-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Back and forth sharpening, or no?
- Thread starter Rennd
- Start date
bodog
BANNED
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2013
- Messages
- 3,097
I'm no expert but I go back and forth until a burr is formed and then I lead with the edge to form a consistent scratch pattern before flipping it to the other side. I do that with each grit until I'm at the polishing stages at which point I pretty much just lead with the edge.
Seems to work, but I'm willing to admit that there are probably better ways.
Seems to work, but I'm willing to admit that there are probably better ways.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2012
- Messages
- 4,499
It depends who you ask.
Many say it's ok, many say NO!
I've personally tried both and while going forward only produces slightly better edges, to me it's not worth the extra time spent, because I really don't notice a giant difference.
However on my higher grits (4000 and up) and I tend to forward only (though there are plenty of times km in a rush and do back and forth on a 8000 with no issues whatsoever).
Many say it's ok, many say NO!
I've personally tried both and while going forward only produces slightly better edges, to me it's not worth the extra time spent, because I really don't notice a giant difference.
However on my higher grits (4000 and up) and I tend to forward only (though there are plenty of times km in a rush and do back and forth on a 8000 with no issues whatsoever).
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,237
I do back and forth motions working the blade on the stone with both strokes. This is useful when establishing a new bevel or polishing one that you've set with lower grit stones.
I do, however, finish with very light pressure alternating edge trailing strokes only for the last 10 or so strokes. I've found that this works well for shaping the edge for the next stone. If you do feel a burr, I do a few edge leading strokes to get rid of it.
I do, however, finish with very light pressure alternating edge trailing strokes only for the last 10 or so strokes. I've found that this works well for shaping the edge for the next stone. If you do feel a burr, I do a few edge leading strokes to get rid of it.
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2006
- Messages
- 9,684
Edge leading, edge trailing, both ways, around in circles...Whatever seems most comfortable and intuitive to you and gets your edges sharp is fine (imho). :thumbup:
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 11,143
I do it on all stones. Depending on the stone type I will finish with sweeping forward strokes or a few edge trailing passes to remove the burr. Scrubbing the edge on the stone is simply more efficient than making one stroke at a time.
There are several ways of getting the job done, the important thing is getting it done. Knowing and understanding what's going on and applying that knowledge to your particular technique will help. For me, I have tried making circular motions it works but now I tend to do back and forth motions for the initial metal removal and than I switch techniques when I am finishing up the blade on that particular stone.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,237
When I first started out with freehand I used circular techniques. I found, over time, that this tended to create a wavy looking bevel as I slightly changed the angle while sharpening along the length of the blade. Instead, I now use diagonal back and forth strokes.
Now that my angle control is better and much more consistent, I'm curious to see what would happen if I went back to circular strokes again.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2010
- Messages
- 6,642
Fore and aft until a burr is formed, leading to remove it, and then finish with a leading or trailing edge depending on the stone/abrasive surface. My hands are already going that way, might as well have them do some work unless there's a good reason not to. It doubles (or nearly so) the amount of steel you can remove per unit of time.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,386
You might be surprised, and even impressed. I've always been amazed at how my hands, seemingly by themselves, have 'learned' to do things by repetition, in spite of what I assumed I hadn't yet learned. It's a thrilling surprise to suddenly discover the skills are 'just there', after having struggled to learn them for so long. All of a sudden, techniques and tools that I'd previously written off because they 'didn't work' just mysteriously start working, sometimes excellently so.
David
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,386
Echoing the above comments, that extra efficiency is HUGE when sharpening on small hones. A lot of my own habits were built on small pocket-sized hones, and a back/forth or circular/elliptical motion really speeds up the process, when the alternative is maybe a 2"-4" pass at a time. I also believe not lifting the blade and re-positioning on every stroke, as must occur with a one-direction-only approach, really helps minimize errors in angle control. With a back/forth motion, it's much easier to keep the steering wrist/hand position steady, and the resulting bevels benefit from that.
On stones/hard hones, when the bevels are set and the burr's formed and verified, I will usually switch to edge-leading only for a few passes to minimize and clean up the burr. I almost always do my finishing/refining on hard-backed strops, so I'll go to edge-trailing from there on, until it's done.
David
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,237
You might be surprised, and even impressed. I've always been amazed at how my hands, seemingly by themselves, have 'learned' to do things by repetition, in spite of what I assumed I hadn't yet learned. It's a thrilling surprise to suddenly discover the skills are 'just there', after having struggled to learn them for so long. All of a sudden, techniques and tools that I'd previously written off because they 'didn't work' just mysteriously start working, sometimes excellently so.
David
Thanks for the vote of confidence
I'll have to give it a try.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,386
With the Lansky, most of that is due to the hinged/levered/pivoting hone dictating what the smoothest motion will be, and not necessarily having anything to do with working speed in general. Hence the sweeping motion between heel & tip, with the hone moving essentially in the arc of the blade's edge. A back & forth sawing motion with that narrow & short hone is going to be awkward, constantly colliding with the back of the clamp and also occasionally running the hone off the blade edge (been there, done that, many times). Not to mention, sawing perpendicular to the blade edge will create uneven grind lines on the bevels, as the corners of the hone dig in (also been there, done that).
With conventional hones/stones, which will be larger and/or wider, there's generally no limiting effect on whatever motion is used (as with the pivoting hone), and the wider surface area will accomodate back/forth, circular or sweeping motions will little or no ill effects to the edge. Regarding a clamped setup, this is also why the DMT clamp works so well with a bench hone, because the clamp isn't tied to the hone at all. Much more freedom of motion in using the clamp this way.
David
Last edited: