# How do you deburr?



## JKerr (Apr 8, 2012)

After tinkering with my newly acquired TC Blades gyuto, it got me thinking about how others deburr particular tough steel. With most of my knives I tend to sharpen on one side until I raise a pretty substantial burr the just a few light strokes on the other side is generally enough to get rid of it. This gyuto is an absolute monster to deburr. My usual method just did not work at all, the burr would just fold back and forth and not let go (I picked up one of those rock hard felt blocks for deburring, perhaps they're only good on softer steel, as it literally didn't do a thing). Ultimately I ended up sort of 'polishing' the burr out, kinda like C-Dawg in his video on sharpening the Mizuno gyuto. That seemed to do the trick, still a few bits that need touched up but it's getting there....another session tomorrow maybe?

So, is there a method that you swear by? Does it change with the knife and steel? Is 01 steel just a beast? I'd be keen to hear everyone's thoughts!

Cheers,
Josh


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## Dusty (Apr 8, 2012)

I just polish the burrs out or cut into champagne cork, I think that works as well as felt blocks. I also tend to strop on balsa between each stone. Recently, for tougher steels I've been cutting into a piece of rough-hewn end-grain soft pine. 

You're in Melbourne, do you know the wooden boxes that Adelaide tomatoes often come in? Those. 

That said, I haven't sharpened O1.


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## Sarge (Apr 8, 2012)

I usually do like you JKerr just a few light strokes on the back and then at the end I usually cut into champagne cork to make sure its all gone. Some steels are tougher than others but I always use this method.


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## JKerr (Apr 8, 2012)

> You're in Melbourne, do you know the wooden boxes that Adelaide tomatoes often come in? Those.


Haven't seen those. Not sure where our tomatoes come from at the moment, but where ever I've worked they've always came in cardboard boxes. 

I've used cork with some success on other knives (white 2, whatever sugimoto used in the HM and CM lines, VG-10, CCK carbon, yadda, yadda, etc, etc...), but it really does f' all to 01. Haven't said that, could just be how Tsil HTs his steel. Perhaps I'll need to keep an eye out for _those_ wooden boxes. 

Cheers,
Josh


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## Dave Martell (Apr 8, 2012)

I'd like to mention that a specific steel can be really hard to de-burr or really easy based on how it's heat treated. What I'm saying is that there's a big difference between heat treating in a forge and heat treating in a controlled environment followed by cryo but it's also up to the person in control of the process. My experience with O-1 has been that it's very easy to de-burr.

Since I have no idea at all how TC does his heat treat my comments don't speak to his specific techniques or him at all.


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 8, 2012)

Sounds like a large coarse-grit burr on tough steel...try cutting into a chopstick. Nexy time, don't raise such a big burr, abd then wear it down on a finer stone first.


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## Delbert Ealy (Apr 8, 2012)

I use my thumbnail, after I raise a burr, but before my final stone, I drag the edge across my thumbnail like I am trying to cut into it. I don't use any pressure, or I wouldn't have a thumb. I am using O-1 as well.
Del


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## tk59 (Apr 8, 2012)

I've sharpened Del's and Dave's O1 blades and deburring is no problem at all. If the burr really is that difficult to remove, I would say TC Blades needs to work on HT. For super tough burrs, I would suggest sharpening as normal, doing a 90 deg deburr on a finishing stone and then touching up the edge again afterward without raising another burr.


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 8, 2012)

Delbert Ealy said:


> I use my thumbnail, after I raise a burr, but before my final stone, I drag the edge across my thumbnail like I am trying to cut into it. I don't use any pressure, or I wouldn't have a thumb. I am using O-1 as well.
> Del



You deburr on your thumbnail?? :notworthy:


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## JKerr (Apr 8, 2012)

Cheers for the posts so far. I'll probably tinker with it more tomorrow and post again. I have faith that Tsil knows what he's doing, Salty seems to enjoy his work and I trust his opinion. I recall reading that Tsil leaves "extra steel on his blades for new owners to train his or her knife" or something to that effect so perhaps it's getting through that "training period" :dontknow:. 

Anywhos, I'll play around with some of the suggestions so far. Dunno about deburring on my thumbnail though. Hat's off to you, Del.

Cheers, 
Josh

P.S. I'd like to see a picture of your thumb, Del. Call it morbid curiosity :biggrin:


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## stevenStefano (Apr 8, 2012)

Just out of curiosity, for everyone and these methods, how long does it usually take to deburr? and do you use much pressure? I have been having issues with deburring, for a while I felt I was doing it too much and wearing out my edges, so I went the other way and ended up with a wire edge, and in both cases my edge retention sucked, probably to a similar extent


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## geezr (Apr 8, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> You deburr on your thumbnail?? :notworthy:



Sorry for not contributing to the OP -
but I really enjoy this forum :laugh: :thanx:


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## Cadillac J (Apr 8, 2012)

I use the same deburring technique on all steels with great success. Strop on felt pad with 1-micron diamond with fairly firm pressure, then cut into felt or cork a few swipes...then I go back to the stone I came off of for a few very light stropping strokes.

One of the keys that I feel people might seem to overlook is the weakening/chasing/minimizing of the burr on coarse and mid-range stones....this makes the actual burr removal so much easier and quicker.


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## Pachowder (Apr 8, 2012)

Not to derail this thread but we must see del's thumb. I don't get that at all


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## SpikeC (Apr 8, 2012)

I use O1 and don't have any issues with deburring, but I use a HT recommended by Hoss.


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## Benuser (Apr 9, 2012)

Cadillac J said:


> I use the same deburring technique on all steels with great success. Strop on felt pad with 1-micron diamond with fairly firm pressure, then cut into felt or cork a few swipes...then I go back to the stone I came off of for a few very light stropping strokes.
> 
> One of the keys that I feel people might seem to overlook is the weakening/chasing/minimizing of the burr on coarse and mid-range stones....this makes the actual burr removal so much easier and quicker.


If you go for quick and dirty removal by cork or soft wood you should hone afterwards a lot to polish the result after abrading. Depending on the carbides this might be quite time consuming.


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