I've been learning from Outdoors55 as well! Two of the best tips I got from him is when sharpening with both hands you can place the ring finger on the tip of the blade to feel how it passes over the stone and control the movement, and second is that when stropping on softer leather you don't have to apply pressure at all because leather will compress and round the apex of the blade.
Good points - mistake 6: think that angle guides work for any knife. In Fact it depens on the the thickness of the knife at the back in relation to the thickness behind the actual bevel OR towards the tip. (some get thinner in either direction, messing with the angle guide) Mistake 7: going to higher grits too soon. If you cant get a knife sharp on a low one (+ strop) it wont get better on higher grits. Mistake 8: Ripping of the burr by stropping or whatever too early can damage the apex on some steels. So try to weaken it first by alternating and low pressure. Effectively folding back and forth.
Great tips! I would say another important factor is developing a consistent burr along the length of the edge and then doing the same on the other side. Especially before moving to the next grit.
You are getting pretty good at this! Its been a joy following your sharpening journey, and you are absolutely right about these tips. If I were to be picky, i'd love to see you talk a little bit about how to diagnose or recognize these mistakes as you sharpen, but overall great job!
@@MB_EDC Understandable, theres alot of information to process and puzzle together before things make sense sometimes. But if you want a nudge in that direction; 1: Most common way this manifests is straight up that your knife doesnt get sharp, but it can also be seen as flat spots (good lightning above, sight down the edge) or a weird looking (incomplete, hazy, uneven) scratch pattern on the bevel since it havent either had time to apex properly or replace the scratch pattern from the previous stone. Best way imo to test for this is to look for a consistent burr, then strop a bit and test if the knife is actually sharp. If its not sharp off the first stone, the result is going to be mediocre at best later. Another tip is to listen to the sound, as when moving to a new stone it will be noisier than when the scratches are completely replaced by new ones. 2: Pressure we have spoke about before, and its usually directly related to a frustration of going at it forever and not raising a burr. This one you already did talk a little bit about in that too little pressure makes the stone not bite properly into the knife and you feel like nothing is happpening. On the other end of the scale, too much pressure would be when you either gouge into the stone or apply so much pressure that the blade slightly bends, which usually manifests in a "smile" pattern where the tip and heel is much wider than the middle. Sound is a big clue on this one too. 3: This one typically manifests itself on the blade as weird facets or uneven-ness (that a word? im not a native english speaker haha). It often looks like "wolf ears" or "elf shoes" as some in the community like to call them, or it can look like theres 2 edges on the same blade that overlap eachother. Another typical trait here is that the point doesnt actually get sharp, the tip should feel like a needlepoint when the entire blade has been in contact. 4: this ties a little bit into #3. If you "miss" your angle a couple of times but largely do it right, you will get weird facets on your bevel. If you consitently miss, it will be so convexed that its visible to the naked eye, which is a valid technique if you do it on purpose but if you dont, its a sign of inconsistency. If its taken even further, it may result in convexing the actual apex too, in which case it just wont be as sharp as it should - shaving hair for instance with a rounded off tip is simply impossible. Another sign of inconsistency Ive seen, is getting these little spots right above the bevel, or a fuzzy looking bevel shoulder instead of a crips and defined one. 5: Not really anything to diagnose here, but I thought I would mention that doing stropping strokes on a fine grit bench stone (usually the finest one you used to sharpen that particular knife with) can to some degree replace the need for a leather/wood strop. You do the same thing, but with much much lighter pressure and for a bit longer. It is viable, though it requires alot more practice and technique for the result to match that of a strop with compound on it. I do have bad experience doing stropping strokes on diamond plates spesifically though, I think they just bite too much.
This is a relatively cheap double sided diamond stone which is fine to use dry. The link is in the description. I have got a more expensive diamond stone to try out. Video due in a few week's time
These are great tips! Especially for beginners or folk who are used to using the dreaded pull through sharpener. For my basic steels such as the 400 series or 1095, I start and stay at an 800/1000 grit. But that's because I enjoy it and my blades never really get that dull...lol. OCD. Great content buddy!😀👍🏻
On some of my knives I like a toothy edge, and some, a slightly smoother edge, (don't ask me why 😅) So, I just use one diamond stone,, either a DMT 600, or DMT 1200, and go straight to a 1 micron diamond solution, on a balsa strop.. I spent years doing the "progression" thing, but I've narrowed it down to the "one and done" method, and it works exactly as I like it,, 😊 I think trial and error, is the best way to go,, 👍 ps, I totally love a balsa strop,, super cheap, and I just chuck 'em, when I fancy a fresh one,, 👌🔪
I like the 600 dmt for harder steels like S110v, Cruwear, Magnacut, etc, but 1200 dmt for "simpler" steels like VG10, 12C27,and Victorinox,, etc,.. It's just my personal preference,, 😊 I've recently got the UKPK in LC200N, and as yet, it's brilliant, and hasn't needed anything other than a quick strop, but I'll probably go with the 600, and see if it performs well, which I'm pretty confident it will,,.. It's all a matter of personal preference, but narrowing things down to 2 stones and the 1micron diamond solution, on balsa, has made me a happy bunny,, Cheers,, John 👍
Some really good takes brother!!! I especially like that we all still learn . Every knife and every steel presents a different challenge! Holding the same angle is really huge! That changes with different blade shapes and other variables.😁🙏👍🏻👊🏻
Thanks Cornbread! Really appreciate your comments. I would love to have you as a guest on our Sunday Livestream sometime. Could you let me have your email address if you're interested.
Number 4, maintaining a proper angle is where I usually struggle. I use a sharpie on the edge and try just to remove the ink. Great video.
Thanks Jack. The angle guide helps me a little. I think a lot of it is practice and building the muscle memory. That I am still working on....
I've been learning from Outdoors55 as well! Two of the best tips I got from him is when sharpening with both hands you can place the ring finger on the tip of the blade to feel how it passes over the stone and control the movement, and second is that when stropping on softer leather you don't have to apply pressure at all because leather will compress and round the apex of the blade.
He is my go-to expert for sharpening. Great couple of tips - thanks. I will be collecting tips for a future video.
Good points - mistake 6: think that angle guides work for any knife. In Fact it depens on the the thickness of the knife at the back in relation to the thickness behind the actual bevel OR towards the tip. (some get thinner in either direction, messing with the angle guide) Mistake 7: going to higher grits too soon. If you cant get a knife sharp on a low one (+ strop) it wont get better on higher grits. Mistake 8: Ripping of the burr by stropping or whatever too early can damage the apex on some steels. So try to weaken it first by alternating and low pressure. Effectively folding back and forth.
Thanks good tips
Great tips! I would say another important factor is developing a consistent burr along the length of the edge and then doing the same on the other side. Especially before moving to the next grit.
Thanks! And yes, great point about the burr.
Great video mark. Thank you very much for sharing
Thanks Jason. As always...I really appreciate your support!!
You are getting pretty good at this! Its been a joy following your sharpening journey, and you are absolutely right about these tips. If I were to be picky, i'd love to see you talk a little bit about how to diagnose or recognize these mistakes as you sharpen, but overall great job!
Thank you! Great idea for a future video...a little ahead of my skill level at the moment...
@@MB_EDC Understandable, theres alot of information to process and puzzle together before things make sense sometimes. But if you want a nudge in that direction;
1: Most common way this manifests is straight up that your knife doesnt get sharp, but it can also be seen as flat spots (good lightning above, sight down the edge) or a weird looking (incomplete, hazy, uneven) scratch pattern on the bevel since it havent either had time to apex properly or replace the scratch pattern from the previous stone. Best way imo to test for this is to look for a consistent burr, then strop a bit and test if the knife is actually sharp. If its not sharp off the first stone, the result is going to be mediocre at best later. Another tip is to listen to the sound, as when moving to a new stone it will be noisier than when the scratches are completely replaced by new ones.
2: Pressure we have spoke about before, and its usually directly related to a frustration of going at it forever and not raising a burr. This one you already did talk a little bit about in that too little pressure makes the stone not bite properly into the knife and you feel like nothing is happpening. On the other end of the scale, too much pressure would be when you either gouge into the stone or apply so much pressure that the blade slightly bends, which usually manifests in a "smile" pattern where the tip and heel is much wider than the middle. Sound is a big clue on this one too.
3: This one typically manifests itself on the blade as weird facets or uneven-ness (that a word? im not a native english speaker haha). It often looks like "wolf ears" or "elf shoes" as some in the community like to call them, or it can look like theres 2 edges on the same blade that overlap eachother. Another typical trait here is that the point doesnt actually get sharp, the tip should feel like a needlepoint when the entire blade has been in contact.
4: this ties a little bit into #3. If you "miss" your angle a couple of times but largely do it right, you will get weird facets on your bevel. If you consitently miss, it will be so convexed that its visible to the naked eye, which is a valid technique if you do it on purpose but if you dont, its a sign of inconsistency. If its taken even further, it may result in convexing the actual apex too, in which case it just wont be as sharp as it should - shaving hair for instance with a rounded off tip is simply impossible. Another sign of inconsistency Ive seen, is getting these little spots right above the bevel, or a fuzzy looking bevel shoulder instead of a crips and defined one.
5: Not really anything to diagnose here, but I thought I would mention that doing stropping strokes on a fine grit bench stone (usually the finest one you used to sharpen that particular knife with) can to some degree replace the need for a leather/wood strop. You do the same thing, but with much much lighter pressure and for a bit longer. It is viable, though it requires alot more practice and technique for the result to match that of a strop with compound on it. I do have bad experience doing stropping strokes on diamond plates spesifically though, I think they just bite too much.
@ Thanks. That's a good starting point for me to look into.
May I ask what stones you are using as it appears you’re using them dry and not wet. Thank you.
This is a relatively cheap double sided diamond stone which is fine to use dry. The link is in the description. I have got a more expensive diamond stone to try out. Video due in a few week's time
These are great tips! Especially for beginners or folk who are used to using the dreaded pull through sharpener. For my basic steels such as the 400 series or 1095, I start and stay at an 800/1000 grit. But that's because I enjoy it and my blades never really get that dull...lol. OCD. Great content buddy!😀👍🏻
Thank you. I am still learning myself...
On some of my knives I like a toothy edge, and some, a slightly smoother edge, (don't ask me why 😅)
So, I just use one diamond stone,, either a DMT 600, or DMT 1200, and go straight to a 1 micron diamond solution, on a balsa strop..
I spent years doing the "progression" thing, but I've narrowed it down to the "one and done"
method, and it works exactly as I like it,, 😊
I think trial and error, is the best way to go,, 👍
ps, I totally love a balsa strop,, super cheap, and I just chuck 'em, when I fancy a fresh one,, 👌🔪
Thanks for the tip. With a toothy edge... Does that mean you have to sharpen more frequently??
@MB_EDC not in my experience, both seem about the same, 🤔👍
@ Ok.. Thanks!
I wanna ask why you like that and what blades you like which on even though you said dont ask :D
I like the 600 dmt for harder steels like S110v, Cruwear, Magnacut, etc, but 1200 dmt for "simpler" steels like VG10, 12C27,and Victorinox,, etc,..
It's just my personal preference,, 😊
I've recently got the UKPK in LC200N, and as yet, it's brilliant, and hasn't needed anything other than a quick strop, but I'll probably go with the 600, and see if it performs well, which I'm pretty confident it will,,..
It's all a matter of personal preference, but narrowing things down to 2 stones and the 1micron diamond solution, on balsa, has made me a happy bunny,,
Cheers,, John 👍
Thanks for the tips, great video. 👍Take care my friend and Cheers!
Thanks Dave
Great skills to learn
Thanks Kathleen!!!
Good tips, buddy! Cheers!
Thanks David...
Some really good takes brother!!! I especially like that we all still learn . Every knife and every steel presents a different challenge! Holding the same angle is really huge! That changes with different blade shapes and other variables.😁🙏👍🏻👊🏻
Thanks Cornbread! Really appreciate your comments. I would love to have you as a guest on our Sunday Livestream sometime. Could you let me have your email address if you're interested.