Ever been nervous to sharpen a knife?

O

Omega Leather Works

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Jun 13, 2007
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When I got my Contego I wanted to reprofile it but was worried that I'd screw it up somehow. I finally worked up the courage and it went really well although the edge is not perfect.

Now I want to reprofile my Sebenza and I am, again, too nervous to do it. Mostly because I'm going to be upset if it's not perfect like it is now.

This ever happen to you?
 
If it is perfect as it is, why reprofile? Seems drastic. And it will affect resale. Just something to keep in mind. Unless you are really good at it, if you really want it done, have it done professionally. Practice on cheap knives. Just my 2 cents.
 
Nervous working on knives that are much more expensive than my knives, obsessively wiping down the blade, changing the painters tape and washing down after grit changes.

Just the fact that a slight roll of the blade can mess up the bevel grind, it's good to stay focused.

I rely on the basics and experience, no fudged bevels, no scratches. Prize knives no matter the price point are always the most stressful, unless they're users and the owner doesn't mind scratches, then it's just a cake walk.
 
If you aren't 100% confident in your sharpening skills, I'd buy some cheapo gas-station blades and practice on them until you are ready to work on your Sebbie. Just my $0.02.

TedP
 
I get nervous when its not mine and the value starts to exceed $800. You just don't want to make a mistake on such a knife. We have a $2300 yanagi-ba in our shop I hope I never have to sharpen.
 
As is consistent with my username here, I tend to 'obsess' over some re-profiling jobs for a long while, before actually diving in and doing it. I think that's a good thing, because by the time I finally get around to it, I always have a very clear idea of how I'm going to get it done. If I'm not clear on it, I've learned to hold off until I am. I really do believe the 'mojo' needs to be right, before I undertake some of these tasks. It always pays off when I'm patient and focused. :)


David
 
Ive had my Wicked Edge for a few weeks now. It was always my intent to sharpen my small Sebbie last, once I felt proficient. Ive done about 15 knives with the sharpener. Earlier tonight I finally worked up the nerve to sharpen the Sebbie. I am very pleased with the outcome. I sharpened the edge at just about 19 degrees per side, the bevels are even, and it is very sharp. Took me weeks to work up the nerve to sharpen it. First time Ive sharpened it, had it about 2 years.

I doubt I reprofiled the bevel much, but I started with 100 grit stone and worked my way up.
 
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Locutus D'Borg said:
If it is perfect as it is, why reprofile? Seems drastic. And it will affect resale. Just something to keep in mind. Unless you are really good at it, if you really want it done, have it done professionally. Practice on cheap knives. Just my 2 cents.
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Perhaps you're right. The knife came to me (used) fairly dull, and I'm use to reprofiling every knife I get as I find that manufacturers err on the side of edge durability, which doesn't suit my needs. The only knife that I can think of, off hand, that was pretty good was my modest little Cold Steel mini tuff lite, and even then I reprofiled it, since its purpose is for wood carving.

Just by feel (which isn't the best way to gauge an edge, I know) it seems to be decently thin behind the edge, but the grind look to be obtuse.

The biggest problem, and it IS a problem, is that the edge grind is absolutely 100% perfect. I've never seen that before, and I'd like to keep it that way, but I know that that is unrealistic. I'm not even sure that CRK would keep it right if I sent it in.

My options are my edge pro (knockoff) which does an admirable job, but there can easily be variations in the grind width if you're not in the zone 100%, and the small portion of flat side area on the Sebbie only compounds the problem.

That leaves freehand and stropping.

I'd say that I've got my stropping technique down pretty well, and it's actually helped since the edge isn't really dull, just dull to me ;)

Freehand though no way, not at my current skill level. I can put a decent edge on a cheap knife, but no way would I touch my good knives to a stone.

Ack... I don't know what to do. :(
 
By perfect edge grind you mean the edge bevel is identical in width for the entire length?


Get a practice knife.
Tape the blade side with a heavy duty tape the way you imagine a "perfect grind" will be.
Go to town griding the edge.
With a bit of practice using the tape, you'll master your perfect grind.

But in my opinion that's not a perfect grind.
To me, perfect grind is identical in angle (not width) across a region (perhaps excluding tip and heel).
Since the blade geometry is unique to each blade,
and taper changes for the length of the blade,
you'll often end up with changing bevel width.
Functionally though, that means that each part of the blade is uniformly strong.
i.e. you won't have one part of the blade chip or get dull faster than another part.
Just something to consider.
 
Do it. It's a nice rush & a confidence booster. First put on painter tape and when dealing with coarse grit (below 1K) - put filament tape on top of painter tape. At low grit, remember to clean your stone often (mud & swarf) to avoid phantom scratches.
 
xuz said:
By perfect edge grind you mean the edge bevel is identical in width for the entire length?


Get a practice knife.
Tape the blade side with a heavy duty tape the way you imagine a "perfect grind" will be.
Go to town griding the edge.
With a bit of practice using the tape, you'll master your perfect grind.

But in my opinion that's not a perfect grind.
To me, perfect grind is identical in angle (not width) across a region (perhaps excluding tip and heel).
Since the blade geometry is unique to each blade,
and taper changes for the length of the blade,
you'll often end up with changing bevel width.
Functionally though, that means that each part of the blade is uniformly strong.
i.e. you won't have one part of the blade chip or get dull faster than another part.
Just something to consider.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's perfect in width, pretty much perfect in any context.

I understand what you are saying. I'm perfectly happy with the job that I did on my Contego, and the grind on that widens a bit at the tip. The Sebenza has a hollow grind that follows the curvature of the blade. It's pretty exacting unlike other hollow ground knives that I've sharpened. I believe that it's possible to have a uniform bevel and height across the entire edge. It's a bit daunting.

Bluntcut, thanks for the boost. ;)

I think I'll probably just sharpen it along the factory (not really factory, it's all done by hand) grind, since that should be fairly easy. After that I can decide if I need to rebevel. I need to take into account CRKs soft-ish use of S35VN. I'm not very familiar with the steel only having had a couple of knives in the stuff.

Any recommendations on proper angle, assuming responsible (read : no abuse at all) use?
 
Strigamort said:
Any recommendations on proper angle, assuming responsible (read : no abuse at all) use?
Click to expand...

On CRK site he states 'the andle at which to sharpen will best be achieved at 18 - 20 degrees (36 to 40 degrees inclusive). I sharpened mine (S30V) at 19 degrees, and I was pretty much on the factory angle.
 
I have the wicked edge and feel pretty confident that ill shrpen any knife now. No hesitation
 
In the past month I have had some serious knives flow through my shop. I make it a point to not look up value on knives and figure it out after I'm done and I ask how much to insure the return shipping for.

The truth is, you never really understand the value of the knife to its actual owner...therefore I treat every knife the same way (as if it was mine).

So far, so good.

A couple weeks ago I insured one for 3000. It sharpened just like the CRTK I sharpened last night. Subtle differences in steel/hardness/geometry, but the results need to be the same.

I also repaired and honed a straight razor last night. Most straight razor service providers would have suggested the trash bin for this one (and most would have refused the job). But it has really high value to its owner (it's a family heirloom). So you see one mans junk, is another mans prized keepsake. Treat them all with the highest respect;)

Don't over think it...but understand your limits.
 
i have sharpened knives worth several thousand dollars before and i just do it. i try not to get nervous so i dont mess up. i get more nervous to have a large quantity of knives worth thousands of dollars.
 
You can put a microbevel on it which would be almost invisible and have no affect on the perfect bevel. I do this to new knives I buy that I haven't got around to reprofiling yet and it works pretty well.
 
Its the inexpensive or poor quality knives that make me nervous. Folks expect miracles. I do the best I can. A good quality / expensive knife is a pleasure to sharpen.
 
vtvman said:
You can put a microbevel on it which would be almost invisible and have no affect on the perfect bevel. I do this to new knives I buy that I haven't got around to reprofiling yet and it works pretty well.
Click to expand...

I can't put a micro bevel on an edge that is too obtuse. Looks like most CRK suggestions are around 18 dps, eww.
 
pjwoolw said:
Its the inexpensive or poor quality knives that make me nervous. Folks expect miracles. I do the best I can. A good quality / expensive knife is a pleasure to sharpen.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. I sharpened three knives for a guy a few weeks ago. One was an Ontario Machete, the other two were stamped Pakistan. The Ontario was like a scalpel. The other two had no HT at all and it stinks when the knives don't get as sharp as you would like. Sure they shaved but even a two minute rush job can do that.
I don't charge people, as I only sharpen for people I know.

Just two days ago another guy I knew handed me a Buck knife. It was good for a Buck knife. Move the bolster, use the flipper. It was even hollow ground with a Bos HT logo. It sharpened up like a sebenza.

I recommend sharpening a few decent pocket knives freehand. You will learn muscle memory. Once I'm in the zone, I can spend two hours on the stone and it feels like five minutes.

I don't recommend using any kitchen knives to practice on. The angles are much different than most pocket knives. It takes time to master freehand, but even with the hardest steel and a DMT, once you get it you will enjoy it most likely.
 
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