What angle do you sharpen your carbon steel traditional knives at?

Bladenoobie1

Bladenoobie1

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Jul 20, 2012
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I have a GEC #85 that's sharpened between 35-40 degrees inclusive. I typically like to get as much cutting performance as possible, but I worry that if I take the edge down to 30 degrees inclusive I'll have edge rolling issues. To those whom extensively use their 1095 GECs (and if you know), that angle have you sharpened your knives at giving you the best performance without rolling/chipping?

Thanks,
BN
 
22 degrees for me...or as close to it as I can get. I would rather have a little more durable edge. My kitchen knives are 17 degrees.

Peter
 
I sharpen my users to 25-30 degrees inclusive and usually have the initial edge bevel less than that. Harder use ones I may followup and add a 40 degree edge on top of that. I like my blades and edges thin, it is a knife after all. Thin is in I say.
 
I have to admit that I haven't the foggiest. I sharpen by hand and a consistent angle is unlikely. I use a Fallkniven stone and if I want a very polished edge two different strops. They work for me. :)
 
Depends on the use. Usually small pen blades are at 30 degrees inclusive, but if I want a dedicated whittling blade I go with a 20 degree inclusive flat grind. For larger utility blades (usually the main blade) I do 30 degrees followed by a 40 degree bevel for the edge, and usually leave the 40 degree edge unpolished.
 
dma1965 said:
Depends on the use. Usually small pen blades are at 30 degrees inclusive, but if I want a dedicated whittling blade I go with a 20 degree inclusive flat grind. For larger utility blades (usually the main blade) I do 30 degrees followed by a 40 degree bevel for the edge, and usually leave the 40 degree edge unpolished.
Click to expand...

So a microbevel then? I could never really do good microbevels freehand and I don't have a guided system or sharpmaker to do that. I might start experimenting with thinner edges though
 
I think I'm around 30-35 inclusive, but it's more of a guess :p
I know for a fact that I have been using lower angles compared to my beginnings as a sharpener though :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
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I have a gatco kit like a lansky with guide clamp ypu are welcome to it if u want e mail me
 
I freehand sharpen on benchstones so I do not really have a set angle. Actually, I have started to convex my edges on the benchstone.
 
I can get a scary sharp edge when I lift the spine about the height of

two dimes laying flat on each other. I have used the method for so long

that I don't know the angle but I does work.
 
Easyrider said:
I freehand sharpen on benchstones so I do not really have a set angle. Actually, I have started to convex my edges on the benchstone.
Click to expand...
I freehand on waterstones, but I use angle wedges from Fred Rowe as reference points. Prior to owning those wedges I would first start 90 degrees, go in the middle for 45, go half of that for 22.5, and just a tad bit shallower to where I felt to be around 15-20 degrees. So you can still estimate what angle you are freehanding.I currently estimate my angles to be around 35-40 degrees for my slip joints. I go shallower-er on larger tactical knives like the sebenza. The thing is low angles are better suited to harder steels with good edge retention. I am worried of the issue of edge rolling since I do cut paracord time from time or rough cuts of cardboard.
 
i seem to go for approximately 22.5 degrees on each side, so thats 45 degrees i think
seems to work pretty well for me, although i see its a big thicker than most, maybe i should reconsider :/
 
I have a wooden 15 degree wedge I set my stone or diamond plate on. This way I just keep the blade level and I get a good 15 degree bevel on each side. Then I'll usually set a 20degree each side micro bevel on the main by giving it a few strokes on the crock sticks. The pen I just strop after the stone. I like my wedge and crock stick turn box as it eliminates some of the human error involved in free handing. I even drilled extra holes at more acute angles on the turn box. Works great and hardly cost anything.
 
For me it varies anywhere around 15-20 dps, it just depends on what knife and what I want to use it for. But I like to keep my traditionals with thinner edge geometry since the blade geometry is usually much more suited to slicing than a typical modern folder.
 
The wedge reference I'm using is at 18 degrees so my edge should be around 36 degrees inclusive but there is always a margin of human error when free hand sharpening. The next time my blade chips or rolls I'm reprofiling it to 30 degrees. Another quick question--what hrc does GEC run their 1095 to?
 
Nearly all of my knives are carbon steel or good mid-grade steel that performs like carbon (420HC, 440A, 12C27).

I think you are right to worry about edge roll if you are doing heavy cutting. I think too that edge angle depends on what you're cutting (meat vs wood) and the Rc of the blade.

My standard preferred set up is 17-dps back bevel and a 20-dps primary bevel (done on a Lansky and maintained free hand).

I take the pen blade on my Micra (420HC) thinner as I use it for whittling.
I move my Opinel Carbone up to 25/20 dps for hard use, since they are run at Rc56 and can roll.
I keep my Case 316-5 at 20/17 even with the soft Rc56 Tru-Sharp (it will roll) because I use it almost exclusively for meat in the kitchen.

Regarding the Rc of their 1095, reported to be in the 57-59 range according to this thread:

[http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/730419-GEC-440C-cutting-performance?highlight=GEC
 
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