Micro bevels

V

Vegas Blade

Joined
Feb 9, 2012
Messages
902
I have finally decided to try micro beveling one of my edges. I have heard of guys doing it, and they really seem to like the results, so I figured "what the heck"?

I know Singularity35 does it, and he seems to get great results. I took my M390 down to 17* per side with my Lansky. Took it all the way down to an Ultra Fine stone, then I put it on my Lansky ceramic sticks at 20* per side for about 75 strokes per side. You can just barely see the shine right on the very edge of the blade. So far I'm really satisfied with the results. Scary sharp, and still a nice "toothy" edge that I am fond of.

Lets hear it from you guys that take this extra step. Who does it, and what are your results? Do you like it? Why?
 
Hey there. I find that once I have a blade properly apexed then I can put a razor sharp micro bevel in 6-8 strokes per side. Anything more is just removing steel without much effect. I like to keep it "micro". ;). I know I am going to fatten the mb by continued sharpening over time, and eventually have to re profile, so I want to remove as little steel as possible to begin with. That's my experience and what works for me. Others may have different ideas.
 
75? :eek: but if it works, why not?

I tried a microbevel but I didn't notice much of a difference with stability or retention (or anything really). I guess I haven't gotten to the point where I need it with m4. I may try one on my carbon blades that don't have stability like a super steel.
 
With M390 and really, really light pressure, that isn't much. Maybe with a different steel, but it doesn't affect M390 like 1095.

I'm new at the "micro beveling". So far it seems really stable and incredibly sharp. We shall see how it plays out.
 
Hey,

I recently micro beveled a couple of my knives. My experience has been good with it so far. It's far easier to touch up the edge after use because of how much less steel needs to be removed. It also keeps that nice toothy sharp edge without sacrificing cutting ability. I would reccomend it as it's cuts down time and doesn't sacrifice performance.

My two cents:)

Thanks,
Alacrity
 
I do it more and more. I freehand my secondary bevel and add a 30 degree microbevel with the SharpMaker. Touch up is a cinch!
 
Hey VB, I usually microbevel to touch up my edge. I find that it's a good, quick way to touch up once I'm done with rebeveling. It would be nice to keep the angle on the primary bevel but it takes me more time to sharpen on the primary bevel's angle since I'm basically rebeveling each time(albeit not removing as much steel as the initial rebevel). I find that microbeveling is a good compromise for quick touchups. Also, I like to polish my primary bevel and most of the time, I microbevel right off with a toothier finish than the polish on the primary.

It is fun to experiment though. :)
 
I used to use them all the time when my finishing stones were Arkansas, saved a lot of time on those slower cutting stones. These days I only use them on very coarse user's edges as a quick means of burr removal/edge clean up. Otherwise I maintain on a hard strop or backhoning on waterstones, neither of which is very conducive to a microbevel. Since moving more to a single bevel I haven't noticed any issues with longevity etc and in the long run I believe its easier and more consistent to maintain. A lot will come down to the tools you're using, some are better suited to microbevel, some aren't.
 
HeavyHanded said:
I used to use them all the time when my finishing stones were Arkansas, saved a lot of time on those slower cutting stones. These days I only use them on very coarse user's edges as a quick means of burr removal/edge clean up. Otherwise I maintain on a hard strop or backhoning on waterstones, neither of which is very conducive to a microbevel. Since moving more to a single bevel I haven't noticed any issues with longevity etc and in the long run I believe its easier and more consistent to maintain. A lot will come down to the tools you're using, some are better suited to microbevel, some aren't.
Click to expand...

That's basically the sharpening philosophy I've settled into as well. Since I maintain virtually all of my edges with edge-trailing (backhoning) methods on strops or sandpaper, I haven't really seen an actual need for a deliberate microbevel. Touching up an edge is literally as easy as stropping, with the only variable being grit selection.

The one microbevelling technique I have used, that's proven very convenient, is a quick pass on a V-crock/Sharpmaker-style tool. On occasion, this is about the simplest way to put some quick bite back into a utility edge. Especially useful for kitchen knives of simple stainless, which tend to lose their bite pretty quickly, but don't otherwise need anything fancy or specialized to get the work done.


David
 
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