re: Sharpening

I’ve been using the “scary sharp” since long before the term hit news print. It remains a great way to get a premium edge. Once you have a few sheets of super fine grit paper, you’re off and running.

If you like mirror polish, consider picking up a jar of McGuires Mag Polish. A quick buff on the drill press and my knife edges look great.

When buffing, remember to hold the blade so the edge will be thrown away from you, if grabbed. If it were a buffer, you’d stay on the low end, so it didn’t throw it at your face.

As to the green paste some mentioned, it might be chromium oxide, which those sharpening straight razors like.

For those looking for a good base to mount sandpaper on, drop by a granite counter place and ask if you can have a piece from their trash. They have to throw away tons of granite that would make a great surface. In a pinch, you can also buy a granite tile from a big box.

While there will always be those who claim you have to free hand to qualify as competent, they are welcome to their tiny little world(s). The rest of us can use jigs and things to insure we don’t keep changing the angle of our edge. As was said in a certain well known wood working magazine, a guy made a comment about people using a hone guide to sharpen blades, but shut up and left when he was asked if he ever made a woodworking jig?

Most of us don’t have to sharpen the same tool over and over again. I have about one hundred edges in my shop. No two are the same, so relying on muscle memory is a fool’s errand. At least for me and everyone I know.

I took the plunge and bough an Edge Pro. Before, I hatcheted my way through potatoes. Now, both my wife and I are amazed. At first, we thought we’d gotten old potatoes, because the knives seemed to all but fall through them. Now, we know it’s the effect of having a real edge.

So, if your way wasn’t working, buy or build a jig and see what you think about using a tool with a true, sharp edge.

Thanks for the post, David