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Re: How to Sharpen things.

Author: jendereedknife
Date: 2011-04-21 13:58

Wow! I love heated debates about sharpening

I saw some very good arguments being put out there. Here's my quick take:

1. Different abrasive mediums abrade differently and leave different edges. I've done comparison shots of Shapton pro and glass series on my reed knife from #120 - 30K. Clay Allison of Wicked Edge, although not a double-reeder, also did some nice microscope shots of edges from different sharpeners on the market:

http://sharpeningtechniques.blogspot.com/2009/12/micro-photos-of-identical-knives-after.html

2 Depending on your need, a more toothy or serrated edge will remove more depth although it will leave a rougher finish on the cane. The same edge more refined removes less cane on a more horizontal level, leaving the surface of the reed more even. So knowing the kind of edge you will get off a medium is important. The finish on the cane also affects the tone and vibration of the reed.

3 Just about all sharpening equipment on the market "works", although at varying levels. Being able to tailor the medium to suit your needs is the trick. What works great in one setting may flop miserably in another.
I have a good sized collection of stones, sticks, papers, compounds, etc... that I have used and compared (and still use and compare). I have my favorites, but when one isn't working, I go to the one that will - even if I'm not thrilled about it, since as mentioned in point 1, all mediums produce different edges.

4. Burnishing the edge like a scraper works great - you just need to remove all of the stressed metal (which can be a substantial amount) when sharpening since the burnishing stresses the metal enough so that it looses it's ability to hold an edge (just ask any violin maker). Burnishing works well on softer and thinner reed knives, but not so much on thicker and harder ones.

5. The old burr/wire edge argument is different in the case of reed knives. With the harder and better quality steels (generally) in use today, this makes using the burr a convenient solution. Perhaps it has evolved as being a wrong that just was so prevalent that it became "right". I don't know, but like it or not, it's here to stay. Like the burnishing, you can flex a small burr. But unlike burnishing, which literally bends the whole edge of a blade over, the burr just hangs over the edge, so manipulating it so that it catches the cane is how burrs are used in reed knife making. That's also why people touch up their reed knives so much. The burr gets pushed out of position much easier than the whole blade of a burnished edge. Not to plug, but my reed knife maintenance products specifically manipulate the burr back into position without sharpening.

6. In the end, just about all reed knives will be double bevel. Hollow ground and wedge knives are both double bevel. The grind has more to do with other influences, such as edge geometry, edge retention, overall balance, and even marketing. Single bevel knives often end up as double bevel anyway since the flat side of a knife is hardly ever flat, unless it is hollow ground on the "flat" side.

That's about it for now... I'll be in Arizona at the IDRS festival. If any of you want to get knee deep in this, I'm more than happy to host a competition at my table! :D

Sincerely,

Tom Blodgett
President,
Jende Industries, LLC
www.jendeindustries.com

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How to Sharpen things. new

RobinDesHautbois

2011-04-04 23:52