Looking for ideas to help teach sharpening class

Jamesh Bond said:
Thank you.

Like I said. I know my stuff and I know exactly what I plan to go over.

I'm just feeling around here for creative ways to say, 'Here is what you do/look for to keep your strokes where they need to be.' That's it.

Its like teaching a brand new student to down block. I'm not going to explain that you're not actually blocking a kick but this is a actually a funnel and shield motion that combines all the blocks into one once you understand it correctly and you can use this arm shape to cover pull off anything like pass or jam or intercept or dumog throw but the last thing you want to do is actually block a kick and thats just a teaching aid because these bones are too small and and a chamber is simply an exaggerated motion of what occurs in application to train in a sharper response and don't forget to relax and breath and. . . . .

No. They can't even make a fist yet, let alone interpret any of that.

Instead, i say 'Put that hand out to aim with. Wrap the other one around your head to protect it. Slide that hand down your aimer and they trade places to do your block.'

This works with both kids and adults since it's so dumbed down. It gets them going right away so they can actually start doing stuff, making it work, and having fun, even if it isn't the full Monte yet. They can get to that later.

My job is to get them going now, and in doing so, make it interesting, understandable and FUNCTIONAL enough to then make them want to come back to learn all the rest and perfect it. Because they saw the effectiveness right off the bat, the end result will now seem attainable instead of mystical.

Kinda sounds like knives and sharpening a bit, huh? ☺

Does this example make sense? feel like no one is understanding my question, which is no doubt my fault.
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Jamesh Bond, With this specific domain expertise you have naturally intuited what teaching motor skills is all about. You need to breakdown the skill into concrete parts that will make explicit inside their minds what each movement of their arms and hands are doing. As a master teacher I could not imagine teaching the skill of sharpening edges without visual illustrations on hand. I would strongly recommend, during class design, for learners having difficulty, to have some number of systems (learner support systems) for reducing the number of concrete skill parts needed (this thread has so far offered the sharpmaker and pull thru's as examples). There is a round pull through that I saw on the forum that I can't seem to find at the moment, whose angle finder feature I found intriguing, but did not have the $69 at the moment to buy one to try. Other tools that will be necessary to have on hand are compasses, for reinforcing and correcting erroneous angle guessing, along with some examples of different angles, in wood perhaps. I assume you are teaching able-bodied adults so you do not need to concern yourself with gross versus fine motor skills.
scottc3
 
When teaching a large group it's best if they all have the same stones and same knives. If everyone has a different stone and different knives in various conditions you will be spending most of your time figure out each individual stone and knife. No one will be on the same page and your message will be lost quickly.

I would tell everyone attending that they will need to go to ACE and purchase the 8in combo stone... or the Baryonyx Artic Fox combo stone, smaller stone but really awesome. Only drawback is they would need to be ordered online. While you may not be able to control the knife, at least haveing control of the stone being use would be a great help to you.

I'm recommending a combo stone with coarse grits because you will want to show everyone that the coarse stone is where the edge begins. It will also allow the students to remove enough steel in a timely manor, the class could go for hours otherwise. And while on time you should try and stick to a 2-3 hour class time, half teaching and half sharpening. Otherwise people lose interest and become overwhelmed.

I would focus on teaching Coarse edge sharpness and initial bevel setting even if just following the factory grind. Factory grinds are not always that good so it's best to understand that while it's a starting point it might not be perfect and may need adjustment.

I would also recommend having strops handy even if it's just some balsa wood and green compound from the hardware. The strop can "clean up" a lot of amateur mistakes and will help bring real sharpness to the students edge even though edge consistency on the stone might have been lacking.

Above anything though, Keep it simple.
 
Speaking from my own personal past at being long-mystified by sharpening, if your students are anything like I was, I think it'd be a great help if you had a dry erase board or chalkboard where you illustrated a typical factory blade profile, showing main and secondary bevels. You could then use an eraser to show how sharpening at different angles affects the edge profile.
I will join the chorus recommending the sharpie method, and further letting the students know if they can't match the angle exactly, better to air on the side of being a bit acute and getting a keener profile, than a more obtuse microbevel that will require a lot more work to correct in the long run.
 
Thank you guys.

Yes, I did plan on the whiteboard as visual aid, and everyone is using Delicas or Enduras in vg-10 on Ace Hardware stones with gatco tri-seps sharpeners on hand. Our stops are legal pads due to their ease of acquisition and effectiveness.

I appreciate the extra input!

Thx!
 
Jamesh,

I didn't find Spyderco Endura & Delica the easiest to sharpen, but overcoming it brought me to next level if sharpening. I was actually seeking help and was wondering why many people found it easy.

It might be my technique, so :thumbsup:
definitely wish you fun & good luck!
 
Jamesh Bond said:
Hey all!

I'm going to be teaching a VERY basic sharpening class to a bunch of guys who train with and carry knives for basic edc (spyderco mostly). None of them are interested in this like we are, but still acknowledge the need for a sharp blade.

I've been asked to come up with a distilled crash course that will simply allow then to maintain their blades.

I have a pretty good outline in mind but would like to get an idea pot going regarding holding an angle, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, doing it consistently and repeatably.

Remember, these are guys who just want to have sharp edges, not understand or spend time on them.

We will be just be matching pre-existing angles, so I need to present a method for inexperienced sharpeners to use to accomplish that. They need to be able to recognize when they drift off the edge plane and start hitting the shoulder or the apex.

Well known examples of what I'm after include:
- the classic "pretend you're shaving a thin slice off the stone. (accuracy not the best, but works great to microbevel)
- listening to certain surfaces as practice. (takes a long time to understand; prone to inaccuracies too.)

I'm really looking for the simplest mnemonic, trick, or rule of thumb that can still produce usable results with minimum experience, and no jigs or guides.

I know what I am asking here!

So, pretend you have to teach this to a five year old!

Anyway, hope my request is clear. Looking forward to some inspiration.

Thanks in advance!

ETA: I thought I had posted this in maintenence and tinkering. Mods please move if it isn't too much hassle. Trying to quit coffee and it's not going well! Sorry!
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Here is the first teaching video.

 
Chris "Anagarika" said:
Jamesh,

I didn't find Spyderco Endura & Delica the easiest to sharpen, but overcoming it brought me to next level if sharpening. I was actually seeking help and was wondering why many people found it easy.

It might be my technique, so :thumbsup:
definitely wish you fun & good luck!
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Dude! Right?
I'm getting pretty good. But whenever I sharpen those, they respond like I'm using a hard Arkansas and they're hardened to 97 Rockwell!

Sergeua said:
http://www.knifeblog.com/knife-locking-mechanism-infographic-part-ii/
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??? Whut ???
 
That video is for the sharpmaker. The full series is hours long. That video was great for me when I was willing to put in hours to perfect my craft.

That video is not
for my Sharpmaker-less class that I will be leading without videos. Are you implying I just sit everyone down after convincing them to drop money on a kit and stare at a DVD set for three hours?

I can tell if you're genuinely trying to be helpful or being a smart ass.

If the first one. Thanks for the attempt.
If the second one, take a look at my time here, stop pretending I'm a newbie, and remove yourself from this.
 
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