Thread: Knife Vs Straight

Ive always wondered about scalples. Surgical insterments. Are they as sharp as a straight? Hmmm. I know the blade is so much smaller that you wouldnt be able to shave with one. But is it sharper than my straight?

I need to work on my knife sharpening. The wife always thinks her knifes need work. They seem sharp to me. But SWMBO is right you know.

Edge longevity for knives is achieved by convexing the bevels during sharpening (freehand). For a razor convexing is a big no.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Edge longevity for knives is achieved by convexing the bevels during sharpening (freehand). For a razor convexing is a big no.

Zackry..!!! Said the Samurai sword. That's about the closest I've seen to a razor's sharpness, and there was rust n pits on the blade. An amazing piece of steel, to say the least.

Originally Posted by DZEC

I have a knife with a scandi edge that I just cannot finesse into the sharpness it had when I got it even though I can now pretty consistently get good edges on my straights. My razor honing skills do not seem to transfer so easily to my knives.

I’m with Gasman on that point. It requires practice, but I do believe there are differences in technique and maybe even in the best stones to use for each purpose.

Scandi's are like razors, the bevel is built in but maintaining it & not having 23 different angles to the bevel is the hard part
Can be a lot of work if the initial work was done on a belt . A stone will want to flatten all the dips from grinding.
I just sharpened my first one & was in no rush to do others

Originally Posted by mainaman

Edge longevity for knives is achieved by convexing the bevels during sharpening (freehand). For a razor convexing is a big no.

Yeah but only because we all sharpen on flat stones so maintenance is easily repeatable. A convexed razor edge can shave just as well tho.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Ive always wondered about scalples. Surgical insterments. Are they as sharp as a straight? Hmmm. I know the blade is so much smaller that you wouldnt be able to shave with one. But is it sharper than my straight?

Depends on the type of surgical instruments you are talking about. A #10 scalpel (what most people think of) is the same sharpness as a straight. A #12 is sharper than a straight. A #18 is not as sharp as a straight.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Edge longevity for knives is achieved by convexing the bevels during sharpening (freehand). For a razor convexing is a big no.

If you use a pasted strop, then you have a convex edge.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

If you use a pasted strop, then you have a convex edge.

HAR!
Brings to mind a few I have with excessive pasted strop wear.....Sheffield wedges, of course!
You can almost hone them...Multiple layers and such.
What gets them shaving?......

Other than a regrind, a pasted strop!

I found My knife sharpening experience VERY helpful when I started honing razors. I always ended with feather light strokes and went to a much higher grit stone than most while honing knives. That’s just me though so it wasn’t a big leap to start honing razors. The built in angle for straight razors made it really easy for me to begin with razors although the hardest thing I had to learn was taking it to the “next” level. Before honing razors I never had a knife at that level. After honing razors my knife honing has improved along with everything else I sharpen. I have learned a lot and that knowledge has been transferable. Of course, there are some differences but IMO there are more similarities.

As for a scandi grind, I find that the easiest to maintain but because so much metal is removed due to the large scandi bevel faces they can be a bear to remove chips etc. much like a full wedge.

As for the convexed edge on a razor I find a MICRO convexed edge achieved through some stones, adding a layer of tape, or pasted strops can shave very well.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

Depends on the type of surgical instruments you are talking about. A #10 scalpel (what most people think of) is the same sharpness as a straight. A #12 is sharper than a straight. A #18 is not as sharp as a straight.

Sharper than a straight?
NO! Say it anit so.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Sharper than a straight?
NO! Say it anit so.

There was a time when a scalpel was a single piece of metal forming a handle and a blade. I had one that I used for dissections in biology class. The blade had to be honed to a razor sharp edge, normally on a "surgical black" Arkansas stone. I think I still have the old scalpel it in one of my tool boxes. Nowadays I use a Testor's hobby knife with disposable blades for precision cutting.

For surgical use, scalpels now either come with disposable blades, or may be entirely disposable.