Always was taught to sharpen a knife by moving it only forward on the stone but lifting it and not rubbing backward, if that makes sense. About 15% angle. Is this right?
Never thought about the angle, but i wont drag an edge backwards. Probably just me being anal. After machining for years I cringe when most people use a file as well.
Yes, that is the correct method for sharpening a blade in reasonably good condition. Circumstances can dictate different methods of sharpening, however. If you need to re-bevel, if there's chips in the blade or if the leading edge is convex, are a few examples.
Also, the Japanese, when using a Jap water stones, use a method that is considerably different.
Last edited by High_Noon; 04/24/20.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right. - Del Gue
There's an old saying ''there's more than one way to skin a cat'' . I like old sayings about cats - another ''can't swing a dead cat without hitting somebody'' .
Spend $40 and buy an entry level Lansky Sharpener and all of your wildest dreams will come true .
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Posted by Bristoe The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
Making alternating passes is called the "western method" Scrubbing back and forth is called the "Asian method" Both work and I use both. I like the Asian method myself, especially to set the edge on my coarse stone. Its more efficient and I think I hold a better angle because I am not flipping the knife with each pass. I do about 10 passes per side and then flip. When I go to finer stones I'll start using the alternating passes because all you are doing is refining the edge you created on the first stone. Its all kind of ways though. My Dad used a circular motion. Dished out his stones real good because he always used the middle of them.
Last edited by RJY66; 04/24/20.
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Never thought about the angle, but i wont drag an edge backwards. Probably just me being anal. After machining for years I cringe when most people use a file as well.
No you are right. That is the same technique for a file. Protect the cutting edge of the file, probably helps avoid clogging too.(well you can probably tell me a thing or two about proper file use)
High Noon, Interested in hearingabout the water stone approach. Th Japanese (some anyhiw) have a good reputation when it comes to precision...
Last edited by OldmanoftheSea; 04/24/20.
-OMotS
"If memory serves fails me..." Quote: ( unnamed) "been prtty deep in the cooler todaay "
Television and radio are most effective when people question little and think even less.
Most Japanese water stones are soft enough that pushing a cutting edge against them can gouge the stone and ruin it. I've been pretty successful at rehabbing a nicked or slightly cupped-out Japanese water stone by rubbing the sharpening surface flat with a diamond sharpener. Jerry
On a whetstone I use circular motions. I also use paper wheels on harder steels. I sometimes use leather strops as well. I can sharpen a knife no questions asked. I was taught at a young age by an old timer. My grandpa.
High Noon, Interested in hearingabout the water stone approach. Th Japanese (some anyhiw) have a good reputation when it comes to precision...
There's a Japanese Dr., who is a big hunter and knife aficionado. He's very skilled in the Japanese sharpening method. I haven't watched his videos in years and I cannot find the video I'm looking for, but I'm pretty sure this is the guy:
EDIT: I see OrangeOkie beat me to it.
Last edited by High_Noon; 04/24/20.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right. - Del Gue
But then my grandfather could put a shaving edge on a pocket knife with just a few swirls of the round carborundum stone he kept in his pocket to touch up his axe...
The key elements in human thinking are not numbers but labels of fuzzy sets. -- L. Zadeh
But then my grandfather could put a shaving edge on a pocket knife with just a few swirls of the round carborundum stone he kept in his pocket to touch up his axe...
Exactly. The Japanese guy uses a lot of equipment and does a ridiculous amount of work to obtain the results he does....and then loosely over strops the hell out of his edge when finished. I'd be willing to bet that his knife is duller after the stropping than it was when he finished with the stones. But hey, he speaks Engrish with a Japanese accent so he must be a Samurai or something right?
Check out a guy who really knows what he is doing using a brick......
Using an inexpensive sharpening stone.......
"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants". --- William Penn
The most important item I believe is keeping a consistent angle on the blade. I have used the KME sharpening system for years and love the shaving sharp edge it puts on pocket knives to kitchen knives. https://www.kmesharp.com/
