How To Tips for sharpening around the heel of your blade

[maximus83]

A recent post by 91bravo in another thread reminded me of this subject I've wanted to discuss:

For freehand sharpening, what are your best tips and practices for working around the heel to ensure that it is...

1. As sharp as the rest of the edge, and
2. Cosmetically blended and consistent with the rest of the edge

While getting good results on (1) lately, I still struggle with (2). It's frustrating to get an edge to the level of sharpness that you want, and have clean consistent bevels, only to have a dorky looking inconsistent area at the heel.

I won't offer tips of my own other than to pass along some I've seen. A common recommendation is to add a sharpening notch to blades that don't have them, to make it easier to work that area. Also, here's an older thread where HeavyHanded recommended using short scrubbing strokes with edge perpendicular to stone at the heel. And here's an older @Jason B. video, start at 12:30, he discusses using a u-shaped sharpening motion, especially with blades that have a continuous arc from heel to tip. This hint helped with blades of this type such as my Kershaw Link.

 

[David Martin]

I do those like 91bravo stated: I move that area of the edge to the side corner of the stone, maybe lift the point a little and grind it on the stones side corner. Slow and careful. Work up a little burr, flip it and work it off. His looked nice and straight. Sometimes that area of the edge
can be convex and recurved. I work it in the same manner, until sharp again. DM

 

[maximus83]

Sometimes that area of the edge can be convex and recurved.

I've noticed this a lot, especially on low-cost folders. I've also noted something HH called out in that older thread I linked to above, that sometimes you get a sharp edge and an even bevel, but you end up with this triangular shaped area right in front of the heel, which I guess is created by doing the perpendicular strokes at the heel, then 'crossing' that scratch pattern as you resort to the more typical 45 degree grind pattern.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Realistically it shouldn't require any different mechanics as the rest unless it butts right into the ricasso. Then you have to use a dead perpendicular pass.

Diamond plates are your best friend if the edge runs to the ricasso or otherwise has no notch and a hard stop - the edge does not trail into space. The outside corner needs to be crisp with whatever stone. As David Martin says - these are often recurved and convexed, and can take longer to fix. On personal knives is easiest to keep them the way they came - corrections always take longer.

Another problem is the primary grind may be overly built, and when lowering the angle the grind can run way up at the plunge line. There is no fix but to ease off how acute the angle is or do a regrind or the primary.

A last issue is the blade tend to be widest at the heel (spine to edge) and this maximizes the tendency to angle wobble. Keep a solid grip and apply offhand pressure right at that spot. If it feels like its shifting, its shifting.

This was the last freehand skill I dialed in - on the downside edge pointing away I still take care and pay attention to basics - especially on wider bladed knives.

 

[91bravo]

 

[maximus83]

Diamond plates are your best friend if the edge runs to the ricasso or otherwise has no notch and a hard stop - the edge does not trail into space. The outside corner needs to be crisp with whatever stone. As David Martin says - these are often recurved and convexed, and can take longer to fix. On personal knives is easiest to keep them the way they came - corrections always take longer.

Makes sense on using diamond plates for this task, in the sense you can rely on them to stay flat at the corner.

Another problem is the primary grind may be overly built, and when lowering the angle the grind can run way up at the plunge line. There is no fix but to ease off how acute the angle is or do a regrind or the primary.

Yep I've seen this recently on a cheap S&W folder I was working with. This one is really annoying because you realize there's not practical, time-and-cost-effective fix for it. The best fix is, don't buy knives that have this problem to begin with. On cheap folders that you buy via online order, it's just going to happen sometimes. I do notice a common pattern that this occurs on a lot of the under $50 knives coming out of China.

A last issue is the blade tend to be widest at the heel (spine to edge) and this maximizes the tendency to angle wobble. Keep a solid grip and apply offhand pressure right at that spot. If it feels like its shifting, its shifting.

Does this 'wobbling' tendency also afflict some factory sharpening processes? I've gotten fairly recent knives from Buck and Spyderco, where the factory edge was sharp, but the bevels were uneven on each side and--this is the part that's relevant here--back near the heel, the bevel width is thinned way down to almost nothing.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Does this 'wobbling' tendency also afflict some factory sharpening processes? I've gotten fairly recent knives from Buck and Spyderco, where the factory edge was sharp, but the bevels were uneven on each side and--this is the part that's relevant here--back near the heel, the bevel width is thinned way down to almost nothing.

I believe it does. Probably more due to this being the first point it makes contact with belt or wheel, even if there is a ramp/guide of some sort. I've resharpened several kitchen knives for friends and family and some I have yet to completely remove digs in the heel made at the factory.