A sharpening conundrum

P

para-frame

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Feb 15, 2005
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Hello, looooong time, no post here.

I have been using a Smiths diamond fixed angle sharpener for over a decade and am very happy with my Smiths, wetdry, strop combo for mirror/near mirror edges but I have noticed that on my current EDC (a paramilitary 2 in s30v) there is a clear difference in how high the sharpening bevel goes with the left side being nearly twice as tall as the right side. I know this is because of the clamp system on my old Smiths system is a poor choice for the full flat grind on the pm2, having no parallel flats to clamp on to.

Now my question is, do I follow the old adage "if it aint broke, don't fix it" since I am very happy with the edge I have, minus the uneven bevel or do I reprofile and sharpen on my kitchen wet stones and deal with less than perfect angles/convex edge I'd inevitably produce? Decisions decisions.

Thank you.
 
If you try to equalize the edge grinds at this point, you'll move the edge back up into the blade, thickening the edge shoulders (Behind The Edge) and losing slicing performance.

Depending on which side has the steeper angle and if your right- or left-handed, you could create something like a 40/60 or 30/70 grind to make your slicing more effective, like some Japanese knives.
 
para-frame said:
(...)
Now my question is, do I follow the old adage "if it aint broke, don't fix it" since I am very happy with the edge I have, minus the uneven bevel or do I reprofile and sharpen on my kitchen wet stones and deal with less than perfect angles/convex edge I'd inevitably produce? Decisions decisions.

Thank you.
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Issues like that are part of what prodded me fully into freehand sharpening, when I realized that the limitations of guided systems were getting in the way of what my hands were gradually learning to do otherwise.

My take has always been: Learn as much about what I can do to make the edge itself as sharp as it can be. And after that, I can begin to focus on making the steel behind the edge a little more appealing to the eye. Cosmetics will always be secondary to functionality, as far as I'm concerned. The cosmetic stuff, like bevel symmetry side-to-side, is learnable and improvable over time - and it doesn't preclude or even limit or degrade sharpness in the interim. Make it sharp first and learn as much as you can about that. Then start to work on making it pretty. By itself, an edge that is functionally a great cutter is a very beautiful thing and brings a lot of satisfaction on its own.

You can pave your way into freehand by first setting some relatively acute-angled, wide & flat bevels using the guided system. Then, with those wide & flat bevels in place, it becomes a bit easier to feel them in flush contact as you begin fine-tuning the edge by freehand means. Being able to feel that flush contact is the whole basis for success in freehand - your hands will get used to that feel and will learn their muscle memory by it. That's sort of how I transitioned away from a guided setup and into freehand completely.
 
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If you want to stick with your guided system, I would flip the knife in the clamp to start evening out the bevel. IOW, if you normally clamp the knife with the handle pointing right, clamp it with the handle to the left. Then alternate each time you sharpen.
 
When sharpening a FFG knife like your PM2, position your Smith's clamp over the flat tang / ricasso area of your PM2 (the small flat section just in front of the handle). Use this parallel flat section as your clamping position.

There is no need to have the clamp in the center of the blade, especially on such a short blade.

This should position your blade edge centered nicely (up and down) and clamp it securely so you can work on getting both sides the same.
 
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That's pretty much how all of my freehand edges were. About 20dps on one side and 17dps on the other. I bought a Wicked Edge 130 and now all of my knife bevels are perfect.
 
You could always make the PM2 a beater garage knife and replace it with a brand new PM2.
 
3D Anvil said:
If you want to stick with your guided system, I would flip the knife in the clamp to start evening out the bevel. IOW, if you normally clamp the knife with the handle pointing right, clamp it with the handle to the left. Then alternate each time you sharpen.
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Everyone should do that with a guided system anyway. Great advise. 👌
 
Thank you everyone.

T Twindog if I just take down the steeper bevel to the apex of the shallower bevel, I'd loose no blade hight and improve the cutting ability fractionally.

3D Anvil 3D Anvil I am sure that would work but then I'd need to keep track of what side I flipped it to every 3 months or so when I actually sharpen it. Haha

777 Edge 777 Edge I don't know why I didn't think of that. Thank you.

D DavidABQ then I'd have the same issue in a few months when I go and sharpen my new PM2.

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