How to fix rounded tips?

[atv223]

For newbies, it's pretty easy to round off a tip when sharpening on various systems. Even the Sharpmaker, if you draw the knife off the stones you can round the tip off.

I realize this is probably easier to prevent then fix, but I'm curious what technique people use to fix the tip when this happens?

[Evil D]

Be very careful when using the corners, that's when it's easy to drag the tip across the flats. I either let them sharpen back to a point over time (while being careful to not round them more) or grind the spine down to a sharp point again.

[Pelagic]

Be very careful when using the corners, that's when it's easy to drag the tip across the flats. I either let them sharpen back to a point over time (while being careful to not round them more) or grind the spine down to a sharp point again.

^^^ Thread stopper. This is all you need to know.

[Doc Dan]

Yeah I would sharpen them over Time till the point is pointy again.

[anycal]

I rounded tips on couple of knives when I first got my guided system. Haven't used it since.

It is easier to fix on bench stones, but over time you should be able to fix it on Sharp Maker as well.

Use a sharpie, and when sharpening, make sure you don't remove the ink from the very tip. If you have sharpie at the very tip, that means you are not rounding it further. Over time, it will flatten with rest of the edge.

Or reprofile, using the same method.

[JuPaul]

That's why my husband stopped using a worksharp for our kitchen knives - waaay to easy to blunt your tips. One stroke too far and bam, gone. As others have said, my husband went back to a benchstone for the kitchen knives and the blunted ones eventually sharpened back to pointy.

[Evil D]

After enough sharpening most folders will need the spine ground down a bit just so the tip isn't exposed when folded.

[prndltech]

Yeah I would sharpen them over Time till the point is pointy again.

This. I don’t worry about it, it’s hopeless for me. Pretty much all my knives lose the needle like tip either from use (me doing things I shouldn’t) or me sharpening carelessly. Sure I’d like them to be super pointy again like they were when they were new, but if I wanted to restore the point 1) I’d only ruin it shortly thereafter and 2) I’d be doing it weekly. Ain’t nobody got time for that! (At least this nobody don’t)

[Sharp Guy]

When using the corners on the Sharpmaker I don't insert the rods so the corners are facing each other. I put them in so the flats are facing each other. Then I use the corner of the stone at about a 45°angle instead of 90°. Seems less likely to drag the top across the flats that way.

When sharpening with my guided system and working the tip I do tip to heel strokes. Seems to shape the tip better. I worked on a UKPK the other night that I had rounded the tip pretty badly trying to sharpen on some diamond stones. I was able to make the tip much better. Still not factory pointy but getting there.

[Evil D]

When using the corners on the Sharpmaker I don't insert the rods so the corners are facing each other. I put them in so the flats are facing each other. The I use the corner of the stone at about a 45°angle instead of 90°. Seems less likely to drag the top across the flats that way.

When sharpening with my guided system and working the tip I do tip to heel strokes. Seems to shape the tip better. I worked on a UKPK the other night that I had rounded the tip pretty badly trying to sharpen on some diamond stones. I was able to make the tip much better. Still not factory pointy getting there.

I've done something similar to this with SE, sometimes on the corners I have to hit the rod at a funky angle to get the very back of the heel of the edge. I have noticed that this seems to hit at a different angle though. Maybe it's how I'm holding it I dunno. It works though.

[Ez556]

When using the corners on the Sharpmaker I don't insert the rods so the corners are facing each other. I put them in so the flats are facing each other. Then I use the corner of the stone at about a 45°angle instead of 90°. Seems less likely to drag the top across the flats that way.

That'll change the effective angle you are sharpening at. If you think about, take a rod set to 20° and look at it from the side. The rod is straight up and down, perpendicular, 90° from the surface. In essence, it is now a 0° sharpening angle. If you are angling your knife at all you are effectivly reducing the angle you are sharpening at away from the rod setting and towards that 0° depending on how much you are angling.

[Sharp Guy]

When using the corners on the Sharpmaker I don't insert the rods so the corners are facing each other. I put them in so the flats are facing each other. Then I use the corner of the stone at about a 45°angle instead of 90°. Seems less likely to drag the top across the flats that way.

That'll change the effective angle you are sharpening at. If you think about, take a rod set to 20° and look at it from the side. The rod is straight up and down, perpendicular, 90° from the surface. In essence, it is now a 0° sharpening angle. If you are angling your knife at all you are effectivly reducing the angle you are sharpening at away from the rod setting and towards that 0° depending on how much you are angling.

I get what you're saying but I don't rotate the handle enough that I'm not hitting the apex. I know I said 45° earlier but it's not that much. I'm usually pretty OCD about things like this but as long as I'm getting my knives sharp (and I do) I don't worry about things like this too much anymore. Start measuring the angles on your SM rods with an angle cube. Once I started seeing how different they can be due to differences in thickness of the stones I stopped worrying so much about minute differences in the angles. If my knives are getting sharp when I touch them up I'm good. If they're way off I might shim until they're close. I don't try to reprofile with the SM so minute differences in the angles doesn't bother me so much.