Help/Advise wanted. Can I get there from here?

SC_Dave

SC_Dave

Joined
Jul 29, 2010
Messages
187
I have learned what I know about freehand sharpening through hours and hours trying and correcting mistakes and help from this forum. I am getting a decent edge consistently. One method of measuring sharpness is slicing phone book pages and my knives usually do a pretty good job. The average joe would say it was sharp and be happy to carry on. I have yet to be able to whittle or chop a hair. It's a personal thing for me, do I need to whittle a hair? No, I just want to. It would be an accomplishment for me. I need some help and advise to get to the next level. I know this is like asking you to teach somebody to drive over the phone.......

My equipment and process.

DMT Diasharp 3 x 8 C, F, EF and EEF. Leather paddle strop 2 x 10 with white Bark River compound which they list as 12,000 grit.

I start with the C stone and work in a good angle while forming a burr. Working my way through the stones trying to refine the edge while removing the previous stones scratch pattern finally finishing with the strop with white compound. I make an extra effort to be consistent with my angle through the process.

I will now answer questions and take advise.

David
 
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Short answer is yes, you can get there. I've whittled hair with 120 grit finish (DMT EC). Roughly what angle are you sharpening to, and how thick is the knife behind the edge? Refinement wont help you whittle hair if you sharpen to 25 dps.
 
Try some 1 Micron diamond spray, it will make a big difference.
 
Thanks bpeezer, this would lead me to believe their is something wrong with my technique. What do you think???

Also I'm not positive on the angle. The knife I'm working on now is a Benchmade Osborne. I am trying to match the origional angle which I would guess would be 15 or 20?

David
 
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SC_Dave said:
Thanks bpeezer, this would lead me to believe their is something wrong with my technique. What do you think???

Also I'm not positive on the angle. The knife I'm working on now is a Benchmade Osborne. I am trying to match the origional angle which I would guess would be 15 or 20?

David
Click to expand...

I think the best thing you can do is just practice for consistency. I would also suggest putting on your own bevel. Any time I try to match a manufacturer's angle, I end up slightly off. I personally like to reprofile it to the most natural angle my hands feel so that every stroke comes easily. Watch Jason's videos and notice how natural it looks. He shows how skilled he is at finding the bevel and holding to it incredibly well. I'm sure your general technique is good, it's probably just a little shaky!

If you're fighting the blade, the blade is going to win ;)
 
Roo leather is really awesome by itself, I would not put any compound on it.

I have always used 1 Micron HA diamond spray which can be found at CKTG.

Some plain leather, balsa wood, or MDF board works very well with the spray.

DMT paste is ok but higher carat spray is much better. The difference is actually dramatic.
 
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