Thread: Knife Vs Straight

I’ve always wondered why members claim that sharpening a knife is completely different than sharpening a razor?






Sure you have to think about smooth with a razor, but the process is identical. Place metal on stone, grind out a bevel, polish.

Originally Posted by earcutter

I’ve always wondered why members claim that sharpening a knife is completely different than sharpening a razor?






Sure you have to think about smooth with a razor, but the process is identical. Place metal on stone, grind out a bevel, polish.

Well, I wouldn't recommend that you use an aggressive stone, raise a burr, and then repeat on the other side. The process of setting that bevel and judging the follow up work is different. At the 10,000 foot level, the process/theory is the same. What you do to achieve them is different.

A razor has a built in angle guide.

Most knife sharpeners are used to using a lot more pressure than would be applicable to razor sharpening.

Possibly because you lay the razor flat on the stone with spine width keeping you on correct angle. With a knife unless you have a jig that maintains the angle you are eyeballing it. You may hold it differently on each pass.

Since I'm one of 'those' in that I consistently say that honing a straight razor and sharpening a knife are totally different, here's my 2 bits (for the young bucks/that's 25 cents). It's pretty much been discussed above:

1. Pressure
Even with a near full wedge the amount of pressure required while honing is minuscule compared to that used with a knife.

2. Angle
A straight razor has a built in 'guide' in that the entire blade rests on the stone. With a knife you must either use your hands or a jig to get the proper angle (I figure around 20-25 degrees)

3. Grits
While higher grits could be used to set a bevel on a straight razor, a commonly recommended grit is a 1000 stone. Most commonly available knives won't hold a 1k finished edge. (Note; I said 'commonly available)

4. Edge/Purpose
A straight razor's edge is destined to 'Shear' and a knife's edge is destined to 'Saw' so they have entirely different purposes and entirely different edges.

Again, just my two bits:

The heavier pressure we associate with knife sharpening is only when re-profiling or removing chips etc.
Even if you sharpen to a burr the removal of said burr & final polishing should be with light pressure or you wreck that edge as easy as if it were a razor.

At least that's how I sharpen a knife.

I think David is just trying to start a fight. But I'll join in.

The difference between sharpening a knife and a razor is that the razor is easier because it has a built in angle guide.

The people that say that you use more pressure when sharpening a knife don't know how to sharpen a knife.

The people that say that you use different grits don't understand the honing process.
I many bevel set a near wedge on a 800 grit, but I'm not bevel setting a full hollow or a pen knife on that low of grit.
Or truly scary, I watched a guy bevel set a razor with a machinist file, refine the bevel with a bastard file, do a few swipes on an ark, and it shaved just as smooth as silk.

The swiss army knife in my pocket has two blades. One is sharpened to 4000 grit, the other to 12000 grit. They hold their edge just fine. If your knife can't hold an 8000 grit edge, then perhaps you are buying knife shaped objects.

Did that stir it up enough?

You nailed it Cris. Honing is all the same, only the object being honed, changes. I've honed numerous implements, from axes n chisles, to ice auger blades n pocket knives. Its all in keeping the proper working angle, in the bevel.

Look at the knife sharpening picture in the OP. You can see the blood being pushed out of the fingertips putting pressure on the knife. Just sayin.