Traditional sharpening angle?

Let'er Buck

Let'er Buck

Joined
May 13, 2022
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360
Hi all. What angle bevels do you put on your traditional slipjoints. Any of you add a microbevel as well?

Pics always appreciated.

Thanks as always.
 
I sharpen by hand. But I do about 15 degrees on each side. Lower if I can get it. My schrade old timer 34 is more like 10-12 degrees. But I’ve sharpened it a lot and it’s worn.

I used to would have ground the edge to match the low angle I wanted. Now I generally do a basic 15 degree or so for everything, so I don’t have to regrind everything. For whittling though, I like the lower angle in carbon. But I make do with 15 when I use stainless.

I don’t micro bevel anything intentionally but I’m sure it happens sometimes. I generally am pretty careful when I sharpen now. I used to would just sharpen mindlessly and it came out okay most of the time. Now I sharpen with a purpose and I try to keep a consistency in angle.
 
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10° per side/20 degree inclusive, no micro bevel.
That is what I was taught ~62 years ago by my father, uncles, a couple aunts, both sets of grandparents, paternal great grandmother, maternal great grandfather and grand mother, and maternal great-great grandmother.
The were unanimous: "Raise the spine about 1/16 ~ 1/8 inch so the flat of the blade clears the stone. push the edge across the stone. Never pull the edge. If you pull the edge you get a burr. Burrs are bad."
To prevent a convex edge I was taught at the end of each stroke, lay the flat of the blade on the stone (after stopping the blade) then lift the blade straight up, flip the blade and repeat as necessary.
They were all a "fan" of stropping first, and if that didn't restore your working edge, then and only then use the stone. That extends the life of the blade(s) and knife by several years.
 
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Thanks for the reply. I have never really put a micro bevel on but I sharpened my GEC 71 and got it pretty narrow. Was worried about rolling and chipping figured a microbevel might help, and wouldn’t hurt if anything.
 
afishhunter said:
They were all a "fan" of stropping first, and if that didn't restore your working edge, then and only then use the stone. That expends the life of the blade(s) knife by years.
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I only recently started stripping after avoiding it for years. I was suprised how much longer I could maintain my edge without taking too much more steel. It also makes it look cooler for Instagram points 😂. Thanks for sharing.
 
afishhunter said:
The were unanimous: "Raise the spine about 1/16 inch so the flat of the blade clears the stone. push the edge across the stone. Never pull the edge. If you pull the edge you get a burr. Burrs are bad."
They were all a "fan" of stropping first, and if that didn't restore your working edge, then and only then use the stone. That expends the life of the blade(s) knife by years.
Click to expand...
Neither of my grandfathers were good at sharpening, and they should have been. One was a hunter/fisher to the point of having it tear up his family life, and the other was a barber. The hunter/fisher lived in Texas City and traded fresh fish for knife sharpening services at local fixit shop. Back in the mid 60s, I watched him and my father repair edges on occasion when a knife was damaged or in bad shape. They used an India stone to repair fixed hunting knives that were in trouble after a particularly hefty pelvic bone split, or some light chopping deformed the edge. They could get it back to cutting, but since they used the "swirling grind method" of swirling the blade in circles, no bigger than a nickel, on the stone it wasn't much of an edge. The "fixit" guy (who could also repair toasters, fans and lawnmowers) was responsible for a keen edge when going hunting.

My other grandfather was a barber. He couldn't repair a damaged edge, but if your knife was just dull and needed a touch up, he was your guy. He stropped his knife on the same horsehide strop he had on his chair, and back then the old carbon steel knives we had would easily shave when he got through with them. He was the only barber in his little town; if you came in regularly, he would touch up your knife as a freebie with a haircut.

I could get my knives sharp enough for a kid, but wanted more. Then I got a Buck 119 in '72, and it had instructions. afishhunter afishhunter , they were almost identical to your instructions. Carefully place the knife, raise the spine, and the motion was to be from heel to tip of the blade, carefully making sure the angle and pressure were the same for every stroke. The big tip in the instruction sheet was to use a "cutting motion on the stone" as if you were going to cut off a layer the equivalent to a sheet of paper. Fixed me right up, Buck did. Lots of practice, some good stones and I was in business.
 
I learned primarily from the instructions that came with a smiths sharpening kit. My moms boyfriend showed me some but I basically figured it out myself. I was shown how to strop on my belt. Then after I got on the internet I started learning about different things; angles, loaded strops.

I’m going to teach my son thoroughly how to sharpen and which stones for what. When to leave a toothy edge, and when you need a keen edge. How to strop on your palm when it’s inconvenient for a leather strop.

Best I remember the instructions in the smiths kit said 10-15 degrees. As if you’re trying to slice a thin layer off the top of the stone. I lost that a long time back but I have a smiths oil tin with instructions. What more does a boy need?
 
Experience is needed here if you are sharpening freehand, its not something you can learn by reading about it on the internet....
You can't judge the angle by how far the spine is off the stone. If you do every blade will be different depending on how wide the blade is. A knife like a trapper with a fairly narrow blade might be 1/4" off the stone, where a sunfish with a 2" wide blade might be a half inch at the same angle.
The best way to see whats right is to use a sharpie and ink the edge. Make a couple quick passes with the end of your fore finger on the spine to guide it and see if the angle looks right. If its ok, remember the position if the knife in your hand relative to the stone and where it is on your finger (in the center of your finger, near the edge etc). Same thing for the other side, but use your thumb. It takes a while to learn but after a bit you'll be able to get it right almost all the time.
 
I sharpen to the angle that looks right and cuts well. Most of the time, that's the angle it's already sharpened to. I don't do a deliberate microbevel on slipjoints the way I do larger knives. I use ceramic rods to sharpen, then I strop. I only use diamonds if a blade needs a little reshaping.

Beyond that, if I'm doing something with a slipjoint that causes the edge to chip or roll, I'm probably going to admit that I need a larger knife. That excludes whittling, processing game, and cutting on a plate or cutting board because that's normal use, and hey, stuff happens.
 
17-18 degrees. If the factory bevel is square and its close, I will just stick to it.
 
I am a free hander and have no idea of what the angle is, I go by feel. When I feel the steel bite into the sharpening surface I lower the pressure and go a few more strokes on each side. This method has served me well for 50 or so years. Stropping after the stones of course, or just slicing a bunch of cardboard to pull any remaining burr off of the edge.
 
Let'er Buck said:
I should have been more clear. I have a KME guided setup. I don’t dabble in free hand. I do enjoy the read, and the perspectives!
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I have a Lansky, which is similar, and find that many traditional type knives have blades that are just not big enough to position correctly in the clamp to get the proper angle.
 
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