05-13-2018, 12:47 PM
I agree that everything should be sharpened Appropriately. To me that only means one thing- what grit you finish with.
Mr. Grepper's affinity for coarse edges lead me to try to finish on the coarsest Atoma (140 grit), rather than than the 400 grit.
That makes quite a difference in BESS numbers. If I finish on an Atoma alone, 400 grit finishes about BESS 120. Atoma 140 grit finishes about 160.
I don't normally quit there though. Distressing is critical IMHO. I want proven edges, and that usually adds 20-40 points. If I want those points back, it takes very precise dinking around on the Atomas, or just a very small amount of honing on coarse PDP diamond on leather. If I spend more time honing, I can loose aggressiveness and sometimes edge retention (depending on what you're cutting), but significantly lower the BESS score.
Losing aggressiveness isn't all bad, especially at 140 grit. IMHO, that level of coarseness is overkill for a few reasons. First, it's way easier to load the edge with whatever you're cutting. Most fibrous stuff like paper, cardboard, rope, leather and animal tissue and fat can stick to the teeth. Generally, a little stropping on my hand or jeans removes it.
Super coarse edges leave a very rough cut, and have a lot more drag, so ease of slicing is affected. When preparing food, I want much more refinement. A telling exercise is cutting an onion. Coarse edges will make you cry more. Cutting apples, you will see that coarse cuts oxidize (turn brown) faster. Practically all food is like this.
In my experience (virtually always with hard carbon steel), a 140 grit edge will cut more rope. Yes, there's more drag for sure, but very good steel will stay sharper longer. Medium stainless steel isn't strong enough to support very coarse edges, and dulls faster in my experience.
So really, Mr. Sharpco, you answered your own question. BESS sharpness depends on type of steel and usage. I can't say there is something like an optimal sharpness number, but IMHO, most steels at 400-1K grit and BESS 120 to 85 cuts most stuff most easily, and shaves arm hair well, which is the standard most people use most often.
Mr. Grepper's affinity for coarse edges lead me to try to finish on the coarsest Atoma (140 grit), rather than than the 400 grit.
That makes quite a difference in BESS numbers. If I finish on an Atoma alone, 400 grit finishes about BESS 120. Atoma 140 grit finishes about 160.
I don't normally quit there though. Distressing is critical IMHO. I want proven edges, and that usually adds 20-40 points. If I want those points back, it takes very precise dinking around on the Atomas, or just a very small amount of honing on coarse PDP diamond on leather. If I spend more time honing, I can loose aggressiveness and sometimes edge retention (depending on what you're cutting), but significantly lower the BESS score.
Losing aggressiveness isn't all bad, especially at 140 grit. IMHO, that level of coarseness is overkill for a few reasons. First, it's way easier to load the edge with whatever you're cutting. Most fibrous stuff like paper, cardboard, rope, leather and animal tissue and fat can stick to the teeth. Generally, a little stropping on my hand or jeans removes it.
Super coarse edges leave a very rough cut, and have a lot more drag, so ease of slicing is affected. When preparing food, I want much more refinement. A telling exercise is cutting an onion. Coarse edges will make you cry more. Cutting apples, you will see that coarse cuts oxidize (turn brown) faster. Practically all food is like this.
In my experience (virtually always with hard carbon steel), a 140 grit edge will cut more rope. Yes, there's more drag for sure, but very good steel will stay sharper longer. Medium stainless steel isn't strong enough to support very coarse edges, and dulls faster in my experience.
So really, Mr. Sharpco, you answered your own question. BESS sharpness depends on type of steel and usage. I can't say there is something like an optimal sharpness number, but IMHO, most steels at 400-1K grit and BESS 120 to 85 cuts most stuff most easily, and shaves arm hair well, which is the standard most people use most often.