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Purgatory Ironworks: Basic Theory Of Sha...

Moving right along, I discuss the theory and practice behind sharpening a knife

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15 Comments

Current View: 15 / Show all Comments

The Living End : LVL 50: VP 5: said:

The Living End

23 votes NegativePositive

227 days 23 hours ago...

That was great, thanks for not only explaining the `how to`, but the reasoning behind it as well. I personally think it`s a much more effective way to learn. Cheers

Squints182003 : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

Squints182003

20 votes NegativePositive

227 days 23 hours ago...

Yeah, You brought the kittys back

Zodd_25 : LVL 11: VP 2: said:

Zodd_25

4 votes NegativePositive

227 days 23 hours ago...

great vid, i knew a bit of the basics of sharpening a knife but none of the theory, also i did know about the cutting paper thing and the whole drag your finger (seen many of my idiot friends slice their fingers open mimicking me after i do it).

one question, i did hear that cutting paper (cause like you just chopping up paper w/ a sharp knife just is a fun thing to do) actually dulls a blade faster, i dunno if there is any truth to this but i did notice one of my very sharp blades dull quickly after i had to much fun w/ a notebook when younger.

also when is a blade`s edge unrepairable, or is it pretty much always repairable as long as your willing to lose metal?

TheFlip : LVL 33: VP 4.2: said:

TheFlip

6 votes NegativePositive

227 days 23 hours ago...

really impresive indeed haha loved the end of the video. thanks for sharing keep up the good work

Diashan : LVL 38: VP 4.6: said:

Diashan

11 votes NegativePositive

227 days 22 hours ago...

info i actually needed yesterday

Excellent 5/5

Bloodpool : LVL 12: VP 2.1: said:

Bloodpool

3 votes NegativePositive

227 days 22 hours ago...

Love your videos! Watched all of them and each one has received a 5/5. Very interesting and informative.

1 quick question if I may. Is there a way to sharpen a serrated edge knife? I have a great Spyderco knife that used to have an awesome serrated edge. Just started to dull from the occasional use.

John Larou : LVL 3: VP 1.2: said:

John Larou

4 votes NegativePositive

227 days 21 hours ago...

What kind of oil was that? Was that 3in 1 oil cuz it looked like 3 in 1.

exploder : LVL 47: VP 5: said:

exploder

Hidden (Show Comment) -8 votes

227 days 19 hours ago...

Water is the far better fluid for sharpening:

- it cools WAY better than oil, very important at microscopic scale.
- it washes the crap off / out of the way. This means the edge doesn`t have to plow a hill of abrasives ahead of it.
- you can use lots of it, even work under running water.
- it is not much of a lubricant, so it doesn`t help anything slide instead of grind.

Notice that factory processes use water or water based solutions for everything from grinding to machining and cutting. Home sharpening is no different.

It also really helps if your stone is new and not full of slimy oil, it will wash very clean with even a quick rinse, leaving no sludge on the surface. While working you keep a very clean stone this way with frequent quick rinses.

For hard working blades, you can do a two step `barn roof` edge. This allows you to get down to a thin enough edge to easily part the material to be cut, but put your sharpest micro edge on something more like a 90 deg corner, so it is less vulnerable to being broken off (chipped). You do this on the fine stone only, by doing your last few sharpening passes on a steeper angle, like 45 deg. The edge formed should be so small you can BARELY see the second step. This really works great for working knives, pocket knives, and harder service kitchen knives (bone). Like I said, they don`t seem to chip nearly as easily, and still hold a really good edge.

purgatoryironworks : LVL 11: VP 2: said:

purgatoryironworks

34 votes NegativePositive

227 days 17 hours ago...

Going to have to disagree with you on a few points, Exploder. In sharpening a knife by hand, the cooling effect is pointless, you are not generating enough heat to draw the temper in any way. The idea is that its keeps metal and abrasive material from sticking in the stone creating a bump that will ruin a flat edge. You can use water but its awfully difficult to hold a stone and knife under running water while you are working it. It is important to keep a clean stone but a wipe of a rag or paper towel does the trick nicely, even if its a cheap stone. The barn roof edge you refer to is actually a variation of the convex, or axe grind. However, you wont be cutting warm poop if a 45 degree angle is the sharpest thing you got. The concept is correct but you need to remeasure those angles, I think you will find that they are much steeper.
At any rate, I did say alot of folks have different opinions and all that is neccasary is that the end result suits you and your tastes.

Hannsimus : LVL 25: VP 3.4: said:

Hannsimus

21 votes NegativePositive

227 days 13 hours ago...

Not to dis your Video`s or anything because I think they are great, but your sound quality is lacking, it only comes in on the left side if you have headphones. And it isn`t my headphones. Just thought id let you know.

Batman! : LVL 40: VP 4.8: said:

Batman!

3 votes NegativePositive

227 days 13 hours ago...

Being a chef, I too would like to hear about sharpening serrated knives. They start out great but seem to dull quickly. They`re still usable, but you need to be careful you don`t squish what ever you`re cutting.

dougekewl : LVL 42: VP 5: said:

dougekewl

3 votes NegativePositive

227 days 13 hours ago...

I`m curious now about the edge you had on the skinning knife. can you get that fine of an edge using your belt sanding method? or did you sharpen that one with your ceramic stone/leather strap?

KIRIFUDA : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

KIRIFUDA

0 votes NegativePositive

227 days 13 hours ago...

What I usually do is first soak the stone in water for 5 minutes or so. This way it doesn`t loose moisture as fast as when water is simply poured over a dry stone. I have a bucket of water next to me so if it gets a bit dry i can just take some water with my hand and pour it over and just start sharpening again.

Zodd_25 : LVL 11: VP 2: said:

Zodd_25

2 votes NegativePositive

227 days 12 hours ago...

yea the audio does only come in on my left headphone also, it might be the placement of your mic or something, i`m no expert.

unlabled00 : LVL 7: VP 1.6: said:

unlabled00

1 votes NegativePositive

227 days 12 hours ago...

whats your take on that `samurai shark` sharpener? it seems like a cheap take since the primary setting doesn`t let you set your own angle, but does the portability offset the lesser quality?

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