Gary

[Gary]

Thanks, that’s very clear.

[Gary]

Does anyone know the exact implications of the thicker Chosera stones in terms of bevel angles?

In other words if you set the angle guide to say 20 degrees, does the thicker Chosera stone produce a 19 degree bevel or an 18 degree bevel or a 17 degree bevel, or what?

Thanks!

I believe Clay uses a 3 degree offset, so 17 degrees sounds right for the above example…but I may have to stand corrected.

Cheers
Leo[/quote]

Thanks Leo, much appreciated!

[Gary]

How do you repair a balsa strop?

Thanks
Lucky

Well firstly I’d argue that if it’s just a guouge in the surface it may not even need repairing at all, most defects that are depressions below the surface don’t usually need any corrective action. It’s the raised defects that cause the problems as they screw up your honing angles and can catch on the blade’s edge.

But with balsa you don’t usually get these raised areas, and if you do you can sand it flat by laying some wet and dry paper on a flat surface (granite slab, piece of float glass, etc) and just rub the balss hone on it. And if you’ve a serious depression that’s causing problems (by catching on an edge say) you could fill it with any wood filler and then sand it flush.

The leather strops are more fussy, any deep nick will usually produce a hollow and a corresponding raised section around the lip of the nick, and these are that bit trickier to deal with on leather.

[Gary]

I’d say way, way less than a whole syringe to recharge – I would guess you can recharge 20-30 times out of a single syringe

I agree with that…but oddly when I’m using the honing wheel on my Tormek sharpener I charge the honing wheel with fresh paste every time. I guess I’m as random and inconsistent in my strategies as the next sharpener!

[Gary]

I nicked my strop pretty good, is there anyway to repair it?

If you’re slicing up your strops regularly you might get better results from the balsa hones.

Firstly they’re a bit more robust, and secondly they’re easier to repair if you do take a chunk out of them. The problem with repairing leather strops isn’t the carved out divot, it’s the raised seam around it that then throws your honing angles out!

Just a thought.

[Gary]

This is an excellent thread! I also love to implement micro-bevels, especially after thinning the shoulder down. Once the edge is really acute, I use the knife to see how it holds up. If it’s too fragile, I’ll add a micro-bevel at a slightly wider angle. I keep this up until I find the optimum micro-bevel for a given knife and my intended use of it. I’d love to hear other thoughts on the subject.

I agree. I think it’s a mistake to just pick an arbitrary bevel angle, or choose a very acute angle just because it implies a sharp blade. A better strategy is to pick the bevel angle that works best with your blade for your applications.

I keep one folder exclusively for fishing, in reality it’s only used for applications where ultimate sharpness is needed, such as cutting braid line, and applications such as bait preparation which don’t really wear down a fine edge very quickly. Consequently I’ve found a 20 degree included angle works fine, only needing light honing every few weeks.

Alternatively I keep another folder in my car that gets used for much rougher work, including an impromptu can opener, consequently unless it’s sharpened at 28 to 30 degrees the edge can’t stand the abuse.

[Gary]

I really like that even through your business sell the wicked edge and the associated supplies (diamond strop pastes), you are not overly pushing the supplies, both on this question and the how many knives can I strop before I recharge (~100). It shows you are keeping it real (the results) and not trying to over-push the reusables (strop paste) in the shampoo label model (wash, rinse, repeat).

To me, that is very cool B)

Good point, fully agree!

[Gary]

Reading these posts a couple of points come to mind,

1. Honing only off the blade rather than on to the blade (so the stone moves upwards rather than downwards) has the advantage that it develops the appropriate muscle memory and technique for stropping, where if you hone downwards onto the blade there’s a good chance of cutting into the leather strop. If you’re the kind of person who is happier switching onto auto-pilot and just having one automatic technique then let that be off the blade so that you don’t inadvertently shred your strops.

2. No one’s mentioned that it’s important not to swivel or roll the stone, especially the coarser diamond stones, or else the corner of the stone can turn your beautiful knife into a serrated blade pretty quickly! Seriously, a good stroking technique (and stroking speed) is one that keeps the stone flat to the blade at all times and discourages any tendency to swivel or roll the stone.

[Author]

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