I’m new to Japanese knives, have been sharpening Wusthof and pocket knives for decades, and hardly thinking about it. I’m trying to get good at this, and trying imagine what is happening with the edge that I can’t see… particularly with regard to the burr.
So I’m using Cerax stones, 1000 and 6000. Knives are aogami super and white #2 (Kinaro and Miura Idataki). I sharpen at 14 degrees using a guide to set the angle initially, then just trying to be as consistent as possible. I do several passes on the first side until I can feel a burr, then maybe a few more to be certain. Then flip it over and repeat. I probably do 10 passes on each side, typically. Then a few edge trailing strokes at a slightly elevated angle, alternating sides each stroke to remove the burr. Then I switch to the 6000 stone and repeat using a bit less pressure, lessening pressure as I go. Finally, a bunch of light, edge trailing strokes on the 6000 until it feels kinda sharp. But here’s where I’m wondering what I have… shouldn’t it feel super sharp at this point? It doesn’t seem sharp enough to scare me to run my finger along the edge, but it would cut a tomato okay.
Then I strop it on newspaper a dozen or so strokes and it starts to feel scary sharp. Another dozen and it’s scary-scary-sharp (I know these aren’t quantifiable terms). It will do thin slices on a tomato without holding it, shave arm hair, cut newspaper, etc.
What I’m wondering is, is that stroping standing up a burr such that it seems sharp, or is this the apex? And why is the knife not feeling sharp-sharp straight off the 6000 stone? After using it to prep a meal (a few onions, carrots, celery, peppers) it will be noticeably less sharp (finger check) but stroping brings it back pretty close. At this point wouldn’t any burr be gone?
I know my consistency holding the angle can always improve, but what else might I be doing that would not give a sharper edge pre-stroping? How do I take it to the next level?
So I’m using Cerax stones, 1000 and 6000. Knives are aogami super and white #2 (Kinaro and Miura Idataki). I sharpen at 14 degrees using a guide to set the angle initially, then just trying to be as consistent as possible. I do several passes on the first side until I can feel a burr, then maybe a few more to be certain. Then flip it over and repeat. I probably do 10 passes on each side, typically. Then a few edge trailing strokes at a slightly elevated angle, alternating sides each stroke to remove the burr. Then I switch to the 6000 stone and repeat using a bit less pressure, lessening pressure as I go. Finally, a bunch of light, edge trailing strokes on the 6000 until it feels kinda sharp. But here’s where I’m wondering what I have… shouldn’t it feel super sharp at this point? It doesn’t seem sharp enough to scare me to run my finger along the edge, but it would cut a tomato okay.
Then I strop it on newspaper a dozen or so strokes and it starts to feel scary sharp. Another dozen and it’s scary-scary-sharp (I know these aren’t quantifiable terms). It will do thin slices on a tomato without holding it, shave arm hair, cut newspaper, etc.
What I’m wondering is, is that stroping standing up a burr such that it seems sharp, or is this the apex? And why is the knife not feeling sharp-sharp straight off the 6000 stone? After using it to prep a meal (a few onions, carrots, celery, peppers) it will be noticeably less sharp (finger check) but stroping brings it back pretty close. At this point wouldn’t any burr be gone?
I know my consistency holding the angle can always improve, but what else might I be doing that would not give a sharper edge pre-stroping? How do I take it to the next level?
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