Knife Sharpening Tricks

Step 9 Don Montague Tests the Edge

His style of fingernail testing involves resting the edge on his nail to see if it slides off or catches.

Comments

[gitm]

I use the pad of my finger. I run my finger over the edge perpendicular to the length of the blade and without pressure. I also polish the blade, which I've found can make a fresh razor even sharper. There is a dramatic difference in the performance of gouges once they've been polished.

[mthomp1]

A fresh razor blade is never smooth or polished. Examine it under a strong magnifier, you will see what I mean.

[weaponscollector94]

how do you polish the edge?

[mthomp1]

You never need to polish the edge of the knife. Try cutting a tomato with a polished edge knife. It just won't cut it. There is a very tough thin layer on the skin of the tomato will prove it.

[thedriftcore]

That really depends on the knife and its intended use, though in my experience a properly polished edge will cut almost anything, including tomatoes, like going through air. I've seen a lot of people who say that they polish the blades of their knives but actually change the angle of the blade right at the edge by squishing the blade down and that really messes with the knifes ability to cut. I do know that knives used for chopping stiff vegetables like carrots are better off with a polished edge, they chop just as good (if not better) and not having those scratches and micro-serrations reduces the chance of any water or other contaminants being left of the blade during storage. I've learned from experience that a polished blade will last longer than one that's not (simply in terms of storage time, the way in which the knife is used may change that).

[binky82]

don't slide to cut, just see if it catches, just touch your nail and don't move it, sharp it should stop sliding and just catch 'on' the nail, not'in' the nail.

[TheBackyardInventer]

I sharpened my swiss army knife till its like really sharp and it doesnt slide accross my nail or catch on my nail it doesnt really slide but it makes some nail powder

[AustralLord]

I do it prependiculr to my thumbnail, is that ok?

[jkehrtzll]

stupid....dont do that, take a piece a paper, hold it vertically and see if it cuts or rips the paper.......if it rips its dull. my buddy used his thumb nail and it went rite thru

[AustralLord]

your friend must be malnutritioned

[jkehrtzll]

okay....you just suck at sharpening knives. if it does NOT go through, then it isnt sharp enough lol

[AustralLord]

Really, if you slice into your freaking nail you must be mental. I've got it now, the nail method requires you to put the edge perpendicular to the thumnail and then slide it off the nail- not along the edge (like -------), but parallel to it (|||||). If it doesn't stick to the nail, try sharpening it more because there's most likely a fault. Also the paper way is another good method, just to see how easily and cleanly it slices through, but I do always do at least both.

[gnose]

okay..you must have very heavy knives there