Sharpening questions...

J_Curd

J_Curd

Joined
Jul 26, 2006
Messages
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I can sharpen a knife to shaving level, but I have some questions about better methods.

How do you guys determine 12/14/16 degree sharpening angles accurately?

How can I adapt the Sharpmaker to do it without just "eyeballing" it and holding the knife at a cant?

Any recommendations on finalizing the edge on ZDP and SG-2 (or any of the 60+ HRC steels?

I knocked my SG-2 Blur down to 30 inclusive last night, and it took about 1000 strokes between diamond/medium/fine stones on the Sharpmaker and some stropping on 800 grit, and its STILL not as sharp as it could be (removed the factory "micro serrations, so now its got a smooth edge, but lost some of its "toothiness")...

And advice on these questions would be much appreciated.
 
J,

Throw accuracy out the window. There are so many variables that "close to 12" is close enough. Most people who give such specific angles; including me; are using an EdgePro, propping sharpening stones at an angle and keeping our blades as horizontal or vertical as can be, or are very familiar with 15 degrees and extrapolate from there (a generation of Sharpmaker users).

Things you can do with your Sharpmaker kit - especially since it's all tricked out:

1. Use the scissor-sharpening slot with your diamond hones (one at a time...) and keep your blades as close to horizontal as you can (a bullseye level can help, but it's mostly a pain in the neck).

2. Place the brown hones in the 30 degree setting and tightly wrap a rubber band around their base. This will give you a less-than-30 degrees edge. How much less? It truly doesn't matter if it cuts well without being too fragile.

3. Use the white hones in the same slot without the elastic bands. You'll quickly set a polished backbevel.

Or... You could set your bevel with one of the diamond hones and the scissor-sharpening slot, remove its scratches with the brown hone in the same slot (be prepared to clean it a lot. A Rust Eraser is very nice!), and then set the actual actual edge with the fine or ultra-fine hones in the 40 degree setting (takes two-four passes per side) and be very happy with results (yet always wanting more).
 
Some other guys will chime in with uses on the Sharpmaker, but I use
a DMT aligner kit that has a 12 degree slot so there's no guess work
with it. If a toothy edge is what you like then I would advise finishing
with a medium grit. I'm not sure what the sharpmaker comes with but
the DMT 1200 grit gives a really good bite when used as the final stone.
I never strop. Stropping gives a really fine push cut type edge, and that's
fine if you want a push cut edge but I prefer a toothy edge with a bite
for the most part. Not sure if this helps any, but maybe some of the guys
that use the Sharpmaker can help you out.
 
I know some people put a pencil (or whatever) under their Sharpmaker to change the angle...I never bother. I use the Sharpie trick to decide which Sharpmaker angle is closest, 30 or 40 degrees (inclusive), and pick one. Thicker blades 40, thinner ones 30. I use the diamond rods to change the factory bevel to the chosen Sharpmaker bevel initially, and then never use the diamond rods on that knife again.
Bumps I do at 40, Leeks and chef knives at 30. Either way, the end result is sharper than a dull knife. ;)

Sometimes I think I'm not anal enough for this hobby. :D
 
I never follow the factory angles so the Sharpie trick is irrelevant for setting my Sharpmaker angle. My normal technique is to start with one of the white triangular rods laying crosswise under the center of my Sharpmaker base. I insert the brown rods in the "30-degree" slots. I tilt the Sharpmaker assembly left-then-right while I hone on the right-then-left rods. I can tilt the rods between strokes and hone just as fast as I can hone with the base sitting flat on a table. Using this tilting approach subtracts about 6 degrees from the honing angle so the original 15-degree angles become around 9 degree angles. I hone this way until I get a sharp edge along the full length of the blade. At this point I do a narrow micro-bevel. To do this I move the white rod over from beneath the center of the Sharpmaker base to underneath the left end of the base. This reduces the tilt of the sharpmaker by about 3 degrees. Then I take a stroke on the left side of the edge (which will be at 13 degrees on the blade). I move the white rod to underneath the right side of the base and hone a stroke on the right side of the blade. I repeat this cycle about 5 rounds.

Normally I swap the white rods for the brown rods at this step. I repeat the final 13 degree honing process for about another 5 rounds. This overall process results in a blade with a 26 degree microbevel edge on an 18 degree backbevel. Sometimes I might do a few strokes with nothing underneath the Sharpmaker base to result in a 30 degree micro-bevel same as the Sharpmaker is designed for. I try not to show obtuse edges like that in public.
 
Jeff makes sense, and pretty damn crafty at that.

I personally havent been doing micro bevels at all, just 100% shoulder to edge sharpening. Will I have better results with a micro bevel?
 
J_Curd said:
Jeff makes sense, and pretty damn crafty at that.

I personally havent been doing micro bevels at all, just 100% shoulder to edge sharpening. Will I have better results with a micro bevel?
Click to expand...

Jeff's plan works like a charm! I did that until I cut the wooden base for the sharpmaker that puts the 40 degree rods at 10 degrees, and the 30 degree rods at about 8 degrees.

The primary/secondary bevel is a good thing J, I think you'll like the results, If you don't, it's not hard to knock the secondary bevel off the blade.
 
We tend to imagine that our edges taper down to a nice straight V cross-section. In reality the edge flexes away from the hone as we work and the apex of your edge tends to look a little bit more like a Y cross-section. The microbevel compensates for that effect so that you end up with closer to a true V shape. This gives you a high performance edge with slightly enhanced wear resistance.
 
Gotcha, I will get with the program!

DV - any "holy crap thats scary sharp" tips for my new favorite EDC, the SG2 Blur?
 
A strop loaded with chromium oxide (green stuff, .5 microns I believe). But be careful! No more pressure than the weight of the blade, and keep the blade spine low. Even tho it's just a strop, you can roll the edge off!
 
Dunno...there are a few threads in Maintenance, Tinkering and Embellishment about this.

Oh, and use edge trailing strokes!
 
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