HO man! Here we go! \
Power! I sorta remember that also, but didn't have the link.
I get much maligned and ridiculed often by several of the guys in the club because I'm an advocate of STROPPING your knives and well, all blades rather then trying to resharpen them on stone or sandpaper after tearing them up. I have a Buck knife that's Never been on a stone since it's purchased several decades ago, it's still razor shape with an edge that was Strop only applied as part of a boyscout tot'n chip excersise in 1981! I have used this knife littlerly to shave on many an campout, Hunting trips, and outtings. I also have a little swiss army pocket knife I carry daily that's the same way.
X-acto blades "factory edge" out of the package is sharp, but isn't really razor sharp.
All my blades MUST shave hair or they are not considered sharp. X-axto, pocket knife, sheath knife, Hand Axe, Draw knifes, chisels, what have you.
the better 2/3rd hates it when I finish with her kitchen knife set as she's not as careful as she should be some times...Luckly a cut from a very sharp blade heals quicker then the tear from a dull one
To process and keep your cutting tools razor sharp requires a little time to learn HOW to sharpen and strop, and making a habbit of stroppiing the tool before you begin using it. About 10 passes pre side. Unless you really nick it up badly somehow is about all that's needed to KEEP a #11 sharp. With experience and practice you'll learn to "feel" when that edge needs another stropping during heavy use.
Stropping is done on an old leather belt or flesh side of a piece of leather rubbed well with jewlers rouge. A strop can be made into a very thick stiff "strap" as seen hanging from the chairs in the barber shops or something as simple as mounting it with contact cement to a block of wood.
Mario you are in dire need of one of these strops! LOL!!!
in "Stropping" the blade is drawn backwards toward you, edge still away for you, rather than pushing forward, cutting into the leather as you would on a stone, again away for you when "sharpening". Picking and keeping a constant angle on the blade is very important. On most of my knives I've change the blade angle from the usual manufactured 30° on both sides to 0°-30° razor sharpening angle. This includes my X-acto #11,#16 and #2 or 24 blades.
I think I've actually change X-acto blades only about a half dozen times over the past 10-15 years. Usually only if I snap a blade doing something I knew I shouldn't or dropping the knife. Stropping about 10 strokes a side, evertime you pick up the knife to start work keeps her razor..hair shaving sharp all the time.
If you've really dulled them down without nicking the blade stropping will bring them back fairly qucikly. If you've broken off tips, chipped or nicked up the blade. Then some work on a good oil stone, Arkansas oil stone or Triple stone set and/or oiled wet/dry 320,400,600girt sandpaper can fill the bill. All ending with a good stropping session to really polish the edge.
Do keep in mind, Sharpening on stones and sandpaper is removing a lot of tempered blade, Stropping is polishing the edge, removing very very little of the tempered edge.
Hope this helps a little.
Edit PS:
If you do start stropping your blades Please do not press your thumb onto the cutting edge to see if it's sharp!! If you've followed the instructions correctly...by the time your brain recieves the signal, you'll ahave already cut your thunb to the bone. You can ask any of many folks i've sharpend knifes for about this including my Father-in-law and several of the guys for the shop. NOR use your tonge or finger nail!!! if you Must Prove the blades edge CAREFULLY draw it along the forarm hair...it will cleanly fall off without applying any pressure.
