J.marttiini rapala sharpening angles

B

Bret Espil

Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
2
Howdy all!
This is my first post and was wondering what is the correct angle for sharpening this handed down heirloom?

Thanks in advance:)
 
There are a few factors that make your question hard to answer.

What angle is on the edge right now?
Is it the factory edge?
Has it been sharpened?
How was it sharpened? A guided system? Freehand?

If it is an heirloom why sharpen it? Keep it on a shelf.

I wouldn't get caught up in angles. If you want to match what is there mark the edge with a sharpie. When you sharpen observe where the sharpie is being removed. Use that to judge the angle.
 
if its the fillet knife i'm thinking of you can use a ceramic stick to sharpen it with since the edge on that brand of knife is thin and doesnt take much to put an edge on it. if it means a lot to you i would do what hard h2o said and put it away on a shelf. they still make the same knife and you can get one fairly cheap if you want one to use.
 
actually it isn't that important and I would rather use it to fillet trout. As to H2O, it appears to have been sharpened and I don't know if it was to factory spec or not. I have tried to fillet w/ it and it does cut but it takes too much effort to push through trout rib bones so I thought I would sharpen it up and make the knife perform as I imagine it was contructed to do. I have a pro edge guided system and thought about the pen trick but because it was sharpened by somebody previously, I am not sure if that is the "factory" angle. Further help would be appreciated!
 
Bret Espil said:
actually it isn't that important and I would rather use it to fillet trout. As to H2O, it appears to have been sharpened and I don't know if it was to factory spec or not. I have tried to fillet w/ it and it does cut but it takes too much effort to push through trout rib bones so I thought I would sharpen it up and make the knife perform as I imagine it was contructed to do. I have a pro edge guided system and thought about the pen trick but because it was sharpened by somebody previously, I am not sure if that is the "factory" angle. Further help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

With the sharpie you can match the angle that is there by ensuring that you remove all of the marker during sharpening. You can also use it to aid in changing the angle more or less by observing were on the edge the marker is being removed.

Was it working good for you before it was dulled? If so do not worry about what the angle measures to. Just use the sharpie to help you remove enough steel from both sides so that the bevels meet and then ensure that any burr is removed.

If it wasn't slicing well when it was sharp then rebevel to a shallower angle. use the marker to ensure that you are removing from the shoulder of the bevel on both sides untill the bevels meet. Reapply marker as needed.

I have actually been using my Arkansas stones for my fillet knives and using a light touch. The GATCO leaves a bit of the blade unsupported and with a fillet knife there is a bit of flex.
 
Factory angle on those was very low, I have one stashed away somewhere, very thin edge and a wicked cutter.
 
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