Thread: Basic Sharpening Theory vs. Stropping

Originally Posted by Hawkeye5

I used to strop my knives after sharpening on a stone. Have not done that for a while, don't know why I stopped. Works on a knife just as well as a razor.

I made a large strop for a mate of mine for just that purpose. I taught him knifemaking years ago, and now he makes some beautiful knives. Hopefully now he will have an even smoother edge to them.


Mick

Originally Posted by Guarnera

Overheating an edge for any reason will not result in local hardening.
Over heating an edge will soften the temper. Overheating an edge to blue will probably soften the edge just a little to a spring temper. This will result in a blade that may not hold an edge as long, but will be a tougher blade and not chip out as easily. This may be what they wanted.
What were they using to sharpen that they got their blades that hot while sharpening.

In this case the machete steel was junk by our standards
and the temper nothing like an open razor.. I think they
used a dry grinding wheel with sparks a-flying but I was not
there.... I got the feeling that it was a local air quenched
edge that lasted a day that they liked.

Maybe he's talking about something kinda like case-hardening? I don't know.

Originally Posted by Guarnera

Overheating an edge for any reason will not result in local hardening.
Over heating an edge will soften the temper. Overheating an edge to blue will probably soften the edge just a little to a spring temper. This will result in a blade that may not hold an edge as long, but will be a tougher blade and not chip out as easily. This may be what they wanted.
What were they using to sharpen that they got their blades that hot while sharpening.

Originally Posted by LawsonStone

Maybe he's talking about something kinda like case-hardening? I don't know.

Not case hardening....
Just the local brush crew's preference for how
they liked their brush knives sharpened.

But, I have always wondered if a single bevel knife
could be improved by case hardening the flat
side. It might improve a mild steel knife but
a quality high carbon... not so much.