Knife Sharpening (Working Edges/Over Honing?)

[OldManFerg333]

I don't have a lot of knife or sharpening knowledge. I wanted to ask about sharpening in general. I have found that if I take my everyday knife (Buck 110) and sharpen it on a medium grit stone I get a much more versatile edge. If I use the arkansas stone and hone it smooth I end up with something that will shave hair but it actually seems to be less useful for general cutting. Am I messing up when using the arkansas stone or am I right in finding that it's "less sharp" when I hone the edge smooth? Any other sharpening advice would also be greatly appreciated.

 

[Joseph Loveland]

A lot of my friends have schooled me in Knife Sharpening and I've learned it's the angle the blade is sharpened at dictates a lot a lot of uses. When sharpen my everyday carry knife, I sharpen it at 29 degrees. This is a Utility angle and is rather steep, then my Cold Steel SRK is sharpened at a 15 degrees which is better for skinning, well that's what my school friend I grew up with says. I've never skinned anything but I believe whatever angle ya comfortable at will work for ya. My other knives are either 29 or 15 degrees, depending on what I have them for. My wife's kitchens carving knives I sharpen on Croix Sticks for I let her use my Buck once and she almost cut her thumb really bad.
So, whatever ya feel comfortable at, smooth or rough. I use the rough Diamond stone first then switch to the Fine stone for I like a really sharp knife for my dad and gramps taught me ta always have a really sharp knife. I hope this has helped.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

I'm not a sharpening genius or anything, so all I can really say is to do some research on knife sharpening (I like Murray Carter's YouTube videos) to get an idea of what is happening with the edge under a scope and then practice and find what YOU like in a good edge. Personally I like to sharpen on a stone and follow the edge line from the factory, then I hit the shoulder a bit to smooth it out. After that I strop on newspaper, then on green followed by red compounds on leather, and then I strop just a tiny bit more on newspaper again. Not sure why this works entirely but I love the edge I get after doing it. It's aggressive yet it also shaves hair.

Like I said, not a genius, but I found what I like. All I can really say is find what you like and what works for you. Others I'm sure will be able to address your question more directly, I just thought I'd share what helped me (the Murray Carter videos primarily) and what I like.

 

[Jason B.]

The angle, the finish (grit), and the steel must all be done right for the cutting task. Mess any factor up and your results may not be what you expect.

 

[dalefuller]

I used to try to polish every edge I had at a lower-than-factory angle. I actually got pretty good at it, but I found the same thing happening to me that you've mentioned. Those edges were pretty to look at, but they took time to achieve, more time to maintain, and I actually got better cutting results from less refined edges in a lot of my normal cutting chores. I've backed off a lot on the sharpening I do. A lot of it comes from loaded strops now instead of sharpening stones since I clean and "restore" my edges after each use.

Most likely, what you're getting from the medium grit stone with Buck's 420HC and the blade profile and edge angles they use is a pretty sharp general purpose edge that has very fine micro-serrations from the stone. This is actually a pretty good edge for a wide range of general cutting tasks. Most people don't shave with their knives, so while shaving hair is impressive, a highly polished hair popping edge isn't always the best edge for the task(s) at hand. Buck does a pretty good job of setting the edge angles on their folders to be useful for the average knife user's needs and maintenance skills. If you haven't changed them much during sharpening, this pattern you're getting should work well for you with the 110.

If you want to try out different sharpening techniques and mediums to see what kind of edge you get, then focus on knifenut1013's post and choose the angle and sharpening kit that will have the type of medium and the grit sizes that you need to achieve your desired edge.

 

[parbajtor]

The medium grit stone adds micro-serrations to the edge as Dale has stated. These will generally give a longer lasting (in that they will still cut something) edge. This can work really well with some stainless steels, like H1 and I've found that my spyderco salt benefits from sharpening on a coarse DMT and no further finishing. The advantage of a polished edge is that provided you strop regularly, you can maintain a sharper edge for longer and the cut edges stay smoother. The edges will dull quicker on fibrous materials (including fur). On General purpose knives I usually finish the entire edge down to medium coarse and then polish the last inch or two nearest the guard/bolster. This means that the belly/tip will cut the more fibrous stuff easier, but you've still got that important ultra sharp edge for feathersticks/notching etc. This is also the reason why I think most part serrated blades are the wrong way round, the serrations should be towards the tip and the plain edge towards the bolster. Which would also make the powercut work better on rope.

 

[OHALLUM]

What you are finding with the edge before you smooth it with the arkansas is a toothy edge that will cut into most of the things you want to cut easier than with a smooth, slightly polished edge. Try cutting a ripe tomato with your knife before using the arkansas, and then after using the arkansas, and decide which edge you want for every day use. Now if you use your knife to shave with, then the answer is obvious.
When I first started sharpening the wife's kitchen knives, I got them hair shaving sharp with a good polished edge. She tried to slice a tomato with one of them, and it would not cut into the skin. "I thought you sharpened these knives!" I had to take them back and leave a toothy edge on them and not a polished edge. After that she bragged on how sharp her knives were. Lesson learned!

Blessings,

Omar

 

[HeavyHanded]

I don't have a lot of knife or sharpening knowledge. I wanted to ask about sharpening in general. I have found that if I take my everyday knife (Buck 110) and sharpen it on a medium grit stone I get a much more versatile edge. If I use the arkansas stone and hone it smooth I end up with something that will shave hair but it actually seems to be less useful for general cutting. Am I messing up when using the arkansas stone or am I right in finding that it's "less sharp" when I hone the edge smooth? Any other sharpening advice would also be greatly appreciated.

My opinion, use a toothy edge for applications involving a lot of draw cutting, use a fine edge for applications involving chopping or shaving. It is also my opinion that draw cutting with a fine edge, or chopping with a toothy one, will dull them quickly. Used for what they're tailored for, the edge lasts longer. For most folks, a moderately refined edge works best for a wide range of jobs. A very coarse or very polished edge is more of a specialty tool. It takes a bit of experimenting to find out what edge strategy works best for the individual. In either case, keep the edge angle as acute as it can be for a given task and steel. Thinner cuts better (coarse, fine, medium) until it becomes too weak to go the distance.

HH

 

[HwangJino]

I always widen factory bevel and then polish.

I find that a very thin polished edge stays skin splitting yet duruable for at least 20 hours of service (sushi).

 

[David Martin]

I think what your noticing it correct. A more coarse edge will last longer for most general cutting uses. Especially, on fibrous material. Try this: ok you've gone finer in your sharpening and drawn conclusions. Now, go your next stone coarser, what ever that may be and see how this cuts. You'll have to work using light pressure to remove most of the burr or strop on coarse grit. Then after using this you'll clinch some items of knowledge. Plus, you'll find the 'sweet spot' for your sharpening regimen. Should your 110 be a recent model, that steel takes a more coarse edge well and is easy to sharpen. It's doesn't hurt to try it out. DM

 

[retzius]

I like a toothy but polished edge for a working knife. I usually use a medium grit stone and strop it afterwards. I find this is a great working edge that lasts and lasts and is quick to achieve.