3 issues using a stone - thx!

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Stk123

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Jul 31, 2022
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Hi folks -- somewhat new to sharpening. I've got one of those 1000/6000 grit stones from Amazon (Chinese, I'm sure) for $20 or so.

The good thing is, I'm raising a burr nicely, and getting my knives pretty sharp! Certainly paper cutting sharp, but that's about it. They shave but not like a razor -- just a couple hairs here and there...So more work ahead, no doubt. But I'm running into 3 problems.

1) The tip - where the blade begins to round towards the tip on both kitchen and pocket knives is frustrating me. If I look at the bevel there are marks and 'wavey-ness' and it's uneven. Should I be slightly lifting the handle of the knife as I approach this area?
2) At the 6000 size, I'm not sure how to get rid of the final burr. Just go super light on both sides for a couple strokes?
3) I'm catching the blade where it meets the tang on the edge of the stone from time to time. I'm not sure how to avoid, beyond practice. Makes a horrible noise/feel, but I'm not sure it does real harm. But jarring.

Thx
 
1. Yes, lift the handle gradually. Careful not to drag the tip off the stone which will round the tip.
2. Use light trailing edge strokes
3. With practice you’ll stop

Sounds like you’re getting there
 
Thanks all - I'll try using a sharpie on the edge. I tried this once, but couldn't really tell anything; otoh I'm a lot more consistent holding an angle than when I first started. I really do think the curved tip is my biggest technical challenge. If I can start getting a uniform bevel along the *entire* blade, I'll be pretty happy.

As far as that final burr, I'll try these tips! :)
 
To keep a more consistent angle, lock your wrist and don't ever move it when sharpening. The back-and-forth motion (or side-to-side, depending on preference) should be accomplished with the big muscle groups of the shoulders (lengthwise sharpening) or hips (side-to-side sharpening). When you get to the belly/tip area, keep your wrist locked and raise your elbow instead of moving your wrist.

 
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Nice videos, thanks. I confess I'm a bit frustrated. I still can't get the knives "very" sharp. I don't know if it's technique, or equipment, or both. For reference, they'll shave a little (ie, with pressure a couple hairs will shave off the back of my arm), but certainly not like a razor blade. And while they'll slice tomatoes easily, and cut paper ( I still need to gently draw the blade to start the cut) they're not super sharp.

Again, this is with a cheap Amazon stone (1000/6000 grit) only. I don't have any strops or other stones. I also notice the stone seems really soft, and already has a 'belly' scalloped out of the center. :(

Knives I'm practicing with are low-end Henckels, some Dexter fillet knives and a Kershaw Leek 3" folding knife.
 
Sounds like you are almost there. Maybe just a little cleanup to the edge.
Try stropping on cardboard. The corrugated cardboard boxes are pretty aggressive.
 
Stk123 said:
Nice videos, thanks. I confess I'm a bit frustrated. I still can't get the knives "very" sharp. I don't know if it's technique, or equipment, or both. For reference, they'll shave a little (ie, with pressure a couple hairs will shave off the back of my arm), but certainly not like a razor blade. And while they'll slice tomatoes easily, and cut paper ( I still need to gently draw the blade to start the cut) they're not super sharp.

Again, this is with a cheap Amazon stone (1000/6000 grit) only. I don't have any strops or other stones. I also notice the stone seems really soft, and already has a 'belly' scalloped out of the center. :(

Knives I'm practicing with are low-end Henckels, some Dexter fillet knives and a Kershaw Leek 3" folding knife.
Click to expand...
If that stone's pretty new, and it sounds like it is, then I'll bet you're using too much pressure. A lot of stones will 'dish' eventually, but it shouldn't be that fast. Also, that may be one of the things that's causing you trouble. Keeping a consistent angle between the steel and the stone is really difficult with a dished stone. Essentially, as you move the knife across the stone, that angle keeps changing on you. Do you have any way to flatten the stone?
 
I guess we should have asked a few more questions:

1. What blade steel are you dealing with? If it's anything more wear resistant than D2, the abrasive in your stones isn't ideal.

2. Are you stropping on leather or ? after the 6000 stone? If not, you'll probably get much better results if you do. It's very hard to get a completely clean apex on a stone, even if it's super high grit.

3. What's your sharpening angle? As a general rule, the more acute the angle, the better a blade will cut. Most factory edges are 20 deg. per side or higher. For EDC, I'd recommend reprofiling to 15-17 deg. per side. For kitchen knives, 12-15 deg. per side.
 
Cheap stones that are soft and scallop/dish out quickly is not a good start to freehand sharpening. Maintaining accurate angles is the key and to do this on a dished out stone would require many years of experience.
I would suggest buying a Shapton Pro 1000, this one stone will get your edges shaving sharp, with a bit of bite, ideal for kitchen and fillet knives as well as edc folders. They are very hard wearing stones so scalloping/dishing wont be a problem for a considerable time. Not the best stone for some of the modern super steals with high Vanadium content, diamonds are your go here.
As mentioned above, raising the height slightly without changing your wrist angle as you approach the tip will maintain a constant apex angle.
If you persist with your stone, lap it with a diamond plate or lapping stone to maintain its flatness prior to use. Only raise and remove the burr on the courser 1000 grit. Final grit ( 6000 ) is just for polishing the final edge, couple of edge leading or trailing strokes per side, before swapping sides as you don't want to generate any micro burr at this stage.
Strops can make all the difference whilst learning, will definitely help in removing all of the burr before moving on to the 6000 side. This can be the difference between just paper cutting and razor shaving sharp.
 
Thx -- there's something really wrong with this stone. It looks like I need a hosted site to post a picture, which I don't have, but take my word for it -- the center of the 1000 side is really scooped out.

When I sharpen with it, a thick paste quickly forms. Since I do a lot of fishing, I've kept it in a dock box near the coast and I'm wondering if heat and salt air is breaking it down, or if it's just a piece of cheap sh*t.

Thanks for the suggestion of the Shapton. What would you (y'all) recommend for additional stones or strops, if any? I hadn't thought about using cardboard.
 
chalby said:
Alternatively, a few super light edge leading passes on the finishing stone to deburr. If you want to make it a bit easier, up the angle a little and aim for a micro bevel.
Click to expand...
my thoughts the same. edge leading if your good edge trailing if not as good, finish with however many strokes edge leading it takes to remove the burr and if need be super light microbevel as few strokes as possible to kill the burr and as light as needed for steel type
 
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