Hello all, Merry late Christmas/happy holidays. Santa clause recently dropped off a Work Sharp precision adjust elite, and I have been having a lot of fun with it. I do not know much about sharpening different steels and I have a few questions for anyone who may be in the know. I just sharpened a mini bugout in s30v going from the 320 grit, 400, 600, 800, and the ceramic stone and it came out razor sharp, glides through paper like nothing, and it came out with a decent mirror Ish edge. I then went on to a ProTech strider Sng in Magnacut and did a similar process but instead this time I started at the 400 grit since it already had an okay edge compared to the Benchmade that was very dull. Another thing I did different with the ProTech versus the Benchmade is that I made only downward strokes rather than a scrubbing motion to try and perfect the mirror edge that I almost got with the Benchmade. It did work for the mirror aspect of the sharpening (the ProTech looks amazing and has a great mirrored edge) but it ended up being considerably less sharp than the Benchmade. I'm wondering if I got different results solely because of the blade steel or did my technique with the guided sharpener change the outcome (scrubbing type of motion versus strictly downward strokes) I am very happy with the way the Protech looks with the mirror edge on the blacked-out model, but I am quite upset that it did not get very sharp. Any input on why this happened or how to fix it would be very much appreciated, I am just getting into sharpening my own knives. Thanks!
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Different steels sharpening capability.
- Thread starter Will1217
- Start date
It sounds like either you are not quite apexing the edge or you are not deburring properly.
I would try using the sharpie method and get a jewellers loupe or usb microscope or something to look at the edge and actually see if you are apexing properly. You might find the initial edge angle you had is more coarse than the edge you are trying to sharpen at, in which case you will need to remove the extra material behind the edge before you get to the apex. You should also be checking as you are sharpening for a burr, either by feeling for it with your finger tips or seeing it at the right angle in some light.
If anything Magnacut should be slightly easier to grind/sharpen than S30V.
Also, when you get to the finishing stage, you are better off using very light pressure and either make passes along the edge or going against the edge not away from it. I believe this will be more efficient for reducing the burr. Stropping will also help.
I would try using the sharpie method and get a jewellers loupe or usb microscope or something to look at the edge and actually see if you are apexing properly. You might find the initial edge angle you had is more coarse than the edge you are trying to sharpen at, in which case you will need to remove the extra material behind the edge before you get to the apex. You should also be checking as you are sharpening for a burr, either by feeling for it with your finger tips or seeing it at the right angle in some light.
If anything Magnacut should be slightly easier to grind/sharpen than S30V.
Also, when you get to the finishing stage, you are better off using very light pressure and either make passes along the edge or going against the edge not away from it. I believe this will be more efficient for reducing the burr. Stropping will also help.
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Thanks for the reply! What does the sharpie do for me on a guided system though? I set the angle to 17 degrees and did the exact same number of passes on each side, there is definitely not a burr left. I did feel a slight one in the early stages of the process but as I went up in grits I did not notice one anymore. From what you are telling me it seems I did not reach the apex so to speak which essentially happened because I did not remove enough material? I am about to give it another go on the same knife but this time I am going to start at the lowest grit stone I have and work my way up.
joesrx
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2008
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- 587
So I learned this the hard way and with help of these forums corrected my evil ways. The sharpie allows you to see where the stone is hitting so you are not making really wide bevels. There is a post from me on this and the folks were nice enough to help. Here is a diagram of it. I was lucky in the first couple of sharpening, but then I had the clamp positioned to far back and trouble ensued.
Attachments
As joesrx explained, the sharpie will just let you see where the material is being removed.
I would concentrate on developing a burr along the whole length of the edge with the coarse stone, then flip it over and do the same on the other side. that way you know that you are starting with a clean apex. Don't worry so much with counting passes early on.
For a mirror edge you will need to spend time on each grit to remove the coarser scratches from the previous grit and so on. This isn't necessary if you just want a sharp knife. in many cases, especially with a multi-purpose folder, stopping at a medium or even coarse grit will give you a more functional edge.
I find that by using edge-leading strokes with light pressure I can get rough shaving edges as low as 600 grit, with no stropping. I don't raise a burr, I use a sharpie and watch the progress.
I use a 10-15X loupe that cost less than $20 US. I can reliably see when I have reached a clean apex. This way I don't have to deal with raising a burr and then removing it.
This method might be a little easier and is capable of excellent BESS scores and bright, reflective bevels. I sometimes have to ink it up two or three times if it is a big job, as the ink rinses off if I'm using lube on the stones. When the stone is knocking all the ink off right up to the edge, we are there.
I might use a scrubbing motion in the first stage of profiling, but the forward and backward strokes are really hard to keep consistent. I can get a more flat bevel by stroking in one direction, even on a guided system.
I use a 10-15X loupe that cost less than $20 US. I can reliably see when I have reached a clean apex. This way I don't have to deal with raising a burr and then removing it.
This method might be a little easier and is capable of excellent BESS scores and bright, reflective bevels. I sometimes have to ink it up two or three times if it is a big job, as the ink rinses off if I'm using lube on the stones. When the stone is knocking all the ink off right up to the edge, we are there.
I might use a scrubbing motion in the first stage of profiling, but the forward and backward strokes are really hard to keep consistent. I can get a more flat bevel by stroking in one direction, even on a guided system.
Technically you are raising a burr, just keeping it as small as possible. Cliff Stamp talked about something similar in some of his videos. I believe this is a great approach to have, but the downside for someone who is inexperienced is that it can be time consuming compared to the more common burr creation/removal method if you are constantly having to check where you are at in relation to the apex.
It's not a bad method to learn though.