Sharpening or profiling

[Wayne Whitney]

Let me start out by saying that I am not the best sharpenner in the world so the first question is what do you mean by changing the profile, is it to change the edge angle to a diffrent degree? The second question is what is the best degree angle of sharpening for an EDC, is it 20 deg or something diffrent. In general what are some of the various degree angles and for what purpose?

 

[sven56]

Just maintain the same edge grind and angle you originally started out with, if it works fine the way it is...otherwise, adjust the angle from that point accordingly.

 

[Slider817]

To re-profile means to change the edge angle to a different angle, for an EDC knife I personally like them very sharp so I take them down to 15 Degrees on each side, or 30 Degrees inclusive, but you need a very hard steel to handle this angle, so lower end stuff will just roll or chip too easily at such steep andgles. But to do that on todays higher end steel is pretty difficult unless you have the right sharpening equipment and the skills to operate it. If you are not that good at sharpening you are better of just maintaining the angle of the knife, polishing it up, and if you need to do a major re-profile, to just send it out to one of the makers on the forum.

If you want to this on your own, A system that will give you the ability to re-profile most modern steels, S30V, D2, Vg-10 etc is something that will be able to hold the knife at a fixed angle while you sharpen, because they take so long, and are so hard, to maintain a consistent angle without these aids is very difficult. And diamond sharpening equipment will speed up the process dramatically, a very effective, easy, and well priced system is the DMT Diafolds, get the Course, Medium, Fine, and Extra Fine and the Magna Guide, with that you will be all set up

 

[unit]

Generally re-profiling means that you change the profile (this most frequently refers to the edge bevel, but could refer to the entire blade profile).

It is a big can of worms, just like the edge angle. 20 degrees...per side?, inclusive?

Asking what is the best, is also a big can of worms. What color is the best? What length is best? and so on.

There is not a right or wrong answer...just the one that is best for you. Hope that does not come off harsh, it is just a really open ended question.

The edge angle that a knife comes with (ideally) is the manufacturers idea of what they think would be best for most people. However, like almost everything else, a lot of guys think they know better (some of them are right), and that is where re-profiling comes in.

 

[Wayne Whitney]

Thank you for your replies, they are very helpful and confirms my interpation of reprofiling. In your opinions what is the best way to determine the angle of the factory edge as it is usually not mentioned in the paperwork with a new knife. I have heard that Buck uses a diffrent angle of sharpening that most other companies and I think I have heard it is 22 or 23 degrees. I have not heard of any method of determining the angle of an edge, but I know there had got to be a way to determine. Thanks for your help.

 

[Cynic2701]

Thank you for your replies, they are very helpful and confirms my interpation of reprofiling. In your opinions what is the best way to determine the angle of the factory edge as it is usually not mentioned in the paperwork with a new knife. I have heard that Buck uses a diffrent angle of sharpening that most other companies and I think I have heard it is 22 or 23 degrees. I have not heard of any method of determining the angle of an edge, but I know there had got to be a way to determine. Thanks for your help.

I'm not as familiar with Buck as I am with other companies, but I'd wager money that when they say 22-23 degrees they mean per side, not inclusive. Their inclusive edge angle is probably 45 (44-46) degrees. Most of my Spyderco's came at ~30-35 inclusive, and my CRK's came at 40.

The shallower the angle, the sharper the edge of your knife is going to be. Just be aware that edge geometry can make a huge difference in actual use as well--a properly re-profiled and thinned out bevel can make a knife with a 40 degree microbevel outcut the same knife with a 30 degree inclusive microbevel and steeper bevels.

Additionally, shallower angles on your edge can make it weaker and more prone to rolling or chipping. Depending on your uses, your "best" edge angle might be much different than my own, or anyone else's.

In general, I've found that if I put a 40 degree microbevel on the average person's knife, they think it's the sharpest thing they've ever seen--and the edge is more durable to boot; meaning that I won't have to deal with chips and rolls next time they want their knife sharpened.

Edit: Oh, and to answer your question, I used to have a set-up with a protractor, a micrometer, and a ruler to figure it out. Eventually I got good enough sharpening freehand to do it by feel and eye alone. For example, if I measured my ZDP Stretch it might not be dead on 25 degrees inclusive (12.5 per side), but it would probably be within a degree or so.

 

[Wayne Whitney]

Thank you for your reply, it varifies what I feared that the only way to figure it out is with a protactor, micrometer and a ruler, because as I said, I am not that good freehand. You have been a great deal of help, thanks again.