How to know when its sharp

[sleek]

I just dont feel like my points are sharp enough. I can get them pointy no problem, but the edges I am uncertain. How do you judge your points edge? I can get them to feel rough to my fingers but never like a razor and slice. So on this point I sharpened up a narrlw bit of steel and micro serrated a point. Still not feeling like its sharp, just more.... grabby?

[sleek]

[sleek]

[sleek]

[sleek]

[Tracker0721]

It sounds like a bad idea but I test mine how quite a few guys do, with almost no pressure on the point drag it across your skin below your thumb. How much pressure exactly? Pop off a nice flake and drag that sharp edge across without cutting your thumb off. You'll see it takes hardly any pressure to break skin which is all you're doing. Stringman gave me the best sharpening advice. Take a bunch of slightly spaced out flakes down each edge making sure you don't crush the edge when the flake pops, then extremely lightly abrade the tips you left and flip the point over and pop off each tip. If done correctly the fine edge that was at the bottom of each flake you took off will be the edge on the tips of your serrations. When I do it right just a light no pressure pull will cut me good enough that I'll stop before pulling the whole point. You just want it to make a clean cut like a paper cut through your skin. No blood. Picture is to show where I tested one a couple days ago. If my point doesn't give me 2 paper cuts I pop off the tips again. No point gets mounted that can't cut like a razor.

[Tracker0721]

Thumb zone. The barely seen horizontal red line. No big gashes

[Chippintuff]

Your points are sharper than you think. put a piece of leather down; take one of the points and wrap a piece of leather around it to get a good grip; then drag the edge across a piece of leather. It will cut better than you might think.

Tracker is right. Some argue that a point is not sharp except on the tips of serrations. They have not learned how to do it the sharpest way.

WA

[JoJoDapyro]

When testing the edge on a razor you pull it across your thumb nail. If it glides, it isn't sharp. Look up what a sharp knife looks lie under magnification.

[GlisGlis]

Thanks Tracker I have to try that.
It was quite a while I was thinking to make the exact same post Sleek did.
I think that making a razor edge is also facilitated when your whole point is flat.
I'm I wrong? is it still possible to have good sharpened edge even on pretty fat points?

[aaron]

I don't test them by cutting, nececarily, I just look real close. I look for overall straightness of the edge both when viewed edge-on and when viewed from the face. Also I look for "platform remnants" or grinding marks. I look for tiny hinges and steps near the edge. I look for parts of the edge where the angle is too blunt.
It's hard to describe the sharpening process- I recommend you get with someone who can show you.To make the edge, I use two types of flakes in a specific order- there are tiny little beveling flakes, followed by longer edge-making flakes. When it's all done, the beveling falkes are gone. The final pass of flakes makes the edge- to prepare for this final series- you have to start with an edge that is already pretty damn straight and faces that are very smooth without hinges. Each flake platform in the final series is built by taking tiny flakes, NOT by grinding. Each edge-making flake in the final series connects to the previous flake- you take them all in a row from base to tip or tip to base. These final flakes are "real" flakes that go at least 1/4 of the way across the point- not tiny little 1mm flakes. . To me, the key is learning to build your platforms by flaking rather than grinding, the tiny platform-building  flakes(a.k.a beveling flakes)  produce a rather steeply beveled edge. For me, these tiny platform building flakes are taken in the same direction as the edge-making flakes and the tiny bevel they produce is not the place where you put your flaker tip, the bevel is on the bottom.I usually take 2 tiny beveling flakes, then one edge-making flake, then move down the edge about 1/8 inch, take two tiny bevel-making flakes, and so on. 

[Orrum]

It's a blood sport!  LOL.  I want the dip below the tip of a seration to be as sharp as the tip. Thats why Ginzoo knives cut so well after dulling the tips.

[Stringman]

There is no way to win the argument "mine's sharper than yours." And to be fair, no one has asserted that. So in keeping with that pattern I will say "keep getting them sharper." Most folks tend to settle when they get sharp and then never reach scary sharp.

Dylan mentioned my process. I learned it from a lot of folks, but it comes closest to Tower's explanation that used to be pinned to the top. In short, get your preform flat and thin and well shaped. Run final flakes on 1 edge then flip it over. Between every flake there is a nipple. Lightly brush up on that nipple then pull that flake down. The effect is that you leave an untouched delta between 2 untouched deltas, thus an extremely sharp edge. That explanation makes it sound easy, trust me it is not. Moreover, repeating those steps along an entire edge (let alone the entire point) will take practice.  You will snap a lot of points off until you figure where to apply pressure and where not.

In the end you will have an edge that is more hollow ground in cross section than "fat" edged. And for those of you who have points or knives of mine can attest, this is a sharp edge! Not the only way to do it, but the way I learned.

[GlisGlis]

Aaron your points are pure beauty. Obviously I have a long way to go.

thanks stringman. i think I got your method too.

probably tomorrow will find the time to try all your advise.

[Tracker0721]

Yup Aaron's will make a super sharp point as will Scott's. I've got a bandaid on after making a couple points and testing today. They're both pretty similar and the key is to have an edge free of crushed edges. Beautiful points Aaron! And Scott you can describe it so much better haha