What are your methods for creating a micro bevel?
- This topic has 15 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 04/16/2017 at 5:59 am by
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I guess the title says it all. Which stones do you use and how many strokes?
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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I usually increase angle by 2 degrees, use 1000 diamonds, and apply 3-4 *light* stokes per side.
Alan
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My current preference for microbevel is few light strokes with 0.6um ceramics at 2° wider. Usually after a mirror bevel is established.
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Please correct me if you know better way. I think that micro bevel is not something you establish once. You establish micro bevel and then maintain this micro bevel many-many times to keep edge wicked sharp before next sharpening.
For me ceramic sharpening steel works wonders. 2 or 3 very light passes on each side restore keen edge like new again and again. Ceramic rod makes perfect scratch pattern on micro bevel. And it creates little toothy biting wicked sharpness. Chefs and butchers use it every 10-15 minutes.
For micro bevel I add 3-5 degrees to main bevel angle. These cones help with the angle consistency ( AngleGuide.com ).
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Please correct me if you know better way. I think that micro bevel is not something you establish once. You establish micro bevel and then maintain this micro bevel many-many times to keep edge wicked sharp before next sharpening. For me ceramic sharpening steel works wonders. 2 or 3 very light passes on each side restore keen edge like new again and again. Ceramic rod makes perfect scratch pattern on micro bevel. And it creates little toothy biting wicked sharpness. Chefs and butchers use it every 10-15 minutes. For micro bevel I add 3-5 degrees to main bevel angle. These cones help with the angle consistency ( AngleGuide.com ).
I’ve seen these on Chef knife forums before and thought they were a great idea. I find that the spyderco sharpmaker is also great for maintaining a micro-bevel between sharpenings, but you either have to free hand the edge or use their 15 or 20 degree per side presets.
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Interesting subject, I have used at 2-3 deg increase and between 5-10 light stokes with 1500 stone for a little tooth or varying ceramic stones for different toothed edges. Still not sure which I prefer, they all seem to work quite well. Also have done this before stropping and after stropping. If I do it before stropping I only drop 1 deg. I normally strop a V edge with a 2 deg. decrease.
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Great thread!
The interesting thing about the posts so far is that you guys are using a pretty small difference in angle between the main and micro. I always thought a micro bevel was 5 degrees steeper than the main, and after trying that, I stayed away from them as I was unimpressed with the results. I like the idea of only going 2-3 degrees steeper, as I think that would retain a lot more of the cutting ability while still adding enough “meat” to the edge to keep it from chipping. I’m looking forward to playing with this shallower angle the next time I sharpen my EDC.
For those that have used a 5 degree steeper micro, were you impressed with the results enough to continue using that angle???
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If you use a microbevel of 5 degrees, the thickness of the knife right at the edge will be quite a bit thicker than just above. Even though this might not cause wedging, it won’t improve your results.
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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If you use a microbevel of 5 degrees, the thickness of the knife right at the edge will be quite a bit thicker than just above. Even though this might not cause wedging, it won’t improve your results.
I hear you. When I learned about micro-beveling, I read and thought the rule was +5 degrees. When I tried doing that, the cutting performance dropped off so sharply I thought I was doing it wrong. It looks like it was just the angle I was using that was wrong. I’m sure that there are probably situations (steel type, use, etc.) where that much of a difference is possibly needed, but I’m REALLY glad you started this thread to put this technique back on my radar and I’m sure with much improved results the next time I try it on my EDC blade!
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The reason I started using the micro bevel was for edge retention. By increasing the angle by 2 deg. it does help with edge retention but the knife keeps a lot of the slicing or cutting characteristic of the original bevel. The benefit I didn’t realize is that it made it much easier for people that I sharpen for to maintain the knife, ie steel or strop, because they are less likely to get to steep and dig the edge in, on a steel, or roll a strop over the edge and start dulling the knife.
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I think the final angle on the cutting edge is what matters most.
If 20dps microbevel is the target, then I have option to sharpen the bevel at 18dps (2dps difference) or 15dps (5dps difference), but the final cutting edge angle is the same and this dictates the sharpness most of the time.
I personally like a 15-17dps bevel with 2dps more on the microbevel. Actually I wouldn’t even want a microbevel if not for the fact that using strops to get a scratch-free mirror almost always creates a convex microbevel on its own.
Rockstead did tests on their own and they concluded their knives are the sharpest at 12dps near the tip and gradually increases to 15dps at the heel. This is really interesting.
Rockstead somehow manages to create perfect mirror edges without any micro rounding on the edges. That’s really impressive.
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Do Rockstead have a blog in which they describe these kind of tests?
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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I followed Alan’s advice above, some kitchen knives just done to 1000 stones, went 2 degrees wider and did about 5 very light strokes, seems to work great for general cooking so far.
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