare feelings”. This I know doesn’t agree with some but (again) still others appreciate the honesty, however brutal it may sometimes be.
I wish I had more time this morning to respond more fully to your comment however I have to run, work to do and appointments to make. I am sure you get the point I am trying to make anyway.
Thank you for your comment, however, why didn’t you express your comment publicly in reference directly to the post which prompted you to write?
Have a good day,
Brian Martinez”
Needless to say, I received no correspondence.
The point of this whole post (well maybe not the whole thing, just the juicy bit) is this: Please please please voice your opinion. Got something to say to me or about me? Please feel free. I have always said: I may not agree with what one has to say but I will fight to the death for their right to say it. But… if you send me a personal email, at least give me the means to reply (I won’t shred you publicly don’t worry) and if you are scaredy cat and would prefer to remain anonymous then post a public comment on my blog. Either way, all I am asking is for my chance to have my say too.
Oh and one last thing…Don’t like my attitude? Don’t like the language I use? News flash fool…You don’t have to read it.
“And that’s all I have to say about that” – Forrest Gump
Hand saw blade half derusted.
Hand saws derusted, yet to be sharpened…half way through a full tune-up
Freshly cut saw teeth…super sharp!
40mm Die-cutter
Super sharp. Every tool gets the same VIP treatment…EVERY tool.
Abused food processor blade
Yep…abused
Ahhhh, nice and sharp again!
There are soooooo many more photos, too many for one post. You’ll just have to wait in suspense to chickity check (one, two, one, two) the rest. What? That’s “whickity whack” you say? Well…you’re not the boss of me, so you are just going to have to wait.
Knife handle replacement, half way, old and new meeting for the first time!
Knife handle replacement finished, hand made…nice
3 Knife handle replacements, rotten old handles…see ya later!
Since this blog has been created I have recieved 2 thats right 2 actual comments. By actual I mean, written by a real human about somthing that is actually in the post that they are commenting about. One was from my partner, and the other was from some guy (kinda about nothing but from what I can remember it was nice). I accidentally erased them both. My only real comments and I erased them like a dufus. So there was 2, 2 real ones and…..HUNDREDS of shady, deceptive, trolling backlink scumbag comments.
People who pay for some poor sucker in (blank) country to sit there and write nonsensical, generic crap as responses (which covertly contain a backlink to a “get slim in 24hrs while your penis (or breasts) gets bigger and your taxes get lower and women (or men) are uncontrolably attracted to you and your free ipad” site) can go get a dog up em!
Well, it has taken alot of personal motivation to get back on the horse and start writing again. I have just been too busy or tired or both to sit down and write. Now, I don’t know about you but once the ‘ol writing ball has slowed to a stop it can be very difficult for me to muster up the strength and willpower to get it rolling again. So what exactly has spured me on then? To tell the truth this post was going to be full of fact, opinion, frustration and a bit of finger pointing and bitching but I decided instead (since it was my first post in quite a while) to restart things on a positive note. But don’t worry, the angry post will be coming soon…believe me, it is just stewing away in my mind getting tastier and tastier…
Anyhoo…
It would be impossible for me to recap the entire inturum during my hiatus (if for no other reason than the fact that my memory is totally shot) so instead I will mention a few recent high points.
First high point…I decided to start taking days off. For the better part of the past year I worked seven days a week. That’s right no days off, 12-16 hour days for a year (and I thought I was getting away from the life sucking schedule of kitchens!). Market stalls on both saturday and sunday then on the road the other five days. “But why? You’re the boss, you set your own schedule” you say? Plain and simple…I am a workaholic, sort of. I think the term workaholic is a bit unfair in my case. I don’t do it because I am an addict I do it ….Because I love working and when I get to combine my love of working with my love of what I do…it’s all I want to do! (And I swear, I can quit any time I want to!) I often put it to people this way: What is your favorite thing to do? Well I get to do my favorite thing every day and get paid for it. But as with everything, too much of it can be bad and of course with all the time I spent working or doing work related things the other parts of my life suffered. So about a month ago I started taking days off and slowly, slowly, things are getting taken care of…my website for example. It is nice having these weekend things I had forgotten what they were like..
Second high point…I have started sharpening for the Essential Ingredient in Rozelle. I am their (sound trumpets) ”Official Sharpener”, which is great. I do a weekly sharpening service for them as well as onsite sharpening on the first saturday of every month. Everyone there is super friendly, great to work with and are genuinely concerned with being able to provide the best possible product and service possible…ahhhh people after my own heart! And…this is the really exciting part…I am going to teach a sharpening class through the Essential Cooking school as well! Super cool, I will get to blather on about one of my favorite subjects in the world to a captive audience for two whole hours!!! Oh the joy! The class will be both hands on (important but kind of whatever) and theory (really really important and not whatever at all). I can’t wait! For more info head over to the Essential Ingredient website.
Third highpoint….Through experimentation, trial and error and lot’s and lot’s of practice I have further refined my sharpening technique to be able to cut microbevels! Using only the highest possible abrasive (about 5000 grit) I have started cutting microbevels on particular types of tools. Pretty much every “impact” tool gets a microbevel, not every single one but nearly. By ”impact” I mean tool whose working nature either wholly or partly consists of some sort of impact to the edge. Chefs knives, cleavers, chisles, planer blades etc…I think you get the idea (or not). ”What is so freakin great about microbevels?” you ask. By cutting a microbevel the final cutting edge is strengthened by increasing the degree of included angle. For example, the geometry of a 40deg included angle(20deg bevel) is stronger and less likly to deform than a 30deg included angle (15deg bevel). The main benefit of microbevels is that a tool whose edge could normally only support a 40 or 50deg included angle (due to poor quality steel or tempering or both) can have a primary bevel cut to say 15-18deg (30-36deg included) and then a microbevel cut at 20-25deg (40-50 included) which provides the edge strength of 40-50deg and the cutting feel and efficiency of 30-36deg. I know, I know, 40-50deg isn’t as keen an edge as 30-36deg but well the fact is that some blades are crap and the steel they are made out of can only support a high degree bevel angle so being able to cut a microbevel allows for a bit of the best of both worlds. (Of course there is much much more to microbevels than this brief, crude and horribly incomplete explaination, but really, who wants to read all that boring sharpening nerd stuff!)
Lost most of you with that one didn’t I?…well stay tuned for more stuff spewing out of my brain, through my hands, into my computer, onto my website, through the interweb, into your computer then out the screen and through your eyes and finally into your brain…
In this repair I had to change the serrations because of the huge chip in the blade, came out pretty sweet!
Before
Before
New serrations measured out
After
After
Nothin like well cut serrations…mad skills!
I love sharpening serrated knives…
Before
Before
After
Pretty massive difference…
Be sure to read Part 1!!!!!
Part 2
Knife anatomy:
This is a drawing of a common basic European-style knife (sharpened on both sides equally). You can insert your own knife in its place and barring a few minor changes, you will find the anatomy of your knife nearly identical. This obviously doesn’t apply to special knives like fluted slicing knives or serrated bread knives. The one big exception is concerning Japanese knives whose characteristics vary widely depending on the type of knife and sometimes even on the maker, deba, usuba, sashimi etc. are all different shapes with different purposes and are sharpened 99%ish on one side meaning they have a “single” or “chisel” type bevel. Differences aside, the one thing that all cutting implements have in common is they all have at least one bevel. “Bevel” is the name for the profile shape of the section of a blade between the cutting edge and the body of the blade. It is this profile shape that is created during the sharpening process, the goal being to create a specific shape where the two planes (sides) of the bevel are cut at a particular angle (bevel angle) and shape from the body of the blade, ultimately meeting at the finest, most acute possible point (cutting edge) for the given task of the tool.
Each bevel can be cut in a nearly infinite array of angles and any combination of shape can be used. The angle and shape of the bevel is different for every type of tool and
careful consideration should be taken when choosing which shape or combination of shapes will be the most effective for the given tool. There is no such thing
as a “one size fits all” bevel. For example, a splitting axe and a felling axe, however similar they may be, have slightly different bevel shapes and are sharpened to different included angles. To be able to choose the correct bevel and angle it is imperative to know first how a tool to be sharpened works and second to know what material it will be
used on.
Again, as example, take the splitting and felling axes. A splitting axe is mostly used to cut with the grain, is sharpened to an included angle between 40 and 50 degrees and has a short steep convex bevel which runs into the body of the blade which has thick rounded cheeks (the sides of an axe blade are referred to as “cheeks“). The cheeks of a splitting axe are designed to have minimal contact and therefore minimal friction with the wood being split which helps to prevent the axe from becoming wedged in the work. A felling axe on the other hand is used mainly against the grain (so wedging is less likely) for material removal in mostly green wood and for improved efficiency should be sharpened for maximum penetrating ability. Therefore, a felling axe has a more acute included angle of between 30 and 40 degrees and has a long convex bevel tapering into a thin
blade with very little “cheek“. Now imagine if the characteristics of the two were swapped, the thick-cheeked felling axe would have very poor penetrating ability and therefore would remove material very slowly and the thin-cheeked splitting axe would become wedged in a log almost instantly. Axe, chef’s knife, or cutthroat razor, it doesn’t matter, every cutting tool has its own specific purpose and function and its bevel must be shaped specifically and correctly in order for it to perform effectively and efficiently.
Keeping that in mind, the refinement of and the process concerning what type bevel shape and angle to apply to a tool are far more flexible and open to interpretation (with the exception of some very high precision tools) than the process and steps involved with abrasives. That does not in any way mean the bevel shape and angle is less important, they are extremely important and in many cases more important, but, can be open to opinion. The one attribute not open to opinion about bevel shape and angle is consistency.
That is, on a blade sharpened equally on both sides, there must be consistency between the bevels on each side of the blade, on matched blades (such as some types of scissors) the two matched blades must be consistent with each other, and on every type of blade there must be consistency within the bevel itself with concern to depth, shape and angle over the entire length of the blade.
[The only exceptions to these rules are: 1) torsional or progressively shaped bevels, that is, a bevel which intentionally changes in shape or angle or depth or all three over the length of the blade, and 2) blades which have been intentionally sharpened with uneven bevel depths and angles on opposite sides as in the case of some Asian knives and some plane blades. Even in these cases there is specified consistency within the work.]
I cannot express the importance of consistency in bevels enough. It is the shape, angle and depth of the bevel which give a tool its specific cutting characteristics, and an inconsistency can result in a whole host of unfavorable or undesirable cutting traits. For example, if a chef’s knife is sharpened unevenly from side to side, say with a steeper, shorter angle on the left than the right, it will tend to pull to the right as it cuts through product, or if a plane blade has a bowed or wavy bevel it will remove material in uneven thicknesses over the length of the blade with each pass. There is an infinite number of problems, mistakes and inconsistencies which may occur in a bevel resulting in as many problematic cutting traits, so the thing to be conscious of while using a tool, especially if it has been recently sharpened, is whether or not it is displaying any undesirable cutting characteristics (i.e. pulling to one side, removing too much material, poor penetrating ability etc.). If indeed the tool is not performing as it should be, the bevel(s) should be inspected and any problems detected should be rectified. Sometimes the issues concerning a bevel can be very difficult to detect by either eye or by touch so it is necessary to be able to describe the issue in detail to the sharpener who will be making any repairs. Being able to accurately identify and explain any possible cutting issues is yet another reason why it is so important to understand both how the tool works as well as the material it is being used on.
So what is the moral of this ramble? There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” bevel. Every bevel shape and angle should be considered with every different tool and decisions should be made based not only on the tool itself but also on the material the tool will be cutting. Once the decision has been made as to the type of bevel that is to be cut the utmost care and attention must be paid during the entire sharpening process to maintain consistency throughout the bevel itself; if the bevel is to be matched on either the opposite side or on a matching blade that there is exacting consistency between the two matching bevels or blades. Failing to consider which shape to cut and at which angle to cut it, or failing to cut accurate consistent bevels is a failure on the part of the sharpener to not only help the tool in question perform to its fullest potential but is also a disservice to its owner. As with abrasives, every sharpener should be willing and able to explain the type of bevel they will be cutting on your tools, if they can’t or won’t well…there’s no point in beating a dead horse, you know my opinion.
Abrasives and bevels are sharpening and I hope that my explanations, opinions, bold statements, observations and facts about the two have helped you to understand sharpening more thoroughly and have helped to clarify the process of sharpening. Not only that, but I hope this has also helped to clarify the different degrees to which your tools may or may not be being sharpened and thusly will help you make a more educated and effective decision when it comes to which sharpener you may or may not be doing business with.
If not, please email me any questions you may have, I am more than happy to help clarify in any way possible. And, definitely get in touch if you have anything to add or find (or feel) that any of the points I have brought up are incorrect or need amending, after all I am the first to admit that I am definitely not the be all end all messiah of sharpening. I am just a guy who has done this for a long time, who has sharpened thousands and thousands of different items and who has tried his hardest to be the best at it that he can be. Regardless of my experience and knowledge, I know that there is always room for improvement and I am always open to better, more effective and more efficient sharpening
techniques and abrasives. The search continues….
Like my drawings? hahahahaha!!!!
Sharpening: an overview
I am writing this article for three reasons. First, to help people better understand the process of sharpening. Secondly, to serve as a reference and guide for those wanting to learn to sharpen more effectively. Lastly, and possibly more importantly, to help people understand the concept of sharpening and the varying points to which tools can be sharpened. With this understanding people will hopefully be better able to make the best possible decisions regarding the care and maintenance of their tools.
This is not a sharpening tutorial nor a “how to,” but understanding each of these concepts will help you to “how to” more effectively. Also, as this is not a “how to” I am not necessarily explaining the sharpening process per se. I am instead attempting to explain the main points of focus that should be considered before, during, and after
sharpening.
This has also been written with the hope that it will cater and appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. For some of the more knowledgeable and experienced sharpeners there may be parts that may seem a bit novice and over explained, and for the less experienced I hope I have not made it too mind numbing in its technicality. Skirting the line between the two was a huge challenge and although I know this could be explained more simply, it could definitely go the other way as well… Enjoy!
Part 1
What is sharpening?
Sharpening at its essence is a process of refinement. It is the refinement of an edge. That is, to make a blunt, rounded, damaged or otherwise ineffectual cutting edge sharp again. This refinement has two main aspects, both of equal importance — finish and shape. The act of this refinement, sharpening, can happen through many different means, some rough and rugged, some delicate and precise or by a myriad of different means in between. The one thing they all have in common is that they all refine in the same way: by using an abrasive of some sort to cut and remove material to shape the tool to a point that ultimately achieves the desired end result of sharpness.
Abrasives:
It should go without saying that in order to understand sharpening one must also understand abrasives. After all, the abrasive is the tool in the sharpening process and it is of absolute necessity to understand the tool if one wishes to understand how to use it.
Pretty much any abrasive can be used to sharpen, from sand paper to Japanese ceramic sharpening stones to diamond coated honing plates, smooth stones, and even the floor of a prison cell. After all, all abrasives accomplish the same result (material removal) and are of the same basic construct (cutting agent held in place by a bonding agent). Every
sharpener has his preferred type of abrasive, so finding the type of abrasive that works best for you and gives a result and finish that you are happy with is a matter of research, availability and trial and error. The main thing to learn, know and understand about abrasives is what they are and how they work.
[If anyone would like to know more about the specific brands or types of abrasives that I
prefer, I am happy to offer my advice. However that is not the point of this article. Please email or call me with any questions in
regard to the sharpening stones and abrasives that I find work best for me]
Grit and Micron:
There are two scales in reference to the measurement of the cutting agent particles in abrasives, both based on the measurement of size.
The first and most common is “grit,” which works on an ascending numerical scale from low to high (low number = rough/more aggressive cutting, high number = smooth/less
aggressive cutting). The particles of cutting material are sized by the number of parts in a given area (i.e. parts per square inch or centimeter). This means that the larger a particle is, the fewer will be able to fit in a given area, conversely the smaller a particle is the more of it. With this measurement scale the lower the number the rougher the abrasive (I.e. 60 grit is rougher than 100 grit).
The second and less common method of measurement is “micron“. A micron is the measurement of an individual cutting particle. This scale is a descending numerical scale from high to low (high number = rough/aggressive, low number = smooth/less aggressive). Thus, the lower the number the smaller the particle and, conversely, the larger the number the larger the particle. With this scale the higher the number is the rougher the abrasive is (i.e. 50 micron is rougher than 10 micron).
Think of it like pixels. Grit is the number of pixels in a given area and a micron is the size of the pixel itself.
And to make things more confusing and irritating in regards to the grading measurement of grit, there are several different international scales each having their own system. And
of course the three main scales (JIS, Japan; FEPA, Europe; ANSI, U.S.A.) do not always directly relate to each other. For example, JIS 1000 = FEPA 400 = ANSI 500 = 18 micron. For a good conversion chart click here.
All companies use a “sieving process” to grade and size the cutting particles to be used in a given abrasive but each company uses a different process and each has its own standards by which to grade. These differences result in inconsistencies between two abrasives of the same type and grit (or micron) if produced by different companies. In the case of some lower quality abrasives there are even variances between two abrasives of the same type, in the same grit produced by the same company. For these reasons it is always better to buy high quality abrasives from reputable producers as these producers test and process more thoroughly and they use higher quality cutting and bonding agents.
Bonding agents are the vehicles in which the particles of cutting material are suspended. They are as important as the cutting agent. It is essential that the bonding agent degrade at an appropriate rate in relation to the cutting material. This degradation is necessary because as the bonding agent degrades it exposes new, fresh, sharp cutting particles. If the bonding agent degrades too slowly the exposed cutting agent becomes blunt and ineffectual. If it degrades too quickly– which is better than too slowly but is still not good–the cutting agent is not used to its full potential and is discarded prematurely. Thusly the abrasive product expires quickly and is not cost effective.
High quality abrasives with a good rate of degradation are especially important in regards to machine sharpening. As machine sharpening can produce a tremendous amount of heat very quickly, the exposure of fresh, sharp cutting agent is of utmost importance. With machine sharpening, The use of blunt or worn out abrasive should be avoided whenever possible. It is not always the case, but more often than not price is a good indicator as to quality. This is particularly true in the case of sharpening stones and abrasive papers or linishing belts.
Refinement with abrasives:
(To avoid further confusion, henceforth all discussion of abrasives will be in the measurement of “grit“)
Now that you know how abrasives are graded you need to know how they work. There are several main types of cutting agents used in abrasives that are especially well-suited for sharpening: diamond, silicon carbide, chromium oxide, aluminium oxide, silicon oxide, ferric oxide and hardened steel. Each has its benefits and some are better than others on different materials, but they all do the same thing. Cutting agents all remove material by cutting. This cutting is accomplished by the cutting agent being harder than the cut material, thusly leaving scratches in the cut material as the material is removed.
So with that in mind, refer back to the grit grading scale: lower grit=bigger cutting particles = rougher = bigger or deeper cuts=less refined, but is more aggressive, resulting
in faster material removal. Conversely higher grit = smaller cuts=more refined but is less aggressive, with slower material removal. Knowing the basic concept of grit and grading
you can then begin the process of sharpening with a focus on the concept of refinement. That is, start with a low grit to accomplish the rough work (I.e. repair, reshaping of a bevel etc.) Then work your way through progressively higher grits, each progressive grit refining the scratches of the previous one until the desired final point of refinement has been reached. The more grits that are used in the process, the finer and more accurate the end result with less time and effort spent on each successive grit.
Now consider this process of material removal by cutting/scratching and its effect on the cutting edge. This scratching leaves a pattern on the surface of the work and, once enough material is removed and the scratching reaches the edge, the pattern is mimicked in a saw tooth-like texture on the edge itself. Once this is created and as long as the surface is
being worked, the texture folds back from the edge to the side opposite of that which is in contact with the abrasive and is known as a “burr“. A burr is remnant material still attached to the edge of the work. This phenomena, created by the sharpening process is a result of the abrasive compromising the crystalline structure of the steel as it cuts through it. As the structure of the steel has been fractured it becomes very weak and is why the burr bends from side to side and remains attached.
This is an area of contention between some sharpeners…. A burr, being saw like is referred to by some as “micro serrations”. Some believe that these serrations ARE the edge of the blade and are a good thing as they provide great initial cutting but the fact is that the serrations are NOT the edge, are NOT a good thing and are in fact very weak.
Although they may initially feel super sharp, they become damaged easily and will ultimately result in an edge which will become more severely blunted more quickly.
The edge actually resides behind these serrations and the degree of edge bluntness that occurs once the serrations have become damaged relates directly to the size of the serrations. The size of the serrations in turn relate directly to the grit of the final abrasive used in sharpening. The lower the grit, the bigger the scratches are, which also means the bigger the serrations are. The larger the serrations are the greater the damage is to the edge once they have become broken or folded.
These serrations are always there regardless of the grit being used, you only need magnification strong enough to see evidence of this. It is for this reason that it is necessary to not only work through progressively higher grits in order to remove all scratching and ‘tooth’ of the previous grit but to also take the sharpening to the highest possible grit which results in the finest possible tooth and therefore the least amount of damage to the edge once the tooth has broken off . The severity of damage through use can be even further reduced through the process of honing. Honing is the forced and controlled removal of any remaining tooth by employing any number of different techniques, all generally based on the same concept, and a super fine abrasive. In the process of honing the tooth is drawn (pulled) away from the edge using only edge trailing strokes on leather, soft wood, hard felt or some other similar material which has been impregnated with a super fine abrasive. Some abrasives used for honing are specially designed for the task (stroping paste, green chromium and others). However other more readily available abrasives can be substituted (rouge, various polishing pastes).
The abrasive cuts the “hinge’” between the tooth and the actual edge helping to facilitate the removal. By controlling this process any damage incurred from the breakage of any remaining tooth through use is greatly diminished. Honing comes with a caveat however, that is, if the sharpened edge has not been taken to a fine enough abrasive before honing one of two occurrences may happen, neither being good. First, if finished to too low a grit all honing does is pull the tooth straight creating a very (initially) sharp but very weak and short-lasting “false edge“. This is very common and is more often than not the final outcome reached by most sharpeners. The second occurrence is if the edge is sharpened to too low a grit (or improperly sharpened) and then honed until the tooth ,which is still attached to the edge, is completely removed, in essence breaking the tooth off the edge. In this case what will remain of the actual cutting edge will be a slightly rounded edge with a very jagged texture that will feel sharp to the touch but will be extremely weak and will become blunt almost instantly upon use.
Then, even if the sharpener has done everything correctly and the sharpened tool has beenfinished properly there is still the risk of over honing. Because the act of honing uses
a slightly soft or flexible material as the hone, what can happen is, as the hone compresses or flexes it curls up and over the cutting edge which can very easily cause the edge to become rounded. Sharpeners refer to this as “rolling the edge over“ or “dubbing”. The utmost care must be taken to avoid this result by 1) not applying too much pressure while honing, 2) (for the beginners) not using a hone which is too flexible, 3) not using a honing abrasive which is too aggressive, and 4) being sure to hone at an angle that is more acute than the angle that the knife is sharpened to . (I.e. if you sharpen at 20deg-ish hone at less than 20)–too steep an angle will put too much pressure and abrasion on the edge and will roll it over. A rolled edge will feel sharp to the touch and may even shave hair but it is not truly sharp and if sliced through free-hanging newsprint will leave a cut with a rough texture and may not even cut the paper at all.
Note: the use of printer paper is not an accurate test as it is too thick and too tightly pressed; just about any relatively sharp tool will cut this paper.
Another technique for the removal of any remaining “tooth” is to cut a micro-bevel (or bevels) onto the final cutting edge. The act of cutting a micro-bevel requires extremely fine abrasives and the use of a sharpening jig. It is a delicate and extremely accurate process that is beyond most people’s willingness to either pursue or execute. In essence micro-bevels are microscopic bevels applied to the edge of a blade that are cut at progressively slightly steeper angles to the main bevel. The process of cutting micro-bevels cuts away any remaining tooth and the application of which are the ultimate in edge strength and durability. For a more comprehensive description of what micro-bevels are and how to execute them click here.
Sharp or “Sharp”?
Most sharpeners do not check their work for durability and edge retention. It can be assumed that most sharpeners check their finished work for “sharpness“, and these tests are the usual: feeling the edge with the fingers or palm, slicing through paper, or shaving. These “checks” can give you an initial indication of sharpness but do not reveal the true strength and lastingness of the real cutting edge and also do not accurately expose any faults which may have resulted in the sharpening process. Every sharpener no matter how accomplished makes mistakes and the fact is that the only way to know if any edge-compromising situations have occurred is to test the finished, sharpened blade. Here are two simple tests that can be done to ensure that the finished edge is of the absolute highest quality:
The first test requires the use of a butchers steel and tests for a “false edge“. Not just any steel will work for this test, it must be a super fine cut or polishing steel or, in a pinch, a very old steel which has lost the majority, or all of, its texture.*** Once the tool has been sharpened and honed, swipe the edge of the blade lightly down the steel once on one side taking care to mimic the angle at which the blade was sharpened. Now feel for a burr on the opposite side by running the edge of your finger nail from the body of the blade up and then off the edge. If the swipe on the steel has folded the edge over, exposing a burr, your nail will catch as it passes over the edge. The burr is often quite subtle and feeling for it requires unwavering focus and a delicate sense of touch. If the burr can be felt it is an indication that the blade has not been finished properly and at this point must be returned to the finest abrasive being used for sharpening. Using light pressure and starting first on the side opposite the burr, sharpen until you feel as though the entire burr has been sharpened away. The “steel” testing process must then be repeated until the burr has been completely sharpened off and can no longer be detected.
***[actually, in my opinion, the only steels that should ever be used on any blade should either be super fine cut or polishing and even then they should be used gently and accurately. Butchers steels are made of very hard tempered steel which is much harder than the steel of your blade, (they are in fact quite closely related to files) and if the steel has a rough texture it can easily cause damage to the super fine edge of the blade. And never ever should a diamond or ceramic steel be used. In fact, I believe that diamond and ceramic steels are far too aggressive, do such a poor job and cause such a severely uneven, inconsistent and multifaceted bevel that the use of them is one of the only things that immediately voids my guarantee!]
The second test is employed to test the edge retention and will reveal both a rounded edge due to over-honing or weak edge. This test requires a short length of 2cm square soft wood (balsa is best but pine will work as well, just be more gentle if using pine) or a rectangle of tough double layer cardboard (moving boxes work well). Once the blade has been sharpened, honed and tested for a false edge draw the edge very lightly over the corner of the balsa or pine twice, or make 3-4 cuts through the cardboard against the grain of the structure. Either of these tests will show explicitly the strength of the edge and it will be obvious if the blade has failed the test because, well…it will be blunt. The edge will feel smooth to the touch, will rip (not slice) newsprint and, in extreme cases, the edge will even reflect light! If the blade fails this test it must be re-sharpened, re-honed and re-tested from the highest possible effective grit. This event is very annoying and time-consuming and should be avoided at all costs (duh). If the blade passes both tests, re-hone the edge again lightly and voila! The blade is sharp and will stay sharper longer!
[I know these tests sound annoying and add another step to an already time-consuming process but the end result is always worth it and knowing that the work is perfect, durable and long-lasting is both comforting and satisfying not to mention the dedication to this level of care and attention to detail shows the pride one takes in their work and it is definitely worth the effort because… you don’t hear about good sharpeners very often but boy oh boy do you hear about the bad ones; bad news travels far and wide and having a good reputation is definitely worth a few more minutes of time.]
Now, what is the ultimate lesson to all this excessive explanation? It is simple, the more refined an edge is, the stronger it is, the sharper it is, and the sharper it will stay. And for this reason it is important to inquire about, know and understand what a sharpener is doing and to what level of refinement he or she will be taking your tools. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and never assume that someone knows what they are doing just because “knife sharpening” is on their list of services. Any self-respecting, reputable sharpener should be willing and able to explain both their techniques and abrasives in detail. If for some reason they are not willing or able, or if they seem to be skirting their way around answers, it may mean several things: 1) that they know they produce an inferior product, 2) that they in fact do not know what they are doing, 3) that they are paranoid that someone might try to steal their top secret sharpening technique. In any case you should be wary in any of these situations and should consider taking your business elsewhere.
OOOO! I bet you can’t wait for part 2!?!? I bet the suspense is killing you…or not…
