All About Pocket Knives

I have been sharpening for a long time and really find it enjoyable as many members have commented on. Been reading some old posts and a bit online and out of some books i have collected over the years. There are a lot of very knowledgeable and experienced knife people and sharpeners on this forum, and i would like to hear your opinions on something. There are many views about whether you should create a burr or not when sharpening, and i am very interested to hear opinions from experienced and proficient sharpeners on the forum. I was taught by my father that you never stop learning, and really like hearing from other people, and people that have been sharpening for many years.

I do not know what a burr is in the context of knife sharpening. Do you have some photos of what you are talking about? And to answer your question: since I do not know what it is, obviously I have no opinion.

Back when I was fishing a lot (too long ago), I used to leave a bur on my filet knife in order to cut ribs more easily.
Treefarmer

If I understand your question, the answer is “it depends”. It depends on what the item being sharpened is used for. If it’s a razor you don’t want a burr, you want a keenly polished edge.

If it’s a knife, and that’s probably what your question concerns, it still depends on the intended use. I’m a firm believer that “sharp enough to shave” is highly over-rated. For most cutting jobs I prefer sharpening to a slightly “toothy”, or burred edge. I don’t shave with my knives, but I do cut tomatoes, steak, cardboard, paper, twine, etc., all of which a polished edge won’t cut well. I’m a firm believer that “sharp enough to shave” is over-rated.

Hope that answers your question in the context you intended.

Ken

Well, for me, all sharpening experiences are different for many reasons. I am experienced but may be lacking proficiency.
I never sharpen an edge to create a burr. Sometimes when I sharpen I don't get a burr. I can't explain why. Blade angle?
I think some knife sharpening instructions would have you needing to get to a burr in order to continue sharpening and then
give instruction on how to get rid of the burr. A burr is like a buzzing fly. It's like that wad of gum in the 10 cent slot at the pay phone.
Get rid of the burr already. I sometimes drag the vertical blade across the stone or I push the edge along the length of the blade to rub it off or remove it by stropping on some relatively soft material. Cardboard or plywood or actually even on the stone. This stropping is just to remove the burr and not to sharpen the edge. I use the stone to sharpen the edge. The burr is quickly removed.
By continuing to sharpen and using a finer stone or two I arrive at a sharp edge.

Joe responded at the same time I did, but I think his answer is a different context of the definition of “burr”. And in that context I agree with his response.

Ken

I always make sure I have a burr before I continue to the other side of the bevel. It's the only way that I know of to be sure I have reached the apex of the edge. If there's a section of the edge that doesn't have a burr, that means there is still a small amount of steel there that the stone hasn't abraded yet.

When finishing the edge I make sure the burr is gone from both sides of the bevel. I use a similar technique that Joe described above.

The way I learned it is that for a regular knife and esp. wood carving knives, you do not want to leave a burr or wire edge as the pressure against it will cause it to flatten out or dull the edge. For wood lathe turning tools the wire edge is what is removing the wood.

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:06 am I always make sure I have a burr before I continue to the other side of the bevel. It's the only way that I know of to be sure I have reached the apex of the edge. If there's a section of the edge that doesn't have a burr, that means there is still a small amount of steel there that the stone hasn't abraded yet.

When finishing the edge I make sure the burr is gone from both sides of the bevel. I use a similar technique that Joe described above.

I agree with Rick on this. I don’t think that a knife with a burr is going to cut very well. I have had a few Case knives come to me with the burr still on them and they didn’t cut, they just tore everything they sliced.
I think your question is not whether to leave a burr but whether to keep working the edge until it burrs and then removing the burr, or whether to just sharpen it and not worry about getting to a burr? If it’s the later then I would say it depends. If trying to re-profile a blade, then a burr is a must. If it’s just to touch up the edge, then not necessary.

My understanding of "raising a bur" is consistent with Rick's (Railsplitter's) post. I understand the concept...but I've not been able to consistently feel the bur, before turning over and proceeding to the other side. I haven't had any problem in achieving a "shaving sharp" edge. Does it create an "off-center" edge...or take me longer to achieve a good edge? Maybe

Thanks for everyone's input, really interesting reading. I am just curious on everyone's thoughts. Some people say you have to create a burr, then continue on the other side and work your way through the grits doing same and then strop. Others say you do not need to do this, with the ceramic V sharpeners this is not possible, because you usually just go from side to side. I am no expert, but can get my knives as sharp as i need the, which is sharp, but not hairsplitting sharp, which i do not need. But i just like reading differing opinions, you can pick up little gems by listening to other peoples ways of doing things.

There's no way to not create a burr, but what you want to do in minimize it as much as possible. A large burr swapping back and forth stresses the edge and will make it weak, leading to reduced edge retention. You can still get the knife sharp of course, but if you raise a huge big burr and cut something the edge may collapse easily.

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:06 am I always make sure I have a burr before I continue to the other side of the bevel. It's the only way that I know of to be sure I have reached the apex of the edge. If there's a section of the edge that doesn't have a burr, that means there is still a small amount of steel there that the stone hasn't abraded yet.

When finishing the edge I make sure the burr is gone from both sides of the bevel. I use a similar technique that Joe described above.

This is how I was taught and how I do it. I have learned how to quickly establish a burr and work from there through a succession of finer grits until I have an edge that will satisfy my customer. Without establishing the burr, I can not tell if I am removing the shoulder that is creating the dullness.

Kevin

Older post, but I hate to start a new thread.
Recently I’ve had a knife that went a little odd. First off, I’m using a work sharp with the blade grinder attachment. I know that’s probably not the preferred means for the pros, but I like it.
A wire or burr I understand, I can feel it. On this knife I got more of a “foil” for lack of the right term. A flappy extension that was very persistent. I attribute this to being overly aggressive, but this was an old knife needing some help. It started out with a broken tip. I haven’t seen that before.
It wasn’t going anywhere as I progressed. I eventually ran the blade, lightly slicing, over a rag and it took care of it, but I’m sure that wasn’t the right way to do it. Turned out fine in the end, but I’d like to know how to handle that.
Thoughts?

Try a “sharpening steel/rod”, or fine grit ceramic rod. https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/How- ... l-W62.aspx

Ken

You always create a burr, otherwise you have not reached the so called Apex of the bevel...when your burr is visible or you can feel it with ur thumb nail, it's time to switch sides...same here...reach ur apex but burr is now smaller...finish with removing a burr by using a very hard buffer felt wheel or leather wheel....use green Rouge! Now you should have a razor sharp blade ( depending on you practical user angle) and should be able to slice phone book paper without a "grabbing" noise....

I was taught by my father and just did several strokes on each side repeating until sharp them on to a finer stone and that prices again until sharp. Once I started wood carving and whittling I realized this doesn’t work.

Short answer is like has been stated YES raise a burr before going to the other side, raise a burr again then light pressure strokes starting with the 1st Sid and alternate every stroke. Once the burr is gone move to a finer stone. You must raise a burr again but it will be thinner and harder to feel. You can rub the edge alone a paper towel edge perpendicularly and feel it. Then swap sides, raise burr and the alternate until all of the burr is gone. Strop to achieve he final sharpness.

Reading this post, a lot of people are confused thinking you are leaving the burr on(like for a toothy edge) but this is not what I’m discussing, NEVER leave the wire edge on! Breaking it off is not the same as polishing it off tithes, it has to be honed down until gone.

Final note is start on a coarser stone 400 first. If it is already fairly sharp it will get a burr in a few passes then progress through. Most people start on a stone too fine and never get a burr to start with o it’s never really getting a good edge. I’ve had to relearn what I thought worked to get the edge required to whittle(which is a lot different angle than a work knife).

A burr is mandatory to produce a razor-sharp edge...when the material on the bevel gets thin and folds...creating a burr ...you know it's ready to turn to the other bevel...then, on a leather wheel or hard buffer wheel you remove the remaining burr...strop it a bit and suddenly you can shave hair of ur arm!! Easy....lol