Rather than dragging anything that belongs to you along the blade, turn the
blade crosswise to your thumbnail and, with the blade at about a ten degree
angle from square to your thumbnail, just drop the blade down onto the nail
gently, moving it slightly toward you. If it's truly sharp it will catch on
the nail; it it's anything less than sharp it will skid.

Tom Dacon

wrote in message
oups.com...
I watched a show on the tube where they were sharpening knives and then
using the fleshy parts of their thumbs and fingers to test for
sharpness. My Dad could somehow make anything sharp enough to shave
with, and taught me to drag the end of my fingernail lightly along the
edge, a slight resistance meaning scary sharp.