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Sharpening Becker BK2 & BK11 with Norton India stone

tman038

tman038

Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
1,641
Hey guys,

I just checked my email and see that my new Norton India stone arrived today. Do you fine people have any tips I should know/try for sharpening my BK2 and BK11? I have never used a stone before but I want to learn which is why I chose the Norton stone over a Sharpmaker. I know the angle I need for the BK2 is 20 degrees and I think the angle for the BK11 is 15 degrees? I also bought a little angle guide thing that is supposed to help me get the angles right until (after time and practice), i feel more comfortable with doing it freehand (I don't know if it will truly help or not but i'm hoping it will). I was just wondering if anyone had any other tips regarding the technique or anything else? Sorry this is a picless post for now but i would appreciate any and all comments. ty :)
 
There are a few small things and one really big one to keep in mind with sharpening. It's all about the angle! beyond that some will swear by oil, others none etc, but in my experience the one thing that matters most is angle. If you control that and keep it consistent you'll get a nice edge
 
You will love your stones. After watching Clich's video, among others, I was sold on sharpening old school. Picked up a set of Arkansas oil stones, in the habit now to sharpen every weekend. Sharpee, magnifying lens and practice.
 
I followed Jerry Fisk's advice for the Camillus Beckers and Norton India stones: he used WD40 as the lubricant. I've been using it on my combo Norton stone and it does indeed give a nice toothy edge to carbon steels and the WD40 is not as messy as oil.

Angle holding (and pressure) is critical... practice on some cheap carbon knives first!
 
thank you for the awesome tips. you guys rock! Clich, that video is really great! Very helpful and to the point (pun intended). I just got home a little while ago..now i'm going to go mess around with it a bit and see how it goes.
 
wow. i got them pretty damn sharp.. they both (2 and 11) cut hair pretty easily off my arm.. i am happy with this stone (although i don't have much to compare it to). The sharpie trick is an absolutely brilliant idea. As you guys suggested, I used wd40 and paid very close attention to my angle. Although i had to adjust it a few times. I gave it a few scratches in the beginning but towards the end i started to get a feel for it... As for the angle guide thng? Eh... i guess it works ok.. i used it for a few strokes but then tossed it and did it free hand.. luckily it was only about $7. thanks again
 
Welcome to the world of freehand sharpening :) Its very satisfying especially for reprofiling overly thick edges.
For quick maintenance I often use the Sypderco Sharpmaker but for serious sharpening, Norton and WD40 all the way!
 
I guess it's about time for me to look into stones and some WD40, my little pocket/kitchen knife sharpener won't help much with my 2 or 16..... darn you preset fixed angle sharpeners!!
 
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