Bevel filing help! Please :)

F

FlyingKiwi

Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
154
Ok, I am on my second knife, and making it completely by hand (with the stock removal method). By some stroke of luck, I was able to get flat bevels on my first knife. Now that I am on my second, I am having great difficulty.

I am working with 3mm precision ground O1 flat bar stock. I have had no real exposure to metal working before this project and am going by internet WIP's and instructional's.
I have marked the center of the edge and have left a thick edge on the knife. My plan was to draw file in the bevels from the edge to the spine E.g. 1) High angle bevel along edge. 2) Lower angle. 3) Lower angle etc. until I reached the top of the area I want to grind.
The problem occurred about half way, when instead of being a flat grind with a defined grind line, it became convex. My efforts to grind 'through' the convex. have failed.

Please help me with my technique as this is what I presume to be the problem.

PS I draw file because back-and-forth filing just makes it REALLY convex :barf:
 
Get yourself a sharpening kit like the Lanski file it close to what you want then finish with the kit, diamond stones work well.

Richard
 
Kiwi,

This is a very common problem. I see it almost every time a new maker attempts to draw file. You get in a hurry and rock the file just slightly to make the material go away faster. The problem is it is not actually going away, you are creating the extreme convex. The only cure short of a filing jig is take your time. something I do is color the entire side with either dykem or marker. Then start to draw file again. You can feel when you have a flat. The color on the side will show you how far you have gone. Make certain you do not rock the file. Take a few strokes and check. Reposition the file and do it again. Watch the color and check for flat frequently. This is the way I do it when I draw file. Good luck, just take your time and it will turn out.
 
A C Richards said:
Kiwi,

This is a very common problem. I see it almost every time a new maker attempts to draw file. You get in a hurry and rock the file just slightly to make the material go away faster. The problem is it is not actually going away, you are creating the extreme convex. The only cure short of a filing jig is take your time. something I do is color the entire side with either dykem or marker. Then start to draw file again. You can feel when you have a flat. The color on the side will show you how far you have gone. Make certain you do not rock the file. Take a few strokes and check. Reposition the file and do it again. Watch the color and check for flat frequently. This is the way I do it when I draw file. Good luck, just take your time and it will turn out.
Click to expand...

I also draw on the bevel with a marker probably every 15 strokes. I seem to keep it flat for a bit, then perhaps I become exasperated an things get wobbly. I try and use all the concentration I have when I file. Also, when I 'draw' file i am actually pushing the file away from me. Is this correct? I am right handed. I have found that only my single cut second cut file works for this. Not my double cut bastard as I had hoped. I am sure my O1 is annealed, but the bastard seems to slide on the surface rather than cut in a draw file motion.
Can I draw file in two directions or only one?
 
Thanks for the jig ideas guys, but I really was hoping to do this all freehand, and it should also improve my understanding of sharpening.
 
handle in left hand to draw... handle in right to push... plus 1 what 123... said on starting with the right angle
 
+1,

You can also rotate an edge, normally the following edge, to get a bit more bite in the cut. You simply roll the file so an edge will cut a little more heavily. This takes a bit of practice but it does work. Unfortunately there is no real easy way to do this. It takes time and practice like much of what we do. Keep at it.
 
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