Sharpening knives that are thin behind the edge?

J

JeffDahMoose776

Joined
Nov 30, 2021
Messages
3
im new to the knife sharpening world and ive been learning with my mora and Gerber Paraframe on oil stones. I now have a civivi imperium that is extremely thin behind the edge and when I have to sharpen it I don’t want to mess it up. Are there and specific tips for sharpening knives that are thin behind the edge?
 
Thin behind the edge generally means sharpening is made easier, and that's a good thing. :thumbsup:

If anything, I'd suggest avoiding stones that are too coarse. A thin edge doesn't need a lot of metal removal to be sharpened. Tailor your sharpening habits on these knives to hones that aren't as coarse as you might use on something thicker or heavier - a 'Fine' instead of a 'Coarse', for example - and you'll likely never need an extra-coarse stone. A thinner edge also means you shouldn't need as many sharpening passes to get the job done. So, don't overgrind. Watch for burr formation to tell you when it's enough. Keep the touch light as well, as a thin edge is more prone to damage (rolling, chipping, etc) if pressure is too heavy.

Thin edges are mostly about going finer (grit-wise), lighter (pressure-wise) and shorter (time-wise) to get the job done.
 
Last edited:
Obsessed with Edges said:
Thin behind the edge generally means sharpening is made easier, and that's a good thing. :thumbsup:

If anything, I'd suggest avoiding stones that are too coarse. A thin edge doesn't need a lot of metal removal to be sharpened. Tailor your sharpening habits on these knives to hones that aren't as coarse as you might use on something thicker or heavier - a 'Fine' instead of a 'Coarse', for example - and you'll likely never need an extra-coarse stone. A thinner edge also means you shouldn't need as many sharpening passes to get the job done. So, don't overgrind. Watch for burr formation to tell you when it's enough. Keep the touch light as well, as a thin edge is more prone to damage (rolling, chipping, etc) if pressure is too heavy.

Thin edges are mostly all about going finer (grit-wise), lighter (pressure-wise) and shorter (time-wise) to get the job done.
Click to expand...
Are there any tricks to feel the edge angle better with how short the bevel is?
 
The bevel can actually be wider on a thinned blade (if I understand your question correctly). On a full flat grind, it can extend all the way to the spine.

I don’t feel the bevel though, that’s for chisels and plane irons. When sharpening a thinned knife, I just lay the spine down closer to the stone surface. Sometimes I lay a coin on the end of the stone as a reference. Sharpie trick comes in handy here.

Parker
 
JeffDahMoose776 said:
Are there any tricks to feel the edge angle better with how short the bevel is?
Click to expand...
Lay the blade a bit low in angle to start - low enough that you can SEE that the apex isn't in contact. Then as you begin the stroke on the hone, very gently lift the spine, paying very close attention to the feel & sound of the contact. With contact behind the edge, the feel will be a bit slick, kind of a skating feel. As the spine is raised and the apex just begins to make contact, that 'skating' sensation will change to something more like it's 'catching' or digging into the hone. That's where the apex is, where it just begins to bite. Practice that a few times, with the spine first low, and then raised a bit, until you can recognize that change in feel, between 'skating' and 'catching' on the hone surface.

Done as above, it won't matter much anymore how wide or how narrow the bevels are. It becomes more about feeling for the transition into the apex itself, and less about feeling the bevel. You'll still be able to feel it. And if your hearing is good, you'll hear the difference too.

A while back, one wintertime ago, I noticed sort of a parallel to the above while shovelling snow from our driveway. With a snow shovel, if you begin the 'scoop' with the handle LOW, the back of the shovel's blade will literally 'skate' on the slick, icy surface. Raise the handle a bit, and the edge of the blade suddenly digs & grabs at the pavement under the snow, and the feel of things is dramatically different. That's one way to visualize what's going on in searching for the apex by feel, while sharpening.
 
Last edited:
Sharpen it like any other blade. The key to sharpening is being able to judge how far the edge is off. You can get a very good idea with a 10x loupe. Low grit is fine. I don't lean hard on any of my knives. rather than use heavy pressure I use a lower grit. 220 grit dmt broken in isn't going to damage anything. If it does it's because your using too much pressure. Starting with a higher grit is fine if your looking for a finer edge. 325 one and done for me. 600 cuts plenty fast too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top