Question about factory edge on Izulla II

T

thirdeye

Joined
May 31, 2008
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It's getting about time for me to hone the edge on my Izulla II some. I'm wondering what kind of edge they are given at the factory? Specifically, is the visible part of the edge, the part that has no coating that you can easily see with the naked eye, the primary cutting edge, or is it a "relief" and the cutting edge at a larger angle? This would make the actual cutting edge very small and hard to see with the naked eye.

I hope I explained that clearly. Sorry, I'm fairly new to the science of sharpening and don't quite have the vocabulary down yet.
 
Generally, the primary cutting edge is the silvery part of the blade that is uncoated. This changes though with microbeveling and other grinding techniques.

They are hand-sharpened, so expect some variances in the angle. But the angle is maintained at 40° inclusive (meaning combined angles from both sides of the blade) or 20° on each side.

When sharpening, it really helps to Sharpie the cutting edge to visibly see where you are actually removing metal. Otherwise, you will miss sections of your blade and it will be inconsistently sharp.

(BTW, it is spelled Izula. :p)
 
BASR said:
Generally, the primary cutting edge is the silvery part of the blade that is uncoated. This changes though with microbeveling and other grinding techniques.

They are hand-sharpened, so expect some variances in the angle. But the angle is maintained at 40° inclusive (meaning combined angles from both sides of the blade) or 20° on each side.

When sharpening, it really helps to Sharpie the cutting edge to visibly see where you are actually removing metal. Otherwise, you will miss sections of your blade and it will be inconsistently sharp.

(BTW, it is spelled Izula. :p)
Click to expand...

OK so If I understand you then, there is no "relief" edge and If I were to reproduce what was done a the factory I would need to hold the knife at a 20 degree angle with respect to the surface of my stone. Correct? This means that you would be removing metal from the entire edge.

Not trying to start anything but I was told that its much better to not keeping sharpening the entire visible edge but to hold the angle even higher, like say another 5 degrees and put a new edge that is much less visible to the eye. Is that how most people do it or do they just keep sharpening at the factory 20 degrees.

Figure 4, in this link illustrates what I'm talking about. He calls the new edge a "secondary" edge and the factory edge becomes a "relief".

http://www.caseyspm.com/Knives.html
 
I would stick with the factory grind angle if you want the best combination of cutting ability and durability.
 
thirdeye said:
OK so If I understand you then, there is no "relief" edge and If I were to reproduce what was done a the factory I would need to hold the knife at a 20 degree angle with respect to the surface of my stone. Correct? This means that you would be removing metal from the entire edge.

Not trying to start anything but I was told that its much better to not keeping sharpening the entire visible edge but to hold the angle even higher, like say another 5 degrees and put a new edge that is much less visible to the eye. Is that how most people do it or do they just keep sharpening at the factory 20 degrees.

Figure 4, in this link illustrates what I'm talking about. He calls the new edge a "secondary" edge and the factory edge becomes a "relief".

http://www.caseyspm.com/Knives.html
Click to expand...

You're correct. In a traditional V-grind, you would grind the whole edge at 20°. However, some people also "microbevel" their blades. This is what you are talking about in the second paragraph. Basically you create two "edges": one that is wider than the first one. Check out this thread for more information.
 
thirdeye said:
Not trying to start anything but I was told that its much better to not keeping sharpening the entire visible edge but to hold the angle even higher, like say another 5 degrees and put a new edge that is much less visible to the eye. Is that how most people do it or do they just keep sharpening at the factory 20 degrees.
Click to expand...

"much better" is subject to debate. I don't think there really a standard way to sharpen. There are as many ways as there are knife users. Just gotta go with what works for you. I wind up using about 4 or 5 different methods. What system you use will determine how you go about picking an edge. If you're using stones freehand, I wouldnt worry so much about doing a double angle. The edge is going to wind up slightly rounded anyways. This isn't good or bad really.

"knocking off the shoulders" or whatever you want to call the dual-angle sharpening, isn't a bad idea. But it's certainly not required either. Sharp is sharp. One thing to remember if you do change the angle or knock it back, That powdercoating is made from a secret alien formula. It's hell to sharpen off.
 
You can create a micro-bevel, or secondary bevel, if you want to. I understand the concept but haven't done it to any of my knives yet, even though it would be SUPER easy with my Sharpmaker.

I'd probably just stick with the standard V grind, or one cutting edge/one bevel. After a while when you get the hang of it, try a micro-bevel if you are feeling ornery.
 
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