Great looking knife and mirror job!
I find that almost every knife I do has the tendency to do the same – different scratch patterns at the heel. This is a result of the narrow stones used on the guided-rod sharpening systems. The metal removed at any point on any stroke is (among others) a function of the length of the stone passing that point. Assuming you are starting your stroke at the heel, and immediately moving away from the heel, the bevel at the end of the heel will see only the very edge of the stone – less inches of stone passing that point – in fact nearly zero. To achieve the same amount of metal-removal at the very end of the heel, we have to take nearly vertical strokes, then hopefully blend them into the rest of the bevel. Repeated vertical strokes at a given point will leave you with distinct grind lines along the leading and following edges. To avoid this, I try to start my strokes with a nearly (but not) vertical motion with a rapid sweep into the more diagonal direction. When I am clear-headed (no pain meds) I can do it edge-leading or edge-trailing, forward or reverse.
Any knife with a raised ricasso (like my Spydercos) or a plunge line right at the heel makes this more difficult.
The knife in your photos has a pretty good gap between the heel point and the plunge line, so it shouldn’t be as difficult to blend into the rest of the bevel.
Hope this doesn’t confuse you too much. And Welcome Aboard! Stick around – this is a great forum and there’s a lot to learn. I’m at five years and still learning.
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