Which Gets Sharper
- This topic has 35 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 11/27/2017 at 6:04 pm by
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how much time does it take you to do a knife the way you describe above ?
To whom are you asking this question? If it’s directed to me, MarcH, with no sarcasm intended, “as long as it takes”. I am never under a time schedule or time crunch when sharpening. I sometimes do it a while, get up, do something else, then come back to it. If it’s a knife I’ve done over and over, and usually too frequently, I can knock it out pretty quickly, like in 30 minutes or less, because the edge is very well established and quick and easy to touch up. Those knives usually never require a full progression. Maybe, at most, a coarser grit on some bad area then a quick pass across the whole bevel to even it out. My knives don’t get too hurt, I’m the only using them; no S.O.
Like a lot of us, I sharpen because I enjoy it. So I too, often will sharpen a knife sooner than it really needs it just because it’s fun to do. Like you Redheads, I have more knives than I need, so it’s hard to use them all enough to put enough wear on them that they really need to be sharpened. I am making an effort to spread the use out and enjoy the variety and not use my favorites so often. I am trying to avoid sharpening the high dollar, super steels, (as I like to call it) until they need it just so I really have an opportunity to sharpen a knife that needs to be sharpened. These knives came really sharp and have been surprisingly durable and I want to take my time and enjoy using them and have a worn edge that really needs a full progression so I have an opportunity to learn about the steel while I’m sharpening it, that first time.
I sometimes find when I start to sharpen a knife that I’ve done many times I may try to change up my technique, to see if I get a different result then I had in the past. Hopefully better, this time, though it’s hard to judge the difference between a sharp knife, and a sharp knife. Just what this Thread is about.
Marc
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MarcH, I like your approach and pretty much do the same. The knives I sharpen the most are my 8 non-serrated steak knives since we use them on plates pretty much every day. I accept the dulling action because they are a pleasure to use. I’ve gotten pretty good with my Messermeister white hone rod to quickly straighten the edge. Every 1-2 months I like to put them in the WEPS and give them a solid touch up and I can do all 8 in about an hour if I start with the 400 grit and the alignment gauge. Its knives that show more wear that I need some advice on and I was wondering how you do the following:
For knives with damaged with dips/bends in the edge due to misuse by my family what is the best technique for reprofiling the cutting edge. I would like to keep the original profile. The best I can think of is scrapping the top edge with the diamond handle using the longest part of the handle over the entire knife edge (heel to point) for each and every stroke. This can take a while yet would avoid (I think) following the dip and bring the rest of the knife to the same “level”. WDYT ?
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Redheads, I too have used a coarse grit diamond paddle longitudinally across an apex to remove damaged steel and level it out and I have also used a “metal file” to remove metal at an obtuse angle , I wrote about this twice in this Forum in a different thread. I believe it removes and wastes a lot of good usable steel especially if there are fairly deep divots or chips and you flatten the entire edge heel to tip, down to the level of the worse damage. I really believe the better option is to just remove the amount of damaged edge in a manner that freshens the steel on a majority of the knifes length. There may still be the remnants of the deepest damaged areas. Then next time around I’d do it the same way with the hope that new bad chips like this were not created. Eventually with subsequent sharpenings it will even out, or it may not. In the mean time you will be able to still use the knife and each level, (so to speak) of steel, till it’s worn away with use, not wasted and discarded with a filing. If you had removed all the bad steel down to the lowest level of the deepest damage you would have wasted the opportunity to use all the steel that wasn’t damaged.
I know where you’re at; to sharpen a knife and not do the whole edge to a new pristine apex to best of your ability, every time is counter-intuitive. It’s something I learned to accept. That knife is there for this purpose of those who use it, to use it as they want and as they do. They don’t know, and they don’t care that its chipped and rolled. They only know it’s OK to use this knife. The sacrificial knife. “Let it go my friend”. Better that one then one of your good ones.
I see several situations, one is your family will continue to use and badly damage the knife as you described and you’ll continue to sharpen it as best you can and continue to piss yourself off because they abuse that poor knife and that knife will get too narrow and thick to sharpen very soon. You’ll sharpen it as I suggested and juggle between the bad spots and saving metal. You might try to sharpen it at a wider bevel angle and maybe it’ll sustain less damage, be more durable and hold the edge longer.
You might consider widening the bevel angle on your steak knives too. Give it a try for a month or two. As often as you sharpen them, they’ll be unsharpenable in not too long.
Good Luck
Marc
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Readheads: Before taking the step of flattening the edge to the full depth of the worst dent or chip, I look at the damage from the side (either perpendicular to the blade axis or perpendicular to the bevel) to judge just how much steel I’d be losing. A half-millimeter ding would mean removing 0.020″ along most of the edge. Within a few years you’d notice that your knives are getting pretty narrow. With steak knives, the user won’t notice the tiny little ding in comparison to the sharpness of the remaining edge. Skip the ding, pretend it isn’t there and extend the life of your knives. Wait until you get more than one or two dings.
On the same subject, I recently sharpened my sister’s Aritsugu and noticed a pretty good ding within a half-inch of the heel. With 8-degree bevels (that’s as low as I can go) I would have had to remove a lot of steel. I decided it wasn’t worth it, just to get a pristine edge. With the ding so far back on the edge, it wasn’t likely to be a problem. Saved me a lot of time and saved the knife from unnecessary edge loss. At 16-degree included, this turned out to be easily the sharpest knife I’ve ever sharpened.
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Hey Readheads, off-topic, but what angle do you use on your Kramer there? I am looking to get one, but I keep seeing differing info on the angle from the factory. Thanks!
I do a 17 dps. Alignment guide L3 (the tip is in the middle of the L3 box). Knife is low in the clamp, I call it “bottom” essentially resting on the 2 prong thing which holds the alignment guide in place. I find 17 dps plenty sharp and did not put a microbevel on it. I will see how it has held up next time it is in the WPS. I love using my 250x USB scope for that.
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