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Jamie's avatar

Your approach to sharpening is perfect. You don't go too far (mirror polish) but you don't stop short of what seem to be the important elements – a flat back and a well managed and pragmatic relationship between cutting edge and secondary bevel.

I'm becoming more and more attracted to that glass and abrasive approach to sharpening. When I'm in a position to build a dedicated sharpening station, I think I'm gonna invest in that for a year.

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Walter Egon's avatar

I'm glad you approve -- try it out! You don't need all the grits; 1 coarse, 2 medium and 2 fine will suffice.

One thing to keep in mind, tho': the finer 'lapping' sheets are vulnerable to scratches, the coarser 'finishing' ones not so much. So if your edge is dinged up sort it out on a coarser grit first.

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Peter Chessick's avatar

I used to cut my fingers up something fierce before I started breaking the arrises of my chisels as you do.

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Walter Egon's avatar

Same here. And then I would cut through the band aids that I'd wrapped around my fingers :-)

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