Hello everyone,
I'm new to SMC so first of all I would like to thank everyone who contributes to this forum for sharing their knowledge.
There are obviously many ways to successfully sharpen edge tools and I'm not claiming to hold any ultimate truth. So this post is simply meant as some input to those who struggle with sharpening or those who like to experiment.
A few month ago I've discovered the blog https://scienceofsharp.wordpress.com/ where (mainly) straight razors honed on different media are examined via electron microscopy. One of the conclusions of the resulting images is that edge trailing strokes on sharpening stones create a keen, chip free edge but also a burr which is quite difficult to remove and which when ripped off leaves a rough/heterogeneous edge apex. Edge leading strokes on the other hand create a micro-chipped but burr free edge, with the size of the micro-chips being correlated to the coarseness of the sharpening medium.
Based on these conclusions I've adapted my sharpening technique and now do only edge-leading strokes on my sharpening stones (which is facilitated by using a honing guide where you can lift the edge on the return stroke). After honing on my final stone I do very few (still experimenting here, but around 5) edge- trailing strokes on the same stone to refine the keenness of the edge without creating a burr.
I get great results using a two stone setup consisting of a worn in EZE-LAP 1200 and a Shapton 6k, with finer stones being completely unnecessary I think. A note of caution this technique seems to work quite quickly and with a low stroke count but will not polish the bevel very well. I've only tested this on simple carbon steels, so it might be different for more tenacious steels.
Kind regards,
Martin