Finger protection.

[Newbflat]

So it has been quite a while since I have posted here. Life, waning NAD and other obsessions have taken over the small bit of my brain available for things other than breathing, heart beat and muscle control.

I am at a bit of a quandary though. I'm obsessed with sharpness so every knife in the kitchen will shave.. always. I sharpen often and not just mine but other peoples knives as well so I'm at the stone a lot. I also have been playing my guitars a lot and really focusing on becoming a better guitar player.

The problem.... I cut the fingers on my left hand too often. Not when cooking (well sometimes) but when sharpening. I follow all my rules about keeping my fingers on the stone and try to slow down ect.. But i still occasionally cut myself. The problem is that this usually happens when the knife is quite sharp and can leave quite a cut, inevitably on the tip of my left (fretting) hand. As a result of playing a lot more and investing time and money (lessons and a new (to me) 52 Tele reissue) i have been over using my strop and avoiding stones.... yes i have become slightly (only slightly!!) paranoid of sharpening my kitchen cutlery.

Certain stones have been the most problem in the past. Mostly my Kitayama and my old Aoto natural. These both seem to make very slippery mud. The Kitayama (yah, I'm blaming the stone?!?!) caused my fingers to slip off blade a few years ago and sliced the tip of my finger bad enough for 9 stitches and almost a year before i could push on a guitar string.

Soooo, my question is....... Has anyone worn anything on there hand to guard against the dreaded fillet-o-finger. Kevlar gloves? thick rubber? leather?..... or am i a hopeless klutz and should just run my Kikuichimonji Honyaki gyuto threw the knife "sharpener" on the back of the electric can opener and call it good.?

Bill in Seattle.

[kcma]

Practice and more cutting and eventually you'll cut less

[Seb]

Use less water? I find the Kit works better if I add less water so the mud doesn't get diluted/washed away. Then it gets quite sticky and gloopy and maybe less likely to contribute to a slip. I've also slowed my strokes down and use more deliberate back-and-forth strokes.

[BreadFan]

not a problem:

give up the guitar.

open an account at your local blood bank - pick one that does liar loans, they're easier to deal with.

>>I follow all my rules
??except the one about slicing up your fingers??

it's all in good jest, but seriously - have you considered whyfor art thy knives required to be so sharp?

as in a cherry tomato dropped from four centimeters is cleanly cleaved,
but if dropped from three centimeters and fails to cleanly cleave = bad sharpening day?

might be time to write a tune about "how sharp is double flat sharp enough....."

[LumberJ]

Thick rubber would certainly help. I had an incident when the stone jumped due to being poorly secured which cause me to take the tip off my ring finger and had three weeks of fun waiting for skin to grow back in. Outside of just staying focused and things I don't know what else to do aside from the aforementioned gloved options.

[Newbflat]

Seb.....After 20+ years of obsessive sharpening, Im on my second Kitayama. I know what you mean about the mud with the Kitayama but i find just the opposite. The thicker the mud the slippery it is on the knife but not on the stone. I get the best results with the mud as dry as i can get it without it bringing the knife to a halt. I like it almost sticky.. almost. I get a markedly better edge if i polish right there. But, its a dangerous place as the mud on top the blade is Very slick at this point and it can dry out in seconds causing the knife to skip or stick. I wouldn't use it like this if it didn't work so well. I have no issues with it used wetter other than less of an edge. Personally i think its what makes the stone. Its ok wet but killer if used with a dryish past...

BreadFan....Give up the guitar?!??!?... wash your mouth out!

"have you considered whyfor art thy knife required to be so sharp" ..................................?............... ...............?? Clearly you have never used a sharp knife before.

[tapsilog21]

tryout other sharpening methods. See what works for you...sharpness and safety wise.

[blwchef]

I had this problem. I'm a bass player. I just really maintain focus when I sharpen now. I don't go any slower. I just make sure I'm zoned in. If someone talks to me I stop. If anyone is moving near me I stop. Just a thought, but you may be applying too much pressure on your blade. I go pretty light on the finishing stones. It help with sticking and the sudden forceful movement of ones fingers jumping in front of the blade.

[aja]

I would try out different types of band-aids. There are types made of all sorts of materials. You could leave half your finger type bare to retain feel.
May I ask what you use before the kitayama?

[Seb]

Seb.....After 20+ years of obsessive sharpening, Im on my second Kitayama. I know what you mean about the mud with the Kitayama but i find just the opposite. The thicker the mud the slippery it is on the knife but not on the stone. I get the best results with the mud as dry as i can get it without it bringing the knife to a halt. I like it almost sticky.. almost. I get a markedly better edge if i polish right there. But, its a dangerous place as the mud on top the blade is Very slick at this point and it can dry out in seconds causing the knife to skip or stick. I wouldn't use it like this if it didn't work so well. I have no issues with it used wetter other than less of an edge. Personally i think its what makes the stone. Its ok wet but killer if used with a dryish past...
.

I agree with everything you said here. That exactly describes my experiences with the Kit too.