Bevel just seems off

[sts0011]

I'm attempting to sharpen a new knife and it just doesn't seem right. I removed the factory bevel and have attempted to put an even bevel on it, but I just feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'll start by explaining my method. I'm using a Smith's tri-hone, and since I am new to sharpening I have been using the guide which sets the bevel at 23 degrees. I am pushing the blade across the stone as if trying to scrape off the top layer of the stone and pulling the knife butt to tip as I go across. I used the synthetic stone to remove the factory bevel and seemed to have the bevel relatively even, however as I progress to the medium for sharpening and fine stone for polishing a few issues become more noticeable.

Towards the base of the knife the bevel seems to be shallower, and as the knife curves there is a line where the scratch pattern abruptly changes. Also, I am concerned with how thin the bevel on the knife appears. Looking at a side view a factory knife the bevel is very visible and can even be a few mm's wide. My bevel is very difficult to see and is not near as wide as a factory bevel. The exception to this is at the tip where the bevel goes deeper into the side of the knife than it does anywhere else.

In addition to general advice I have a few specific questions.
1: is 23 degrees a good choice for an EDC knife?
2: Is it ok to pull the bevel backwards across the stones instead of pushing the bevel across them? Does this result in a fundamentally different type of bevel?
3: Is the narrow bevel anything to be concerned with?
4: Why is the bevel wider at the tip and curve than at the straight portion of the blade?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

It's very, very common for bevel widths to vary along the length & curvature of a knife edge. At the rear (ricasso) of the edge, the blade grind from the maker will almost always be thicker nearer to the cutting edge (actual thickness of the blade, side-to-side), so the edge angle there will almost always be more obtuse, which makes the bevel width appear thinner or narrower. Sharpening here is difficult, because there's also some curvature in the transition between the blade edge and the ricasso (junction between cutting edge and the tang). That curvature will lift the hone away from the cutting edge, meaning only the forward edge of the hone (the edge facing toward the tip of the blade) will be making contact with the blade's cutting edge. The opposite edge of the hone (toward the ricasso) will no longer be in contact with the cutting edge. This makes sharpening this part of the blade painfully slow, and is why the edge bevel seems never to widen up to match the rest of the blade's edge.

Nearer to the tip of the blade, the curvature of the edge sweeps upwards toward the spine of the blade, meaning it's sweeping up into thicker steel (blade has a tapered grind from thick spine to thin edge). With an angle guide being used to maintain a consistent sharpening angle, the hones will grind away a lot more 'thick' steel above the cutting edge in that portion, leaving a much wider bevel to the edge.

Re: your other questions, more often than not, any edge angle between 15-20° per side (30-40° inclusive) is usually good. I'd think 23° per side (assuming that's what you mean) is a bit wide, but it can still work. Just make sure the apex of the edge is complete; that's all the more important at wider edge angles (narrower edge angles contribute more to cutting efficiency, sometimes even with less than a perfectly apexed edge). A wide edge angle can still cut, but performance drops off very fast if the edge itself starts to dull.

As for pushing (edge-leading) or pulling (edge-trailing), either can work. Most of that comes down to how well you develop your own technique. And for re-bevelling purposes, a lot of the 'experts' use a scrubbing back/forth motion anyway. Can be quicker, and some adopt it because they find it easier to maintain a consistent angle that way (doesn't require lifting the blade from the hone, and replacing it, for each stroke on the hone). Many will often switch to an edge-leading only (pushing) stroke in the final stages of sharpening, in order to make the scratch pattern more uniform on the edge. Again, it's a preference issue more than anything. Whichever method allows you to more consistently maintain the angle, and also gives the best 'feedback' to your hands, is usually what will produce the best results.


David