Who here still "eyeballs" the angle?

BigE said:
along with constantly stopping to inspect the edge for results as I work.:thumbup:
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Yes indeed, especially when using a diamond abrasive that works very quickly. I also test for any sign of a burr with my finger, which is just another aspect of Feel :thumbup:
 
theonew said:
I eyeball but also use sound and feel when freehand sharpening. Actually the feel, the feedback from the edge as it slides across the abrasive, is almost more important to me than how the angle looks as I hold the knife.
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I agree 100%. I free hand everything, from plain edge drop points, to partially serrated recurve blades.

For knives that are as blunt as a butter knife or have serrations, I use my smith's diamond sharpening rod: small, effective, portable.

For touching up or getting that fine polished edge, I use an 8"x3"x1/2" Arkansas stone with 3-in-1 oil. I "feel" the blade as it goes across and usually it's smooth to the hand and the ear unless I get the wrong angle on the blade.

For on the go or camping, I pack a small Smith's arkansas stone which comes in a belt pouch. When I use this away from home, I just use water on the stone in place of oil and it still comes out just fine.
 
I mostly eyeball it.
My sharpening gear is fairly lo-tech, a Spyderco doublestuff, an old buck two stone set and i have a credit card sized sharpener in my wallet.
I use the Spyderco the most though.
I've been meaning to expand my setup but i keep buying more knives/axes instead!
:D
 
I learned how to sharpen so I could sharpen my woodcarving tools. Freehand, eyeballed, as well as sound and feel, like theonew said. So now I sharpen all my knives freehand. I have a large unidentified benchstone (inherited it), a few small diamond sharpeners, including a couple of diamond rods for sharpening recurves, a couple of small arkansas stones, sandpaper & a few strops.
 
It took me a long time to learn to sharpen a knife. Tried all kinds of things, but finally learned after I went BACK to freehanding and eyeballing the angle. I think the difference is I learned to feel the edge, as others have also said. I am getting pretty decent with filing for heavy work, and am just learning about sandpaper.

Matt
 
I free hand and convex on bench stones. I no longer care what my angle really is as long as it is a fairly shallow one. Only time it matters as to what the angle may be is talking about it or posting on the net.
 
michdad said:
It took me a long time to learn to sharpen a knife. Tried all kinds of things, but finally learned after I went BACK to freehanding and eyeballing the angle. I think the difference is I learned to feel the edge, as others have also said. I am getting pretty decent with filing for heavy work, and am just learning about sandpaper.

Matt
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I am tenacious some days good results other days off.
I am backing away from quick touch ups on my 204 set for limited edge angles. Mousepad and different gritpapers lately next to coarse dmt. Plan for fine Xfine dmts for new steels as the 204 do well on Carbon Steel steeling like...
;)

The eyeballin is the hardest. lol:cool:

working on a flat surface i dont use my elbow wrist joint but my entire upper body to keep consistancy on flat stones..
 
buy new knife- have a professional get rid of shoulders & thin with belt grinder- i maintain with blue dmt & sharpmaker medium rods only- repeat.
 
i own an orchestra of stones. the first thing i do is figure out which stone fits the initial sharpening (out of the box re-edging) .. and do that. very very rarely does a knife not need that re-shaped edge..

after i've established the proper edge arc for the blade grind and steel, I work it back up towards the spine and remove any protruding bits or excessively crisp angles, 'smoothing' the flats to make hand sharpening less effort.. this is where i remove any coating that has been applied (to the degree necessary) ..

my edges have arcs, not angles, though i'll sometimes use angle degree numbers to vaguely indicate the 'thickness' or 'thinness' of the edge.. a coarse woods edge on a big choppah might be 35-40 degrees (total) was it beveled.. but it ain't. A 15-20 degree edge (total) would be a thin paring knife that was sharpened almost 'on the flat' and it wouldn't be obviously convexed unless you had good eyes or a loupe.

Jigs works, freehand teaches you more, and freehand works BEST (of all styles) on a medium hard thin kitchen knife. . but short of freehand a sharpmaker works for light sharpening. It just doesn't surpass freehand for result, it does for shortened learning curve..

You can learn to use most jigged systems in a day. You can master waterstones freehand in half a lifetime, *If* you don't slack off.. ;)
 
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he who say said:
buy new knife- have a professional get rid of shoulders & thin with belt grinder- i maintain with blue dmt & sharpmaker medium rods only- repeat.
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If you use the blue DMT for maintenance (coarse, unless they have different color codes for different hones or generations of hones), I can only conclude that you are Cliff Stamp or one of his earth-digging bone-chopping adherents. :D
 
I've used whetstones freehand for over twenty years. Recently I've been using the DMT Diafold fine/coarse. Eventually I will purchase a sharpening system....possibly a Lansky.
 
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I eyeball the edges on my belt sander, and on some kitchen knives using a course/fine India stone. Using a sharpmaker is still eyeballing the angle, its just a 90 degree angle to the surface instead of a 20ish degree angle to the stone. Raising one end of a stone and laying the blade parallel to the table is still eyeballing as well, its just an easier to judge angle. So in this regard, I eyeball all my sharpening.
 
me2 said:
Using a sharpmaker is still eyeballing the angle, its just a 90 degree angle to the surface instead of a 20ish degree angle to the stone. Raising one end of a stone and laying the blade parallel to the table is still eyeballing as well, its just an easier to judge angle. So in this regard, I eyeball all my sharpening.
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I wasn't asking if anyone did their sharpening blindfolded. :)
 
ways of sharpening ;) I was taught to sharpen on an old stone that was my grandads, i have no idea what it is exactly but i still have it and use it :thumbup: I'm no sharpening master like a lot of you probably are but i get it sharp enough for me :)
So there ya go, i eyeball my sharpening
ivan
 
For testing I've done quite a bit of controlled angle sharpening using a jig, but consider freehand an essential knife skill. All the controlled work seems to have "calibrated" my freehand eye better than ever.
 
Free hand/ eyeball here. Lately DMT Course (if re-profileing), Fine, Extra-fine, 1000 grit then 2000 grit both stropped on mouse pads. Followd by leather. Sometimes I use some of my Grandpaps old stones. M
 
I freehand all of mine, and don't even own a crockstick. :)

I generally use 0.05 - 15 micron film abrasive for edge maintenance on my pocket/fixed blade knives. Kitchen knives get a steel or a couple of strokes with a fine flat-file.
 
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