Interesting video… do you destress your edge?

[Josh]

The thing that puts most people off is actually cutting into the stone which sets off abuse flags. However all you are removing is damaged steel which you would not want to form an edge on anyway as it is severely weak and brittle.

You can see this on a macroscopic scale if you just take a spoon and bend it back and forth until it breaks. Now look at the area right next to the break. It will be obvious that the damage extends beyond the immediate break.

Similar with a knife, the damage from blunting is beyond the immediate and if you keep forming an edge into this damaged material you will often never see the actual ability of the steel.

Clay, would it not be semi easy to track stress issues from “bending” the edge back and forth as you use and strop it via your microscope at 1600x? I think This would be cool to have a visual on and it may go to quiet those who disagree (if any)…

[wickededge]

The thing that puts most people off is actually cutting into the stone which sets off abuse flags. However all you are removing is damaged steel which you would not want to form an edge on anyway as it is severely weak and brittle.

You can see this on a macroscopic scale if you just take a spoon and bend it back and forth until it breaks. Now look at the area right next to the break. It will be obvious that the damage extends beyond the immediate break.

Similar with a knife, the damage from blunting is beyond the immediate and if you keep forming an edge into this damaged material you will often never see the actual ability of the steel.

Clay, would it not be semi easy to track stress issues from “bending” the edge back and forth as you use and strop it via your microscope at 1600x? I think This would be cool to have a visual on and it may go to quiet those who disagree (if any)…[/quote]

I can try to get something started when I get back in town next week. Any suggestions on how to design the experiment?

-Clay

[Josh]

Well I would suggest one of your *perfect edges* (.125 cbn mirror finish) that way it will be easier for us to see what’s going on. Then take something that is as hard as the knife you are working with (like a smooth butchers steel) and very lightly run your edge perpendicular over the steel, in a scraping motion – This should essentially make a burr on one side as it rolls the steel of the very edge. Basically we just need some way to get the steel to roll, but not too much so that way the strop can straighten it back out.

[Cliff Stamp]

Clay,

Just as a side note, since all microscopes use vastly different meanings of magnification, could you put a simple linear magnification note in pictures, it is fairly trivial to do even without software (even though I don’t do it all the time). Most scopes often claim very high powers (400-500+X) but the actual linear magnification can be as low as 100X.

That being said, as I have said before, if you ever have the time/inclination I would appreciate a video where you show just taking a few pictures as your pictures are extremely clear and detailed. Compared to what is often posted (mine included) it is like comparing something like the WE to a flea-market jigger/system.

[Zamfir]

Wowie! I melted my brain a little reading this thread. But I think it makes sense to me. I have only distressed 2 blades since I learned of it from a video from Josh. I was trying to find out what the heck the Karma rating means by peoples names and did a search..which stumbled me upon this thread. Crazy how things work. What a great group of people here contributing without all the BS I see on other sites.

So, as I suspected, 3 knife manufacturers can start out with the same exact steel and make the same exact same shape and grind of blade and the angle they sharpened it at but how they harden it makes a huge difference.

Now, I can see that how they sharpen it can also make a big difference.

So you can have totally different edge retention on each of the 3 knives. The more I think I know the more I realize I do not know much..lol. But I will keep on reading when I have time..and I have to get to some of these dang videos!

Thanks again guys! :cheer:

[jimbo45]

I agree with most everyone else who has said this topic has been very educational. I’m new here and can’t begin to say how informative this has been for me. Thanks

[Mark76]

Welcome, Jimbo! Glad you like it!

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Author]

Posts