Sharpening direction

S

spike22

Joined
Jun 23, 2003
Messages
34
I have just got a Mora 2000 with a double sided diamond stone. I have done some searches but I can't locate the sharpening tutorials that I know are on here somewhere. If anybody knows and could post a link it would be appreciated.

Until I find them - as a basic question - which direction do I need to be moving the blade across the stone? I think it is one of the 2 directions below..

Start position A..
mora1A.JPG


End position A.. a straight forward push movement.
mora1B.JPG


OR

Start position B..
mora2A.JPG


End position B..pushing forward AND moving down at the same time.
mora2B.JPG


Is it A or B .... or something else!
 
B is closest... I stop with my tip about 1/2" still on the stone

same as the "towards" stroke, stop 1/2" in and away from my thumb.
 
Yup like VampireWolf says, B is more like it.

The TRICK is keeping the edge angle consistent on each pass AND on the belly of the knife. That requires a slight lift on the handle as you are sharpening the belly to the point.

On mine the knife is perpendicular at the start and at the end the tip is ahead of the handle and the handle slightly raised.

For angle setting check out my calculator:

http://knives.mylamb.com/calc.htm

Hope that helps.

Steve
 
i start almost exactly at your end position a, then end at your start position b, except with the stroke ending with the tip on the stone. i guess you could call it a spine-forward top-to-bottom slant stroke. i never tried it yet, but i like the idea of the "black marker technique" where you pass it over the edge & the black indicates spots that weren't passed over the stone.
 
Thanks for the quick replies guys.

So do I drag the blade back along the stone after pushing it forward on the stone? Or do I push to the finish point and then lift the knife off the stone and go back to the start position?
 
The latter. It's all one smooth motion. Each knife, due to shape and length has it's own 'path'. Make sense? Kind of a Zen thing once you find it.

----------------
Sorry I don't have UK coins in that calculator, but you should be able to make a stack.

Steve
 
Originally posted by spike22
Thanks for the quick replies guys.

So do I drag the blade back along the stone after pushing it forward on the stone? Or do I push to the finish point and then lift the knife off the stone and go back to the start position?
Click to expand...

Push, then lift. Repeat.
 
Ok cheers Steve. I'll give it a go.

One of the reasons for getting the cheap Mora was that I wouldn't feel the need to wrap it in cotton wool, so I will get stuck in, and if I get it wrong at first I'll learn from the mistakes at no major cost.
 
I learned freehand 15yrs ago(ok, in 2 months it's 15yrs).

edge forward, base to tip

number the stone corners(cheap ascii didn't work):
1 2


3 4

strokes are base at 4, ending with tip around 1.5... towards is starting with base at 2, ending around 3.5(with thumb space putting it back a little bit)... for a right hander.

I usually do a fliping job... left and right sides alternating... starting about 1lb of pressure into the stone. 6,6,5,5,4,4,3,3,2,2,2,2,2,2,2... decreasing pressure every set on the 2's until it's just blade weight on it, then strop, and knock the angle up 5deg inclusive for 4-5 total each side(2,2,1,1...) with not much more than blade weight. can shave off 800grit stones, 500 grit almost.:D
 
My Gerber LST as practice turned out to be an expensive mistake. (There goes $20) Keep your angle constant and dont dig the tip into the stone like I did. (I now have a 60 degree angle)
 
One piece of unsolicited advice: Consider getting a bigger stone. You'll have an easier time if you work with a larger surface. Go with at least a 6 X 2 stone - DMT makes bench stones in that size in whatever grade you like.
 
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