This may be more /out/ than /k/, but, how the FUCK do I know

>>33490179
Useful sharp: It feels sharp on your fingertips
Not even remotely useful, but "cool" sharp: You can cut a piece of paper just resting the knife on top.
Dull: Can't cut shit

most people forget to rub off the "burr".
you will know when it is sharp enough

Also OP, how in the fuck do I sharpen a serrated edge? I've heard just one side, both sides, or to never sharpen it, because it just ruins the serration.

>>33490327
You buy a serration sharpening kit.

>>33490327
never sharpening it is like buying a car and never changing the tires, so lets throw that out.

i'd sharpen the obvious side, and very lightly hit the other side, primarily to remove the new burr.

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>>33490363
>>33490376

Thanks. Now I feel retarded.

>>33490327

fyi people who think serrations make a knife basically a disposable tool to be thrown out when its dull are retards with bad opinions

>>33490327
same as a straight edge which it will eventually become

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>>33490582
You can thank my old Scout troop for that, so much bullshit fuddlore.

>bring an Ontario knife

"Hwut are ya' doin'! Ya'll c'ain't bring a SHEATH KNIFE!!! Dose are ILL-EAGLE!!!"

"Nah, we only use .22lr and 20Ga at da' range 'cuz it's ILL-EAGLE 'fer you youngin's to use anything else."

"You c'ain't reload a shotgun shell, if you do, the gubbermint gets to take ur gun. 'cuz reloadin's ILL-EAGLE!!!"

Fuck, man.

>>33490179
i work in a fish market, my boss is really good at sharpening knives and tests it by gently cutting his arm hair with it

>>33490179
you should consider what you want to use the knife for, if you see yourself needing to 'saw' through meat or leather, leaving the burr will help with the slicing motion. If you want more of a chopping or pushing cutting edge that will potentially last longer, then you buff the edge like you would a razer.

>>33490179
>how the FUCK do I know when my knife is sharp?

If you carefully move your thumb across the blade, perpendicular to it, with literally no pressure against it, and it feels every so slightly rough, you're usually good.

At that point, use a leather on it.

>>33490179
I just run my thumb perpendicular to the edge.
Saw a guy at a country auction take a cheap sword and pull the blade across his palm. Don't know how sharp it was but judging by his reaction it was sharp enough for him.

>>33490179
Cutting newsprint is a much more objective test of sharpness than how it feels. Any sharp edge should be able to easily slice newsprint and, when freshly sharpened, should be able to push-cut newsprint with the grain. Even off low grit stones in the 140-320 grit range you should be able to push-cut newsprint with the grain.

For highly polished apex finishes there is no better test than pushcutting newsprint across the grain at 90 degrees to the paper with no draw at all. This test will reveal the presence of microscopic imperfections in the apex too small to be seen with optical microscopes.