Paper Towel Challenge

[stringer]

This isn't really meant to be anything specific. Maybe it will become something specific. @cotedupy said something very important somewhere about how a lot of our differences in sharpening come from nomenclature. When I say I deburr after every stone it means something different to a lot of people. Because I really mean that I only sharpen on one stone and then I deburr on one stone. Usually I use a crystolon coarse and then deburr on a washita, a coticule, a hard arkansas. Something very high finishing. I find that the combination of very coarse with very fine deburring works very well for me. So that is what I am submitting as the first entry in the paper towel challenge. Make a video or take some pictures. Only a competition with yourself, have fun. Please keep comments naughty.

 

[Bico Doce]

Damn that was some fast sharpening! I think I take 20 times longer when I sharpen

 

[stringer]

Damn that was some fast sharpening! I think I take 20 times longer when I sharpen

shapton glass 120. couldn't find my crystolon I think it is on my work bench.

 

[Heckel7302]

I started doing all my touch ups with that scrubby stone in hand style and I really like it. It’s amazing how intuitive it is to keep angles steady when you are holding the stone.

 

[Vertigo]

I started doing all my touch ups with that scrubby stone in hand style and I really like it. It’s amazing how intuitive it is to keep angles steady when you are holding the stone.

I'm 100% gonna start doing that.

And I'm 100% gonna slice the **** out of my thumb while doing it.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

For some serious in-hand sharpening prowess:

https://www.youtube.com/@michaelchristy4982

Michael does almost exclusively EDC knives but he also does a lot of high carbide stuff.

 

[BillHanna]

I started doing all my touch ups with that scrubby stone in hand style and I really like it. It’s amazing how intuitive it is to keep angles steady when you are holding the stone.

I’m get waaaaay better results in hand than on table.

I’m not good, mind you. I need a lot of practice and mindfulness. But it’s def better that way.



Wait. Better in hand for anything under 270mm.

 

[deltaplex]

Fine india with a trans ark slip to deburr/refine is my current "have to make it actually sharp in about 5 mins" go to. I'll have to see what the easiest to cut paper towel is for this though.

 

[stringer]

I started doing all my touch ups with that scrubby stone in hand style and I really like it. It’s amazing how intuitive it is to keep angles steady when you are holding the stone.

I am at the point now where I can fix a few chips, thin the grind, redo the tip, etc in a few minutes. Then just deburr and done.

I’m get waaaaay better results in hand than on table.

I’m not good, mind you. I need a lot of practice and mindfulness. But it’s def better that way.



Wait. Better in hand for anything under 270mm.

The one in the video clocks in at 306 I think.

 

[Gshep91]

I’d lose a finger so fast if I tried this

 

[captaincaed]

I made it a goal to get a clean one-straight-slice this year. It begins.

 

[stringer]

I’d lose a finger so fast if I tried this

That's what makes it fun. But do whatever you want as long as it involves paper towel.

 

[stringer]

@hibbs00 likes to watch paper towel get sliced on YouTube. Let's make it rain. Buy some stock in Bounty and Band-Aids. Let's get this party started!

 

[Nemo]

I was pretty worried about your thumb as well

 

[stringer]

I was pretty worried about your thumb as well

That's actually one of the few ways I can think of that I've never cut myself. You probably jinxed me.

 

[Nemo]

That's actually one of the few ways I can think of that I've never cut myself. You probably jinxed me.

I hope not

 

[BillHanna]

I was pretty worried about your thumb as well

Maybe that’s what keeps me more consistent with my angle; I need to keep the sword on the stone for a variety of health reasons.

 

[hibbs00]

I'm gonna have to make my attempt in the next few days. Maybe I can do it tomorrow. Thanks @stringer !!
This thread is going to be fun!
I don't see many people try slicing a loose paper towel, they usually keep it on the roll and pull it taut. Kind of think of that as cheating now haha

 

[ethompson]

I’ll bite - this knife is my polish mule and is usually kept intentionally dull. But it is very thin behind the edge and no damage. Goal was to be as efficient as possible while achieving an acceptably sharp edge. 800 > 6k > a swipe in each direction on the paper towel roll. Not a perfect apex but sharp enough that if I probably wouldn’t bother doing more if I was sharpening something to take to work tomorrow.

 

[hibbs00]

I’ll bite - this knife is my polish mule and is usually kept intentionally dull. But it is very thin behind the edge and no damage. Goal was to be as efficient as possible while achieving an acceptably sharp edge. 800 > 6k > a swipe in each direction on the paper towel roll. Not a perfect apex but sharp enough that if I probably wouldn’t bother doing more if I was sharpening something to take to work tomorrow.

Very impressive! I have a very long road ahead of me filled with practicing to get there

 

[Rideon66]

I like in hand, but my favorite TOS weighs 5lbs.
Don’t know what it is about cleavers. I have the hardest time making it to the end of the towel before I run out of blade.
These are both just touch ups on the edges that came on the blades off my TOS brick. They were both cutting really nice, but I like them cutting paper towels clean. Still can’t drop through like @cotedupy but getting there.

 

[stringer]

I'm gonna have to make my attempt in the next few days. Maybe I can do it tomorrow. Thanks @stringer !!
This thread is going to be fun!
I don't see many people try slicing a loose paper towel, they usually keep it on the roll and pull it taut. Kind of think of that as cheating now haha

Pulling it tight isn't cheating, just a lower difficulty level.

 

[Jovidah]

So who's going to do a comparison studies of the different types and brands of paper towels and their properties?

 

[Corradobrit1]

This isn't really meant to be anything specific. Maybe it will become something specific. @cotedupy said something very important somewhere about how a lot of our differences in sharpening come from nomenclature. When I say I deburr after every stone it means something different to a lot of people. Because I really mean that I only sharpen on one stone and then I deburr on one stone. Usually I use a crystolon coarse and then deburr on a washita, a coticule, a hard arkansas. Something very high finishing. I find that the combination of very coarse with very fine deburring works very well for me. So that is what I am submitting as the first entry in the paper towel challenge. Make a video or take some pictures. Only a competition with yourself, have fun. Please keep comments naughty.

Nice to see a professional at work.

 

[Rideon66]

So who's going to do a comparison studies of the different types and brands of paper towels and their properties?

@cotedupy already did that. Apparently at that level it doesn't matter much. I asked him this same question awhile back in the UK Stones thread and he went out and bought some different types.

 

[captaincaed]

Pulling it tight isn't cheating, just a lower difficulty level.

Long axis, one sheet, free hanging. The Oli standard. Others need not apply.

 

[hibbs00]

Pulling it tight isn't cheating, just a lower difficulty level.

Pulled tight I can slice right through it except the last inch or so

 

[ethompson]

Long axis, one sheet, free hanging. The Oli standard. Others need not apply.

Thats the fun flashy test, but I find the real challenge to be slowly cutting continuous curves into free hanging paper towel.

If you're doing either you got a real sharp knife on hand though.

 

[Gavva]

Thank you for the "or photos" option. My video
will be the sharpening equivalent of Killers of the Flower Moon- too long, make you scratch your head, lots of bad things happening and the result in the end is not what you expected but dreaded as the movie went on.

 

[captaincaed]

Weird, the curly Qs are a bit easier for me. What I find hardest about the Oli Standard is that he uses MAYBE half of the edge. Long pull cuts are easy enough, but the nearly straight push is tricky (probably because I'm a bad sharpener).