Sharpening shorter knives

[Michael Blakley]

One of my pocket knives is a not very tall.  The blade about 2 1/2 inches long, but not very tall.

When I try to sharpen it, my stones (at 20 degree angle) don’t rub on the knife, but rub on the knife holder.

Is there a work around for this?

I bought a Basic Kit (that’s the terminology by the UPC code).

I have mounted it to a granite stone I purchased from Wicked Edge.

Mine looks like the system below except my granite is gray, not black.  But the knife holder is the one shown here.

Michael

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[David]

w.e. makes a low angle adapter. To do smaller knifes. Also tormek makes a small knife jig the will work with W.E. I am sure some more folks will chime in here as well.

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Mark76

[Marc H]

David is right-on with those two solutions.  The only things you can try without purchasing and using an adapter is to raise the knife as high up in the jaws as possible so just the very edge of the spine is held secure in the clamp.  The last option is to increase your angle till the stones no longer bumps the vice.

Michael, you stated you have a basic set-up.  Are you measuring the 20º with a Digital Angle Gauge or are you setting 20º off the notches and numbering on the square degree bar.  If your are setting the angle per the degree bar it’s possible that the angle is not actually 20º.   You may, in fact , be at a lower angle than 20º.  The degree bar is just an approximation and only matches true angles with some knives of certain dimensions, but not all knives.  The only way to tell how close the degree bar is to a true angle is to purchase and use a Digital Angle Device.  There are several good devices in the $35-$60 dollar range.  It’s a good investment that you’ll use for many years to come.  I like both the Wixey and recently started using the Flureon.

 

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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David, Mark76

[Organic]

We should probably add this topic to the FAQ section of the site. David gave you the same options that I would offer. The only way to get a lower angle on small knives is to get them higher up in the clamp. I find that for small knives the low angle adapter will only allow you to get down to about 18 to 20 degrees per side. It works much more effectively on taller blades (I can get my Victorinox 8 inch chef knife down to 8 degrees per side). The Tormek small knife adapter will offer a significantly improved range of sharpening angles for small knifes, but, sadly, it significantly diminishes the reproducible quality of the clamping process.

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David, Marc H, Mark76

[Michael Blakley]

Hi Marc,

Yes, I have a Digital Angle Gauge and use it every time I sharpen.  However, I don’t use an Allen Wrench that came with the package.  I use a hex end screw driver to tighten and loosen the mounting jaws.

And thanks for the tip on the alternate mounting systems.  I’m looking at them right now.

Michael

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Mark76, David

[Marc H]

Michael there is another route.  Upgrade kits are available which widen the angle  range available by raising the vice with a riser block.  Of course this is another investment but a very worth while one.  I really believe the upgrade kits are priced such that your initial system cost plus the upgrade is fairly close to the cost of higher level system price.  Therefore your not being penalized for not buying the more expensive system at the onset.  I believe the WE100UP3, WE120UP1 or the WE120UP2 would give you this option.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

1 user thanked author for this post.

Mark76

[Author]

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