How to check the burr

[Sharpco]

It is very important to check the burrs when sharpening. But A very small burr is difficult to check with my fingers. Is there any other good way?

[cbwx34]

A very small burr is difficult to check with my fingers. Is there any other good way?

A few options (in no particular order):

- Slice thru very thin paper (like phonebook paper).  A burr free edge will cut smoothly, if there's a burr it will cut rough.

-  Make 2-3 slices thru heavier paper, like copy paper, or thin cardboard.  An edge with a burr will start to fail.

- Look at the edge under bright light rotating it slightly back and forth.  A burr will catch the light at an angle.

- Wipe the edge with something like a tissue or cotton ball.  Fibers will catch on even a very small burr.

- Push the edge of a hard piece of plastic, like the edge of a ball point pen or credit card up and over the edge from both sides of the knife.  It will catch on a burr.

-  The Tormek honing wheel does a pretty good job of detecting a burr.  It will throw debris or dust up if a burr is present.

[Jan]

Most Tormekers sharpen towards the edge because it is faster and the water flow tells you where and how the blade touches the stone. The burr is generally shorter, what means that it may be easier to remove it.

When you sharpen away from the edge you will usually get longer burr, which is easily detectable by the fingertips, but on the other hand raising and removing the burr may require more time in this case.

Jan