Hey folks,
I'm waiting for some epoxied handles to dry, so I thought I would share a few of my honing tricks with ya'll. I'm still a novice, especially on the anvil, but I have figured out a few things that I find to be very usefull when sharpening my blades.
#1) I generally put the edge bevel on my blades with a stone. (It usually takes forever, but I like doing some things that are in keeping with bladesmithing traditions.) However, after slipping and nicking the plunge cut, or churl, a few times, I made a protector plate for the side of my stone. I took a thin piece of g-10 and ground it down to a thin edge on the grinder. I place the plate so it's flush with the upper edge of the sharpening stone. If you make the angle steep enough, it won't interfere with the sharpening process. See the photo below.
#2) I don't own a very fine sharpening stone. To put the final edge on my blades, I use a piece of scrap, polished granite floor tile. I place it in the vice and use FLITZ with a few drops of honing oil (I use 3 in 1 oil). The oil prevents the FLITZ from drying and lubricates the stone. I have also used a piece of glass with FLITZ and oil for the last few finish strokes after the granite slab. This method turns a really sharp blade into a hair shaving machine.
Have a great day.
Brook
I'm waiting for some epoxied handles to dry, so I thought I would share a few of my honing tricks with ya'll. I'm still a novice, especially on the anvil, but I have figured out a few things that I find to be very usefull when sharpening my blades.
#1) I generally put the edge bevel on my blades with a stone. (It usually takes forever, but I like doing some things that are in keeping with bladesmithing traditions.) However, after slipping and nicking the plunge cut, or churl, a few times, I made a protector plate for the side of my stone. I took a thin piece of g-10 and ground it down to a thin edge on the grinder. I place the plate so it's flush with the upper edge of the sharpening stone. If you make the angle steep enough, it won't interfere with the sharpening process. See the photo below.
#2) I don't own a very fine sharpening stone. To put the final edge on my blades, I use a piece of scrap, polished granite floor tile. I place it in the vice and use FLITZ with a few drops of honing oil (I use 3 in 1 oil). The oil prevents the FLITZ from drying and lubricates the stone. I have also used a piece of glass with FLITZ and oil for the last few finish strokes after the granite slab. This method turns a really sharp blade into a hair shaving machine.
Have a great day.
Brook
