specific sharpening advice

[Buendia518]

I'm sharpening my Chaparral on a sharpmaker.

Using the sharpie method, I notice I'm not contacting the edge in one particular spot. The last 1.5 cm by the tip on the left side, as long as I try to keep things vertical and constant, isn't being contacted. Everything on the opposite side is off, no ink left, but in this spot the clear streak just slants up.

Is it advisable to tilt the knife slightly 'into' the stone so that it does contact that area?


Thanks all I'll check back later.

[SQSAR]

You could cant the edge toward the stone over that section like you mentioned, but consistency might be a bit difficult to achieve. Sounds like the blade was left a little thicker behind the edge in that spot, if only a little bit. If you have the diamond rods you could level this without much difficulty and be good to go moving forward. the medium rods can do the same thing, but will take much longer. I've seen this on a couple/few blades but since I use an EdgePro leveling these things out isn't much of a problem at all.

[Donut]

Yeah, I find if I keep the blade vertical the entire time, the bevel near the tip gets wider. This is especially so depending on how much the edge curves. I do tip the blade away from the stone a little bit. With some knives, (not the Chaparral,) I need to regrip it to adjust for the blade curvature.

[cckw]

The factory person that sharpened the knife probably changed the angle he/she was holding by the time they got to the tip. I have never been there or seen a photo or video. but by looking at blades I am guessing they are sharpened relatively free hand. Probably an angle guide to start with but not the whole time. In the crew that sharpens there is the best person and the worst person, and each persons best and worst work. My South fork was poorly done in the last 1.5". by the tip the angle was about 2x one side vs other. Two things you can do. as already said, fix it to the true angle, or if you have a reliable hand adjust the angle you hold so that you are getting it sharped at the original angle, plus a tiny bit and it will true it up over time. I do the over time way.

[Buendia518]

Hey everyone.
I didn't want to repost about this but right now I'm trying to sharpen my chaparral (on a sharpmaker) for the second time and I've got a couple questions. As I said originally the edge angle is too high/too blunt on the left side. I've sharpened it on medium stones by tilting the last inch into the stone and I'm just not consistent enough to get it very sharp toward the tip. This time around I want to use the diamond stones to reset the bevel correctly, which is where I seek some advice...


Should I pass it on the diamond stones at 40 degrees for a while? Is there any reason to use them at 30 degrees first, perhaps only on the left side where I need to remove metal?

Also last time I used the diamond stones I think I caused a very small chip, is that the result of too much pressure?

Thanks

[Syncharmony]

Hey everyone.
I didn't want to repost about this but right now I'm trying to sharpen my chaparral (on a sharpmaker) for the second time and I've got a couple questions. As I said originally the edge angle is too high/too blunt on the left side. I've sharpened it on medium stones by tilting the last inch into the stone and I'm just not consistent enough to get it very sharp toward the tip. This time around I want to use the diamond stones to reset the bevel correctly, which is where I seek some advice...


Should I pass it on the diamond stones at 40 degrees for a while? Is there any reason to use them at 30 degrees first, perhaps only on the left side where I need to remove metal?

Also last time I used the diamond stones I think I caused a very small chip, is that the result of too much pressure?

Thanks

You want to use light pressure with the diamond stones. They are very aggressive and will take steel off your knife even with a gentle stroke. If you push down too hard you can wear down the rods quicker which isn't good.

If you aren't hitting the edge at 40 degrees in an area, then yeah I would start with 40 degrees doing passes until you make total edge contact on both sides of the knife. Then switch to the 30 degrees to slim it down a little more and make future sharpening jobs easier. You can then go up through the grits at 30 degrees to polish your back bevel then go back to 40 degrees and fine tune the edge.

[Buendia518]

Thanks for the input Syncharmony, I put it off again tonight but I'll use your advice tomorrow.

[Surfingringo]

Hey buendia, if it were mine and the primary bevel lacked accuracy I would reprofile with the the diamond stones and get the edge trued up at 30 degrees. You have the diamond stones, and that's what they're for so I say go ahead and get it done. Once you have your edge good to go at 30, future touch ups will be super easy at 40 degrees. I would rather take 15 minutes to get the bevel set properly than spend the next year working around an improper angle.

Re your question about micro bevels at 40 degrees. I never use the diamond stones. The idea is to keep the micro bevel as small as possible. Using too heavy a grit will just widen the bevel and mean more work in successive sharpenings and less time until the next reprofile. When I reprofile at 30 degrees and have a good sharp apex along the whole edge, I can put a hair whittling 40 degree micro bevel on with about 6-7 passes on the mediums and then the same with the whites. It doesn't take much at all if you've got your primary set right.

[Evil D]

I would hit it on the diamonds at 30 and avoid leaning. You want to correct the bevel since it wasn't even last time. Then for future touch ups use the 40 slot with your ceramic stones. What you wanna do after using the 40 to bring back the edge is go back and make a few passes on the 30 again. This will help to keep your bevel thin and avoid letting the 40 take over as the primary bevel, which it will do over time. It will help to avoid long sessions later when you will end up with a 40 degree bevel and want to take it back down to 30 again.

[Buendia518]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not sure this sort of detailed instruction is available anywhere so I really appreciate it.

I lack patience so I've had to split up the reprofiling into multiple sessions. It's going a bit slower than I expected but I can see the progress. I'll update once I've got this all done.

Thanks again,
Duke

[bearfacedkiller]

I would start at 30 and put a full 30 degree bevel on it before working down to the fine stones at 30 degrees and then going to 40 degrees after a good 30 degree bevel has been established.

I would buy a jewelers loop too. Better than a sharpie. Changed my whole game. Otherwise you are just sharpening in the dark. They are about 10-20 bucks.

[bearfacedkiller]

Everyones speed with a sharpmaker is different. I go really really fast with knives I don't care about as much and the tips are a bit rounded on them. If you love an extremely sharp point at the tip then take your time. I'll drag the tip off the rod with the fine and ultra fine rods but if you do that with the diamond or medium rods you will round the tip off a little. Most people struggle with sharpening. I used to and now I can get knives to whittle hair.



Good luck.

Darby

[Buendia518]

I would start at 30 and put a full 30 degree bevel on it before working down to the fine stones at 30 degrees and then going to 40 degrees after a good 30 degree bevel has been established.

I would buy a jewelers loop too. Better than a sharpie. Changed my whole game. Otherwise you are just sharpening in the dark. They are about 10-20 bucks.

Hey thanks again for the advice everyone (I'm now giving this advice). I really stalled on finishing my chaparral but I'm getting back to it. I have plenty of energy to go at it I'm just running into another uncertainty; how will I know I'm done setting the 30 degree bevel with the diamond rods, and when I' ready to move to the brown rods and fine rods? I'm still using a sharpie without magnification unfortunately. I reapply the sharpie and it's removed all the way to the edge fairly evenly. Am I ready to switch over at this point?

[Evil D]

The best way is to use a bright light and hold the edge directly under the light. Of the edge reflects like and shines in any spot, then you haven't apexed the edge yet. Also be mindful of burrs which can sometimes reflect light if they get too big.

[Surfingringo]

If you are sure that the thirty degree bevel you are setting goes all the way to the edge on both sides then you are done with the diamond stones. The knife should very roughly shave at this point in my experience. I would go ahead and go through the grit progression at 30 to clean up any burr, then put a VERY light microbevel on at 40. For this, I use a half dozen passes on the mediums followed by a half dozen on the fines at 40 degrees.

[Buendia518]

Alright thanks again, I'll get back to work later today. I looked really closely against a light and I probably have tiny bit more work on the diamond rods but not much.

[Surfingringo]

Better too do a little extra work at heavier grit than "not quite enough".

[Evil D]

With course grit once you know you're close to the apex you need to lighten your strokes gradually to the point of barely touching. This will help reduce burrs and also reduce how deep the scratches are and make the transition into the finer grit easier.

[bh49]

how will I know I'm done setting the 30 degree bevel with the diamond rods, and when I' ready to move to the brown rods and fine rods? I'm still using a sharpie without magnification unfortunately.

There is always old fashion way to create a burr. Grind one side until you create a burr along the edge. You will be able to feel it with your nail. After you done, do the same with opposite side. Try to keep the burr at minimum. After you done with opposite side make several alternating strokes to reduce the burr to absolute minimum.

With course grit once you know you're close to the apex you need to lighten your strokes gradually to the point of barely touching. This will help reduce burrs and also reduce how deep the scratches are and make the transition into the finer grit easier.

+1
Actually I do this all Rods. Finishing stroke just a weight of the knife or less.