Another novice question: how much pressure when sharpening?

[jebib]

I admit being a novice and as such am familiarizing myself with sharpening using a Lansky set. With controlling the angle mechanically it seems to me to lessen the possibility of damage to the edge. On the other hand the sharpening/honing surface is rather narrow so perhaps there may be a tendency to overdo it. But my two questions are: when I am pushing the stone against the blade should I push perpendicular to the blade or should I somewhat slide along the edge up to the point of the blade? My second question is on how much pressure to apply in the sharpening. Would it be fair to say that one ought to use about as much pressure as one does when shaving with a safety razor? thanks for listening.

 

[Jason B.]

Yes and yes.

Well... For your first question its going to depend on your technique but overall its hard to mess up.

For the use of pressure you have it exactly right just a little bit. You can start grinding with a bit of force but always make sure to finish with a light touch.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I admit being a novice and as such am familiarizing myself with sharpening using a Lansky set. With controlling the angle mechanically it seems to me to lessen the possibility of damage to the edge. On the other hand the sharpening/honing surface is rather narrow so perhaps there may be a tendency to overdo it. But my two questions are: when I am pushing the stone against the blade should I push perpendicular to the blade or should I somewhat slide along the edge up to the point of the blade? My second question is on how much pressure to apply in the sharpening. Would it be fair to say that one ought to use about as much pressure as one does when shaving with a safety razor? thanks for listening.

I've found it much easier to control everything by keeping the stroke perpendicular to the edge, for the most part. Especially in the stages AFTER the edge has been fully apexed. When in the initial stage of removing heavy metal, before apex/burr formation, it doesn't do much harm in being a little more aggressive. The main objective there, is to simply reach the apex.

After that, the objective is to refine the edge. That needs to be done with control & very light pressure, so you don't overdo things and ruin the fine edge. A perpendicular stroke is much easier to control, and relatively easy to repeat. A sweeping stroke along the edge introduces more variables in motion, and increases the likelihood of error. You'll also find that some sections of the edge will need much more attention than others, which necessitates focusing the stroke in small, narrow areas. That makes a perpendicular stroke almost mandatory; I actually prefer the narrowness of the Lansky hones for this reason. By keeping the stroke perpendicular, you can focus more on regulating your use of pressure. Always keep it light, and then make it progressively lighter as you get closer to finishing. The closer you are to the finish, the thinner the edge will be (if you're doing everything right ). That increasingly delicate edge needs an increasingly delicate touch.

Experiment with using only the tips of your fingers to control the hone. Gripping the hone lightly, in this manner, will pretty much dictate a very light touch, else you may lose control of the hone. I used my Lansky by holding the hone with my thumb on one side, my middle and ring fingers on the other side, and the pad of my index finger 'riding' the top of the hone. My index finger is what I mainly relied on for regulating pressure, and 'feeling' the hone against the edge. I also used my hones wet, with water. That helps a lot with keeping things smooth, and increases feedback to the fingers. As with all hones, using them wet also makes a big difference in keeping the hones from loading up too fast. They work more efficiently this way.

A stroke perpendicular to the edge is especially advantageous at the tip of the blade. Trying to sweep the hone along the edge, in either direction (tip to ricasso, or the other way), will increase the chance of running the hone off the tip, or otherwise 'colliding' with it, and blunting it.

 

[pilgrimuk]

I've just started using the Lansky system and it has taken me a few goes to get the knack, so keep with it.

Just today, I had my first real success. I recently purchased a German Eye Copperhead and it was as blunt as *insert your own word* when it arrived. I used the very coarse diamond to reprofile the edge and had to use more pressure than I would have thought, then as I worked down the grits, I lightened pressure accordingly. After a final strop on leather, it's hair popping sharp!

The above advice is spot on!

hth, John

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

One thing I neglected to mention, in my earlier reply, as to why I really prefer a perpendicular stroke:

The narrowness of the Lansky hones makes them a little more prone to tipping sideways, if you momentarily lose control during a sweeping stroke along the edge. I've 'stumbled into this', literally, more than a few times. Any number of bad things happen; you lose your grip on the hone (I've dropped a hone this way), or your fingers end up rolling into the edge (been there, done that) or, at the least, the corner of the hone digs into the edge, leaving an ugly furrow in it's wake. That's a BIG reason to favor a perpendicular stroke.