Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Another Knife Sharpening Question

When sharpening a hunting knife(gutting a deer or pig) do you polish the bevel edge or do you leave it with small burs?

If I'm clear on what you're asking...for my final step I'll run the blade over a piece of leather "strop", sort of like the old time barbers did with their straight razors. Puts the final finish on nicely and removes whatever small burrs you might have left.

I know if one is cutting a tomato you want a knife with a burr on the edge. If the bevel was polished you would only sqash the tomato.

If you are squashing the tomato, your blade is just plane not sharp. The bevel is not the problem, it is the cutting edge. You need to create a burr in the sharpening process to get a sharp cutting edge. The burr can be removed by using your jeans as a strop. If you are so agressive in burr removal that you degenerate your cutting edge, then back off a little on the burr removal (or polishing if that if what you want to call it).
jmho
Tim

A blade with a burr will feel extremely sharp, but it usually isn't. Try slicing paper with an edge with the burr left on it. In my experience, it will not do it, even though the edge feels super sharp.

The burr needs to be taken off with a strop. Plus, I would not want to take a chance that the burr would break of and get stuck in my tomato.

using a strop after honing will usually remove burrs. however after the strop i usually go back & put a microbevel of 320, 600 or medium diamond. anyone trying to fillet fish will find a real polished edge is hard to get started thru fish scales.i tried to whittle a piece of dry bois d'arc [osage orange] with a mirror polished edge [6000 grit] & it slid. went home & put a microbevel with fine diamonds & it cut the same stick easily. a real polished edge will probably hold up longer but it is harder to start the cuts on most animals or other materials. cranky72

This is true. Even if you go down a 1000 grit, which is a pretty good polish, then put a little bevel on it with a 1200 grit ceramic, it will slice just about anything.

Although...I sharpened a couple japanese knives the last week for a chef, and polished them down to 3000 grit tape, adn could literally slice a Roma tomato paper thin, transparent, and even cut the seeds. It was a beautiful thing. downside...Chef asked me where to buy the edgepro

Point is, just like cranky72 said, you have to have a little serration, that is what it is, really, really small serration.

Larry