Just the tip…

[Organic]

I have found that the most difficult portion of a knife to sharpen is the very tip of the blade. I have experienced slight blunting at the tip rather than having a needle-like point after sharpening. Can anyone share how you go about ensuring that the tip comes out sharp with a well defined point?

Also, I have found it difficult to find the sweet spot for the tip. I have followed the instructions for finding the sweet spot that are on the website and in the instruction manual but have been still having problems with broadening bevels at the tip of the knife. I can get the sharpie to be cleared evenly down the flat portion of the blade but not at the tip. I suspect that adjusting the up / down position of the knife should help with this. Are there general guidelines for adjusting the positioning of the knife with regards to the tilt of the knife further up or down that someone has worked out that are similar to the guidelines for moving the knife forward or backward in the clamp?

[Mark76]

With regard to the sweet spot I use the same technique as for the remainder of the knife. I wrote a blog post on it, but it has been discussed on this forum a couple of times as well. Recently somebody posted a video on it (somebody who used a “marker” on a rod to find the sweet spot, particularly for the tip). Unfortunately I cannot find this post back, but if somebody can, a link could be helpful for you.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

1 user thanked author for this post.

Organic

[tcmeyer]

Where the tip of a blade is substantially at right angles to the bevel at the heel, you’ll see the stone roll toward that tip as the sweep progresses.  To keep the angle and the tip formation correct, you’ll need to keep the tip flat against the bevel.   To  accomplish this, you’ll want to hold the stones in that same relationship as you follow through with your stroke until the stone is fully clear of the edge.  Consider that the stones are describing a cone-shaped sweep of the bevel’s plane.    Usually, this requires that the edge at the tip be moved forward, relative to the vise.  The “cone shaped” sweep of the stones should follow the bevel all the way from heel to tip, or at least a reasonable facsimile of that cone shape.  Of course, most edges are substantially different from the swept arc of the stone faces.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Mark76

[BarmanBean]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>I’m still a noob here, but one thing that helps me is to work one side at a time and use the index finger on my other hand as a bit of a guide.  I will hold my finger so it rests on the tip and extents past it so when I’m working the stone I can’t roll it over and round the tip–I’ve not had any rounding issues with this method, although I do experience some widening bevels at the tip like OP here.</p>

4 users thanked author for this post.

Joe Cooley, Marc H, Organic, Mark76

[Mark76]

Widening bevels are really caused by an improper sweet spot. For many knives it is impossible to get a complete even bevel over the entire length, simply because even bevels are only created either along the straight portion of the edge or along the circle around the pivot (again, see my blog). This may require repositioning the knife multiple times for the tip, simply because it is often not possible for the entire tip on one of these lines. This is not very practical. So in practice I also settle with some wider bevels at the tip.

Holding your finger on the tip is a good tip (pun intended). I also do that.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

2 users thanked author for this post.

Joe Cooley, Marc H

[Author]

Posts