I need to vent.

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That sounds no better than the slicing-through-your-thumb-nail test! I shall send you any medical bills incurred if I start trying it ;)

What @ian said - your fingertips are so sensitive that they will stop you from damaging yourself (too much). Even with my climbing-hardened tips, my automatic reactions stop me from cutting through any more than a few layers of dead-ass epidermis - way before it approaches actual damage.
 
That sounds no better than the slicing-through-your-thumb-nail test! I shall send you any medical bills incurred if I start trying it ;)
I've done both. I definitely prefer the 3 finger test. With a very sharp blade, I really just look for it to have that "sticky" sharp feeling. I know my blades are going to be sharp already. So in my particular case I put my fingers on the edge, and if I move them its literally almost imperceptible, but I'm looking for it to have this sort of feeling from well formed apex whether its toothy or polished it will have almost a sticky quality when you touch it in this way
 
Btw here my middle finger today, it's not looking so good. Idk if you can tell from the picture but I definitely went a few layers of skin deep.
20210413_100145.jpg


Here's something else. To take your mind off it.
20210409_095204.jpg
 
Btw here my middle finger today, it's not looking so good. Idk if you can tell from the picture but I definitely went a few layers of skin deep. View attachment 122551

Here's something else. To take your mind off it. View attachment 122550

Nice wound there.

I took off my initial dressing from mine this morning and yes, it's too damn deep. I got freakishly lucky that I didn't take out a tendon, to be honest. 3 steristrips later, then covering it with a waterproof/breatheable bandage, I'm pretty sure I've got it taken care of for the time being. I'll grab a photo for scare factor when I change it up tomorrow.
 
For the finger nail test, you don't want to actually move the knife across your nail. Only trying to move it. If there's resistance, it's sharp and has bite, in that spot. If it tries to slide easily, go back to the stones.
 
Evan Antzenberger gave himself a nasty cut on a Suji and posted the aftermath on IG yesterday. Bloody mess. Even the pros manage the occasional oopsies
 
I was washing a blindingly sharp Hinoura 240 gyuto today when I turned to talk to my girlfriend. The brand-new sponge slipped and I sliced deeply into my left middle finger. I now am 50/50 on whether I need to go to the hospital. I stopped the bleeding with pressure, drowned it in surgical betadine, pressure wrapped it, and I tested all directions and don't feel pain or weakness in ligaments or tendons, but I'm relatively sure I cut deep into the dermis. So - nasty scar or stitches tomorrow. One or the other.

if it stopped bleeding and the damage is superficial you may be able to avoid stitches and a scar by sticking some suture tape over the wound to close it...or, even better (if not bleeding internally) use a drop of cyanoacrylate glue (they sell a hideously expensive one for medical use)
 
This is my standard test! But NEVER move the knife across your nail. I CAREFULLY try to see if the edge bites into the nail. I may try to see if I can easily shave / plan off a very fine chip from my thumbnail, but VERY CAREFULLY!
 
For the finger nail test, you don't want to actually move the knife across your nail. Only trying to move it. If there's resistance, it's sharp and has bite, in that spot. If it tries to slide easily, go back to the stones.

If you take it too far up the grit ladder, it doesn't bite anymore. Made that mistake on my last sharpening experience.
 
My last sharpening (1k/6k/12k) have me an edge without bite. But I'll admit I did change my technique a bit. I had been using 1k/12k and that was plenty nice.

My biggest problem with going too fine on synthetic stones isn't loss of bite. On my big workhorse gyutos and Chinese cleavers if I go too fine, I think mainly as a result of my chopping style, the knife will stick in the cutting board after the down stroke and lift the cutting board back up with it on the upstroke. That annoys me. When I feel this happening I temper the edge back a bit by hitting a 2k ceramic hone or my soft arkansas pocket hone.
I don't notice it as much for nakiris, petties, sujis, etc that are either lighter or don't see much board use or both. I also don't have the same issue going to very fine natural finishers as opposed to synthetic. But my Shapton Pro 12K for instance, turns my Watanabe into a cutting board handle. You feel like you could lift the whole cutting board up and carry it over to the sink if you wanted to.
 
My biggest problem with going too fine on synthetic stones isn't loss of bite. On my big workhorse gyutos and Chinese cleavers if I go too fine, I think mainly as a result of my chopping style, the knife will stick in the cutting board after the down stroke and lift the cutting board back up with it on the upstroke. That annoys me. When I feel this happening I temper the edge back a bit by hitting a 2k ceramic hone or my soft arkansas pocket hone.
I don't notice it as much for nakiris, petties, sujis, etc that are either lighter or don't see much board use or both. I also don't have the same issue going to very fine natural finishers as opposed to synthetic. But my Shapton Pro 12K for instance, turns my Watanabe into a cutting board handle. You feel like you could lift the whole cutting board up and carry it over to the sink if you wanted to.

Just confirmation that my technique needs work - my SP1K/SG6K/SP12K progression doesn't bite and doesn't stick into the board. Gotta fix that damn wobble.....
 
It's how "old school" people are, they're just ignorant. I don't sharpen anything for my family because what I do is "too much work" or "unnecessary". my aunt had the nerve to tell me that my knife wasn't sharp after I had just taken it through a full progression and that her kiwi fruit knife was sharper. These people aren't open to new ideas or corrections. just ignore them and let them stay ig'nant
 
For me, I have to use the ”western” method where you sweep the whole blade rather than back and forth across one section. It’s the change in direction that messes me up.

Interesting. If I do that, I wind up with an unintended microbevel in the curvy parts, unless the bevel is wide enough to keep me on track. What works for me consistently is the back and forth, but with fingertips behind the bevel so I can sense and control when I've got the angle just right. Works for the edge-leading part afterwards, too.
 
yup..... wobble... redid the blade at 6K and 12K with my stronger technique. Lots of bite now.
The applied pressure can make a huge difference especially on natural stones. Its stone dependent too, so there's a lot of trial and error, with some needing more than others.
 
The applied pressure can make a huge difference especially on natural stones. Its stone dependent too, so there's a lot of trial and error, with some needing more than others.

True. I’ve actually found some great results using more pressure than I do naturally. I used my Shapton Glass 6K to take out a bit of a dent I put in a blade using a lot more pressure than my usual and it made a wicked good edge.
 
You have any animal scratches, nice cats.

Nah. We have had them since they were kittens and they are 12 now. They are the tamest, chillest cats in the world. I think one of them is getting thyroid stuff so she has started to get pretty vocal around feeding time. But they have never scratched or bitten anyone but moths and flies.
 
Nothing worse than trying to sharpen cheap kitchen knives.
Maybe having to sharpen cheap Damascus fixed blades. Idk where people get them but they all look exactly the same, and I swear they are alway either not hardened, or made of mild steel of something.
 
this is an older thread. but it resonates with me. my wife truly made me a better person.

I now can give a flying eff what a total stranger thinks - especially about me. why give that person any power over you? he probably walked back with his dull knife, got into his car and quit thinking about you. I seriously believe he didn't go home, get on his computer and start a thread called, "I met a guy today that cannot sharpen a knife"

ask yourself this when a problem like this comes up..and it will. all the time, come up. ask yourself. in 7 days, will this still bother you? you probably wont even remember it in 7 days. bad driver, forget about it. pull over let them go. someone flips you off, whatever.. move on. I seriously don't give an eff about other people trying to get into my head. (which I perceive as them trying to get into my head - most likely they are NOT)
 
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