Is there a correct sharpening direction?

[Philbird]

I have always sharpened my knives on natural and aluminum oxide stones. When I do so, I do it the way my mother of all people showed me(it was after she took a carving class). I put the knife on the stone with the correct blade angle, pushing the knife away from me with medium to soft pressure, and the edge facing me. after acquiring a burr through this method, I switch sides and then face the edge away from me, drawing the knife toward me. With this method and a charged leather strop, I can get a arm hair shaving edge on all my knives.

However, much literature I have seen from at least two companies suggests that I should push the knife away from me with the edge facing away from me...

Do I have to step up my sharpening game, or is my method correct? Do both methods accomplish the same thing, or is one better than the other?

Let the furious and intelligent discussion and debate begin

Philip

 

[Bladenoobie1]

Nothing furious to be said.

Typically I like to do scrubbing strokes during the sharpening process to more quickly achieve a burr. As long as you are able to create and remove the burr cleanly, that's all that matters. Though I do find on some steels I sharpen if I do strokes oriented away from the edge the burr sometimes is hard to remove.

 

[Philbird]

Ah, Bladenoobie1, you misunderstand me. I meant furious as in rate of posting and passion for sharpening. Thanks for the imput, tho. Keep it coming, folks!

 

[n7titan]

Usually I have the knife perpendicular to the waterstone, back and forth strokes with the edge facing away from me. When I get into my rhythm I tend to gently rock my whole body and hold my arms and hands steady. It seems to cut down on inconsistent angles when my hands only have to worry about steadying the knife.

 

[G. Scott H.]

Edge leading, edge trailing, back and forth, circles, etc. are all fine. The "correct" way to sharpen is whichever way gives you the edges you're looking for. I generally use a back and forth motion when setting a new bevel on a stone, then switch to an edge leading stroke for the remainder of the work, and I use an edge trailing stroke when I'm convexing on sandpaper over a compressible backing, so it does sorta depend upon which medium you're using or how much material you're trying to remove, but again, it's still pretty much up to individual preference.

 

[awestib]

Edge leading, edge trailing, back and forth, circles, etc. are all fine. The "correct" way to sharpen is whichever way gives you the edges you're looking for. I generally use a back and forth motion when setting a new bevel on a stone, then switch to an edge leading stroke for the remainder of the work, and I use an edge trailing stroke when I'm convexing on sandpaper over a compressible backing, so it does sorta depend upon which medium you're using or how much material you're trying to remove, but again, it's still pretty much up to individual preference.

Exactly what I do, I actually switch hands for each side of the blade. I also don't "turn" the blade on it's plane but rather just lift up the handle to follow the belly to the tip. I start spine facing me at about 90 deg to the stone and do scrubbing motion while I move forward to the other end of the stone when I am reaching the tip. That way I can reproduce the (as much as possible) exact motion when I do the finishing edge leading strokes only to uniform the edge and remove the burr.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Most had been said: anything that gives you the result you aim for.
Having said that, the combination of steel, heat treat, geometry, abrasive and pressure might work one way better than the other, but the difference might not be obvious to most people, except those OCD like us, who frequent this subforum .

One of the interesting discussion: www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/992879-Apex-Bevel-Geometry-cross-sectional.

Subsequently, we also talk about edge trailing:www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1036649-A-balanced-strop

Experimenting to find what works best is highly recommended! :thumbup:

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Edge leading, edge trailing, back and forth, circles, etc. are all fine. The "correct" way to sharpen is whichever way gives you the edges you're looking for. I generally use a back and forth motion when setting a new bevel on a stone, then switch to an edge leading stroke for the remainder of the work, and I use an edge trailing stroke when I'm convexing on sandpaper over a compressible backing, so it does sorta depend upon which medium you're using or how much material you're trying to remove, but again, it's still pretty much up to individual preference.

That sums up my view on it as well. :thumbup:

A back & forth 'scrubbing' stroke is likely the fastest for setting new bevels. This is especially true on small hones, where a back & forth or circular motion is almost mandatory, else the work will take forever. Straight-line passes are also somewhat dangerous on small (pocket-sized) hones held in the hand, with fingertips potentially getting in the path of the edge (don't ask me how I figured this out ).

For finishing strokes, I like very slow, controlled edge-leading passes at gradually-lightening pressure, to set the grind lines in a uniform and aggressive-cutting direction. This can also be useful for cleaning up the burrs left by the 'scrubbing' technique.

Edge-trailing passes are almost essential on sandpaper, if it's not firmly affixed to a hard & smooth backing. Otherwise, the paper will tend to curl or deflect up into the edge, which will cut the paper and degrade the apex. Edge-leading can be used if the pressure is feather-light (literally), and it's sometimes useful for cleaning up burrs in this fashion, when the edge becomes very fine. This can also be a valuable 'training aid' for moderating pressure, if you practice edge-leading strokes on loosely-backed sandpaper. If you finish with a sharper edge and no cuts in the paper, you know you've done it right.


David

 

[HeavyHanded]

I have always sharpened my knives on natural and aluminum oxide stones. When I do so, I do it the way my mother of all people showed me(it was after she took a carving class). I put the knife on the stone with the correct blade angle, pushing the knife away from me with medium to soft pressure, and the edge facing me. after acquiring a burr through this method, I switch sides and then face the edge away from me, drawing the knife toward me. With this method and a charged leather strop, I can get a arm hair shaving edge on all my knives.

However, much literature I have seen from at least two companies suggests that I should push the knife away from me with the edge facing away from me...

Do I have to step up my sharpening game, or is my method correct? Do both methods accomplish the same thing, or is one better than the other?

Let the furious and intelligent discussion and debate begin

Philip

As long as burr formation and removal is good, direction doesn't matter much. You might find a somewhat toothier cutting edge when moving edge leading, and somewhat less burr formation. Burr removal, especially of stubborn ones is generally best done with a leading pass. Even Murray Carter conceded he will occasionally resort to a leading pass on tough burrs, but examples of him doing so on video are non-existent AFIK. Edge trailing generally makes a more uniform edge and faster creation of the burr. Softer stones tend to be easier to use a trailing pass, and harder ones a leading, but all are generalities. Try different methods and see what the changes are if any, you will only become more well rounded.

The correct direction is toward a sharper edge!

 

[Danketch]

All others before have said every thing important, I just want to add that it took me a long time to figure out the right way for me to get something sharp- scrubbing "circles" on the stone is the only way it seems that I can get a decent edge (plus I am impatient) and this works a million times better for me than just trying to cut the top of the stone sharpening.

It took the internets and some experiementing on my part to figure that out, so maybe play around with a few different styles with a single blade and figure out how you like to roll (the burr!)