Kippington Deburring Video

[Rotem Shoshani]

I've just tried it..

I think I may have been doing something wrong because the edge just wasn't as sharp as it normally would be coming from the Kitayama.

I really don't have it when it comes to edge leading strokes, if that makes sense.

I'm guessing my last few strokes after killing the burr aren't good enough...?

Kipp just makes it look soooo easy.

 

[Marek07]

Took me a while to "get it". That was despite a personal demonstration. I now get it and use it. Works really well at removing a burr and doesn't kill the edge, which was my original fear using an angle so close to perpendicular. I still make use of the slicing the water technique (very lightly) and using a scourer or cork as I finish on a stone. Probably overkill, I know.

 

[Kippington]

@Kippington you seem to be a fan of diamond and Shapton. Any thoughts compared to synthetic waterstones?

I simply use stuff that won't dish quickly. Enough of my time is spent sharpening, I want to spend as little time flattening stones as possible.

 

[captaincaed]

I simply use stuff that won't dish quickly. Enough of my time is spent sharpening, I want to spend as little time flattening stones as possible.

That makes a ton of sense

 

[labor of love]

That makes a ton of sense

Meh

 

[soigne_west]

I simply use stuff that won't dish quickly. Enough of my time is spent sharpening, I want to spend as little time flattening stones as possible.

Jules, do you still sharpen with sandpaper?

 

[Kippington]

Jules, do you still sharpen with sandpaper?

Not for sharpening kitchen knives that I sell. I do like sandpaper for finishing though, so I always have heaps on hand and sometimes use it to touch up knives in the workshop. That video I posted years ago was for noobies with no stones. A one dollar sheet of sandpaper is a good way to get into sharpening as a beginner.

No it doesn’t.

How doesn't it make sense?

 

[tri.ngm]

Hi,
I want to resurrect this thread because I just tried the method out and got blown away by it. I got really good result using just my King 1000.
So my question is, what's the side effect or downside of this method? One side effect that I can think of is creating a micro-bevel but is there any situation that you do not want a micro-bevel?

 

[Benuser]

Hi,
I want to resurrect this thread because I just tried the method out and got blown away by it. I got really good result using just my King 1000.
So my question is, what's the side effect or downside of this method? One side effect that I can think of is creating a micro-bevel but is there any situation that you do not want a micro-bevel?

Sure! I find further maintenance with a microbevel a bit problematic. Not that easy to feel the difference between a microbevel and a burr.

 

[ian]

I always have a bit of a microbevel when I sharpen. I think you can perform this method in a way where the microbevel ends up very micro, though.

Another downside may be that you may lose a bit more steel doing it this way, since it's rather aggressive, but it's probably negligible.

I don't find this method necessary unless I'm sharpening crap stainless steel with really tenacious burrs, though, in which case it can be useful.

 

[tri.ngm]

Sure! I find further maintenance with a microbevel a bit problematic. Not that easy to feel the difference between a microbevel and a burr.

How do you maintain a microbevel? What makes it a hassle?

Another downside may be that you may lose a bit more steel doing it this way, since it's rather aggressive, but it's probably negligible.

Do you mean it's aggressive during the step that you raise the knife to an almost vertical angle?

 

[Benuser]

How do you maintain a microbevel? What makes it a hassle?

You want to hit the microbevel fairly exactly. Otherwise you get an edge rounded towards the microbevel, which compromises the fine geometry that assures performance.
The whole idea of a microbevel is having a thin geometry the steel wouldn't support otherwise.

 

[SeattleB]

Question: is it necessary to use a stone to remove the burr? I remember reading in the Science of Sharp that he likes using clean cloth (linen or denim) with a similar high-angle technique. The reason I ask is that a stone appears to be great at cutting off the burr, but it also dulls that broken edge. Would denim remove the burr and dull the broken edge less? That way there is less work to do on the next stone in the progression?

 

[captaincaed]

I think the SOS guys are more razor focused. They may be working with smaller, weaker burrs. I think it makes a lot of sense for an edge that's been refined to a pretty high grit. Still undecided on how I like stropping after medium grits.

For me, some refining strokes on the fine stone help tune the edge back up after cutting thr burr off. Also it's a more quick and dirty maneuver in my playbook. Not really for when I'm fussing over a really nice edge.

 

[kayman67]

Question: is it necessary to use a stone to remove the burr? I remember reading in the Science of Sharp that he likes using clean cloth (linen or denim) with a similar high-angle technique. The reason I ask is that a stone appears to be great at cutting off the burr, but it also dulls that broken edge. Would denim remove the burr and dull the broken edge less? That way there is less work to do on the next stone in the progression?

This is an old practice to use the rough side up to ~1-3k and the smooth side above, to clean the apex. Sometimes abrasives are loaded onto the strop, but that's more of a fine tuning.
Try it and see how it goes. This improved sharpening a lot for some people. If your stone technique is solid, you might not notice much.

 

[tri.ngm]

hit the microbevel fairly exactly

Sorry for being thick but how do you do it? Is it choosing the correct angle?

 

[Ruso]

I tried Kipp’s technique multiple times but I always get duller edge then before. Abrading and reducing the burr and few final edge trailing strokes works better for me.
I will still keep trying to “master” Kipp’s technique. The more one know, the merrier.

 

[Kippington]

I tried Kipp’s technique multiple times but I always get duller edge then before. Abrading and reducing the burr and few final edge trailing strokes works better for me.
I will still keep trying to “master” Kipp’s technique. The more one know, the merrier.

You could try easing up on the pressure. Just a passing thought, it's too difficult to give proper advice without seeing your technique first hand.

 

[demirtasem]

I personally think Kippington's this video explains the process better. I deburr on the plate than edge leading on whetstone then jump to paper/carboard/leather strop.

 

[Jason183]

I just tried Kippington’s method recently, it works great, cuts smoother than before, the cutting feel as good as the OOTB edge, very clean.

 

[r0bz]

Alright, here it is!
I want to be clear - This is a video to explain a technique only. It was done on a 400 grit diamond plate - no higher grits - plus the knife used was a heat-treated bit of scrap steel.
Let me know if you have any questions.

@Kippington
your method looks very nice i will give it a try next time i am sharpening
i have 3 questions if you don't mind
1. when you are doing the high angle pass stropping close to 90 degree are you applying alot of pressure ?
2. when you are doing the edge leading after the high-angle pass are you applying a lot of pressure ? and what is the angle you are trying to hit ? the same sharpening angle or a little bit higher ?
3. after you deburr using your method like you said it produces a burrless edge but less sharp, what do you do after the deburring in order to get the knife into the desired sharpness ?
4. does your method create a microbevel ?

 

[sansho]

a question of my own.. what steel is that? i've never seen such a huge, easily visible wire edge. i wonder why. is it the steel, or is how i sharpen?

 

[Kippington]

a question of my own.. what steel is that? i've never seen such a huge, easily visible wire edge. i wonder why. is it the steel, or is how i sharpen?

Before recording, I made the burr as big as possible to make it easier for the camera to pick up.
If you wanna make your own phat burr, sharpen at a low angle with low grit and high pressure.

i have 3 questions if you don't mind

That's four questions!

1. when you are doing the high angle pass stropping close to 90 degree are you applying alot of pressure ?​

​

It depends on the thickness of the burr, (which in turn depends on how you sharpened the knife - see my reply to sansho above)
Generally speaking, you need light pressure, but bigger burrs need more.

2. when you are doing the edge leading after the high-angle pass are you applying a lot of pressure ? and what is the angle you are trying to hit ? the same sharpening angle or a little bit higher ?​

​

It should be higher than the sharpening angle. Same pressure as the 90 degree angle pass.

3. after you deburr using your method like you said it produces a burrless edge but less sharp, what do you do after the deburring in order to get the knife into the desired sharpness ?​

​

Resharpen lightly at your normal angles, edge leading strokes. It only takes a couple more passes, depending on pressure and grit.

4. does your method create a microbevel ?​

​

Kinda... yes. But I consider it more of a convex grind, which happens when you sharpen by hand anyway.


Hope this helps!

 

[r0bz]

Before recording, I made the burr as big as possible to make it easier for the camera to pick up.
If you wanna make your own phat burr, sharpen at a low angle with low grit and high pressure.


That's four questions!

1. when you are doing the high angle pass stropping close to 90 degree are you applying alot of pressure ?​

​

It depends on the thickness of the burr, (which in turn depends on how you sharpened the knife - see my reply to sansho above)
Generally speaking, you need light pressure, but bigger burrs need more.

2. when you are doing the edge leading after the high-angle pass are you applying a lot of pressure ? and what is the angle you are trying to hit ? the same sharpening angle or a little bit higher ?​

​

It should be higher than the sharpening angle. Same pressure as the 90 degree angle pass.

3. after you deburr using your method like you said it produces a burrless edge but less sharp, what do you do after the deburring in order to get the knife into the desired sharpness ?​

​

Resharpen lightly at your normal angles, edge leading strokes. It only takes a couple more passes, depending on pressure and grit.

4. does your method create a microbevel ?​

​

Kinda... yes. But I consider it more of a convex grind, which happens when you sharpen by hand anyway.


Hope this helps!

thank you for the information
I am pretty unexperienced with a micro bevel I only know about it in theory

I do want to know if will it be a lot harder to feel for the angle next time sharpening because it creates a micro bevel/ convex grind.

also, I use a steel honing rod to maintain the low HRC knives will the micro-bevel make it harder to do so?

 

[Kippington]

I do want to know if will it be a lot harder to feel for the angle next time sharpening because it creates a micro bevel/ convex grind.

It won't be more difficult. The microbevel should be so small that it wont make a difference to your normal sharpening.

also, I use a steel honing rod to maintain the low HRC knives will the micro-bevel make it harder to do so?

Think of it like this:

You are used to sharpening at a certain angle without a microbevel - Let's say you normally sharpen to 15 degrees per side.
Change your sharpening angle to 13 degrees per side, and add a microbevel at 15 degrees per side.

Now you have a blade that...

• is just as sharp
• will go through food better
• you can strop and use a steel exactly as you normally would

Easy!

 

[OyakoDont]

I lurked on this thread, ran down to try out this method and it seems like it works great. Burr removal feels consistent throughout the length of the blade, there is a bite to it on my fingernail, it cuts through food fine, but for some reason when I put my skin right on the edge it doesn't split me open. Am I experiencing geometry cutting food and not sharpening correctly or am I now on the right path to sharpening better? If it matters I just took a few knives that needed some touching up and put them on a hard aoto.

 

[Kippington]

I lurked on this thread, ran down to try out this method and it seems like it works great. Burr removal feels consistent throughout the length of the blade, there is a bite to it on my fingernail, it cuts through food fine, but for some reason when I put my skin right on the edge it doesn't split me open. Am I experiencing geometry cutting food and not sharpening correctly or am I now on the right path to sharpening better? If it matters I just took a few knives that needed some touching up and put them on a hard aoto.

If the knife cuts through food fine , you might be used to feeling a raggedy edge against your skin. Sometimes a super sharp knife - done on a high grit - won't grip into your skin the same way.
For example, the edges I sharpen to do a hanging hair test will feel pretty dull, if I push it into my skin.

If you try the same after finishing on a coarser stone - say 500 to 800 grit - you will re-gain the feeling of an edge with bite. There's also the idea of sharpening on a low grit (500), deburring. then stropping on a polishing grit (4,000) to keep some teeth along the edge.

As you might have already guessed, there's also a chance you're not hitting the apex on the edge-leading strokes after the deburr... but if your knife is sharp during use, that wouldn't be the case. Try slicing through tomatoes and you'll get your answer.

 

[OyakoDont]

Thanks, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was the root cause, but I can always try to be an optimist. Looks like tomatoes are back on the menu.

 

[Blank Blades.]

Oh hey, I just saw my name in a thread title!

I found this deburring method somewhere online years ago. At the time I mostly ignored it and chose to use one of the more conventional methods we tend to talk about on this forum.
After gaining a better understanding of how steel behaves through making knives, I came back to using it as it's actually a scaled down version of a useful knife-making technique.
Other deburring methods work too - I happen to like this one for it's speed, consistency, ease of use (using the stone you last used), and predictability (it works the same regardless of how big the burr is).

It's difficult to explain in words, maybe I'll post another video using a scrap piece of steel to better explain what's going on.
There was a surprising amount of interest in it. I might have gone on to explain it further on the other thread, but that one went south real quick.

What is the useful knife making technique?

 

[Blank Blades.]

Hi,
I want to resurrect this thread because I just tried the method out and got blown away by it. I got really good result using just my King 1000.
So my question is, what's the side effect or downside of this method? One side effect that I can think of is creating a micro-bevel but is there any situation that you do not want a micro-bevel?

Testicular enlargement is probably the most common side effect of this method.