Angle on Mini Griptillian

R

realitycheck

Joined
Nov 24, 2007
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Hey guys i've been reading up a good bit on sharpening. So I just got my griptillian not too long ago. It was hair whittling sharp when I got it, obviously now i've used it some and so it is not as sharp as it was, but will still shave hair very easy. So I need to touch up the edge. As you guys know it 154cm steel. Now I use this at work im a mechanic so i've used it to cut several drive belts off cars, before replacing them. Cutting lots of plastic bags that have parts in them. General use stuff. Im not going to be stripping wire with it or anything like that. I know some of you guys use your knives alot harder than me. So I need to know from you guys what you think about what edge angle I should regrind it too, for a razor sharp hair whittling edge that is still strong enough to hold up to the use i'll put it through? Thanks guys for all your help and advise.
Chet
 
I've had luck doing the main bevel at 30 and putting the micro at 40. This is done on my sharpmaker.
 
Hey Reality,
I would take that 154CM down to about 12.5 degrees per side (25 deg. inclusive). If not that steep, then at least 15 degrees....all according to your intended usage, of course. My Nimravus (154CM) is about the same steel thickness as a Grip, albeit with a much longer blade. It's at 15 degrees and could easily handle 12-1/2 degrees. It's screaming sharp as it is right now though.

The problem with factory edges (Benchmade is not immune from this) is, they're never the same. One side will be 22 deg and the other 19 (as an example). So, it pays to re-bevel the edge so they're both the same. While you're at it, might as well get a better angle on it.

The SHarpmaker is fine and will sharpen your knife as sharp as any other system out there, in my opinion. Despite the traditionalists who advocate the use of a benchstones (and I admire their skill, truly), I contend the Sharpmaker is EXACTLY the same thing - principal-wise anyway. The only difference is the angle of the stone. It's canted at an angle from perpendicular whereas a benchstone is horizontal. The Sharpmaker followed by stropping (or not with 154CM) will do just fine.
 
By double bevel do you mean a "micro bevel"? The very first bevel on a knife is the primary bevel, or primary grind. THis is the part that angles down toward the "edge" from the spine (or from up near the spine, depending on the grind design). At the bottom of the primary bevel is the edge. This is the shiny portion seen on a black-bladed knife. That's the part I'm talking about putting a 12.5 or 15 degree grind on. A micro-bevel would be another, tiny bevel ground at, say (for example) 15 or 18, or 20 degrees. You won;t see a micro-bevel on a knife unless you examine it very closely, and even then sometimes not with the naked eye.

To answer your question: Yes. I think micro-bevels are good. Still though, you must (should) sharpen the edge (the large shiny part) at whatever angle you choose (12.5, 15, 18, 20, etc) every time you sharpen, or pretty much every time. If you sharpen using a micro=bevel too often, I think your edge just gets "wider" and the micro-bevel climbs higher up the edge. So you sharpen this edge at say 12.5 (25 degrees inclusive), then on your last few strokes you increase your sharpening angle just a smidgen with a few light strokes. There's your micro-bevel. More strokes for some, less for others.
 
So its easier to just grind your edge to a certain degree, then maintain that edge angle to keep it sharp.
Or will it stay sharper longer with a micro bevel?
 
I work in a warehouse and I have to cut zip ties and nylon strapping, along with cardboard and some light electrical and computer wiring. Somewhere in there, I probably cut something that is similar in difficulty to the drive belts you have to cut.

I use a 30 degree back (primary) bevel on my work knives and finish with a 40 degree micro bevel, same as Chinese Man. This helps create a more stable edge by removing any burr left from the 30 degree sharpening and by leaving more steel behind the 40 degree edge. I use a 30 degree back bevel because that's how my Sharpmaker is set.

Like StretchNM said, you could go even shallower and still have a strong edge with the microbevel. I'm just too lazy to set up my Edge Pro every week, so I stay with angles that the Sharpmaker can handle.
 
I think you are overcomplicating this back bevel, micro bevel thing. A lower back bevel is just to allow the knife to slice easier and serves to sharpen easier. Pick one depending on how much abuse you are going to put on your knife. If you think you can chip your edge say with stripping wire or something, stick with the 30 degree back bevel. If you know you are going to be making clean slices, a 25 degree (inclusive) back bevel will be fine. Then after you have ground that bevel clean to the edge, go back and sharpen your knife at a higher bevel. Someone mentioned that you could go as low as 30 degrees, but a 35 degree bevel will be plenty sharp.

As long as you have the back bevel ground clean all the way to the edge, this microbevel will be etremely easy to sharpen. Apply very light pressure and plan on only a few passes to get this micro bevel. This edge will be stronger than the lower back bevel edge, and will always be much easier to sharpen than a single bevel. Each time you need to sharpen your knife, just maintain the angle of the micro bevel, and try not to do too much work on it to get it sharp. As time goes buy, the size(width) of this micro bevel will grow and more work will have to be done to get the edge sharp. Eventually you will want to refresh your back bevel and start over again. A prefered method is to use a steel or ceramic "steel" in lew of sharpening until you absolutely have to sharpen the edge. Your goal is to touch up the edge with out grinding the microbevel making it larger.
 
I have benchstones which I plan to get my primary edge with. I figure I will go with fifteen degree primary bevel, get it as sharp as I can freehanding on the stone. Then go to the sharpmaker hone the fifteen degree a bit then make my twenty degree microbevel. Do you guys think this will work for me? Also I ordered the ultra fine stones for the sharpmaker will this be a stone to use in place of the ceramic or steel?
 
That is the idea, but you don't necessarily need to get the primary bevel sharp, although it won't hurt. You just need to know that you have the primary bevel you want ground down cleanly to the edge. When you raise the angle, you will be sharpening only at the exact poing where the stones rest on the edge. This is why it is important to us light pressure at this point.
About the angles you chose, I didn't want to mislead you, just wanted to make you aware that the lower bevels are more prone to chipping or edge damage. I prefer 25 and 30 to 35 for my knives, but I often have micro chipping.

The ultra fine stones are perfect for touching up your edge, but you will have to decide if you want a coarse edge or a more polished edge. If you want a coarse edge, then you will have to hit the medium stone from time to time and only take a few light swipes on the ultra fine stone as a final honing. The medium stones should leave a coarser but razor sharp edge. The ultra fine stone will serve to get that edge sharper, but will also knock down the micro serrations the coarser stone leaves. I'm trying to say that you will have to decide how much you want to use the ultrafine stone, whether you want to completely polish the edge or just hone the coarse edge.
 
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