Sharpening A Head Knife?

[Tkleather1]

Hey all, I am curious what the best angle is to sharpen at for my head knives? I have been struggling with this in the past and now I have a new toy that I will try out. but now that I have a jig I would like to know what angle seems to hold up the best and stay the longest.

Thanks

Tim Worley

TK-Leather

[Tkleather1]

Did all of my knife sharpeners leave the board?

[Kevin]

Since nobody else has answered,I'll give my half assed answer. I think I've read 20 degrees somewhere.

My answer is every knife is different and you've got to find what you like best. I go for the thinnest edge I can get without it getting a wire edge, sometimes even that is ok once you remove it. Thickness of the metal and hardness is what dictate the angle.

Hopefully someone else will pitch in now with a correct answer,

Kevin

[Tkleather1]

Well Thanks Kevin, I am tryin out 22 right now but it seems to be awful shallow to hold an edge. but I will see.

[dirtclod]

Unless the knife all ready have a bevel ground in the blade i just hold the knife where it's comfortable for me. No ideal what the angle is but it's generally a fairly flat angle. I go in a circlular motion to when i sharpen a head / round knife because it works best for me. It may not for you.

After i sharpen i use a strop that i made from a piece of plywood with 2 pieces of gray cardboard glued on it just like a poster on here suggested here and it works better than the leather ones i have used for years. One side has green compound and the other has white compound.I made mine about 3 inches wide and about 25 inches long with handle. That size came about because it was size of the scrap. But i do think the longer strop you have the better off you are with in reason.

Edited October 3, 2010 by dirtclod

[TwinOaks]

Marlon posted a Tutorial on this a good while back: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1669

There's also a few other pinned topics in the "tools" heading that deal with sharpening.

[gtwister09]

Tim,

Somehow this made it past me. I shoot for 20 degrees on most of my leather knives.

Here's a general guideline for you concerning sharpening angles for various instruments. Some other guidelines that are sometimes followed is that as the material gets harder that the angle decreases with 15 degrees being used only for the hardest materials because of their delicateness. There are trade-offs of durability for sharpness. That's the reason for different blade types, shapes, grinds, sharpening methods and so forth. These aren't gospel below but they will give you some rough/general guidelines. Hope that helps.

Deg -- Description/General Guidelines

30 -- For cutting cardboard, wire and carpeting

25 -- Durable sharp edge for hunting and outdoor usage

20 -- For folders, fixed blades(various types), kitchen knifes, etc

17 -- Razor blades - sharp but delicate edges

15 -- Same as 17 degrees - harder edges

Regards,

Ben

Edited October 3, 2010 by gtwister09

[Tkleather1]

thanks guys I will attempt the 19 to 20 degree range

[rccolt45]

thanks guys I will attempt the 19 to 20 degree range

Did you find a jig that sets the angle for you? I would love to now where to get one as I find maintaing a consistent angle a bear!

[Tkleather1]

I am currently using a Gatco knife sharpening system. It seems to be working really nice. I did buy the extra fine diamond stone for it however.

[rccolt45]

I just checked out the Gatco video. Couple questions for you.

1. Do you put the angel jig to the left or right of the handle or does it not matter?

2. Do you go back and forth with the stornes or in a circle?

[Tkleather1]

Well it doesnt matter what side you put the handle on. on one of my knives I have to do half of the blade and then put the handle on the other side, but as long as you stay with the same angle it works out . I was trying to go back and forth but had way better results using small circles

[JerryLevine]

Hi Guys,

I've used the Lansky system for years, which lokos very similar to the Gatco one. I hadn't seen the Gatco one until I saw it in this thread - it actually looks more comprehensive than the Lansky one (Thanks for pointing it out, Tim).

Just to add my tuppence here to Tim's notes above........

Do eveything Tim says, but remember to overlap your strokes when you move the jig to the other side of the handle, so that you get the same angle all the way across the blade.

One problem I have with the Lansky system which I think the Gatco system seems to solve is that my guide rods for the hones work loose, causing the the hones to swivel and become unlevel. I always put my hone and guide rod assembly on my skiving slab to make sure the face of the hone and guide rod are properly level before I tighten the screw to secure the rod to the hone. This ensures that the angle I'm using is accurate and consistent (Gatco seems to have fixed the hone guides in place so that you won't have that issue) and its a real pain to have to stop making small circles to have to re-level the whole thing every few minutes when they work loose....

Think I'll have a look at the Gatco system properly!

All the best,

Jerry

[Bobby hdflame]

I just bought one of the new Damascus Round Knives from Tandy. I figured for the price on sale, I couldn't beat it for a starter knife. It was pretty sharp when I got it, but it wouldn't shave.

I've had a Lansky system for probably 25 years or more. I have never had a problem with it getting lose while I was using it. I did have one of the little brass inserts pull/break out of a stone. Luckily, I had received a second system as a gift, so I had an extra stone to replace it.

I also reposition the jig to both sides of the handle in order to sharpen both sides of the blade. I have never used circles, but just use long even strokes going from the edge back towards the handle while moving it across the blade. I also count the number of strokes that I use, usually starting at 20 on each side and working my way back to only 1 stroke per side. If it is the first time I've sharpened a blade, I start with the coarse stone, then the medium, and lastly the fine. I don't have the ultra fine or diamond hone. As I sharpen I flip the blade each time I count down in order to sharpen BOTH sides equally.

After using the stone, I used jewelers rouge on leather to strop it. It was shaving even before stropping, but that really polished the blade!

I have not seen the video of the Gatco yet, but will watch it. Thanks for sharing.

Jerry, why don't you use some Locktite on the threads when you put the rod in? Then just leave them together instead of taking them apart for storage. I also put mine on top of a flat surface when I put on the rod in order to get them all at the same level with the stone.

[JerryLevine]

I just bought one of the new Damascus Round Knives from Tandy. I figured for the price on sale, I couldn't beat it for a starter knife. It was pretty sharp when I got it, but it wouldn't shave.

I've had a Lansky system for probably 25 years or more. I have never had a problem with it getting lose while I was using it. I did have one of the little brass inserts pull/break out of a stone. Luckily, I had received a second system as a gift, so I had an extra stone to replace it.

I also reposition the jig to both sides of the handle in order to sharpen both sides of the blade. I have never used circles, but just use long even strokes going from the edge back towards the handle while moving it across the blade. I also count the number of strokes that I use, usually starting at 20 on each side and working my way back to only 1 stroke per side. If it is the first time I've sharpened a blade, I start with the coarse stone, then the medium, and lastly the fine. I don't have the ultra fine or diamond hone. As I sharpen I flip the blade each time I count down in order to sharpen BOTH sides equally.

After using the stone, I used jewelers rouge on leather to strop it. It was shaving even before stropping, but that really polished the blade!

I have not seen the video of the Gatco yet, but will watch it. Thanks for sharing.

Jerry, why don't you use some Locktite on the threads when you put the rod in? Then just leave them together instead of taking them apart for storage. I also put mine on top of a flat surface when I put on the rod in order to get them all at the same level with the stone.

Bobby,

Thanks for the Loktite tip. Unfortuately that would mean I would have to leave them out of the box, which would, invenitably, lead to them becoming misplaced. I'll give it a go for my next dedicated session, though, because i've also got some superglue remover....! I also like the discipline of counting your strokes.

Thanks again.

Jerry