AIRon22

[AIRon22]

Mark—I wish I had seen this post a long time ago. That being said—thanks so much. I prefer reading things like this to watching videos as I tend to get more out of it. My one question—I noticed that when positioned the tip of the knife in a downward fashion in the vice—I was FINALLY able to establish a nice burr on the tip section of the blade. I was also able to maintain that burr through almost the entire length of the blade with the knife tipped downwards. I’m assuming this is the sweet spot in the vice and I need not sharpen only the tip of the blade with the whole blade oriented in that downward fashion. Is it okay to sharpen the entire blade with it tipped downwards like I’m describing?

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GJHM28, Marc H

[AIRon22]

Okay so a lot of things could be it. I moved the knife back in the clamp (the point closer to me) and that definitely helped.  I found that the angle was about 19 degrees. When i said I wasn’t getting the sharpie off at the top, I was referring to the top when the knife is upside down in the clamp (I guess it’s technically the bottom when it’s clamped, top when you’re holding the knife in hand). The apex was definitely being worked. I had a very strong burr after about 8-10 strokes on a side using 1000 grit stone. Like I said, the outcome was good in that it’s scary sharp, but it annoys me because the area, as you would hold it in your hand while cutting, I believe it’s called the shoulder–this area–where the shoulder meets the upper portion of the bevel still has sharpie on it (but only in a small area). I think I might try tilting it forward in the clamp. The more I sharpen and read this forum, the more I’ve realized you can kind of alter things a little bit as you sharpen to tailor things to certain knives. Thanks for all the info!

[AIRon22]

Ya know, funny you ask about the sharpie being removed the full width of the bevel. I was sharpening a Buck/Strider collaboration knife and have been having a real hard time getting all of the sharpie off the bevel (from the shoulder down to the edge). The grind (or bevel) is very wide and comes up a good ways on each side of the blade–I haven’t seen many knives with an area so large. Anyways, I was able to get it extremely sharp, but I still didn’t get the sharpie off the upper portion of the bevel. I mean it easily slices through phone book paper, and shaves hair. Any suggestions?

[AIRon22]

Well alright…I didn’t realize that they had someone hand finish the knives at the very end. That explains a lot and I guess a database for manufacturer’s angles really would not be of much help. I guess I could always re-profile the edge to a more steep degree. I feel like a boot knife deserves a different angle. I’m thinking between 18-20 DPS.

[AIRon22]

Gentleman,

Thanks for the all the advice. I seem to be progressing. I believe one of the biggest things that helped me was finding the “sweet spot”. I think I kind of overlooked the importance of this. But after adjusting a knife in the clamp, it just felt so much easier to work with…and I was able to keep the stones on each side touching the blade evenly through the entire stroke from heel to tip. What a difference!

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sksharp, wickededge

[AIRon22]

You guys are great. Such quick responses and a plethora of good info.

Perhaps this should go into a different thread so that others might find it, but I’m going to ask it anyways…2 questions:

1. Is it normal to see the scratches in the bevel angled towards the tip of the knife? I am assuming it is, due to the ‘up and away motion’. I only ask because when I look at factory sharpened knives, the scratch pattern seems to be straight vertical (not angling towards the heel or tip)

2. Another type of scratch–I’ve been sharpening some real cheapies starting out, and I’ve noticed that I’ve scratched the sides of nearly every blade I’ve done—I thing I might have corrected it, but haven’t tried a different knife yet. Could that be due to not having the stone flat against the blade as you go up and away?

[AIRon22]

Thanks everyone for the information. Clay–you’re definitely right. Looking at my MKT blade, it has a mirror finish on the edge. As for the angle—not real sure. There’s absolutely no way I’ll be putting the sharpie on that and testing it–that’s for sure. I’ll be waiting for more experience before that goes near the jaws of the vice. LoL! I’ve called Greg Medford and spoke directly to him (awesome guy, btw) and could probably ask the angle he sharpens them at. I definitely need to read up on when to switch stones. Thanks for the link.

[AIRon22]

Marc I have to say–in my quest for some cheap knives to practice on, I stumbled upon the Kershaw Thistle. I tell you, it’s unique, and really easy to open and close with one hand. I was really surprised by the lockup and everything else about it.

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sksharp

[AIRon22]

Yes. As for specifics, I have the 2017 WE 120 model. I have used a sharpie on the bevels and have a used the 800 grit stone to make sure I’m on the correct angle. Then I proceed to either the 100 or 200 grit stone and raise a bur (wire edge as the manual describes).  I must say that I can typically raise a bur quickly on the middle portion of the blade, but near the heel and the tip, it seems to take me longer. I then will make a bur on the other side. From there, I just progress through the stones from 400-1000 alternating strokes. I must say that my technique seems to be getting more consistent…I was  using more of a diagonal stroke–(i.e. away, then up) but I’ve changed that to more of the traditional up and then away from me. I have found it difficult to know when to go to the next stone.  Although I’ve only sharpened 6 knives or so, I feel like I have put the stones to use. Perhaps patience is the key here. Any pointers would be great! I appreciate what’s already been pointed out in other posts.

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sksharp, Organic

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