Freehanding GEC factory edge?

[nuggetz]

Just picked up a GEC Farm and Field and this thing is beautiful. I know its supposed to be their "affordable" knife but with the O1 steel and GEC's fit and finish this is a really nice knife. Very striking in the delrin orange.

Anyway, I attempted to strop it a bit but still wasn't getting the level of sharpness I wanted. Took it to a stone and tried to keep the same angle but I can't get it sharp. I got it pretty sharp at one point but I decided to sharpen again to see if I could get it sharper but now its dull. Before I bust out the Lansky I was curious if anyone else finds it difficult to hone the factory edge. I might give it one more go on the waterstone as I was using an Arkansas on my first try and it doesn't cut as fast. Only fear with the Lansky is getting a lower angle on the tip than the rest of the blade.

 

[Whitedog]

Forget that factory edge. Put your own edge on it. On any knife I have re do the primary edge at a very low angle then put the secondary edge on at a slightly higher angle. Sharpen it to cut with ease the stuff you normally cut. I free hand most of the time.

 

[RevDevil]

Use the Sharpie trick.
Paint the primary bevel with a marker and that will tell you whether you are hitting the angle correctly or not. For all my traditional knives, I use the Sharpmaker at 40 degrees.

 

[nuggetz]

I hear ya but its so damn hard to see. Factory bevel is steep and small. I like the way the knife looks with the factory edge. Blade is pretty thin so I don't want to put a 15 degree angle on it.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I hear ya but its so damn hard to see. Factory bevel is steep and small. I like the way the knife looks with the factory edge. Blade is pretty thin so I don't want to put a 15 degree angle on it.

Don't worry about a 15° (per side) angle; it'll hold up fine. As for the looks of the bevels, I'd much rather have an edge that cuts beautifully, rather than just looks good (and the thinner angle can look just as beautiful anyway, done with care). On a thinner-ground blade, the shallower angle won't radically alter the look of the bevels anyway. It becomes more apparent in much thicker blades, with a lot of steel behind the cutting edge; bevels will be wider on those, at the same given angle.


David