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Is hand sharpening chemically sharpened hooks a NO-NO!

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2K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  DenisB  
#1 ·
Was thinking about getting a good sharpener but then read about most hooks these days that are sticky sharp right from the factory are chemically or laser sharpened and we should never hand sharpen them if they dull. I suspect that JM, Owner, Kudako, etc are all sharpened this way, true???
 
#2 ·
If it gets dull, do they suggest you buy a new one?.... only one option if you want to reuse the hook...try sharening an old dull one & see how long it will hold the edge..cardboard boxes are hard on a point, after sharpening check to see how many times you can stick the box before the point will not scratch your fingernail....make sure & not get hook point hot while sharpening, dip often in oil to keep metal from getting anealed(soft), & losing it's temper.
 
#4 ·
Thats a good question. I havent had to sharpen any such hooks, as the points always seem to bend before the get dull and I throw them away for that reason. Now that I think about it, I never seemed to have had points bend before the chemical sharpening came out.
 
#5 ·
Most hooks are pretty darn sharp out of the box.
Two choices when you have a dull one after use.
- touch it up till its sticky again
or
- toss it and replace.

Nothing wrong with lightly touching up a point to make it sticky again.

when re-sharpening hooks just because its sticky sharp is not the whole answer ...............if you sharpen to the stage where the point has a distinct shoulder to the point edge its time to bin it & replace.
A hook with a distinct shoulder to its point , penetrates only shallow easily & the impaling pressure reduces very rapidly at the shoulder.
Even with quite a small shoulder the impaling pressure at the shoulder is as little as 10-20% what it is at the point itself as the impaling pressure is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area thats imbedded.