Steels, sharpening, edge angles?

[Ridley]

You can build your own strop with ease. Go to a tack/saddle shop and pick up some scrap leather. Glue two large paint stirring sticks together, then glue the leather to the stick (glue slick side of leather to stick). You can pick up stropping compound online.

 

[Macintosh]

Yes. 1/8” and thinner and no shorter than 3/4” tall if that gives a mental pic. Thin is less robust so a less acute angle 30 vs say 20 still is very sharp for such a thin knife and adds some sharp durability if you will. But definitely less prone to chips on bone with 30 ish in this example.

Some knives I’ve bought used or if I abused one chopping a hard wood - on a worksharp with 18” belt attachment is going to struggle restoring. I use stones or water stones before the belt.

If I desire say 25 per side I’ll set that angle first on each side. Then I’ll hold at 20 for each side. Finally 15 at each side. All on heavy grit, then repeat sequence for medium grit and again repeat for fine grit. This is for heavily damage or rounded edges. But This makes it easier to use a the work shop hobby belt system to blend the final 25 degree into a convex edge.

If I’m sharpening a definite dull knife of mine, already fully formed I just use the belt system from work sharp. Medium grit then fine great the polisher. 2 passes per side. This can also be done with a leather strop and wet dry sand paper on top. Strokes would be identical to using the stones above. After either I finish with a leather strop. See below.

If a knife of mine needs a touch up after use or during use or after significant re sharpening I use a leather strop with black (aggressive) and then white (fine).

Using a strop is a bit of an art and I’d be happy to do a visual call with you.

Also if you don’t know what exactly the edge angle you want looks like - use a protractor with your knife on a stone. Hold and stand up - Burn a mental image from your standing position on how far spine is from stone. When stropping with a knife for say 25 degree I actually hold half or 12 degrees ish. The nature of a soft medium…

Any edge I do regardless of what I’m using after the second side I check for a burr. If there is no Burr two edges are NOT intersecting and there’s no way to move forward. Repeat until theirs is a burr. Heavy grits leave burrs seen in a light above you and easily felt. Higher grit won’t be felt, use light to catch reflection.

If you’ve had a burr consistently as you move to higher grits eventually burr is too small to see or feel. Check sharp.

1 shave arm. If it pops it’s sharp, if cuts nope

2 24 or 28 lb copy paper. Cut it. High pitched is sharper. Low pitched no so snd Look close to see micro tares. Thin paper won’t reveal tares. False sharp imo.

Whittle some soft clear pine., easily making thin strips is sharp. Effort and thick not so much.

One man’s journey and methods.

Thank you for writing that out, thats really helpful.