Im sure it has been talked about on here several times already, so I would like to apologize in advance if it has. I have always loved sharpening knives but just here recently have I learned about all the techniques and tools for sharpening. I have seen folks talking about two bevels. Back bevel and primary bevel. Could someone explain to me what this is all about please? If you have a link to conversations talking about it that would work also. I seen an example earlier about a 15 deg back bevel, and a 10 deg primary bevel ” I think is what it was”. This was used for an all around edge I believe. Im curious about the purpose behind the two bevels. Again, Im sorry if Im asking a question that has been beat to death already. Thanks for your help.
In my mind you have it reversed… the primary bevel would be the the “edge of the edge” or the part that cuts (15 deg. in your example), the secondary bevel would be behind it (10 deg. in your example). Primary bevels are also called micro bevels. (People use them different though, so make sure you know what they’re talking about.. some consider the primary the smaller angle, since it’s the first angle put on the blade).
As for purpose, some reasons are… so that you can thin a knife, then add a bevel that is stronger so that the knife will cut better without damaging the edge. They’re also good for deburring an edge… raising the angle and making a pass or two tends to abrade the burr off, rather than just flipping it back and forth. They’ll also speed up sharpening… you can thin a blade, then add an edge to it in just a few strokes.
One common mistake made is, when creating the primary or microbevel, new sharpeners “start over” with a coarse stone. You can usually add the “cutting edge” with the finest stone you want the edge to be, then strop if desired (in some cases you can add one just by stropping).
Hope that helps… there’s not a lot of rules… just play around and see what works for you!
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