How accurate is the sharpie method?

soje

soje

Joined
Dec 10, 2014
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Ising an Edge Pro Apex. It seems that when I do the sharpie trick, I can remove almost all of the marker from the edge, while having the stone at different angles. Most of the time I’ll guess and set the stone at the angle that I think it’s going to need, and it’ll clear the marker for the width of the edge. I’ve even removed all the sharpie at one angle, then changed the angle a couple degrees and still removed all of the sharpie from the entire bevel.

Has anyone noticed this?
 
I haven't noticed that. But I use a Wicked Edge. It would help to see a photo. When you are at the right angle, the stone should remove the sharpie completely from the edge to the start of the bevel. If your stone angle is moved to a more obtuse angle, the sharpie should be removed more towards the edge of the blade, and vise versa.
 
soje said:
Ising an Edge Pro Apex. It seems that when I do the sharpie trick, I can remove almost all of the marker from the edge, while having the stone at different angles. Most of the time I’ll guess and set the stone at the angle that I think it’s going to need, and it’ll clear the marker for the width of the edge. I’ve even removed all the sharpie at one angle, then changed the angle a couple degrees and still removed all of the sharpie from the entire bevel.

Has anyone noticed this?
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Some people swear by the sharpie method but from what I have seen and heard from others it's not as accurate as an angle cube,I know from what some of my friends have told me who tried marking a knife with sharpie then using angle and started changing the angle to see when all the marker would not be removed and they said anywhere from 3 tenths of a degree to more then to half a degree.

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It is not very accurate.
Particularly, if you use a coarse stone like #120, the stone scratches Sharpie near the edge at a shallower angle than the actual edge angle.
I use Sharpie to get a rough estimate of the factory angle and use an angle cube for sharpening.
 
It works great to get close. You can see easily if you are up on the shoulder or getting close to the right angle. But after that, the only fool proof way is to raise that burr. I use the sharpie to get close, once there, I feel for the burr. Knock that burr off and screaming sharp, long lasting edge every time (on decent steel).
 
I "think" that the grit of your stone will make a difference... IMO, a finer grit...perhaps 3000...
would allow a closer indication of the true angle.
"Swipe" the edge just enough to see an even mark across the width of the edge.
I have and use an Edge Pro Apex.
 
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For me, it does seem to work better with fine stones. But you have to use a light touch when doing it. And you would technically need to do it every time you switch stones since they all are different thicknesses.
Honestly now days I use the sharpie to find my angle using a 1200 grit stone. So I mark it, eyeball my stone and find the right angle to wipe sharpie and use my angle finder to see if I'm at 20 of 18 or whatever angle and then when I switch stones, I use my digital angle meter to set it to the same degree. And thats if I wish to keep factory angle. In daily use knives I seem to gravitate toward a 20 degree edge so I have just set all my edc knives to 20 degrees. I really dont have to use the sharpie for those several knives cause I know they all were set to 20.
 
yoko said:
I use a sharpie and an angle cube
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So do I. I thought that the OP was just talking about finding the edge using a sharpie.
I use the sharpie to find the angle. Then I check the angle with my angle cube to see what it actually is. Then I decide whether I want to keep it there, or reprofile it. I don't like odd numbers like 20.6 or something. So I would reprofile it to 20dps in that case.
 
Sharpie ink doesn't cling to steel very well. It takes very little abrasion to remove it. And it's worse on a more polished finish - the ink comes off too easily and prematurely. Throw in any kind of wet sharpening with water or oil, and it comes off even faster.

The Sharpie method is useful for initially 'finding' the bevel angle for sharpening, in setting up your system (if guided) or in adjusting your hold on the knife. Beyond that, because the ink comes off too easily, it's not reliable for proving you've removed enough metal to fully apex, as the ink will come off in just a light pass, even if much steel doesn't come off with it. Always need to keep that in mind. To prove a complete apex, always, always look for the burr forming.
 
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I use a sharpie to eyeball the factory angle, and nowadays have an excell file to keep track of the latest inclusive angle and method I used to sharpen (freehand on different stones, sharpmaker, and since very recent a work sharp ken onion)
2 of my 3 esee izula's 1st gen) were spot on 20 degrees except on the tip of the right hand side where they were a bit more obtuse. the sharpie showed me.
 
soje said:
It seems that when I do the sharpie trick, I can remove almost all of the marker from the edge, while having the stone at different angles.
Click to expand...

The Sharpie is ok if you have experience and know what it's telling you. The problem with relying on the Sharpie test exclusively is as you noticed. When you run the stone along the blade, you're making a slurry of water, stone, and steel. A thin layer of this slurry will be dragged between the stone and the blade, removing your ink. This is something to keep in mind when you're doing super-precise work.

So if your angle is close, the Sharpie method will indicate that you're good. The angle has to be pretty far off to detect it with a Sharpie. It's ok, though, to use it to get in the ballpark. A magnifying loupe, anywhere from 4x to 60x, is far better for seeing how close your angle is.
 
The sharpie can wash off the blade fairly easy. It stays on better if you let it dry for several minutes before sharpening. For me it is a good tool in the toolbox. A loop or other magnifying glass to see the actual edge is also important.
 
search for "triplet 20x", you can get them very cheap and they work great for inspecting the edge and seeing the scratch patterns etc etc, including seeing how and why the sharpie black lines are still there
RG_20X.jpg
 
The bane of my sharpening experience has always been hitting the correct edge angle (particularly on blades with larger belly’s) during burr removal - particularly edge trailing alternating strokes on the stone. For me personally this is really where the sharpie came into its own. I credit it with helping train that muscle memory and feel of the correct angle to use during this particular sharpening stage.
 
Using a 30x loupe and a headlamp has given me lots of insights. There were plenty of times when I thought I was apexed and then can see via the loupe that the scratch pattern at certain points of the edge are not consistent.

Loupe + feeling the burr seem to be a good combo for me.
 
zyhano said:
search for "triplet 20x", you can get them very cheap and they work great for inspecting the edge and seeing the scratch patterns etc etc, including seeing how and why the sharpie black lines are still there
RG_20X.jpg
Click to expand...

I bought a high-quality Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet to keep in my metal detecting kit, for examining coins, etc. The darn things are so handy, I ended up buying a second, less expensive, Russian-made triplet for general use around the house. (The B&L version seems to have a little more eye relief.)

They are very handy for examining your blade edge!
 
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