tcmeyer

Hi Kyle:

If you’d like the ability to adjust to differences in angle from one side to the other on your Gen 3 Pro, you might try the micro-adjust parts I sent to Clay for him to test.  If I recall correctly, on my Gen 3 Pro, I was able to get +/- 2.5 degrees by adjusting one relative to the other.  From adjusted all the way in on one side and a…[Read more]

I’ve never tried the ultrasonic route but do remember someone stating that there was a solvent used in ultrasonic cleaners that degraded the mounting tape.  Should be a non-issue if you use soap and water.  I keep a spritzer of alcohol handy to clean diamond lapping film and have found that it works great on the diamond stones too.  A little ag…[Read more]

I have a rancher friend in NE Wyoming who carried a small Case folder which he used to convert bulls to steers.   The blade was really slender, looking more like a Texas tickler after many, many sharpenings.

This would be one of those applications which would benefit from a toothier edge, maybe 800 grit.

I hadn’t heard of a “Spey” blade until now, so I Googled it and found this very interesting page at AGRussel.

For really narrow knives, even the LAA won’t solve the problem.  The only solution to my knowledge is the Tormek Small Knife Adapter, which leaves the blade suspended in mid-air above the vise, where it is easily accessible.  One of our senior members is Josh at RazorEdgeKnives.  He once posted about how he used a Tormek SKA on top of a LAA.  Wit…[Read more]

Marc’s comments are spot-on, as usual.  The “5/8″ above the vise” rule is only to give you a correlation to the angle bar settings.  If you use a digital angle protractor, they’re completely irrelevant and you are free to mount the blade in the vise any which way you think is appropriate.

BTW, I have a 3/4″ riser block installed below my Gen 3 P…[Read more]

Ditto, Russ!

My best advise for a newby is to stick with this forum.  There’s a lot of good info and good people willing to share.  Feel free to ask any question.  WE is the host, but they’re wide open about the content, as long as it’s respectful.   Check out the oodles of videos here and on YouTube.  Avoid those which are “reviews” as they’…[Read more]

I’d sharpen the knife at whichever angle you think is appropriate for its intended use. For an EDC, I’d use 20 dps on both sides, taking fewer strokes on the wide bevel side each time . Try to move the apex toward the center, but don’t remove more steel than necessary to achieve sharpness.   For instance, you might take 10 strokes on the narrow b…[Read more]

I infer from Matt’s post that he is looking for tips on how to avoid rounding off the tip as he moves the stone beyond the end of the blade.  This is as opposed to producing a sharp edge along the last half inch of the blade.  For me, the key here has always been to “follow through.”  As you move through the area of the blade tip, do not allow th…[Read more]

I think it needs to be said that a 13/17dps knife isn’t necessarily ground that way on purpose.  I’ve seen knives with as much as 8 degrees difference from one side to the other.  Such differences are a product of “eyeball” sharpening by the last fellow on the production line.  His instructions may be to try for equal bevel widths, with sh…[Read more]

I don’t think I made it clear that in the case of steak knives and similar applications, dull tips do not normally need to be sharpened, unless the serrations are very fine.  In this case, I’d sharpen the knife as I would a non-serrated knife.  If it’s a knife by a manufacturer who offers free sharpening, like Cutco, you could send it to the m…[Read more]

I think there are two types of serrations, but they don’t necessarily have to do with the configuration of the serrations. It’s more a matter of how they’ll be used.  In one type, the tips of the serration are used to aggressively bite into the objective material – for instance, when cutting heavy rope or seat belts.  The other uses the tips of t…[Read more]

Hi Kenneth:

I’m a little unsure of what I see in the photo. At the apex, it looks like the scratch pattern isn’t quite reaching the apex.  There’s a very narrow line along the apex that stands separate from the main bevels.  At first I would assume that this is a burr, but I’m also incline to believe you that this is a sharp edge, and that y…[Read more]

As Kyle said, his business is addressing a market that will accept any edge that cuts.  That said, I’ve got a few items to comment on, hopefully to prompt some more discussion.

I noticed that Kyle uses almost dead-horizontal strokes and seems to be applying a lot of pressure.  Hmmm…

Kyle accepts whatever angle the existing bevel seems to b…[Read more]

Those variable speed switches work only on AC motors with wound rotors and brushes.  Not sure, but I think variable frequency drives usually require some form of feedback device (tachometer or position sensor) to work.  I’m sure there are some cheap Chinese versions out there, but I haven’t pulled the trigger on one yet.  I’d like to put one on my…[Read more]

I had some bad experiences with the lower grits, so I never bought a pair of the 50/80s.  If I’m in a situation where the 100/200s don’t seem to be doing the job (I’m old, so I don’t have a lot of time left to spend on really boring stuff), I will take the knife to my 1X30 belt sander, using the angle guide attachment, or to my WorkSharp.  It s…[Read more]

I just realized I didn’t answer about the magnification.  I use the face of the clear plastic shroud as the fixed reference, which I place against the edge as I slide the camera longitudinally to inspect the edge.  At that focal plane, the lens will focus at two different magnifications.  On my 21″ wide screen monitor, the lower setting is ab…[Read more]

I have several cameras, but I always come back to the Celestron 5MP.  I posted a video on how I use it on Youtube,  It’s a bit out of date but you might want to check it out.  Once you learn to use it quickly and effectively and make it a part of your process, it becomes automatic and you’ll rely on it heavily.  I never, never sharpen knives without it.

I don’t use the burr method. I concentrate on forming the apex using the handheld microscope.  Burrs look like a dull edge, but you can identify them by seeing if they move when you switch sides.  Mainly, I’m looking for an apex that doesn’t reflect light.  If I see reflected light, I swing the camera to the side to look for  a crisp, straight lin…[Read more]

I have a bottle of Flitz’s “Rifle, Gun & Knife Wax,”  but I haven’t really used it enough to evaluate its performance.

While on the topic of protecting knife surfaces…  I recently bought a Zhen Damascus Nakiri knife blade from WoodCraft and it had a VERY unusual feel to the surface of the steel.  It is slick and looks highly polished and fe…[Read more]