Burr On and On again

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Peter Nowlan
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Burr On and On again

Post by Peter Nowlan »

Hey,
FYI I just made a little post about a change in my sharpening technique that I shared on my sub forum below. Riveting stuff. 😊
Seattle_Ben
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Re: Burr On and On again

Post by Seattle_Ben »

Thank you!
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Re: Burr On and On again

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Radar53
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Re: Burr On and On again

Post by Radar53 »

Hi Peter, I read this with a lot interest on your blog.

I have always considered that sharpening, where you try and grind one plane on a blade to intersect with another plane, is a mechanical process that (i) removes metal and (ii) forms a burr. Here my thinking is that even when you get to finer grits, a burr is still formed, but it becomes progressively smaller & smaller and hence more difficult to feel.

So I sharpen following the processes you have so eloquently outlined many times, but I have always assumed that if I get to the edge-of-the-edge, I will form a burr. I generally can't detect this over about 5k, but assume that it's still there.

I know there are a few sharpeners on this forum who can feel the point just before they start to form a burr ~ unfortunately I am not one of them.

That being the case I use this process. I get and form a burr on the first stone, and using your P4 to P1 pressures aim to get the edge really sharp and take the burr off. Moving onto finer stones just simply refines the edge that's already established and here I would be using mainly just your P1 pressure and occasionally P2 if required.

I find that getting the finer burrs fully removed can be a bit difficult at times as it seems to only move from side to side. So I generally do the final tidy-up / removal by stropping on newsprint and follow that up with stropping on a series of bare leather strops.

I'm really interested to hear what other people do.
Cheers Grant

Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not going to get you!!
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Papou
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Re: Burr On and On again

Post by Papou »

Onya Pete :), Burr Micro Burr always there or at least most times and that is with most grits till you start getting to very fine grit stones ..
There is another method of sharpening where you try stop short of forming a Burr , freehand also but for me getting that Burr and Micro Burr progression hits the nail on the head most times and cant see me wanting top get any sharper ..
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ken123
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Re: Burr On and On again

Post by ken123 »

So we all go through this evolutionary process of repeated discovery. In truth one can form burrs at coarse or very fine grits. There is no guarantee that you will always create a burr or not. Herein lies some of the art of sharpening. Burr detection requires practice as does successful burr removal. For a damaged edge it is likely that you may generate burrs getting to the bottom of the damage. I'm not a big fan of burr formation. In some instances I may not generate a first burr before a 4k (or higher) edge - or not at all. This is not an easily taught skill. I have seen first burr at a 32k edge but that is typically from overly extensive exposure at 32k. At any grit burr formation is highly dependent on the time spent on a given grit and pressure applied. There is art to sharpening and many approaches.

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Ken
Peter Nowlan
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Re: Burr On and On again

Post by Peter Nowlan »

Thanks Ken.
I remember learning to sharpen back in the 70’s, before burrs were invented 😊. I seriously didn’t know about burrs then, there was no internet, no computers and certainly no awareness on my part of water stones.

That was then. Now I see my life as a Sharpening Odyssey,
my knowledge Glass is probably only half full. This is what I love about sharpening the most, its exciting to know something new for me lies ahead.
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Re: Burr On and On again

Post by ken123 »

I can relate. I started online shortly after Al Gore invented the internet LOL.

After working with a master of all things relating to sharpening (Tanaka-san, RIP), I know I am just beginning to understand the intricacies of it all - the mines, the layers, the accumulated knowledge of many generations, making synthetic stones, knives, swords etc.

It is a journey of knowledge acquisition and self learning and a pleasure to have knowledgeable fellow travelers like yourself to share this adventure.

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Ken
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