Originally Posted by
Wilbur Pan
Hi David,
I can see how those chemical reactions might be possible, but from a practical standpoint, does that really happen in the course of sharpening? As far as ferric hydroxide goes, the usual reactions to generate it that I have been able to find either involve a fairly alkaline environment, boiling temperatures, or an electrochemical reaction in a salt solution. I also am not sure that an appropriately acidic environment necessary to cause etching would exist during sharpening. Furthermore, If these types of reactions were occurring, there should be some evidence of it in the electron micrographs that Ron Hock has provided.