Confused

[Scattergun2570]

I am very new to sharpening. I am considering the Onion Worksharp being I have no patience to use stones,tried it,takes too long. Anyway.. what I want to know is how to find angles. I mean if I take my Wusthof chefs knife for example.. how do I know what angle to set the worksharp at?

 

[NRA]

The worksharp system will not do a good job of checking, or matching your angle. IMHO.

This system is going to change your straight bevel, (if that is what it is) to a convex bevel, therefore, somewhat changing the nature of your knife.

You are going to profile your knife, to be whatever angle you wish it to be. The owners manual has some suggestions for each kind of knife sharpened.

 

[Bob6794]

To be honest it is very doubtful any default setting will actually match your knives. Even if a knife manufacturer says their knife is 15degrees per side, it probably isn't. You will always have to reprofile your knife to some extent on a guided system, so pick an angle you like and go at it.

If you want to know the angle, put a bit of sharpie on the bevel and run the worksharp on a low speed and touch it for a fraction of a second (just enough to remove sharpie) and look at where it removed the sharpie and where it didn't. That should tell you where you are in terms of angle if the angle is too high or too low. It's pretty much the same technique we use on sharpening stones.

 

[Scattergun2570]

To be honest it is very doubtful any default setting will actually match your knives. Even if a knife manufacturer says their knife is 15degrees per side, it probably isn't. You will always have to reprofile your knife to some extent on a guided system, so pick an angle you like and go at it.

If you want to know the angle, put a bit of sharpie on the bevel and run the worksharp on a low speed and touch it for a fraction of a second (just enough to remove sharpie) and look at where it removed the sharpie and where it didn't. That should tell you where you are in terms of angle if the angle is too high or too low. It's pretty much the same technique we use on sharpening stones.

Thanks for that.....but is it a good idea to have a Loupe to see exactly where it contacted and removed the sharpie?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks for that.....but is it a good idea to have a Loupe to see exactly where it contacted and removed the sharpie?

Absolutely. :thumbup:

The 'Sharpie trick' can be misleading, if only viewing it by naked eye. Too many times, I've assumed all the ink was off, but later saw a hair-thin stripe of it along the very edge of the incomplete apex. To me, if using the Sharpie, some magnification and BRIGHT light is mandatory to make sure you've fully apexed the edge. Also look for burr formation along the full length of the apex, in the same manner; that's actually the best indicator you've taken the bevels as far as they can go.


David

 

[Scattergun2570]

Absolutely. :thumbup:

The 'Sharpie trick' can be misleading, if only viewing it by naked eye. Too many times, I've assumed all the ink was off, but later saw a hair-thin stripe of it along the very edge of the incomplete apex. To me, if using the Sharpie, some magnification and BRIGHT light is mandatory to make sure you've fully apexed the edge. Also look for burr formation along the full length of the apex, in the same manner; that's actually the best indicator you've taken the bevels as far as they can go.


David

How much magnification does the Loupe need?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

How much magnification does the Loupe need?

If the lighting is very good, you don't need as much magnification. But generally, anything from 5X-10X should be adequate. Going very high will make the view dimmer, and good light is really needed to see any ink left on the bevels. This is why I also recommend watching for the burr formation, which is usually easier to detect, either by feel or by sight (or both).


David