Help Mark choose some gear

[m7copy]

Dang, I was going to try to turn it into some supernatural samurai blade.

I imagine the difference between 15 and 20 degrees would be 1) harder to grind 15 degrees because more metal to take off and 2) the edge wouldn't hold well because (I think) the Chicago Cutlery steel is softer than that in good Japanese knives. Is that correct? Would it be much harder to grind to 15 degrees?

Thanks a lot!

[gladius]

Dang, I was going to try to turn it into some supernatural samurai blade.

I imagine the difference between 15 and 20 degrees would be 1) harder to grind 15 degrees because more metal to take off and 2) the edge wouldn't hold well because (I think) the Chicago Cutlery steel is softer than that in good Japanese knives. Is that correct? Would it be much harder to grind to 15 degrees?

Thanks a lot!

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Spot on. Try getting a good edge at 20 degrees first and later you can take it steeper but know the knife may not hold it well and not get as sharp due to heat treat compared to many finer grained Japanese steels.

[m7copy]

Thank you gladius!

[m7copy]

Okay, I think I'm making some progress but have questions, would be grateful for advice.

1) I am using this https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yasttr.html to hold my stone in place, and as I continue sharpening and add water to keep the stone wet, the water runs off the stone into the holder and the stone starts sliding around. I put a paper towel under the stone and that helped some. Any tips? Should I get one of the sink bridges, or a holder that clamps the stone in place?

2) What does a burr feel like? Do you feel it by stroking the side of the knife, toward and parallel to the edge, or by stroking the edge perpendicular to the edge (like you do when trying to get a rough idea about whether a knife is sharp)?

3) The mud that builds up with sharpening is called slurry and is desirable, helps with abrasion, right? Or should it be washed off the stone?

I wore my stone down enough that I had to use a flattening plate on it. Yay.

Thanks a lot!

Mark

[polytope]

2) What does a burr feel like? Do you feel it by stroking the side of the knife, toward and parallel to the edge, or by stroking the edge perpendicular to the edge (like you do when trying to get a rough idea about whether a knife is sharp)?

Re how do I feel it, some terminology:
When you say "parallel to the edge" I understand you as meaning in the direction from the spine to the edge. (Personally, I consider "parallel to the edge" as meaning the direction from handle to tip, but all good as long as I understand your question) When you say "perpendicular to the edge", I understand you as meaning in the direction from the left side of the knife to the right side of the knife, brushing lightly across the edge. I do the former and not the latter.

As for how I feel it, pretend I've just chopped some chives. Most of them fell off—what nice release this knife has!—but one of them is still hanging onto the edge. I give it a little brush with my finger so it drops into a ramekin. It's a very light stroke, in the direction from the spine to the edge.

Re what burrs feel like, since it's hard to describe maybe more helpful would be to describe what it doesn't feel like: it doesn't feel like the other side of the edge. In other words, if you stroke the right side of the edge, then stroke the left side of that same piece of edge, and if they feel the same, then you don't have a burr.

If you kind of sort of maybe think the right side feels different than the left but you guess it's just your imagination, you might have a burr; and the burr will be on the side of the knife you're not grinding. If you then grind the other side, and the sensations you get when feeling the sides of the edge also swap, then you definitely have a burr.

Edit: forgot an important sentence.

[Jeff B]

Okay, I think I'm making some progress but have questions, would be grateful for advice.

1) I am using this https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yasttr.html to hold my stone in place, and as I continue sharpening and add water to keep the stone wet, the water runs off the stone into the holder and the stone starts sliding around. I put a paper towel under the stone and that helped some. Any tips? Should I get one of the sink bridges, or a holder that clamps the stone in place?...

Get a stone holder and set it in the tray. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/nastho.html

[ken123]

To begin sharpening well you need to know how to generate a burr. Not a half assed bullshit burr - an OBVIOUS burr. The best way to do this is on a cheap knife with a VERY COARSE STONE. I recommend a 150 grit stone. Sharpen on just one side until you have an OBVIOUS burr. This is your beginning. You should be able to feel it easily. It should grab on a paper towel. If the burr gets large enough it will fall off in pieces. This is a wire edge. It is too large of a burr. Now that you know what a burr is you must learn to generate tiny burrs next.

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Ken

[ken123]

I also recommend a stoneholder as well. Not essential but very nice to have.

---
Ken

[m7copy]

Okay, more questions. (Thank you!)

How can you tell how long a stone has to soak? I see very few if any bubbles.

What happens if you don't soak it enough?

I'm getting the hang of this. The old knife I've been practicing on is pretty sharp now. Thanks to all of you!

[m7copy]

And one more: I have read a lot that the coarse stone does almost all the real sharpening, and when people talk about using finer stones they talk about polishing to a nice finish or use related terms. Do finer stones make the knife much sharper at all, or are they mostly to improve appearance of the edge?

[lsboogy]

All depends on the stone how long you soak it. Some stones can just be left in water (permasoaked) and some just need a spray or three of water and are ready to go (splash and go). Unless we know what stones you are using, there is almost no way to recommend how long to soak on - my old Kikuichi 1K (cats broke it) and Nubatama 1200 need(ed) 15 minutes for my sharpening style. And yes, a low grit stone can do most of the work much faster. I'm starting to get used to using a 220 grit stone, spent years with a 1K, 6K, and 8K stones - would get most of the work done on a 1K. Now I'm learning a 220 grit stone is a better alternative for setting a bevel - thanks Ken. And a good knife gets sharper with higher grit stones - I usually finish at 6 or 8K, but I love a knife that takes a 0.5 micron strop for many things.

[m7copy]

What makes some knives easier to sharpen than others? My guess would be that knives with complex edges (asymmetric or double bevel), and harder steel would be harder to sharpen. Is that correct? Thanks!

I am doing a little sharpening every night and the 2 old very dull knives I chose to learn on are now quite sharp.