An alternative way to “find the sweet spot”

[Josh]

So I got my 6 year old a Leatherman for Christmas 😆 and took it to the WEPS (of course) and put on my favorite edc finish (800 grit diamond). Well I noticed that if I tried to use the conventional way to find the sweet spot (ie front to back) it wasn’t working… Even when I had the blade all the way back in the vice it was making my tip wider than it should be. So I tilted it downward and bingo! Check out the even bevel 🙂

[Mikedoh]

Now, you know the little Dude is going to want to carve . . . I did . . . Didn’t have a knife . .. But when determined to “carve” , an instrument to add your initials to your dresser drawer, can be found. Just like the big kids do in the tree!!!

[tcmeyer]

When I sharpen my wife’s kitchen knives, I set them out for her with a band-aid alongside as a reminder. She just turned 72.

[Josh]

Lol yeah, I figure it like this… Yeah he’s 6 yo, but I got him a knife when he was 5 and kept it dull for a while to see how he would do. I told him that he always had to ask before opening it and I taught him knife safety. He has since shown himself very responsible with both safety for himself and his brothers and sisters… Not to mention that he hasn’t lost the knife and that was a year ago 🙂 I’ve been sharpening his old knife on my weps for a few months now, and he has done great. Are cuts going to happen? Yeah… They still happen to me, but he will heal up fine if he is using general knife safety (i.e cutting away from himself, being careful no one else is bear, etc).

[Gary Crumb]

Nice tip for the thinner blades! I’ll have to remember this one when my wave comes due for more than a touch up stropping.

[tcmeyer]

I think that if you want to keep a uniformly wide edge, a good rule of thumb would be for the contour of the blade to follow the arc of the stones as much as possible. In this case, that would mean lowering the tip of the blade relative to the center of the clamping point. The photos of the Leatherman seem to fit that pretty well.

[phillyjudge]

good tip….what angle did you use?

so,it isn’t heresy not to have the spine rest on the two guide pins?

[Josh]

good tip….what angle did you use?

so,it isn’t heresy not to have the spine rest on the two guide pins?

Oh no… Not heresy at all 🙂 you we all do a bunch of mods and adaptations when we need to in order to overcome any obstacles that different grinds may present 🙂 I think it was around 18 dps, but I don’t really remember… I just matched the factory angle.

[Geocyclist]

Thanks for the tip. I have been wondering how this would work.

How did you know you got it right? Sharpie marker? or just end result?

Do you have a way to figure out how much you tilted it down so that you can mount it again the same way?

[brian kerns]

Do you have a way to figure out how much you tilted it down so that you can mount it again the same way?

Noob here. This may have been suggested somewhere else, but I have been setting my angle cube on top of the knife blade and recording the angle in my log book. You could also note heel up or down to remember which way it was tilted.

[tcmeyer]

I don’t sharpen nearly as many knives as most of the guys here. I do maybe 10-15 per week. I do know that if you can find a method of exactly repeating the clamped position for a given knife, re-sharpening becomes a no-brainer. For instance, I settled on mounting all folders exactly the same way: bolster against the vice and the spine of the blade held down on both pins, which are always in the upper holes. The angle for folders is always 20 degrees. This three-point reference position and fixed angle is positive and repeatable. Knives seem to just “click” into their natural position.

If my brother-in-law stops by and says his Buck needs a touch-up, I can literally have it done in about three minutes, (not counting any serious chips or dings in the edge). Most importantly, I don’t have to watch carefully as I try to find the right height, the right angle, the right axial position or use a Sharpie to mark the edge. I clamp the knife in the vise and immediately begin stoning it without wondering if it’s in the right position. Another benefit is that I’m not removing material unnecessarily. I have a lot of small pocket knives and try to keep them nasty-sharp. Most of my re-sharpenings begin with the 800-1000 grit diamond blocks.

[tcmeyer]

Thank you for not reporting me to the moderator. Of course I meant to say wicked sharp and not nasty sharp.

[Josh]

Thanks for the tip. I have been wondering how this would work.

How did you know you got it right? Sharpie marker? or just end result?

Do you have a way to figure out how much you tilted it down so that you can mount it again the same way?

Yeah I use a sharpie marker and just kept checking until I had it right 🙂

[Author]

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