Cuting test challenge

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Julian

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So you have sharp knives huh? Let's see how many of you can replicate my cutting test below, using a supermarket receipt. Videos or it didn't happen :)

 
Julian, being able to put a fine edge on a knife that can cut a supermarket receipt or even a single layer of paper napkin clearly is indeed a skill that takes a while to learn, but in the world of kitchen knives, this does not have that much meaning, because an edge that works well in the kitchen is often too coarse for such a test.
 
Julian, being able to put a fine edge on a knife that can cut a supermarket receipt or even a single layer of paper napkin clearly is indeed a skill that takes a while to learn, but in the world of kitchen knives, this does not have that much meaning, because an edge that works well in the kitchen is often too coarse for such a test.

I disagree
My edge is around 3 k gritt, or jnat, and it cuts paper towels.
And is perfect for prof kitchen.
It’s all about making a consistent edge and remove Unwanted burr and metal residue.
 
Try this one. I call it the circle test. Changing directions doesn't work well if you have burr remnants. You can also try starting to slice some paper with a pull cut and then switch to a push cut mid stroke. Like you are sawing kind of. The change in direction is tough if your edge isn't straight and true.

 
I feel like this contest misses out on the zen of sharpening, too. Aren’t we all supposed to just try to improve our current edges, rather than compete against each other?

Try this one. I call it the circle test. Changing directions doesn't work well if you have burr remnants. You can also try starting to slice some paper with a pull cut and then switch to a push cut mid stroke. Like you are sawing kind of. The change in direction is tough if your edge isn't straight and true.



Cool art project!
 
Literally every other post on here is about how sharp your knives are or how much sharper this is steel gets compared to that other one. I want to see it, is that so much to ask :)
 
I feel like this contest misses out on the zen of sharpening, too. Aren’t we all supposed to just try to improve our current edges, rather than compete against each other?



Cool art project!

I'm not really trying to compete. I think I'm just kind of agreeing with Thorndahl88, there are practical and useful bits of information that can be gleaned from carefully constructed paper cut tests. I'm not usually just sharpening one knife. I'll do 6-10 at a time. I'll give everyone some love on 1k. Then do each one on 2k. Checking my progress on the paper towel is more convenient than slicing a tomato. Do a pre sharpen slice. A slice after the 1k. Some after the 2k. I see how I'm progressing. Let me know when I can set one down and move to the next. And it gives tactile feedback if I missed any little nicks and burrs. And I always have nicks and burrs due to how thin I keep the knives. In hard steel like the Wat or Shi Han you often can't see the nano chips but you can feel them in paper. And if you can feel them in paper you will also feel them when you are back to chopping later. Better to catch it and even go back to the 500 if you need to.
 
@stringer that sounds super interesting and I'd love to learn more. How can I tell if there's nanochip in a Wat with a paper towel? What should I look for? And what does it mean if I can't cut a paper towel at all? How do I improve that?
Thank you so much
 
If you can't cut a paper towel at all with the wat then you need to forget every other stone until you can and just practice with whatever you have in the 1-2k range until it happens easily. Take your time, watch lots of videos. Don't try and master it all at once. Just make it a long term goal and forget about using finer grit stones until you can do it.


Copy paper is the best for finding nano chips if you are starting out. There's a lot of reasons why you might be failing paper towel that don't have to do with nano chips. But when you slice copy paper with a high hardness knife you will feel the edge snag a little when it passes over a nano chip. For me it's far easier to "feel" them than to see them
 
So you have sharp knives huh? Let's see how many of you can replicate my cutting test below, using a supermarket receipt. Videos or it didn't happen :)



Julian, your a new member ... so thats pretty awesome your cutting receipt paper like that with a wusthof. Hopefully you keep enjoying this awesome hobby, now that you know how to sharpen with good results, you must sharpen all your friends, Families, neighbors, cousins knives. All of their knives ....
 
@stringer thank you. Yeah, I can cut copy paper, but never paper towel, not with any knives. Does it mean I don't have enough bite? Or the burr is not removed?
 
@stringer thank you. Yeah, I can cut copy paper, but never paper towel, not with any knives. Does it mean I don't have enough bite? Or the burr is not removed?
If you have a specific question for an user, can you send them a message rather than clogging my thread? It's common sense.
 
@stringer thank you. Yeah, I can cut copy paper, but never paper towel, not with any knives. Does it mean I don't have enough bite? Or the burr is not removed?

I wouldn't worry too much about it being one particular thing. If you are just focusing on learning how to do one medium stone and reach time trying to do a little better than last time then you'll get there. Any medium stone should have plenty of bite. You could definitely have residual burr. You might try drawing it lightly through a piece of cork and look closely at the mark it leaves. If you see a lot of black dust that's burr and metal particles you aren't getting cleaned up. Stropping on cardboard or newspaper can help.
 
Try this one. I call it the circle test. Changing directions doesn't work well if you have burr remnants. You can also try starting to slice some paper with a pull cut and then switch to a push cut mid stroke. Like you are sawing kind of. The change in direction is tough if your edge isn't straight and true.


Stinger, my thread my rules. Take the challenge :)
 
I often cook with friends and family. I have several Wustoff’s... in my small roll, large roll and a “mostly Wustoff” block in my kitchen. When somebody wants to help I direct them to my Wustoff’s. They find them to be the nicest, sharpest knives they have ever used. They stay away from my Japanese or western knifesmith knives. They’re happy and I’m certainly happy they are not chipping my treasures.

Similarly when I buy a gift for my kids or friends it’s a Wustoff. Often they are the best or close to the best knives in the local knife emporium. They don’t rust, hold an edge for awhile, return an edge on a steel and last for a lifetime. Lately I have been gifting Wustoff “rocking santoku’s”. People love them and the idea that they are using a genuine Japanese style knife. $79.95 or less.

I have no problem sharpening a Wustoff or any other knife for that matter, and “gift” these knives with lifetime sharpening included. For most people I think a Wustoff is a better choice than an expensive Japanese thoroughbred.

Just my .02.
 
@parbaked i was really trying to forget that one. Thanks bud.

But yeah paper is a pretty handy tool for finding hidden burr or edge nicks. Not sure it's a tool for assessing how useful the edge is, but it can tell you how consistently you've created an edge from a given stone. That make sense?

But **** it's fun to cut paper, we all do it.
 
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