Some years ago on the Spyderco Forum, @Deadboxhero was engaged with some dude who had suddenly emerged on the scene and was professing all this knowledge and telling people what to do and he came off with this arrogance that made ya question his validity. Shawn mentioned cross-cutting paper towels in a thread and this guy jumped in and then things progressed and this guy kept saying he could do it and Shawn just kept saying, "show me." And ya know, damn if the guy didn't post a video showing his knife doing it and Shawn acknowledged it too. He was a bit of an ass, but he could sharpen.
That has always stuck with me and got me cutting paper towels, especially cross cutting. Shawn can do that pretty well with some fairly low grit edges and it is impressive. I know all these sharpening tests are hugely subjective and it's your real world needs and performance that matters, but still, I think that most of us like some kind of testing and feedback right?
Tonight I was testing some edges on paper towels and some did better than others. It's all information for me. Two knives may cut the same way, neither as good as I want, but both may have different reasons why.
Anyway, before long I have the main light off and a bright lamp on and I'm leaned over the counter with a loupe and moving my blades back and forth and rolling them around in the light. I'm seeing different light reflections in little spots, a little scratchy here, smoother there, a tiny glint on the very apex in a needle-wide spot, and so on. The edges are talking to me.
The cutting feedback, the visuals, the feel, it's all there. Deciphering and understanding it, now that's the magic isn't it? Why is that little spot different? Is the knife not even, was my pressure different, did I just wobble the angle? Is one side more consistent than the other? Under a little magnification and good light am I seeing pattern in my sharpening?
Study your edges. Run that knife all around under light. Look at it with your naked eye from a distance and up close. Then scrunch down on it with a loupe and slowly crawl along it. Let your fingers tap over the flats and the very edge. What do you feel? Do you feel things that match things you see?
Our edges do not lie. They may mislead or deceive, but they do not lie and the truth will eventually be revealed. Do more than just your preferred cut test. Especially if you're struggling with your sharpening, but even if you like your results.
Study those edges and deepen that database. It will help you understand so much about the knife, you, and the end performance.
That has always stuck with me and got me cutting paper towels, especially cross cutting. Shawn can do that pretty well with some fairly low grit edges and it is impressive. I know all these sharpening tests are hugely subjective and it's your real world needs and performance that matters, but still, I think that most of us like some kind of testing and feedback right?
Tonight I was testing some edges on paper towels and some did better than others. It's all information for me. Two knives may cut the same way, neither as good as I want, but both may have different reasons why.
Anyway, before long I have the main light off and a bright lamp on and I'm leaned over the counter with a loupe and moving my blades back and forth and rolling them around in the light. I'm seeing different light reflections in little spots, a little scratchy here, smoother there, a tiny glint on the very apex in a needle-wide spot, and so on. The edges are talking to me.
The cutting feedback, the visuals, the feel, it's all there. Deciphering and understanding it, now that's the magic isn't it? Why is that little spot different? Is the knife not even, was my pressure different, did I just wobble the angle? Is one side more consistent than the other? Under a little magnification and good light am I seeing pattern in my sharpening?
Study your edges. Run that knife all around under light. Look at it with your naked eye from a distance and up close. Then scrunch down on it with a loupe and slowly crawl along it. Let your fingers tap over the flats and the very edge. What do you feel? Do you feel things that match things you see?
Our edges do not lie. They may mislead or deceive, but they do not lie and the truth will eventually be revealed. Do more than just your preferred cut test. Especially if you're struggling with your sharpening, but even if you like your results.
Study those edges and deepen that database. It will help you understand so much about the knife, you, and the end performance.
