I wanted to start a post, to help those new and old on my simplified way to sharpen knives on Whetstones. I've been around a while and have handled/sharpened hundreds of knives. I started with a DMT diamond block setup, then moved Edge Pro super deluxe exquisite model. The kit had over 100 pieces. Then for the last five or six years, have moved on to synthetic stones and eventually natural stones.
I will say from my experience, there is a lot of hocius pocius going on out there in the sharpening world. From technique to materials. OH My, conjecture and perceptions are all over the place. With this post, I'd like to share what I've learned that will give the fastest possible sharpest longest lasting edge.
My methodology.
In dealing with hard steels >60 HRC, the steel primarily looses its sharpness because the apex has been mechanically abraded. But usually, the keenness on the apex can be refreshed by just removing the smallest about of metal. I personal think the biggest mistake people make when sharpening on whetstones is their taking way too much steel off the edge and prematurely aging the knife. I also don't think that its necessary to create a burr on anything less that very rounded edges. If you study the sharpening videos from our KKF smiths (Catcheside, Anderson, Dalman), they finish their edges with the most modest materials, strokes and pressure.
Also, I'm not a fan or believe in pastes, sprays, felt... I have it all and its not necessary and only complicates/confuses things and makes it that much harder to maintain consistency.
My Materials:
Unless I'm thinning a worn knife, my current set-up is:
Japanese Knife Imports Diamond 1K & 6K
Soft coarse no-name JNS Nagura
2.5VL somewhat soft Aiitwani renge
3.0LV somewhat course Ohira natural stone
4.5LV Ohira Suita hard and full of purple and red Renge
5.0LV Ozuku Suita very hard, creamy, fine
Technique:
1.) Setting the bevel:
Wet 1K, using light strokes alternate between edge trailing and edge leading strokes at the angle you want to set your bevel at. Usually that means a lower angle on the right side and a higher angle on the left. All your trying to do at this stage is to establish the primary bevel and put some some gnarly teeth on it. It should feel ultra bity and clean of any burr. Don't expect this 1K edge to perform any tricks yet.
2.) Refining the bevel:
Wet a 6K stone and sharpen the right and left side, gently at the same angle as the 1K. Go easy. might only take a few strokes on each side. Then finish with edge trailing stropping on that stone. In this step, you're trying to refine a very toothy edge, you should feel the edge bite more, but not be as grabby. With this technique, don't expect tricks off a 6K stone either.
3.) Sharpening the apex:
Depending on the harness and type of steel I'm sharpening, I'll choose a finishing progression. Lets say I'm doing a Kato WH. I'd start with the Soft Ohira/nagura. I always leave the stones to dry naturally so their covered in mud anyway.
What your trying to achieve in sharpening the apex is to both remove the shoulder and refine the primary bevel.
After building up some slurry, start sharpening at an angle lower than when you were setting the bevel. With a few light passes on each side. Your trying to remove any shoulder created in steps 1 & 2. Then go back again and sharpen both sides at the angle you sharpened in steps 1 & 2. Again, just a few light strokes. Then again, trail edge strokes at bevel setting angle.
4.) Refining the Apex:
This is where it gets fun. Now you should have an edge that is grabby but refined, should have immediate bite, no finger slip. You can stop at this stage or jump off the cliff. If I'm doing hard Japanese carbon knives, I'll use the Ozuku with a diamond nagura slurry. Same technique as Step 3. Starting first pass removing the shoulder, then the second pass sharpening at bevel setting angle.
No felt, cork, denim, chromium oxide, balsa... is necessary to create and edge that will immediate slice into rolled phone book paper. Technique works every time on every steel, and blade profile. Hope that helps.
dennis
I will say from my experience, there is a lot of hocius pocius going on out there in the sharpening world. From technique to materials. OH My, conjecture and perceptions are all over the place. With this post, I'd like to share what I've learned that will give the fastest possible sharpest longest lasting edge.
My methodology.
In dealing with hard steels >60 HRC, the steel primarily looses its sharpness because the apex has been mechanically abraded. But usually, the keenness on the apex can be refreshed by just removing the smallest about of metal. I personal think the biggest mistake people make when sharpening on whetstones is their taking way too much steel off the edge and prematurely aging the knife. I also don't think that its necessary to create a burr on anything less that very rounded edges. If you study the sharpening videos from our KKF smiths (Catcheside, Anderson, Dalman), they finish their edges with the most modest materials, strokes and pressure.
Also, I'm not a fan or believe in pastes, sprays, felt... I have it all and its not necessary and only complicates/confuses things and makes it that much harder to maintain consistency.
My Materials:
Unless I'm thinning a worn knife, my current set-up is:
Japanese Knife Imports Diamond 1K & 6K
Soft coarse no-name JNS Nagura
2.5VL somewhat soft Aiitwani renge
3.0LV somewhat course Ohira natural stone
4.5LV Ohira Suita hard and full of purple and red Renge
5.0LV Ozuku Suita very hard, creamy, fine
Technique:
1.) Setting the bevel:
Wet 1K, using light strokes alternate between edge trailing and edge leading strokes at the angle you want to set your bevel at. Usually that means a lower angle on the right side and a higher angle on the left. All your trying to do at this stage is to establish the primary bevel and put some some gnarly teeth on it. It should feel ultra bity and clean of any burr. Don't expect this 1K edge to perform any tricks yet.
2.) Refining the bevel:
Wet a 6K stone and sharpen the right and left side, gently at the same angle as the 1K. Go easy. might only take a few strokes on each side. Then finish with edge trailing stropping on that stone. In this step, you're trying to refine a very toothy edge, you should feel the edge bite more, but not be as grabby. With this technique, don't expect tricks off a 6K stone either.
3.) Sharpening the apex:
Depending on the harness and type of steel I'm sharpening, I'll choose a finishing progression. Lets say I'm doing a Kato WH. I'd start with the Soft Ohira/nagura. I always leave the stones to dry naturally so their covered in mud anyway.
What your trying to achieve in sharpening the apex is to both remove the shoulder and refine the primary bevel.
After building up some slurry, start sharpening at an angle lower than when you were setting the bevel. With a few light passes on each side. Your trying to remove any shoulder created in steps 1 & 2. Then go back again and sharpen both sides at the angle you sharpened in steps 1 & 2. Again, just a few light strokes. Then again, trail edge strokes at bevel setting angle.
4.) Refining the Apex:
This is where it gets fun. Now you should have an edge that is grabby but refined, should have immediate bite, no finger slip. You can stop at this stage or jump off the cliff. If I'm doing hard Japanese carbon knives, I'll use the Ozuku with a diamond nagura slurry. Same technique as Step 3. Starting first pass removing the shoulder, then the second pass sharpening at bevel setting angle.
No felt, cork, denim, chromium oxide, balsa... is necessary to create and edge that will immediate slice into rolled phone book paper. Technique works every time on every steel, and blade profile. Hope that helps.
dennis
