Let's compare note on sharpening

beluga · May 14, 2009

When I get a new knife that I'll EDC, I usually sharpen it because I really don't like the factory edge. For example, I got a new Endure 4 with wave a couple of months ago. I didn't find the edge to be sharp enough for my liking. So, I sharpened the heck out of this knife, and it now has a convex edge (it had a saber grind with very small secondary bevel). Sharper than the devil's pitchfork now.

A couple of days ago, I got myself a little early birthday present; the JYD II. It didn't come sharp enough, so I took out my stones and started sharpening it. It's way sharper than the factory edge now (no convex edge though). You wouldn't believe its sharpness compared to its thickness.

Do you do this when sharpening your knives ? Or do you just touch up the edge ?

Jason B. · May 14, 2009

When I first get a knife I will inspect the factory edge before sharpening but that's just to see how many mistakes I must correct.

I know I can get the edge many times sharper so the factory edge is always the first thing to go.

Roger999 · May 14, 2009

knifenut1013 said:
When I first get a knife I will inspect the factory edge before sharpening but that's just to see how many mistakes I must correct.

I know I can get the edge many times sharper so the factory edge is always the first thing to go.

This is what I do aswell, I test the knife to see if it is thin enough, if it is thin and sharp then I would just strop it, if not I'll reprofile and sharpen.

Jason B. · May 14, 2009

Roger999 said:
This is what I do aswell, I test the knife to see if it is thin enough, if it is thin and sharp then I would just strop it, if not I'll reprofile and sharpen.

Even is the edge is well sharpened from the factory it still gets a complete sharpening, I dislike factory grind marks.

Vivi · May 14, 2009

All my users get their edges thinned, convexed and polished until they whittle hair and slice thicker, binding media with as little effort possible. I'd hate to use a factory edge on one of my EDC's.

THG · May 14, 2009

knifenut1013 said:
When I first get a knife I will inspect the factory edge before sharpening but that's just to see how many mistakes I must correct.

I know I can get the edge many times sharper so the factory edge is always the first thing to go.

I do the same thing, except there are really only a couple things to check:

1. Is it thin enough? If not, I'll thin it; if so, I really only need to maintain it.
2. Is it sharp? Most of my knives have not come sharp. It'll need to get sharpened anyway eventually...

The additional thing is how bad the edge (or lack thereof) is at the ricasso. Spydercos, for example, have no edge at the ricasso, as if they weren't sharpened there. So that takes a lot of time to A) get rid of the resulting "recurve" and B) get rid of the subsequent concavity due to different thicknesses at different points and C) put an edge on that spot.

gunmike1 · May 14, 2009

Most knives aside from ones I get back from Tom Krein go straight to the stones, usually starting with my DMT XX Coarse to thin out the angle significantly. With Spydercos I do have to spend extra time at the ricasso to get an edge all the way to the ricasso, and my DMT XX Coarse doesn't really hit that spot due to that stone being rounded on the corners so my DMT Coarse takes care of that problem. I lately have been polishing my new bevels out to 8000 grit for a nice mirrored edge, though it usually has a bit of haziness in some spots on the bevel, and since I'm not sharpening for money I don't take the time to get the perfect mirrored bevel. I usually then apply a microbevel, except for with a couple ZDP 189 knives I sharpened in the last few days. I left my Stretch 2 at 7 degrees per side and my Caly Jr with a .005" reground edge to 5 degrees per side. These steels can take angles that thin for light use, and once I get around to resharpening them I will microbevel them to about 15 per side for ease of sharpening and edge strength. I have found most factory edges to be thick for my tastes and quite a few to be badly burred. Spyderco generally gets their edges thin and very sharp for factory knives, most notably my Caly 3 ZDP which came with a .012" edge at 9.5 degrees per side. That is excellent factory geometry, but I still thinned it out to 7 per side and plan on shipping it out to Tom Krein for a .005" thick full flat grind.

Mike

richard j · May 14, 2009

my newest knives have all been kershaws which came fairly sharp and all i had to do was touch them up on the paper buffing wheel. i generally resharpen at the same angle. if i need something sharper i get one i made out.

THG · May 14, 2009

gunmike1 said:
With Spydercos I do have to spend extra time at the ricasso to get an edge all the way to the ricasso, and my DMT XX Coarse doesn't really hit that spot due to that stone being rounded on the corners so my DMT Coarse takes care of that problem.

Wait, the Dia-Sharp stones are round at the corners?? This is going to destroy all my dreams if this is true...

Jason B. · May 15, 2009

THG said:
Wait, the Dia-Sharp stones are round at the corners?? This is going to destroy all my dreams if this is true...

All of mine are square but I don't have the xxcoarse.

Mike, is this true of all the stones one has rounded corners?

thombrogan · May 15, 2009

Mike's extra-coarse DMT is a polky-dotter, not a Dia-Sharp. The D8XX Diasharp has squared corners.

Josh K · May 15, 2009

I normally keep the factory edge untll I use the knife.

thombrogan · May 15, 2009

Only my Shun kitchen knives keep their factory edge; everything usually get cut with stones before it cuts anything.

gunmike1 · May 15, 2009

thombrogan said:
Mike's extra-coarse DMT is a polky-dotter, not a Dia-Sharp. The D8XX Diasharp has squared corners.

Not mine, it is a diasharp but unlike my other diasharps has a slight curve at the corners rather than the flat 90 degree corners like the other diasharps. I'll try to get some pics up, but the end result is that my D8XX doesn't hit the edge right at the ricasso. Maybe it is because mine is an ancient early model stone? It says DiaSharp 120 micron on the side and is 8" by 3". I will try to post comparison pics tonight with a D8C. It definately isn't a polka dot stone, and it cuts through steel at a seriously fast rate compared to my old polka dot DMT X Coarse.

Mike

Edit: I just snapped some pics that clearly show "DiaSharp 120 Micron" on the side of the D8XX, and some pics showing it next to my DiaSharp Coarse where the radiused corners of the D8XX are clearly seen next to the non-radiused corners on my D8C (all other DiaSharps that I have seen, including my DiaSharp Fine have non-radiused edges). I won't be able to post them until tonight or tomorrow, but my XX Coarse definately has a noticeable radius at the corners.

gunmike1 · May 16, 2009

Here are the pics of the DiaSharps

DMT D8XX, note the rounded bevel at the top corner and 120 micron writing

DMT Coarse, with sharp shoulder:

Side by side, note the reflection off of the beveled top corners of the XX Coarse on the right:

Are the new XX Coarses different than mine without the beveled corners? It isn't that big of a deal to get the very end of the edge at the ricasso with the Coarse after doing the heavy work with the XX Coarse (which is still going strong after a couple years of using insane pressure on super steel knives for rebeveling) but I may need to get a new one if the newer models have the flat corners like my D8C and D8F.

Mike