how do you get your knife Hair whittling sharp?

razorsharp · #1

Is your knife hair whittling sharp, can you split one hair into 3 lengths, if so, how did you do it? I do it with a steel, strop and newspaper :cool: and it takes a **** of a long time, can this level of sharpness be achieved with a :spyder: tri-angle sharpmaker

Armalite Native · #2

I will be interested to see if anyone can do it with a Sharpmaker alone...I am about to get one :P

ChrisR · #3

I think you'll be able to get the knife very sharp with a SharpMaker and some time/practice - especially if you get the Ultra-Fine rods too. But my understanding is that you still have to strop the knife well to get a real razor finish :) I would like to get better at sharpening but I have never really attempted a hair-whittling edge because I just don't need it and I am thinking that it probably takes quite a lot of work to get there from an average, "used" edge.

Armalite Native · #4

Thanks for the tip Chris! I will try to locate some ultra fine rods also :D .

jimnolimit · #5

i've never tried whittling hair, but just about every knife i own can give me a clean shave if i choose. i free hand sharpen and i have many different stones/diamond between 200-6000 grit. i usually strop on newspaper after i finish, but im ordering proper stropping compounds this week.

the other night at work, i showed a few of my co-workers how sharp my pocket knife is. i cleanly shaved about 1/3 of the hair off my forearm in just a few strokes. the comments that followed where "****" and "holy ****". one of the guys watching asked me to get him a pocket knife (my choice) and sharpen it for him. i think i will get him a byrd raven, or just sell him my cara cara 2 G10 (and buy another).

ChrisR · #6

As I mentioned stropping I just decided to strop the UKPK in my back pocket ... it went from fairly sharp to very sharp in a matter of a few minutes on the strop. Before I tried stropping I really didn't think it would make much difference but, believe me, it really does. Just think of the leather&compound acting like the lowest level of grit you'll use, after going down all the ceramic rods. The final strop will just polish the cutting edge and put that mirror finish on it :)

Unless you're using convex-grind knives make sure that you get a decent wood-backed leather strop so that it is perfectly flat - then stroke the cutting edge over it like you're spreading butter and repeat until you see that edge polish up nicely. It's important to keep a nice even contact too - don't change the angle as you lift/turn the knife. :)

jimnolimit · #7

ChrisR wrote:then stroke the cutting edge over it like you're spreading butter and repeat until you see that edge polish up nicely. It's important to keep a nice even contact too - don't change the angle as you lift/turn the knife. :)

i will add: don't use too much pressure.

jackknifeh · #8

I agree with ChrisR and Jimnolimit. Stropping is the key to that extra level of sharp IMO. I have whittled hair before but haven't been able to do it after using my finest stone. I can after stropping though. But, before stropping the knife needs to be very sharp. If I can't shave my forearm even a little I know that knife in not ready for a strop. I have a question. Has anyone used balsawood with abrasive applied as a strop? I recently have seen it on the inet and wondered if anyone has used wood and a compound instead of leather.

One thing I'll pass on about hair whittling that I just learned. Others probably already know this. When I've tried it I've held the hair tight between fingers and thumb in my left hand. With the hair tight I cut through it a lot of the time. It takes a very steady hand to whittle instead of cutting all the way through. I saw a video of hair whittling yesterday where the person held the hair between his thumb and index finger and let the hair hang free about parallel with the floor. Then he place the blade under the hair and whittled. If the edge is sharp enough it looked like the weight of the hair put enough pressure on the edge to cut enough to whittle but not cut all the way through.

Jack

Simple Man · #9

Parallel or Perpendicular?

I can do it with a 204 edge, but it takes laying it on a flat surface, holding it down with my left thumb or finger then gently "shaving" layers off it. I haven't seen an edge that will whittle hair free standing. I can get an edge that will "pop" or "treetop" hair, but not whittle.

unit · #10

Armalite Native wrote:I will be interested to see if anyone can do it with a Sharpmaker alone...I am about to get one :P

I did it...sort of...

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yH12Cld6_sA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

jackknifeh · #11

Simple Man wrote:Parallel or Perpendicular?

I can do it with a 204 edge, but it takes laying it on a flat surface, holding it down with my left thumb or finger then gently "shaving" layers off it. I haven't seen an edge that will whittle hair free standing. I can get an edge that will "pop" or "treetop" hair, but not whittle.

The guy held the hair between his thumb and finger and if the hair stayed straight it would have been paralle with the floor but of course it curved down. I don't know these terms: 204 edge, pop, treetop and maybe not whittle means the same to me and you. When I've whittled hair it's like making sticks for starting fires. I forget what you call them because I've never done it, just used them to try to let you know what I call whittling.

Jack

jackknifeh · #12

Simple Man wrote:Parallel or Perpendicular?

I can do it with a 204 edge, but it takes laying it on a flat surface, holding it down with my left thumb or finger then gently "shaving" layers off it. I haven't seen an edge that will whittle hair free standing. I can get an edge that will "pop" or "treetop" hair, but not whittle.

I forgot to mention.

NICE PICTURE!

Jack

jackknifeh · #13

unit wrote:I did it...sort of...

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yH12Cld6_sA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is how the guy I saw whittling hair on you tube did it. Maybe you are the guilty party, and don't tell me it wasn't you because you were in Phoenix that day. :D

Nice job on the edge,
Jack

unit · #14

jackknifeh wrote:This is how the guy I saw whittling hair on you tube did it. Maybe you are the guilty party, and don't tell me it wasn't you because you were in Phoenix that day. :D

Nice job on the edge,
Jack

It was probably me. That video has been floating around for a long time. I use this method to demonstrate a lot of things.

Anytime someone says you have to have a strop to get a knife sharp, I show them a 20 dollar Spyderco UF rod. Waterproof, durable, versatile (think serrations and recurves), inexpensive, and they never need to be recharged!

Simple Man · #15

NICE JOB Unit, I'll have to try that next.

Sorry Jack, didn't mean to confuse.

204 - Sharpmaker 204 , I just got used to calling it the 204
Hair popping - when you shave the hair on your arm and it physically pops up in the air, not just falling over on the blade.
Treetopping - like shaving the hair on your arm, but above the surface, not at the skin, maybe 1/8" give or take, "treetopping" the hairs

dsmegst · #16

I use paper wheels. I have a grit wheel that does sharpening, one slotted wheel with a 2 micron compound for a biting edge, and one more with a .5 micron compound for extra polished hair whittling edge. I usually stop at the 2 micron wheel though.

jackknifeh · #17

unit wrote:It was probably me. That video has been floating around for a long time. I use this method to demonstrate a lot of things.

Anytime someone says you have to have a strop to get a knife sharp, I show them a 20 dollar Spyderco UF rod. Waterproof, durable, versatile (think serrations and recurves), inexpensive, and they never need to be recharged!

Thanks a lot Unit! :mad: There goes another $20. :eek: I guess I'll have to get one. I have the two profile stones. I assume the UF rod is finer??? Please confirm this. :D :D

Jack

jackknifeh · #18

Simple Man wrote:NICE JOB Unit, I'll have to try that next.

Sorry Jack, didn't mean to confuse.

204 - Sharpmaker 204 , I just got used to calling it the 204
Hair popping - when you shave the hair on your arm and it physically pops up in the air, not just falling over on the blade.
Treetopping - like shaving the hair on your arm, but above the surface, not at the skin, maybe 1/8" give or take, "treetopping" the hairs

OK, thanks. I'm easily confused. :confused: :confused:

Jack

Simple Man · #19

dsmegst wrote:I use paper wheels. I have a grit wheel that does sharpening, one slotted wheel with a 2 micron compound for a biting edge, and one more with a .5 micron compound for extra polished hair whittling edge. I usually stop at the 2 micron wheel though.

Yup, I too have moved on to a Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander and Razor Sharp Paperwheels, but I still have the 204 in my travel kit. If you think the 204 is fast, wait till you go powered.....

Simple Man · #20

No problem Jack, you taught me something too. I can't wait to get a hold of one of my wife's hairs, as mine aren't near long enough to begin to do anything with. Ha