You have to consider the pivot point of the arm relative to the point of contact (the tip). The stone is rotated almost 90 deg. from normal. If this point were on the left edge of the vise, the angle would be right around 90 deg, no matter how high the contact point is. The sweep of the tip should be about as far forward of the pivot point as the heel of the edge is above the pivot point. Incidentally, the Gen 3 vise has two contact points – one at each of the upper corners of the vise. From the photo, it looks like the blade is held at only one point, which might let the blade rotate about that point.
I had to clamp a knife in the vise to figure out what you were saying… and you’re right… you can mount a knife in such a position (not saying this one for sure, but in general), with the tip close to the clamp, that the angle as you approach the tip can rapidly change to the point it is 90 deg. If you try and keep the stone from rotating (around the axis of the rod), it won’t contact the tip at all. in the case of the the Microtech… from what I can tell with the knife I was trying this on… I wonder if it would be better to clamp it closer to the heel, then rotate it down as needed to match the bevel. Thanks for the explanation.
Very well could be. I definitely can’t say that this was the optimal position, I was just trying to match bevel angle at the tip of the blade.
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