Author: jhoyla
Date: 2008-10-17 13:24
Claire hello,
just like reeds, your knife can always be just a little bit sharper ... :-)
Sharpening your knife is a craft that you will learn. Tom Blodget is an acknowledged expert in this field, and has given sharpening classes at the IDRS annual conference, a spotty video of which can be see here:
http://128.138.185.178:554/qtmedia/Media/2005Conf/Conf05-Knife.mp4
When you sharpen your blade, you are trying to get two flat planes to meet at an acute angle, with an edge of zero width (the sharp blade). The closer you get to this ideal, the sharper your blade will be. Keep your stones flat, always use the same blade angles when you sharpen, and your edge will be perfect.
I use a burnishing steel to maintain the edge once it is sharp. The steel doesn't cut the metal, it just re-shapes that "zero width edge" (which is called the "burr") so that I can continue scraping. Eventually there is no burr to speak of, and the edge is no longer sharp. Then I go back to my stones.
To get and keep a perfect edge, you probably need more than one stone. You need a coarse stone to set the edge, and then a fine stone to refine it to the sharpness you need.
Also, consider keeping one (new) knife for the truly delicate work at the tip, and make sure that one is really sharp.
J.
Post Edited (2008-10-18 21:46)
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