Correct Edge Angle for Sharpening
Hi everyone,
I have a DMT Guided Diamond sharpener on order. I'm very excited, having never sharpened any of my Benchmades before.
Only 2 of my oldest knives are, in my opinion, in need of serious help. The rest of my small collection has been in regular EDC rotation, but for overall light use. I feel that, as a beginner, I'd like to simply bring my blades back to a great edge, and also stay true to the original factory angle. Once I gain experience and better understanding, I can delve into more nuanced expressions of my blades.
So, starting out, how do I determine what the edge is on my blade? I know the sharpener has 7 guided angles for me to choose from. I watched a brief video from the manufacturer, but I think it just said to 'set your desired angle', etc.
I'm hoping to minimize my trial and error..or maybe just the error part.
Any wisdom and experience is greatly appreciated!
I have a DMT Guided Diamond sharpener on order. I'm very excited, having never sharpened any of my Benchmades before.
Only 2 of my oldest knives are, in my opinion, in need of serious help. The rest of my small collection has been in regular EDC rotation, but for overall light use. I feel that, as a beginner, I'd like to simply bring my blades back to a great edge, and also stay true to the original factory angle. Once I gain experience and better understanding, I can delve into more nuanced expressions of my blades.
So, starting out, how do I determine what the edge is on my blade? I know the sharpener has 7 guided angles for me to choose from. I watched a brief video from the manufacturer, but I think it just said to 'set your desired angle', etc.
I'm hoping to minimize my trial and error..or maybe just the error part.
Any wisdom and experience is greatly appreciated!
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There are many threads about sharpening but you have specific questions that will require a little bit of trial and error. Just remember not to be to cavalier. Most blades that have seen minimal use can be renewed with a finer stone. The more aggressive the stone the more damage you can do but sometimes you have to take off some serious metal in order to get an edge profile you're looking for.
There's no easy answer. It's a hard thing to learn because there are so many variables. For me it's like learning to Eskimo roll a kayak. Impossible at first, but once you get it, you're good to go. Good luck.0 -
I have the same DMT system. You will find the middle a good place to start and stay. I use the number 4 position most of the time and it works well. With wider blades you can adjust accordingly. 0 -
Boinkman,
What you say makes sense, and I understand your point. Well said, thank you.
B.O.B,
Thanks for sharing what works for you, I'll take it into consideration.0 -
No problem. 0 -
Blink,
So how deep does the water have to be for you to
Eskimo roll a kayak
Without getting yourself into hot water?0 -
1.5 feet. You can always pop out of the boat and stand up but then your boat will fill with water. Common practice amongst kayakers is to lean forward and press your chest to the deck of the boat to minimize the amount of under water clearance needed. 0 -
Color the edge bevel with a felt pen, like a sharpie. Then using a med-fine stone pick an angle that looks close and make a light stroke or two. Check to see if the marker was removed from the whole bevel(matching, just what you want) removed from the edge side (too steep) or the shoulder of the bevel(too shallow).
If the knife was modified and you wish to return to stock I believe Benchmade uses 30-35 degree included angle, 15-18 per side.(I recommend 18 unless there is a specific reason to go lower or higher and you know the alloy can benefit)
I use an electronic angle cube with my sharpening jig, or many smartphones have angle sensors and can get decent angles with a simple app[but this can be cumbersome].
Set the cube on the knife blade tare/zero it then set it on the back of the stone with the stone resting on the knife edge, presto your angle.
Alternately or for freehand stones, you can use a ruler and trigonometry or protractor and a piece of cardstock/cardboard to make a triangle with the angle desired.(I generally clip the last 1/8-1/4 inch of the tip for ease of use)0 -
quote:Originally posted by Capsicum:
Color the edge bevel with a felt pen, like a sharpie...
There you go...most essential sharpening tip ever. Without that, you'll never know if you've got the angle right or not.0 -
Capsicum and Po,
Thank you very much for the help!0
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