Why not angle the stone?

I actually have a concept for a horizontal system that I just need to find the time to prototype.
 
3D Anvil said:
The theory is that the human brain is better adapted to see/feel a 0 degree or 90 degree angle than random in-between angles. For example, most people can carry a platter level, or strike a nail with a hammer, without much trouble. But if someone asked you to carry a platter at a 17° angle, versus, say, a 16° angle ... most people would struggle with that.
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I don't think most people can tell a 1 degree difference regardless. The angle between two second markers on a clock is 6 degrees. If you have a watch with 1/5 second markers, they are 1.2 degrees apart. People aren't just going to eye that up.
Besides, you can feel the bevel of your knife.
 
I just hold the stones in my hand. Well, hold them more with my fingertips actually. I can move them anyway I want, can adjust the knife as well, and makes it easy to keep my edge in contact with the stone. It works for me.
 
Mister Coffee said:
soc_monki soc_monki Michael Christy hold them in his hands, as well. Mostly folders, though.
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That's where I got the idea from. I had trouble with stones on a bench (my wrists didn't like it). I saw Christy holding the stones and decided to try it and it worked for me. I do everything from Para 3 sized knives to my BK7!

Always had trouble freehand until I found what worked for me. May not be perfect but I get my knives sharp enough.
 
soc_monki said:
May not be perfect but I get my knives sharp enough.
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I used to get hung up on trying to get the angle perfect every time but guess what? I can get my knives sharp enough. A sharp knife is a sharp knife no matter how you do it. I have been using some Spyderco benchstones and I have been learning how to get a decent edge on my EDC. So far I can a sharp edge that I am satisfied with. Sometimes we get all hung up on the small details that we miss the big picture, at least that is true for me.

Good enough is good enough for me. :)
 
DavidABQ said:
I used to get hung up on trying to get the angle perfect every time but guess what? I can get my knives sharp enough. A sharp knife is a sharp knife no matter how you do it. I have been using some Spyderco benchstones and I have been learning how to get a decent edge on my EDC. So far I can a sharp edge that I am satisfied with. Sometimes we get all hung up on the small details that we miss the big picture, at least that is true for me.

Good enough is good enough for me. :)
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Are the Spyderco brown and white bench stones the same ceramics as the brown and white stones in the Sharpmaker?
 
Mister Coffee said:
Are the Spyderco brown and white bench stones the same ceramics as the brown and white stones in the Sharpmaker?
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They sure seem like it. I cannot tell a difference between the bench stones and my Sharpmaker rods. I also have the ultrafine stones and rods as well. They also seem to be the same except for shape and size. BTW: I really like the ultrafine stones/rods.
 
I have the Sharpmaker with the standard brown and white rods that came with it. Then, I also have the Spyderco Ultra Fine Ceramic 306UF bench stone. Last night, I was watching Michael Christy freehand sharpen a Spyderco knife using the Sharpmaker rods. I think the steel was ZDP-189.

Anyway, I apologize if I have hijacked this thread. ;)
 
Mister Coffee said:
Are the Spyderco brown and white bench stones the same ceramics as the brown and white stones in the Sharpmaker?
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Based on the examples I have, yes.

All of mine are probably 10+ years old. I have the standard Sharpmaker setup with the brown (medium) & white (fine) rods - that set was bought perhaps 10 years ago, and maybe a little before that. Also have the medium & fine bench stones, acquired possibly 20+ years ago.

Assuming Spyderco hasn't changed their recipes for them, all of the above seem to match up, performance-wise. I seem to recall seeing commentary on Spyderco's own forum from Sal Glesser, whom said all of their ceramic hones are made to the same recipe, for each of the Medium, Fine and UltraFine grits. So they should be consistent across the board, for each rated grit.

I also have two of the medium/fine Spyderco DoubleStuff ceramic hones, acquired perhaps close to 20 years ago, maybe longer. As they came new, they also seemed to match up with my other Spyderco ceramics. I did some resurfacing/flattening of one of them - so it's now finer than the original factory finish. But that was my own doing.
 
DavidABQ said:
I used to get hung up on trying to get the angle perfect every time but guess what? I can get my knives sharp enough. A sharp knife is a sharp knife no matter how you do it. I have been using some Spyderco benchstones and I have been learning how to get a decent edge on my EDC. So far I can a sharp edge that I am satisfied with. Sometimes we get all hung up on the small details that we miss the big picture, at least that is true for me.

Good enough is good enough for me. :)
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If a knife doesn't come with an acute enough angle for me, I just relax the angle on a coarse stone, a little at a time, until it is acceptable for me. I found it eases the frustration of doing a big reprofile by doing it a little at a time, until I feel it is acute enough and feels sharp enough and performs well. Usually ends up in the 17 dps range.

Other than that, if the tip isn't perfect, or the bevels completely even, I don't care. If it will slice paper, or cleanly cut a paper towel, it's good for most anything I'll need.

I think people get too caught up in perfect bevels and whittling hair, and mirror polishes. To each their own though! Getting a good polish works for some things, but I prefer the grabby feeling of a coarse stone refined with a spyderco medium.
 
One of the only reasons I don't like angling my bench waterstones when I do some old school hand sharpening, is the fact that the slurry and water runs off of the stone when angled.

IMO, If not for the benefit of the water remaining on the stone(stone being level), then I prefer using one of my fixed angle sharpening systems which is exactly the same concept of holding the knife level and angling the stones with reference to the knife.
 
Exact angle control isn’t needed for knife sharpening. It just makes the bevel more even and shiny when switching grits and speeds things up. That said I use a 4x4 cut at an angle and screwed to a flat base. I lean my bench stones against it and sharpen away.
 
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