Gees I am glad that holiday season is over, I think I put on 90 pounds from snacks and drinks.
A couple of years ago I finally solved the Burr dilemma that plagued me for years, the question being, whether or not it was necessary to form a burr on every stone.
The answer is clear to me now from a logical point of view. "NO" not necessary after the first burr formation with the first stone, which is always the 220 or 400 stone for me.
The 220 Naniwa Lobster above is now my favourite 220 stone, I love large stones as well.
Folks who say that it is necessary to form a burr on every stone, do so because they believe that the burr is the only way to know the the edge of the edge is being hit with the stone. It is not the only way but I also have to come to realize that if you do sharpen and raise a burr on every stone, that is quite fine, it's not doing a lot of extra metal removal and as I have always said, the key to sharpening is to develop a pattern that works for you. Something that is repeatable over and over and if it works for you, go for it.
My point is that the burr when formed is the fatigued metal that has been pushed over to the other side of the blade by the abrasive action of the stone. So to me, it is not necessary to repeat this action, once you get rid of that old tired out metal, why would you need to create additional burrs. Once the fresh steel has been exposed once, than it is a matter of refinement.
NOW, what is just as important is burr removal with every stone, often, if I start with a 220 stone and go to another coarse stone like a 400, the burr will always form again, very quickly. However if I go to a 1k stone from a 220 or 400 the burr doesn't come that quickly.
Do not worry about the formation of subsequent burrs, it just happens, my point is that you don't need to sharpen until you get a burr on very stone, that is not necessary but you do need to make sure the edge is very clean, no burr left when you are done.
I don't find it difficult to remove the burr, it is all about pressure, very light strokes will do the trick or even using the Murray Carter method of running the blade over a piece of wood with just weight of the blade pressure. (I always feel like I am going to ruin the edge when I do that, so I don't do it very much at all)
BURR formation is critical, sharpening and neglecting this is like driving a Ferrari and keeping it in 3rd gear........you know how much of a drag that is, I hate keeping my Ferrari in 3rd gear.
Hey did you see the article in the paper?
As long as the burr is formed at least once that is the important thing, if you like forming it on every stone so that you know you are hitting the edge, if that works for you than continue to do that.
I just know I am hitting the edge because my angle is consistent and I look at the edge often to make sure, I can see the scratch patterns and know if I am on track but remember, I'm old, I have had the opportunity to sharpen a lot of knives, thousands of them so my muscle memory is good. You need to do what works for you and what builds confidence.
Keep it simple, we often worry about silly little things that we read on forums and such, stick to the basics and you will find the joy of sharpening just as meaningful as anyone who fusses over sprays and compounds and this and that.
I keep thinking about those delightful old men in Japan who sharpen knives for 40 hours a week, what do you think they use?....I think they use 3 stones and water to get the job done.
Here is to sharpening knives every day in 2015, so far for me, I'm on track.
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