The Guy's Guide to Pocket Knives by Mike Yarbrough

Author:Mike Yarbrough
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612437521
Publisher: Ulysses Press
Published: 2017-10-11T04:00:00+00:00

HOW TO TEST A KNIFE FOR SHARPNESS

When someone hands you a knife, the first instinct is to test it for sharpness. This not only gives you an indication of the readiness of the knife for the task, but also makes a statement about its owner. However, when sharpening your own knife, there are a few steps to testing the sharpness to ensure you have the finest edge possible.

The thumb. The quickest way to test a knife for sharpness is to run your thumb across the blade, perpendicular to the edge. Do not run your finger lengthwise along the blade, as this will cut you, resulting in bleeding, ruined clothes, a bloody knife, and your looking like a moron.

Three fingers along the edge. While it is not a good idea to mindlessly run one finger along the edge of the blade, mindfully running more than one finger along the edge of the blade can be a good way to test for sharpness. To perform this test, hold your first three fingers side by side and slowly, gently move them along the edge of the blade. A sharp blade will begin to cut through the fingerprints on the finger and your brain will let you know when you’ve gone too far—hence the “mindfully” part of this test. Using very light pressure, this technique can be helpful to discover burs along the edge.

Paper cutting test. Grab a sheet of paper—magazine pages are great for this. Starting from the heel of the knife, cut the paper with one stroke, moving to the tip of the knife. Feel and listen to the paper as the knife is cutting through. Does it catch at any point? How well does it slide through the paper? Typically, the heel and the tip will be the areas that need some extra attention when sharpening, as they are the hardest parts to effectively press onto a stone, but the paper cutting test will also reveal any burs or nicks in the blade.

Hair shaving test. Once a blade has a mirror edge, it should be able to cut hair. This is the ultimate test of knife sharpness. Holding the blade nearly flat on the skin of the arm, give short shaving motions across the hairs. You should not feel a pulling sensation, but rather a smooth shave, and you should see the hairs piling on the blade.

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