The human body can only maintain consistency within certain parameters and will never hold the angle consistent enough to generate a perfectly flat V bevel.
From what I understand all freehanding leads to a convex edge of some sort.
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Sharpening Beginner's First Day
- Thread starter Mister Coffee
- Start date
From what I understand all freehanding leads to a convex edge of some sort.
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It is true that, using flat stones, you will not get a completely convex edge. Your finishing passes will need to be at a consistent angle in order to assure a crisp apex, and this will make at least the very edge a V-grind. That said, I have used bench stones to convex several edges, including doing a convex conversion on a mora companion, simply by adjusting the sharping angle little-by-little as I went. In order to carry it completely to the edge sandpaper on a somewhat soft surface may be required, but even here the skills acquired on the stones will easily translate.
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On a guided system, flat bevels would be the result. Otherwise, there'll always be some amount of convex produced in a freehand edge. Some truly expert sharpeners can freehand edges that look very nearly flat in the bevels. But even then, if examined in close reference to a dead-flat standard, there would still be at least a tiny bit of convex.
Convex or flat, it's really not much to worry about, at any rate. SHARP is what matters. Any sharp edge needs to be essentially a V-grind immediately behind and up to the apex itself, else it won't be very sharp at all. Any noticeable convex extending all the way to the apex will cause the edge (apex) to be overly broad, so it can't be as sharp.
The 'convex' edges mentioned, in disussion of the Chris Reeve knives, is kind of overblown anyway. It's a very subtle convex, and I think it's created in the final buffing stages of the factory edges. The same sort of convex can result from stropping with aggressive polishing compound, with the blade laid conservatively LOW in angle to the strop, so the shoulders of the (otherwise) V-bevel will be eased or rounded off. The best & easiest way to 'create' a convex is to grind a very crisp & acute V-grind first, to a fully apexed edge, and then ease or round off the shoulders of the bevels immediately behind the edge, leaving the crisp edge alone.
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I have been following your progress and pursuits with great interest, you have been getting very good advise here, and i have not chimed in, just cheering you on.
But if i can give you some advise, don't over complicate things, i know that is easy to say, but just try and keep it simple while you are learning, it'll happen. Get your first bevel with whatever stone/plate/grit you are using right first, it will save you so much time and anguish later. And, before you go spending anymore money on stuff, get yourself a pocket LED micro-scope, get to know how to use it, and it will be the best learning aid you can have and be your new knife sharpening best friend. You can get them on Amazon for around $20.Where are you located? There may be a BladeForums member who could help you out in person. When I taught my son to sharpen, he watched me a couple of times and vice versa. I was able to point out some little things to try or change. Had him practice on some dollar tree knives.
Anyhow sometimes it helps to watch some one in person sharpen a knife. A friend of mine is an excellent sharpener. Just watching him and having him give me some tips has helped me a lot.
I'm in the SF Bay Area (south, about 2 miles from the Apple Donut).
Ric
Anyhow sometimes it helps to watch some one in person sharpen a knife. A friend of mine is an excellent sharpener. Just watching him and having him give me some tips has helped me a lot.
I'm in the SF Bay Area (south, about 2 miles from the Apple Donut).
Ric
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Thanks, Ric. That's very thoughtful of you. I'm actually making acceptable progress on my own. It might not sound like it because I ask a lot of questions. There's just so much to think about: free-hand vs. guided systems, diamond stones vs. water stones, ceramic vs. stropping. I've been going slowly, so I haven't had the chance to make too many mistakes yet. It's fun to learn, and everyone on the forum is very helpful. After the county gets a little further along with the vaccination program, I think it might be fun to meet up with a few "knife people."
I'm in the L.A. area (about six miles from Randy's Donuts).
I'm in the L.A. area (about six miles from Randy's Donuts).