how to get hair-poppin sharp?

[Impyboy]

is it possile to get a spyder-edge hair poppin sharp using the 204?



is it a matter of reprofiling the blade to 30degrees?

or do we have to somehow get an ultrafine stone to finish it off?



any help would be appreciated.



-Impyboy

[delicrazy]

i would imagine that it is possible. dont know for sure but i would imagine so. the bigger quesstion here is why? serrations arent normally used for light and delicate cutting tasks. they are used for mainly really hard cutting. and of course the sharper a blade the faster it dulls. so why?

[Sword and Shield]

It'll do it, at 40 degrees with fine stones. However, I echo Deli in asking why. What possible purpose is there in a hair-poppin' SE?

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

[Impyboy]

I guess the reason would be, because my RESCUE is about that sharp, and i want all knives to be about the same level of sharpness. Also, just putting my mind at rest, knowing that my 204 IS able to get knives that sharp.

It's also good to impress other people showing them how sharp they are, to get them hooked on spydies as well! hehhee

-Impyboy

[liko]

I've been able to get a sharp shaving sharp (shaves with no downward pressure on the blade; just skim it along the skin) just using the medium and fine 204 stones. The sharpening has to be done just about perfectly though, the same every stroke.

The ultrafine stones should help quite a bit, but you still need some bite to the blade. If the blade's too polished it won't grab the hairs.

[transistor]

Get your blade as sharp as you can at 30, then give each side of the edge just 2 very light strokes at 40 on the finest stones you have. Then use a soft leather belt to strop the heck out of the blade.

If you fold the belt back and make a loop to put one foot through, then hold it tight with one hand while you strop with the other, like I do, be really careful to keep your legs wide apart and out of the way. Otherwise you'll end up in the emergency room. Like I did once!

It's important to use EXTREME care if you use this method. If you sever the main artery on the inside of your leg you will probably bleed to death in about 6 minutes, so be careful. Use a cut resistant shield to protect the inside of your leg.

Edited by - transistor on 7/26/2002 6:41:54 PM

[Sword and Shield]

How about this for a less dangerous strop method than Transistor's?

I wear a thick belt, with a sizeable buckle. All I do is rest the end of the belt (where the leather folds over) on a drawer edge and close the drawer. The leather is pinched and holds taut.

If you wear a thin belt, tying a sock around one end and flipping that into the drawer have the same results.

This holds plenty tight for stropping, and is far less likely to cause injury. Severing the femoral artery will cause you to bleed out in ~5 minutes, which is definitely something to be avoided.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.