Harder than I thought

Lawilli2

Lawilli2

Joined
Apr 9, 2022
Messages
343
So i gifted a Tuff lite to a buddy that works construction. He let me know he needed it sharpened and I said heck yes, a challenge. My entire small collection is used so lightly as to rarely need more that stropping. So this is my first real attempt at recovering an edge. I do go with the 30 per side so as to hipefully get him a tougher edge with less chipping.

1. Worksharp field sharpener diamond course till past the chip, than fine.
2. Spyderco sharpmaker idohone stones course, then spyercos brown, then white fine.
3. Strop with green compound.

Any advice is appreciated, i feel like i was able to get past the chip, but my bevel is pretty uneven. It is sharp, so that is a plus. I imagine i will get another go at this in a couple months.

2 pre, 2 post pics:
 
In the 3rd photo, it looks like you have a very slight recurve now. That can happen when you do a lot of grinding in one area to get rid of a chip. My guess is that it would look better if you go back to the coarse stone and grind the entire length of the edge, doing a little less grinding near the tip where you did a little more grinding before. That should even out the bevel.
 
As deep as you need to go. I'd pull out a dremel. Using a round diamond bit. Add a slight sharpening choil.


I also suggest running by Wal-Mart and buying a handful of the cheapest knives you can find. Chip a couple up. Practice removing them.
 
That should be a pretty straight forward sharpening job on a proper bench stone.

Use the sharpie method, 3rd and 4th pics do not look good (by that I mean your angle looks to steep - no offense).
 
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SwissHeritageCo said:
That should be a pretty straight forward sharpening job on a proper bench stone.

Use the sharpie method, 3rd and 4th pics do not look good (by that I mean your angle looks to steep - no offense).
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No offense at all and you are spot on, looks like crap! Fortunately this is a good test blade as he will be happy it is sharp and is likely to destroy the edge quickly. I am looking to see how to Improve for the next go. Definitely an uneven bevel, and now some recurve. I need a better setup than the field worksharp and the spyderco sharpmaker. Any advice on a benchstones?
 
Grasshopperglock said:
As deep as you need to go. I'd pull out a dremel. Using a round diamond bit. Add a slight sharpening choil.


I also suggest running by Wal-Mart and buying a handful of the cheapest knives you can find. Chip a couple up. Practice removing them.
Click to expand...
Excellent advice, get some cheapies and work them out. This was my first attempt and anything more than a touch up. I need a better setup for this type of repair, and i need practice clearly!
 
Another Shepherd said:
In the 3rd photo, it looks like you have a very slight recurve now. That can happen when you do a lot of grinding in one area to get rid of a chip. My guess is that it would look better if you go back to the coarse stone and grind the entire length of the edge, doing a little less grinding near the tip where you did a little more grinding before. That should even out the bevel.
Click to expand...
Yes i can see the recurve now. I am guessing i need a practice and a wider course plate than the workshop field.
 
Lawilli2 said:
Yes i can see the recurve now. I am guessing i need a practice and a wider course plate than the workshop field.
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Practice helps with almost everything. Wide plates/stones work well with straight edges except that it is difficult to avoid getting small recurves near the tip and heel, especially at the heel when there is no sharpening choil. To avoid those recurves, a very narrow plate/stone/rod works better, like on a Sharpmaker, but narrow abrasives take more time and effort.

Maybe some of our widely experienced members could suggest good ways to deal with tips and heels?
 
I have been looking at the diamond stones for the sharpmaker, vs the worksharp benchstone setup with the course and fine diamond plates. Any recomendations would be appreciated. Obviously rhe sharpmaker is fine for touch ups, but i need something better than the field sharp for profiling/repairing edges.
 
Lawilli2 said:
I have been looking at the diamond stones for the sharpmaker, vs the worksharp benchstone setup with the course and fine diamond plates. Any recomendations would be appreciated. Obviously rhe sharpmaker is fine for touch ups, but i need something better than the field sharp for profiling/repairing edges.
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Reprofiling is fairly easy with a Hapstone or TSProf. The diamond plates that came with my TSProf Kadet are excellent. I use the same plates with the Hapstone R2; Gritomatic calls them the "Optimal Diamond" stones.

If you have very narrow blades or want to use very low edge angles, you need a magnetic table, such as the Hapstone V8 has. TSProf seems not to make a magnetic table.

The Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust comes with both clamp and magnetic table, and it is very easy to use. But the grits on the diamond plates do not go as coarse as on the TSProf plates, which means that reprofiling premium steels such as S90V and M390 will take longer. And the Work Sharp has only a single clamp, rather than the double clamps on TSProf and Hapstone, so the Work Sharp is not as good for long, flexible blades.
 
Another Shepherd said:
Reprofiling is fairly easy with a Hapstone or TSProf. The diamond plates that came with my TSProf Kadet are excellent. I use the same plates with the Hapstone R2; Gritomatic calls them the "Optimal Diamond" stones.

If you have very narrow blades or want to use very low edge angles, you need a magnetic table, such as the Hapstone V8 has. TSProf seems not to make a magnetic table.

The Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust comes with both clamp and magnetic table, and it is very easy to use. But the grits on the diamond plates do not go as coarse as on the TSProf plates, which means that reprofiling premium steels such as S90V and M390 will take longer. And the Work Sharp has only a single clamp, rather than the double clamps on TSProf and Hapstone, so the Work Sharp is not as good for long, flexible blades.
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Thanks for those 2 options. They look really nice, but I really wanted to work towards free hand sharpening. Any opinions on this system. Comes with course and fine diamond plates, then the add on kit adds 220 extra course, and 800 grit extra fine, and strop. The guides can be removed once the skill matches.
 

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It takes years to master free hand sharpening. And once you get into it. It can actually be more expensive then a guided system.

The Spyderco system has it's followers. Being kinda a cross between free hand and guided.


Lansky doesn't get the love as much as it did, but it works. You can find them at the local sporting goods store. It's an excellent introduction into the guided sharpener sphere of things.
 
Grasshopperglock said:
It takes years to master free hand sharpening. And once you get into it. It can actually be more expensive then a guided system.

The Spyderco system has it's followers. Being kinda a cross between free hand and guided.


Lansky doesn't get the love as much as it did, but it works. You can find them at the local sporting goods store. It's an excellent introduction into the guided sharpener sphere of things.
Click to expand...
I will at the lansky, nice as it is portable. I have the spyderco sharpmaker, but not the diamond rods. Can you reprofile and grind past chips using the diamond rods? It seems that a wider plate made more sense.
 
Lawilli2 said:
...Any advice on a benchstones?
Click to expand...


The high carbide or hard-to-sharpen steels are becoming more common, so I think most guys should start wth diamond bench stones. They are no more expensive than good natural stones, or the better waterstones. If you are going to be reprofiling, diamond stones remain flat a lot longer than the alternatives.

You should start at about 400 for chips and re-profiling. If you add a 1,000 you can get "food sharp", if you add a 3,000 you can start to get "show-off sharp". You can add a 600, a 2,000 if you want to get refined, but 400/1,000 can achieve great edges. Add a strop or two charged with diamond compound and you can get brilliant bevels and razor edges!

I have great diamond stones from Atoma, DMT, and Ultra Sharp, and none of the 8x3" stones cost much. The big dealers sometimes have packages that bump the cost a little lower.

Lube with Krud Kutter, and get a set of those little blue plastic angle guides to get your angle started. I call them "training wheels", but they really help me in getting flat bevels, at more precise and predictable angles than I could guestimate. Then add a 10-20X loupe, a felt tip pen, a stone holder, and have fun!
 
I recommend a 30x to 40x loupe. I use a 30x. They're cheap at about $10. I don't sharpen anything unless my I have my loupe. You'd be surprised at what you'll catch. Then, after you have an edge. Write down the angle you used. For each knife. Depending on where in the clamp it was positioned. It'll be spot on or super close when you go back to touch it up. It's also a good practice to note how you clamped it. How deep into the clamps and where the clamps were touching the blade. Even down to using the same brand of masking tape.

I consider a loupe a required tool. It will save your bacon.
 
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