Originally Posted by
george wilson
I've been pretty happy with my MDF and green compound strop. I hate the looks and feel of it,but it does a razor sharp job without rounding the edge at all.
I don't usually bother getting kitchen knives so sharp,but just yesterday I got my pocket knife,and the LV 6" Japanese kitchen knife sharp enough to shave with. That Japanese knife will really take a super keen edge.
Since my wife was a book binder(I taught her and the shop how to sharpen their tools on request),she can use it without being afraid of it,or cutting herself.
Normally I just grind kitchen knives sharp enough for food on my 3000 grit disc on my horizontal/vertical diamond grinder at 200 rpm. I start with the 260 grit disc. The knives get whacked on the wooden cutting board,so getting them excessively sharp doesn't last a long time. But,I was up for a bit of fun. Seeing how sharp that laminated Japanese blade will get is a treat. The hard steel in it is only about 1/100" thick,or so.
I was watching videos on how Japanese chef's cut with their knives and one of the reasons for pulling the knife through rather than chopping and pushing sideways was for that exact reason, they can keep their knives very sharp for long periods of time. I do the same now and even my German knife (haven't settled on a Japanese knife yet) will stay sharp until my wife starts using them.
Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 11-15-2014 at 10:13 AM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.