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Angle of crock sticks
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Varies all over the place, depending on brand/make/model, and how old they might be. Which brand/model do you have?
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Tough to say what it is, on one that old. I think the 'Crock Stick' labelling is a Lansky trademark. That's how their current 'Turn Box' crock stick system is labelled. Can't find any specific reference to their set angle, though.
You could just measure it. Use a card, or piece of wood or paper, hold it behind the rods with the lower edge flush to the base, and scribe a line with pencil along the rods. Use a protractor to measure the angle of the lines you drew.
You could just measure it. Use a card, or piece of wood or paper, hold it behind the rods with the lower edge flush to the base, and scribe a line with pencil along the rods. Use a protractor to measure the angle of the lines you drew.
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This thread piqued my curiosity, so I dug out a few of my Crock-style sets. Measured the angles with a protractor. Here's what I found:
'Crock Stick' (as labelled), ~20+ yrs old, oak base w/plastic hand guard and two settings: 30 and 45 degrees inclusive
'Crock Stick' (as labelled), ~20+ yrs old, small pocket/field set, walnut base and one setting: 45 degrees inclusive
'Kwik-Sharp' set, ~20+ years old, cedar base and one setting: 46 degrees inclusive
Unknown maker (no labelling), ~20+ years old, wood base and one setting: 46 degrees inclusive
A.G. Russell 'Field Sharpener', < 15 yrs old, plastic base/storage case, one setting: 30 degrees inclusive
Spyderco Sharpmaker, < 15 yrs old, plastic base/storage case, two settings: 30 and 40 degrees inclusive (but, I think most of us already know this one
).
I have at least a couple more, but this gives me an idea of where most are set. Seems like ~45 degrees inclusive is common on older sets with one angle setting.
'Crock Stick' (as labelled), ~20+ yrs old, oak base w/plastic hand guard and two settings: 30 and 45 degrees inclusive
'Crock Stick' (as labelled), ~20+ yrs old, small pocket/field set, walnut base and one setting: 45 degrees inclusive
'Kwik-Sharp' set, ~20+ years old, cedar base and one setting: 46 degrees inclusive
Unknown maker (no labelling), ~20+ years old, wood base and one setting: 46 degrees inclusive
A.G. Russell 'Field Sharpener', < 15 yrs old, plastic base/storage case, one setting: 30 degrees inclusive
Spyderco Sharpmaker, < 15 yrs old, plastic base/storage case, two settings: 30 and 40 degrees inclusive (but, I think most of us already know this one
).I have at least a couple more, but this gives me an idea of where most are set. Seems like ~45 degrees inclusive is common on older sets with one angle setting.
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i have an IDAHONE brand crock stick sharpener, as per the instructions: thinning is done with the coarse (pink) rods set at 15 degrees, which is 15 per side-so 30 degree spread, fine honing is done with the white (fine) set at 22 degree, ~45 degree spread.
after setting up the kit, step 5 reads: with the ceramic rods firmly mounted in thier "V" position, begin sharpening by placing the heel of your knife blade two inches from the top of top of the ceramic rod. Next, slice down and across the rod, drawing the knife toward you as the blade comes down the rod. move to the other rod and repeat the same motion. keep the knife blade straight up and down as if slicing bread. (who buys non-sliced bread??? its the greatest thing since...) the V configuration of the rods mounted in the base give you the proper honing angle. alternate from rod to rodas you sharpen your knife, using a slice motion down and across each rod, each stroke will produce a sharper edge.
i have used mine for about a year and love it. i just don't let my knives get dull enough to warrant the use of the coarse rods. hope this helps...
V/r,
Grand
after setting up the kit, step 5 reads: with the ceramic rods firmly mounted in thier "V" position, begin sharpening by placing the heel of your knife blade two inches from the top of top of the ceramic rod. Next, slice down and across the rod, drawing the knife toward you as the blade comes down the rod. move to the other rod and repeat the same motion. keep the knife blade straight up and down as if slicing bread. (who buys non-sliced bread??? its the greatest thing since...) the V configuration of the rods mounted in the base give you the proper honing angle. alternate from rod to rodas you sharpen your knife, using a slice motion down and across each rod, each stroke will produce a sharper edge.
i have used mine for about a year and love it. i just don't let my knives get dull enough to warrant the use of the coarse rods. hope this helps...
V/r,
Grand
David,This thread piqued my curiosity, so I dug out a few of my Crock-style sets. Measured the angles with a protractor. Here's what I found:
'Crock Stick' (as labelled), ~20+ yrs old, oak base w/plastic hand guard and two settings: 30 and 45 degrees inclusive
'Crock Stick' (as labelled), ~20+ yrs old, small pocket/field set, walnut base and one setting: 45 degrees inclusive
'Kwik-Sharp' set, ~20+ years old, cedar base and one setting: 46 degrees inclusive
Unknown maker (no labelling), ~20+ years old, wood base and one setting: 46 degrees inclusive
A.G. Russell 'Field Sharpener', < 15 yrs old, plastic base/storage case, one setting: 30 degrees inclusive
Spyderco Sharpmaker, < 15 yrs old, plastic base/storage case, two settings: 30 and 40 degrees inclusive (but, I think most of us already know this one
I have at least a couple more, but this gives me an idea of where most are set. Seems like ~45 degrees inclusive is common on older sets with one angle setting.
Thanks so much for your sterling and informative efforts.
I too have an old set of no brand "Crock Sticks" - single angle cedar base that I bought probably >20years ago from SMKW for some (can't remember) cheap price.
I measured this with an Android app coincidentally called Swiss Army Knife
It may not look like a protractor - but it is a bubble level with angle measurements -
this requires one to have the V-hone on a level surface - or to compensate for any unlevel surface take angle of both sticks add together to get inclusive angle.
There are many iPhone and Android apps for protractors or bubble levels (with angle display)
The old 20+year V-hone had an inclusive angle of 45deg.
However very recently I was looking for another ceramic V-hone and was very pleasantly surprised to find one very similar to my old set for just over $5! cedar base and all.
newer ceramic V-hone toward front - <$6 each.
At first glance the angles looked more acute when viewed next to each other until I realized the new one's base was a bit lower - bringing the base up to the same level one can see by eye the angles were the same - and measurements confirmed this.
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Thank you, Vincent. :thumbup:
Re: finding good sets for cheap...
The 'Kwik-Sharp' set I mentioned in my earlier post, probably has the best rods I own. The ceramic is very similar to Spyderco's brown rods, but just a tad more aggressive. Really puts a nice 'bite' on an edge, and fast. To top that off, the rods are heavier (3/8" round, vs most others at 1/4" - 5/16") and 9" long. Lots of surface area to work with. They even fit in my Sharpmaker's base, which gives me additional angle versatility at 45/40/30 degrees, between the two bases. Even back when I first bought that set, and really didn't have a handle on 'good' technique, those still impressed me. I bought my set second-hand (think it was 'new old stock') at a gun/knife show in Texas, back in the early '90s. I don't remember what I paid for the set, but I don't think it was much. I recently found an old archived image of a newspaper ad from 1980, from a dealer who originally sold these for $7.97, and put 'em on sale at $4.99. I wish I'd put some effort into hunting down more of these, when they were still relatively easy to find.
Re: finding good sets for cheap...
The 'Kwik-Sharp' set I mentioned in my earlier post, probably has the best rods I own. The ceramic is very similar to Spyderco's brown rods, but just a tad more aggressive. Really puts a nice 'bite' on an edge, and fast. To top that off, the rods are heavier (3/8" round, vs most others at 1/4" - 5/16") and 9" long. Lots of surface area to work with. They even fit in my Sharpmaker's base, which gives me additional angle versatility at 45/40/30 degrees, between the two bases. Even back when I first bought that set, and really didn't have a handle on 'good' technique, those still impressed me. I bought my set second-hand (think it was 'new old stock') at a gun/knife show in Texas, back in the early '90s. I don't remember what I paid for the set, but I don't think it was much. I recently found an old archived image of a newspaper ad from 1980, from a dealer who originally sold these for $7.97, and put 'em on sale at $4.99. I wish I'd put some effort into hunting down more of these, when they were still relatively easy to find.
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