- Joined
- Apr 15, 2014
- Messages
- 483
I have been altering my sharpening technique a lot lately to better accommodate folders, as opposed to the long, slightly curved blades on the kitchen knives I started out on.
When I hit the stones with kitchen knives I like a nice, fast stroke. I probably go from heel to tip on an 8" blade at something like a third of a second. Fast, light passes. The bevels are so thin, and the curves comparatively very subtle, so control is virtually effortless.
But when I started sharpening folders a lot more, I noticed it became much easier on such a short run of (comparatively) highly curved blade to mess things up. At the aforementioned speed, I'd be hitting flipper tabs on the stone, missing the heel of the blade, or even the tips on more curved blades, wobbling off angle, all to the effect of producing an ugly or even downright incomplete edge.
So I have started slowing my passes down, and I am now at the point where a proper pass on the waterstones with a three inch blade takes me about an entire second. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, so they say. I am really enjoying the smoothness of the process, the high degree of control, the consistency of the edge angle, the almost conversational degree feedback you perceive from the stone, and the quality, both functional and aesthetic, of the resulting edge.
So now I am curious. How fast do you like to sharpen? Quick and light? Heavy and slow? Heavy and fast (you absolute madman)? And why is it that you sharpen that way?
Even the jig sharpeners (hereafter referred to as jiggernauts) like the K02, Wicked Edge, and Edge Pro guys can weigh in. You goin' heavy on those Metallic Bonded CBN badboys, or what?
When I hit the stones with kitchen knives I like a nice, fast stroke. I probably go from heel to tip on an 8" blade at something like a third of a second. Fast, light passes. The bevels are so thin, and the curves comparatively very subtle, so control is virtually effortless.
But when I started sharpening folders a lot more, I noticed it became much easier on such a short run of (comparatively) highly curved blade to mess things up. At the aforementioned speed, I'd be hitting flipper tabs on the stone, missing the heel of the blade, or even the tips on more curved blades, wobbling off angle, all to the effect of producing an ugly or even downright incomplete edge.
So I have started slowing my passes down, and I am now at the point where a proper pass on the waterstones with a three inch blade takes me about an entire second. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, so they say. I am really enjoying the smoothness of the process, the high degree of control, the consistency of the edge angle, the almost conversational degree feedback you perceive from the stone, and the quality, both functional and aesthetic, of the resulting edge.
So now I am curious. How fast do you like to sharpen? Quick and light? Heavy and slow? Heavy and fast (you absolute madman)? And why is it that you sharpen that way?
Even the jig sharpeners (hereafter referred to as jiggernauts) like the K02, Wicked Edge, and Edge Pro guys can weigh in. You goin' heavy on those Metallic Bonded CBN badboys, or what?
