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Sharpening a whittling knife
Septus
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm thinking of trying my hand at woodcarving, and I would begin with whittling. I think I know what knife I plan to buy, but I have no idea what I need for a sharpening kit. I'd like something relatively inexpensive, in case this hobby doesn't stick with me, but I want something that will keep the (small) blade to a reasonable level of sharpness.
Do I need just a whetsone and strop, do I need one of those systems where you clamp the knife so the sharpening stone hits at just the right angle, and any specific recommendations on brands etc?
Do I need just a whetsone and strop, do I need one of those systems where you clamp the knife so the sharpening stone hits at just the right angle, and any specific recommendations on brands etc?
PSN: Kurahoshi1
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The exact angle isn't too important unless you're doing almost surgical carvings, so you don't need a clamp. Just remember to get a whetstone that works with the alloy of your blade. The basics for sharpening then apply: correct direction and (approximately) correct angle. Not too sure of the brands, but your blade should have an alloy noted that you could cross-reference to a stone.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
In my opinion, using a whetstone is not that difficult. On my first try I was able to sharpen my kitchen knife to where it would easily shave off my arm hair. But, some other people can have a hard time. I recommend you steer clear of those automatic sharpener things where you just slide your knife through it. Those will change the profile (angle, symmetry, etc) of your blade and also ruins it. There are electron microscope pictures of a knife blade that has been through one of those, and it looks terrible.
I honestly don't have much expertise on what VeritasVR is talking about with correct alloy and whetstone. I've used the same whetstones on everything from a machete to a sushi knife and they all ended sharp enough to my standards. Usually, the harder the steel, the longer it takes to sharpen a knife.
What knife are you going to get? This can narrow down a lot on what sharpening system would be best suited for you.
Anyways, onto your question. Because you'll be just starting and you're not sure if you want to further pursue this hobby, you could go with a portable sharpening system like this Fallkniven Combo whetstone. I keep it on me when I go hiking and camping in case I need to touch up my blade. It's a good small size and ain't that expensive, and after sharpening I can cut paper and shave hair. It has a ceramic side with a high grit for the more rough around the edge jobs, and a fine diamond side to get your knife even more sharp.
The best fool proof way to sharpen a knife, in my experience, is to sharpen it with a convex edge. Instead of the usual beveled edge shape of a knife, a convex edge is curved. It might sound like this knife edge style is less sharp than the standard bevel, but it can be just as sharp. It also naturally parts away wood better, so it's better for whittling and cutting. Because of the blade geometry, it tends to stay sharper for a longer period of time.
The beautiful part about a convex edge? All you need is a mouse pad and sand paper. The mouse pad is soft so when a knife's blade is dragged along the surface, it slightly sinks in and the mouse pad "hugs" the blade, forming the natural curve the knife blade has. It's also a little different than sharpening with a whetstone. For a stone, you push the knife so that the edge is the leading element. For convex, you drag the knife with the blade edge touching the sand paper and the spine is the leading element. You're basically stropping the blade but at a more courser level. If you need a better illustration, I can link you.
The only pain in the ass with convex sharpening is that you have to re-profile your blade from the regular bevel to the convex edge. It's not hard at all, it just takes a little time. You take a course grit sand paper (I start with 150) and work the blade. Once you get the convex edge, you move on up to something more fine. Let's say, 220. And after a few strokes, you move on to something around 400. I go all the way to 800, but 600 is usually fine. This would all cost about ~$20.
Stropping is always good for your knife, whether it be for a beveled edge or a convex. There are a few methods to doing it, but my favorite is getting a special compound, rubbing it on an old leather belt, and stropping it.
I know this is a lot of information, but I love knives. I might start up a knife thread in D&D soon, but there's so much to cover.
If you tell me more about what you want to do, what knife you're going to get, and how much you're willing to spend, we can narrow it down. And, if you need good guides on how to sharpen a knife, I can link you to those, too.
Cheap but effective. Some Walmarts sell the Smith Pocket sharpeners. Cheap and does the job.
Take a glance at this webpage and it'll show what your blade will look like after using a pull through. The micro-serrated edge is good for cutting rope and cord, but it isn't good for whittling. The serrations and other jagged edges will make the wood fibers catch onto the blade, and it will be harder to cut and give you less control.
This is what I'm thinking of getting to start out.
I'd think any kind of pull-through sharpener would work poorly or not at all for these really short blades.
I'm a little hesitant to drop $50 on a sharpener at this point though(the Spyderco). It looks like standard block whetstones would only run me $30, if that'll do.
I don't have much experience sharpening with Arkansas stones, and I was really tempted to buy them at one point, but I went with the Japanese waterstones instead. My very handy neighbor uses them, and he loves them.
If you're just going to be doing this for a hobby, pick up a few cheap manufactured stone of different grits.
I know you recommended a basic stone, Pinenut, but only now do I realize that there's a lot of recommendations for two different levels of stone, one for the grinding to get the bur, and another to polish the edge. Am I going to have to get a second stone(I'm not even sure if what I got is more for the initial grinding or not)? I don't think I have a need of a really great edge, but I am finding my knife lacking for some sharpness, when cutting one way on the grain of my wood.
Edit: Looks like this is probably what I got. The description actually makes reference to another side being good for finishing, but I tried and failed to notice any difference in coarseness on any of its sides.
For the stone you have, it would take quite a while to get a bur going (because the stone is "soft" ie very fine grit). For your line of work, though, all you really need is to touch up every once in a while, depending on how often you use your knives.
I went to Flexcut's website, as most knife/tool websites have sharpening tips according to their own brand of knives, and they have some instruction. The website also has a FAQ with some more info as well. There is also this website and it has some good instructions.
Good luck!
So I should treat my stone as a polishing stone and just try to maintain the edge until I start noticing a more significant loss of cutting ability? I think I might still have an issue with knowing just what angle to polish at.
Here's the easiest way to do it:
Place the stone on a flat surface, and take your knife and place it blade down as if you were chopping the stone. Your blade is now perpendicular to the surface (90 degrees). Now tilt your blade down halfway so it forms an angle (45 degrees). Now, by eyeballing it, tilt the blade down again half way, forming a 22.5 degree angle. Adjust slightly to a smaller angle for a sharper blade.
As for maintaining that angle throughout sharpening, don't sweat it too much. If you have to reset after each stroke, that's completely fine. My uncle used to be a sushi chef at a pretty successful restaurant, and he would take upwards to 3 hours to maintain all his knives (he had about 4). Once you go through the step a few times, you'll get used to it and you'll be ready to get back to whittling in 10-20 minutes.
I'm also doing this dry, since I read that these stones don't require water.
I may buy a strop anyway though, since it seems to be pretty widely recommended, and I really am noticing a big increase in the difficulty of cutting the wood.
On the whole thickness of the edge being more on the other, check out this and tell me which grind your knife is closest to. If it's any of the chisel grinds (the last three), then you should definitely concentrate on the side with most surface area (the right side of the edge when referring to the pictures).
Sushi knives are very similar to chisel grinds because they offer the most sharpest edge, but they require lots of attention (due to the thinness of the edge, it is more prone to damage and also gets dull more quickly). The rule of thumb is if you do ten strokes on the sharp side, then you do one stroke on the other (10:1). Of course, you'll be doing a lot more than ten strokes. My uncle does about 300 on one side and 30 on the other.
If your blade is more like the asymmetrical v flat (4th one), then the same rule applies but the ratio would be a little different, most likely 3:1 or 2:1. I recommend 2:1. But, it could also be a manufacturer's defect and they wanted complete symmetry, but due to the machine process it just messed up.
Keep trying with the stone you have, and if you feel as though you're getting no where, get a stone that's a bit more course.
A strop is also highly recommended, but remember, if your blade is already dull, a strop is going to get you no where.
I think I might stop by the store and pick one of these knives up. I'm making a cane for a friend and I need to do some detailed work. If I do pick one up any time soon, I'll check it out and try sharpening it and give you some feedback.
As for now, practice, practice, practice.
Does that sound right to you? That would indicate that I might be grinding the blade to make a new edge, but leaving it rough and unpolished.