In and out of "the sharpening zone". Anyone else?

[jackknifeh]

Last night I sharpened my Chaparral (XHP) and just couldn't get it as sharp as I know it has been in the past. I worked at it for a while. I just couldn't do it. So I quit. I just tried again and within about 5 minutes it is back to whittling hairs and all the other important cutting jobs. I've played a lot of pool and there are times when everyone who does that (or about any sport I suppose) just gets "in the zone". It seems like you can't miss. Other days it seems like you can't make any shots. Maybe it's the same with sharpening. But I don't remember it happening like it did last night.

Of course now that it's razor sharp again I credit it to my skill. :) Last night I was blaming the stones. :D

Jack

[Officer Gigglez]

Yeah, happens to me too.

[Evil D]

All the time, literally probably every 5th time I sharpen a knife, and it seems to get worse the better I get. I'm always reminding myself to slow down and not rush it. Seems like the better I get, I almost expect to get there faster than it naturally takes.

[SpyderNut]

Yeah, sharpening a blade is a lot like the game of golf: the harder your try to make things perfect, the worse things tend to end up.

[xceptnl]

Yeah, sharpening a blade is a lot like the game of golf: the harder your try to make things perfect, the worse things tend to end up.

This is so very true and also why (much like my golf game) I grab a drink and take it easy. Relaxation is the name of the game.

[SpyderNut]

This is so very true and also why (much like my golf game) I grab a drink and take it easy. Relaxation is the name of the game.

Amen to that! It took many sore muscles, a lot of sunburn, and several clubs being *ahem* pitched into the woods for me to realize that. :rolleyes:

[Donut]

I was sharpening a wharncliff last night. I spent 5 minutes using the medium flats on my sharpmaker, the sharpie method told me I was hitting the edge, but it was tearing paper. It isn't easy to use the flats to sharpen a wharncliff...

So, I did a few passes on the corners and it was sharp. I just gave up on that note!

I attribute it to there being very slightly different angles associated with the different ways you put the stones into the sharpmaker.

[LC Kid]

Hi Folks!


I don't know about a Sharpening Zone. Never heard of it. Sounds to me like the Strike Zone in Baseball.

What is a proven truth for me is to Warm Up before getting a really good edge. :D It means to warm up my arm while sharpening, so I always begin sharpening some old blade for about 5 minutes, just to get warm.

Then I take the blade that I want to put a ridiculous sharp edge on, and the results are actually really good.

The science behind this? I don't know, guess it has to be something about the trained hand or developed skill. :)

[anagarika]

Same here. Rewind and recall what HeavyHanded shared on paying attention and retrace the steps helps. As David mentioned, it feels that it should be faster while it's not.

Sometimes though, I just couldn't so I stop & leave it for another day. Blaming the stone is also a natural reaction ... Done that too :o

[JD Spydo]

I find when doing any sharpening whether it be knives, edged tools or even woodworking tools for that matter>> I find that being very relaxed and not being in any hurry is very helpful and I find that if I'm not trying to sharpen something fast or trying to sharpen too many tools at one time is a help for sure.

Sometimes you might be doing something fundamentally wrong and if you're in a hurry you don't even realize it.

One big thing I've learned about Sharpening tools>> you must be in a good, relaxed state of mind. The job has to be done by exact standards if you're going to be successful and getting in a hurry or putting pressure on yourself to get a lot done in a short period of time will put you in a bind.

Sharpening is a job that really can't be done in a hurry if you're going to be successful IMO

[xceptnl]

I was in the zone last night and took my MBS-26 kitchen knives all the way through the UF benchstone. When I was done, I warned the wife to be careful with these because she tends to use them aggressively and that you could shave with these now. She, being the woman I love just smiled and said congrats. She knows how hard I have been working to achieve my scary freehand edges. I also put a scary edge on her inexpensive Santoku because I was "warmed up" as LC Kid stated!