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Free Style sharpening, a dying art?

ummmm ummmmmm the zen of sharpening art! With today myriad complex steels & HTs, the art needs adaptive abrasives to stay zen, less voodoo.

Freehand sharpening = sharp thoughts ;)
 
I would not call sharpening an art. It is a skill from my point of view. It is not cooler or something...
I sharpen all my knives freehand simply because it is easier, faster and does not require me investing money into some fancy sharpening system. So consider me lazy and/or cheap. I have accumulated all kind of stones over the years, some of them are even quite decent: mostly because a good one can save you quite a bit of time and effort. But to invest considerable sum into a system and then spend hours to "do it right": I rather invest my time once into acquiring the skill necessary and then just forget about it!
 
Are we advancing the sharpening skills/art/science? Freehand sharpening, outside of sharpening knuts house, it's in a steep decline. V & pull thru sharpners will dominate the sharpening task unless we can come up with an easy freehand techniques that can make an edge(non-chipped) go from dull (5+ microns) to less than 1micron (shave or toothy shave would be nice) in a minute or two. Create a sharp edge that durable for all purposes (grail yes).

Oh also there are sharpening/ht/etc secrets either burried or barely pass-on. Oh well, maybe we all will be using disposable alloy-fiber-ceramic cutleries in the near future.
 
I think like most of the time, after a few pages, most folks miss the entire threads meaning. Sharpen however you want to sharpen people
 
I think it is an art. There are so many different facets, and the possibility to be creative and always learn new things.
 
I think it can be a skill OR an art depending on the manner in which you approach it. For day to day sharpening or "utility sharpening" and general maintenance it's more like painting a house. Doing it right takes skill, but you're still painting the whole thing broadly with the same uniform color. Producing hair-whittling mirror-polished edges by hand is an art, and more akin to still-life painting with its attention to detail.
 
Yes & it's not only thraputic, an art, it's something everyone should get the feel of. In case the gizmos get lost ...my main secondary edge is a convex, & I have been convexing before I even knew what its name was. Now I have just gotten better. What gizmo do they make for convexing an edge?
So some of us will always do it the old way, & in doing so, getting that 3/8" tall mirror polished convex on your chopper that the weight of the blade will push it through paper," free styling", learning as you go what works for you, what angles you prefer to carve with,..... knowing you can get a knife like a scalpel, it's rewarding to me;)
 
I freehand my sharpening, but I have trouble with convex grinds. Any suggestions on doing it freehand and not doing a re-profile?
 
Using a coarse stone just start off at a really low angle to knock the shoulder off and keep lifting the spine until you're at 15-20 degrees like a V edge. Then progress grits. Or use the sandpaper/mousepad method but I don't care for that.
 
Thanks. So, you're basically just following the natural grind around the convex part. I often scratch up the sides of my blades hand sharpening and I just really don't want to do that with my F1 and Blackjack 125.
 
Yeah on a hard stone you're just sharpening at a lower angle than the actual cutting edge and gradually lifting the angle to the desired end angle to blend the transition of geometry into a gentle curve. Some folks use a rocking stroke against the stone, but that gives less consistent results. Regarding scratching the sides of the blade, that comes from dropping the angle TOO low so the stone is contacting the primary grind rather than the shoulder transitioning between the primary grind and the secondary grind (the actual edge.)
 
I use everything. Belt grinder on kitchen knives, no jig freehand. Lansky on thick stock knives. Sharp maker on folders or larger knives whos edge is good. I always have to freehand on a stone the curve to tip of large knives to get them sharp. I can take a knife I sharpened on the belt grinder and improve it's edge on the sharp maker.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Yeah on a hard stone you're just sharpening at a lower angle than the actual cutting edge and gradually lifting the angle to the desired end angle to blend the transition of geometry into a gentle curve. Some folks use a rocking stroke against the stone, but that gives less consistent results. Regarding scratching the sides of the blade, that comes from dropping the angle TOO low so the stone is contacting the primary grind rather than the shoulder transitioning between the primary grind and the secondary grind (the actual edge.)
Click to expand...

Bro I know this is off subject but I started this thread;)
You have a Condor Boomslang, it may be my next purchase but I can't find specs on the thickness of the blade. What is it bro, you can pmoore me if you like. Thanks & be blessed
 
Just in case... 1075 Carbon steel, micarta handle, 3/16" bladestock; 11" blade and 17 7/8" overall length according to their catalog. Weight 1.35 lbs.

I want one too. That's another thread however. :)
 
22-rimfire said:
Just in case... 1075 Carbon steel, micarta handle, 3/16" bladestock; 11" blade and 17 7/8" overall length according to their catalog. Weight 1.35 lbs.

I want one too. That's another thread however. :)
Click to expand...

I started this thread & was lazy, so thanks for the info .....I will "Free style" sharpen a secondary Convex on that baby?
;) see, right inline with the thread.
Have any of you "Free stylers" developed your own edge that you couldn't have with all the angle holders or the things you draw your blade through? Most of my blades will not fit any of that stuff anyway.
I usually convex my edges. I have a few I Vgrind "by hand"
But have any of y'all that truly love freehanding found your own "edge style"?
Ex. Differ angles?
 
Carney C said:
Bro I know this is off subject but I started this thread;)
You have a Condor Boomslang, it may be my next purchase but I can't find specs on the thickness of the blade. What is it bro, you can pmoore me if you like. Thanks & be blessed
Click to expand...

22-rimfire said:
Just in case... 1075 Carbon steel, micarta handle, 3/16" bladestock; 11" blade and 17 7/8" overall length according to their catalog. Weight 1.35 lbs.

I want one too. That's another thread however. :)
Click to expand...

What 22-rimfire said. It sort of applies, though, because unless you get a Special Grade one from me then you'll have a lot of sharpening to do! :D The present factory edge is way obtuse so I thin 'em out for now until they fix it at the factory and that production filters down. They come convex anyhow, though. :p

With regard to your last question, My edges have the shoulders of the transitional geometry convexed, but I just freehand sharpen the actual edge itself and don't worry about maintaining a "perfect" convex as much as shooting for a consistently thin (usually 30-degree included) angle.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
What 22-rimfire said. It sort of applies, though, because unless you get a Special Grade one from me then you'll have a lot of sharpening to do! :D The present factory edge is way obtuse so I thin 'em out for now until they fix it at the factory and that production filters down. They come convex anyhow, though. :p

With regard to your last question, My edges have the shoulders of the transitional geometry convexed, but I just freehand sharpen the actual edge itself and don't worry about maintaining a "perfect" convex as much as shooting for a consistently thin (usually 30-degree included) angle.
Click to expand...

If you sale them pm me bro. I hope this was not against forums rules.
I like thinner convex edges also, on a chopper at least 3/8" tall & around the 30 °ish.
 
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