Lost the sharpening mojo

[John Coloccia]

Anyone ever loose the touch for sharpening. This happens to me from time to time. I just cant seem to sharpen anything past, "meh, pretty dull". It'll be back in a day or two, but right now I just can't make anything work. I'm even fighting with the Tormek.

In a day or so, I'll be back to hair splitting sharp. Right now, I just have to put the metal down for a bit before I frustrate myself. This will happen to me playing music as well. All of a sudden, I couldn't put together a musical string of notes to save my life. A day or two later, I'll be back to my old self.

[Michael Peet]

Once in a while I'll get done going through the grits but it still won't be sharp enough. So I sigh and start over again. Second try usually gets it.

Mike

[Maurice Ungaro]

That recently happened to me with my Norton water stones. Finished up on the 8,000 grit, and the blade wasn't anywhere near shiny. Humph....must have gotten the stone contaminated with a lower grit....:(.

Just got my MKII Power Sharpener in. Fired it up and ....VOILA! Beautiful, sharp, shiny edges. A joyful wonderment! And it's FAST.

John & Michael, this machine has boogity! :D Get yourself one.

[John Coloccia]

That's exactly what happened to me. My Norton 8000 stone just seems like it stopped working. I never thought of contamination as a problem. Maybe I'll try resurfacing it.

[Maurice Ungaro]

John,
What do you use to resurface yours?

[John Coloccia]

Just sandpaper. Usually 220 if I'm just flattening a little. I'll start with 80 if it's really dished from carving planes.

[Bob Strawn]

When sharpening has no effect, then usually, the edge is no longer making contact.

http://toolmakingart.com/images/Sharpening/dubbing/Honing%20Duel%20Dubbed.jpg

In the picture above, the dark area represents the honing surface, the lightest gray area represents what we want, and the medium gray area represents what we often end up with.

If the actual point is not making contact, then sharpening will remain elusive, If we rock past the angle where the actual point is making contact, then the angle will be made worse.

Starting over with a rougher grit can help put it back into shape. The ruler trick can help. A lot of folk go to jigs, because this helps them maintain angle.

The real issue to final edge sharpening is being able to repeat the final angle, without ever going past that angle.

Another method is to strop. The slightly flexible honing surface of a nice hard strop, will allow the blade edge to register even if the angle is a little bit off.

http://toolmakingart.com/images/Sharpening/dubbing/Stropping%20dubbing.jpg

Stropping can end up dubbing the blade and giving a rounded edge. This edge may however be stronger. A gentle touch on a strop with the bevel flat on the surface is the trick to minimizing dubbing, and even having the dubbing work for you.

I use a single bevel, a light touch and move more side to side than forward or back to sharpen. I keep the flat of the blade, or the bevel registered flat on the hone. When I am on my final grit, I only go sideways and backwards.


Bob

[Terry Beadle]

I think Bob is dead on with his technique suggestions. Especially with the side to side and backwards only comment. I suggest this be used not only on the final grit but any polishing grit at 4000 and above.

Another comment is that reestablishing the primary bevel with out micro bevel is another key on blades that have been re-honed several times.

[John Coloccia]

Not my problem I'm afraid. I usually use a jig. I did resurface and it helped a great deal. I think that's what was going on. It was dead flat to begin with, but the layer on top was just not cutting. Now it's cutting great.

[James Taglienti]

My sharpening ability varies too. I Do it freehand, and I use a lot of vintage planes with hard to find irons, so i'm always trying to be so frugal. My biggest problem is with rabbet planes, they never wear evenly, and i almost can't bring myself to grind down the side of the blade that gets little use. Also I've noticed that planes with no cap iron tend to wear heavily on the top of the iron, IE the #72 and #289 both wear their own little back bevel that makes honing that much harder without removing excess material. These are also "shaping planes" as opposed to finishing planes, so they are real workhorses and dull that much more quickly.
But when I can't get something sharp, i usually resort to my little "eclipse style" honing guide and the scary sharp. That seems to be the easiest way to sharpen that i have found. More often than not it's because i'm rushed or trying to save steel and I don't form a little burr before i continue to the finer grits.

[Eddie Darby]

Alright now let me see if I got all that?:confused:
Can you say that again.:rolleyes:
Is it before or after the beer that you sharpen ....?:eek: