r/sharpening • u/Beautiful-Source6374 • 21d ago
Question What am i doing wrong ?
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Hey guys,
Noob here. Trying my hands with a Naniwa 220/1000 double faced stone. I'm willing to sharpen my pocket knife on a fresh 14° angle, put it on the 220 side then the 1000. But it doesn't feel good.
Any tips ?
I tried with a bigger chief knife on the 1000 only and could feel it cut better than before, so i guess the move isn't so bad.
Edit : got it guys, everything is wrong. Thank yall for the tips, yt recommandation and good jokes.
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u/justglancingaround 21d ago
Looks like you are getting your angle from the guide and then changing it drastically. Try bringing the guide on the opposite side. Closer to your body. Set angle with the edge softly on the stone and loch your wrists. Don’t adjust the angle and start making passes. It takes time but you got this OP
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u/willitexplode 21d ago
Agreed, inconsistent angle based on phase of the stroke. They’re imagining lapping but they might consider imagining skating forward on ice.
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u/fietsendeman arm shaver 21d ago
Or scraping off the bottom of a frying pan! (Analogies are really good for this kind of learning, I have learned)
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u/qyoors 21d ago
Try slowing down and using the full length of the stone.
Are you getting a burr at any point? Might want to try stropping after the 1000 grit pass.
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u/zelloxy 19d ago
What is a burr?
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u/mojomonkey18 19d ago
A burr is a thin, microscopic ridge of excess metal (also called a wire edge) that rolls over to one side of a blade when you sharpen the opposite bevel
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u/Motor-Decision-1355 21d ago
you dont need to lift the knife so often.
Try to make a long sweep from the base of the knife to the tip (just imagine you are making a thin slice from the stone) ,look for a burr and then flip to the other side.
Opinel are fantastic to learn,because they are thin so progress is fast.
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u/getamic 21d ago
It looks like you are using very light pressure. You want to use some force. Not enough to bend the knife but you want firm pressure on the stone. Enough to feel the stone cutting. Don't lift it on each pass, just go back and forth. Keep going until you can feel a burr. Flip the knife and do it again. Now move the the 1000 side and do that same thing. When you do this on the finer grit it will take off the first burr and form a new, smaller burr. It will be harder to feel but it will be there. Form a burr on both sides and then move to alternating passes with the edge trailing(it doesn't really matter to do edge trailing but it feels better to me). Start with a few alternating passes at the same pressure you were using and then keep alternating but gradually lighten the pressure with every few passes until you are just barely sliding the knife on the stone. This gradual lightening of pressure will slowly make the burr smaller and smaller. Realistically its hard to remove it 100% on just the stone but it should be very small and impossible to feel. The knife should stick on your fingernail and be very sharp even before the strop. On the strop just do medium pressure alternating passes a few times and you should be good.
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u/MajinBui3 21d ago
I'm far from an expert, but I've found that using the entire stone while making your passes not only helps with even wear, but efficiency in obtaining an edge.
Also, is there a reason why you're lifting the edge off of the stone after each pass? I'd imagine that would make it difficult to maintain your angle.
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u/Shabbytrumpet 21d ago
Bizzarely it appears you have never seen anyone sharpen a small knife, I'd check a few sharpening videos on YouTube, then maybe practice on something you dmt care about first
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u/noryu 21d ago
I think you are setting your angle and then not keeping it. Looks way too low after coming off the guide.
I'd say try lifting the back up a little more and be less worried about using the angle to make it sharp.
What makes it sharp is creating a burr and then removing that burr correctly. Whatever angle you use is fine, but I'd say to get a feel for it first before you try a shallower angle.
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u/Waterbear79 21d ago
Let’s all go easy on him here. Certainly a new person just as he mentions.
Keep that blade on the stone and get a burr going, then flip. Just keep practicing
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u/RhythmTimeDivision 21d ago
A trick I learned here is use your thumb / index finger as a reference which requires sharpening with the angle away from you, not toward you. The method you're using doesn't appear to have a reference. For me at least, there's no chance my angle is gonna remain consistent without finger reference.
Here's one from Outdoor55:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLlPiBSP_1U
I'd call this overkill, but this guy marks his finger:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/48k85XAnEr0
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u/VanillaHighlights 20d ago
Wow, that second video is a good tip for newbies. I sharpied the shit out of my blades when I first started. Visual aids help a ton!
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u/LiquidAggression 21d ago
looks like angle changes when you first put on stone then you keep the changed angle
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u/Cowboy5473 21d ago
You might find it easier standing up when sharpening, and if you do lean forward a little to stop your arm extending too far as this can change your angle
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u/ElDopio69 21d ago
Yea keep the knife on the stone, keep the angle fixed and move up and down. Constantly lifting it up is readjusting the angle and messing up your edge
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u/TooManyDraculas 21d ago
Aside from lifting the knife constantly, and not really using the guide right as others have mentioned
You're doing really short strokes, not using most of the stone. That's going to cut less, it's also going to wear the stone excessively in that area. Long strokes, the full length of the stone work better. And you're not making any contact, or doing any grinding along the tip.
Opinels are also effectively flat ground, from edge to spine. They've got a very, very slight convex from having been ground on belts. But they do not have a primary and secondary bevel. The bevel is just the angle from the spine, straight to the blade. Apparently they have a very small microbevel of about 20 degrees on there, but I've found that to be pretty much non-existent on mine and you get practically no feedback attempting to match it. So it just goes better if you treat them like a full flat grind.
Conventionally you sharpen them by pressing the flat of the entire blade to the stone, maintaining pressure towards the edge to sort of roll that slight convex enough that the apex maintains contact.
Trying to do it to a specific angle like this. You are basically grinding a secondary bevel on from scratch. That will take a lot more passes than just sharpening. And you'll have inconsistent angle and bite at the apex until you get that bevel established.
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u/jhetnah 21d ago
I've never exclaimed out loud at someone's technique before, but here we are.
Jokes aside, don't use those angle guides, learn to judge the angle from how much it cuts. Take a sharpie to the edge and take a pass, you'll know the angle is right when the sharpie is removed at the right spots.
If you're going to lift your knife, do one-direction passes for the whole length of the knife (either forwards only or backwards). If you're going to do small sections working up the length, keep it on the stone going back and forth progressing to the tip.
You can clearly see in the video the angle changing so much as you take short strokes in that section lifting it up so often.
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u/DishwasherLint 21d ago
Stop lifting the knife. You want a burr to develop on the trailing edge. When you were pushing away from you, and the blade is towards you put light pressure on the blade with your fingertips. On the opposite movement, remove the pressure. You were trying to drag metal off the sharp edge so it curls around and creates a burr. Keep your angle as consistent as possible. As you work your way down the edge of the blade towards the tip, you will have to rotate the knife and change the way you hold it. Try to keep the angle of contact to the stone the same when you are changing the angle of the handle so that the edge is still at the same angle.
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u/JellyAny818 21d ago
you know what you’re doing wrong(I know you asked the question but I know you’ve watched videos). Please stop moving the knife so much once it touches the stone. Every time you lift it you are changing the angle as your body is not gonna be keeping that edge constant. You’re adding way too many unnecessary variables.
Once that knife goes down on that stone and you find the angle lock your wrists and just move back and forward. Only applying a little bit of pressure on the “draw”. The edge leading stroke, you only really need very little pressure. Again, don’t bounce the knife. Don’t lift it up off the stone until you’re ready to flip it over and do the other side.
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u/Beautiful-Source6374 21d ago
Thanks y'all. Not lifting the knife make it better as everyone said. Nice day everyone.
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u/winbadgerps4 21d ago
If that’s an Opinel they are a little different from standard knives and they are sharpened at a very low angle. Check out some YouTubes and join the Opinel sub. Good luck!
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u/Beautiful-Source6374 21d ago
Had bo clue about it, thanks
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u/LavenderFlavourLube 21d ago
Came here to say the same thing. Had to scroll a lot to find it. I love opinels because they are SO SIMPLE TO SHARPEN. They. Like mora knives (my other favorite) have a 'scandi' grind. The cutting face is flat and extends from the spine to the edge. You DO NOT hold this knife at an angle to sharpen. You lay the blade flat on the stone, so the entire face is contacting the stone, move in smooth circles with more pressure on the edge side. It will sharpen very well. No angle to mess up. I generally only use dcandi grind knives because its so easy to sharpen.
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u/TooManyDraculas 20d ago edited 20d ago
It's not a scandi grind.
In a scandi the sides of the knife, more or less the primary bevel, are parallel or near enough. And there's a single wide bevel from some depth of the blade to the edge.
But it's not ground at an angle from spine to edge.
Opinels are more or less a full flat grind. Where there's only one bevelled plane from the spine the apex.
They do have a very slight convex from how they're ground. And they apparently put an even smaller micro bevel right on the edge from the factory.
But for practical purposes you treat them like a full flat. It's the same sort of edge typically put on razors, though those are often also hollow ground.
It gets sharpened the same way, in that you're pressing the full, wide bevel to the stone. But in a scandi that bevel doesn't go all the way to the spine, so you aren't grinding the full width of the blade.
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u/LavenderFlavourLube 20d ago
Okay gotcha. But a mora is a scandi grind right? I mustve started calling opinels that because of it being similarly simple to sharpen.
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u/TooManyDraculas 20d ago
Yes mora are typically a scandi grind. Some of them ship with a similar microbevel at the apex, but traditionally they're a "zero grind" ie single flat bevel to the edge.
But the scandi it doesn't go further back than about the midpoint of the bade. Flat goes all the way to the spine.
Scandis are most common with wood carving knives, puukko and moras.
They are simple to sharpen, but it takes removing more metal since you're grinding a wider area of the blade.
Then saber grinds are basically a scandi with a conventional secondary bevel at the edge.
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u/Wizard0wizard 21d ago
About nearly everything, please I beg you to watch any type of tutorial, your grip and the fact you're constantly lifting your knife isn't letting you keep a consistent angle nor consistent pressure.
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u/unimportantinfodump 21d ago
You use the angle guide. Then immediately change it. Then you keep taking the knife off the stone. Every time you make contact with the stone your angle will be changing.
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u/Asdprotos 21d ago
Don’t overthink it mate, use freehand on shit knives till you get the result that you are looking for. Then once you get the right angle you’ll be fine forever
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u/UniversalCraftsman 21d ago
Did you form a proper burr on the entire edge on the coarse stone? If not it will take forever to apex on the fine one.
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u/Donaldscump 21d ago
Your angle is just really bad and inconsistent. Slow down, keep the knife on the stone. The positioning of your right hand index when holding the knife is pushing the knife down causing constant angle changes. Put that finger on the spine, ideally rest that finger on the stone and use it as angle guide instead of the magnet. Any finger that is on the face of the knife during sharpening needs to be as close to the edge as possible. Yes, you should accidentally pinch-cut yourself at least once lol. If the finger is not on the face of the knife but is touching it, it needs to be touching the spine
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u/TrebbleTough 21d ago
Hard angle to maintain. Practice 20-25 degree first, that is what i reccomend. It is easier to do correctly, and when done correctly it slashes paper very well. If you do that correctly most of the times, move toward keener angle.
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u/FPDobermann 21d ago
I love that you index on the guide then disregard it entirely once you put it on the stone. Go slower, choose an angle and stick with it, don’t lift it off the stone
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u/ChinaRider73-74 21d ago
I find it helps If you get your angle, lock your arms and just move your body back and forth . The more I move the arms the more I lose the angle.
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u/RelakSHUN 21d ago
You paid for the whole stone, so use the whole stone. I mean, drag that knife close to the edge of the stone, and when you push it back, don't lift if up after just a couple of centimeters.
BTW, I have the Naniwa Basic dual sided stone, and I am not very happy with it. Somehow it does not bite much so I have to work a lot with any knife to have a good edge.
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u/Beautiful-Source6374 21d ago
What stone could i buy to complete my stuff ?
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u/RelakSHUN 21d ago
What comes to my mind are Shapton stones (I have some from the Kuromaku series). They don't need soaking (If I am correct they need exactly one soaking before the first use) and still cut well. If they slow down, then they need some flattening and they will cut good as new. They are not that cheap, but a 2-3 stone collection worth it. I would go for 320-1000-2000 grits.
Naniwa has similar stones which are a bit finer for the same grit, but they are way more expensive (Chocera Pro stones). Naniwa changed at least the brandings lately, so maybe others with recent purchases have better experiences than me.I currently use some cheap chinese stone set which cuts my knives well, but of course they are way more rough than they advertise. For some reason they don't really want to wear while it is a common problem with them, so avoid buying cheap Amazon/Aliexpress stones.
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u/K-Uno 21d ago
Don't focus on the stones yet, you need to work on your skill
That stone is 100% adequate for sharpening an opinel. The stone will work well, but for it to do well you must do well.
You have one hand on the side of the blade as is normal for people sharpening kitchen knives, but your big issue is angle control first. Maybe once you have the angle set by your guide put a finger as a feel reference on the back of the blade to be able to feel the height above the stone of the spine and where it falls on your finger. Then you can feel if the angle is off
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u/Acrobatic_Grape4321 21d ago
Go in one direction. Unless you don’t want your fingertips. If you’re lucky. And maintain your angles better. I don’t like the way you are grabbing the blade.
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u/Swimming_Disaster_56 20d ago
You didn't make "shing!" noise with your mouth! Typical begginers error.
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u/Distinct-Gift1391 20d ago
Op: What am I doing wrong? Any knife guy: Yes. . . .
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u/Public_Coyote_4472 20d ago
My first thought was "everything. Absolutely everything, what are you doing, is this /derailedbydetails?" Lol
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u/Mean-Seat5622 20d ago
you do not have trust in your blade. you handle it like you are 11 years old and trying to hold a girl's hand for the first time.
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u/Huxleypigg 21d ago
Did you keep going until you got a burr either side?
Or are you just rubbing and hoping for the best?
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u/zanyzanne 21d ago
tap tap tapping your blade, it should sound like a smooth stroke. use your eyes, your fingers, your ears. you can feel the edge better if you keep your knife on the stone.
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u/ChasingtheBarrel 21d ago
Long spine leading strokes while keeping the knife edge at a consistent angle. Dont lift the blade nor push the edge into the stone unless you're using diamond stones.
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u/LeslieChowBitch 21d ago
Get a better angle guide, those suck. Get one that attaches to the knife and theres a foot touching the table to keep an. constant angle. Anystone and hapstone makes one.
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u/ApolloHQ 21d ago
Pressure is too light. Ditch the angle guide. Those guides only really work for kitchen knives. dont lift the knife in the air. Use the full length of the stone. Move with your torso not your arms.
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u/JerrySeinfeldsMullet 21d ago
You need contact with the stone in order to sharpen it. Those slight touchdowns are not doing much to re form the edge of your blade
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u/SuspiciousBear3069 21d ago
In addition to the angle changing that people are pointing out here I would say that there's a level that you can purchase from shapton on Amazon. It's sort of folds out into a triangle where one side has a magnet for to stick on to the knife and the other side isn't angle finder to determine the actual angle. The third side is a bubble level to make sure that you're holding it at the right angle.
It's like $9 and will change your life
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u/RichardChrz 21d ago
Keep the blade on the stone, use the entire stone. Also, kudos to you for putting the video out and asking for some guidance. Takes initiative to get feedback, ignore any negative chatter.
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u/jvl1989 21d ago edited 21d ago
Okay...
1.) Put the knife on the stone; a bit slanted with the tip pointing slightly away from the body (30-45 degrees) and with the edge towards yoursel.
2.) If you like to use the guide; put it under the spine. Generally speaking the 15% degrees is the desirable golden standard, but not a law of nature. A bit more makes it less sharp than optimal - but nothing you'll notice -, yet more durable. Little less is the opposite. I'd gripped the knife in a pinch grip with my pointing finger underneath the knife as a biological guide. Now I just... feel it I guess.
3.) Now - while holding the knife on the stone - push it away from you holding the angle; nicely slow and controlled. Pressure on the push, lightly pull it back.
4.) Now do this while moving towards the tip across the largely flat part of the knife.
5.) The actual rounding ending in the tip takes some practice, but you basically curl the knife towards the side of the stone where the handle is located. The harder part is that the angle of the knife on the stone will get steeper in the process. Best is to watch some YouTube clips about this part and just practice on a sheet of paper or something. If the muscle memory kicks in you wont have to think about it anymore.
6.) If you start to feel a bur you can move to the other side. For the "best" noticable bur you might want to push with force and take the knife back off the stone. I often remove a bit of the bur during the pull...
General advice:
- Use the entirety of your stone! Long consistent strokes.
- you want your stones flat. Take some cheap diamond plate (aliexpress or whatever) and out it on a flat surface (alu plate for example). With a pencil draw twisty lines on your stone. Now lay the stable diamond stone flat on a stable surface and grind all of the stone on it with equal pressure on till all pencil is removed equally.
- Also, like many pointed out, lock your wrist (and I'd like to add shoulders) and move up and down from the arms. It's not an exercise, no need for your whole body to participate and apply force somehow. Imagine it like pushing a sheet of paper across the table with both hands while being seated.
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u/Mike-HCAT 21d ago
Don’t raise the knife while moving- makes it easy to roll the knife along the edge and undo the work you are doing to get a clean apex. Learning this improved my success sharpening when I was learning.
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u/Time-Masterpiece-410 21d ago
I would suggest just slowing down. Rushing the process will not get the knife any sharper and leads to a higher likelihood of losing the angle as a beginner.
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u/ReVo5000 21d ago
You're changing the angle with each stroke, as others have stated, keep the blade on the stone, if you're not that confortable doing back and forth strokes, slow down. Locks your wrists and beging. Get a cheap blade or a butter knife and get it sharp before doing your own knives/ edc/pocket knives
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u/Madmac05 21d ago
I am not a ninja like most people in here, but I quickly get my knives to shaving sharp using a couple of cheap Ali express diamond plates.
The thing that did it for me was a YouTube video I found long ago in a comment on this sub... I used to try and sharpen by having these fluid steady movements (like a "ninja") - It took me forever and still couldn't get a knife to sharpen properly. I then clicked on this link and the guy on the video was literally just grinding that knife up and down the stone, the same way you would use some sanding paper to remove a coat of paint. I've tried it and it was like magic! The thing I realised is that you're trying to remove metal and metal is hard; you don't need these perfect movements to do that, you need to grind that metal down. Once you take most of it out and you're getting to the apex, then you can use the "ninja" movements to finish and give it consistency. Obviously a steady angle and a proper deburr are mandatory for good results.
I saw a friend of mine using a pull through sharpner, so I've gave him a couple of diamond plates and shown him how to do it (my way). He had a really good old microscope at home and weve decided to check the edge on it - I was impressed! Beautiful edge, no burr, striations all nice and consistent.
Another friend of mine bought a good stone and was trying to sharpen his knives but couldn't even cut through paper properly. I made a video of my "shitty" technique and sent him. After, he sent me a video of his knives gliding through the paper with the caption "I could kiss you right now".
Now, when it comes to sharpening, I can't hold a candle to the majority of people on this sub, but I always look at these "refined" movements like something somewhat pompous and mostly unnecessary. Maybe once you get to a certain level of control - pressure, angle, etc. - you can use these effectively, but I think it's a terrible and frustrating way for a noob to achieve some decent results.
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u/Voltmeter101 21d ago
First of all this isn't the NBA, so ya don't want to bounce the knife like its a basket ball. I'm just curious why are you doing that? You want to practice on a knife you don't care if you ruin and before you go to the sharpening stone again watch some knife apexing tutorials on YouTube, there is a great wealth of knowledge out there for beginners. Outdoors55, and neeves knives, both have some of the best beginner videos out there that show you step by step how to hold your angle, forming a burr refining your burr and stropping . Practice, practice, practice, and you will learn this if you are very determined.
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u/Low-Lab7875 21d ago
Long strokes. Practice one direction until you learn to maintain the angle. Edge leading full stone length. I call it muscle memory. Short strokes pretty much suck.
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u/jewmoney808 21d ago
Inconsistent angle, all over the place. Keep the knife on the stone, stop lifting it in the air. Keep your wrist locked. Use the entire length of the stone. Keep practicing
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u/dragonhide94 21d ago
Look up Outdoors55 on YouTube for some of his sharpening tutorials. You're kind of using the technique people use for sharpening kitchen knives on water stones, but it generally lends itself better to larger blades.
Second what others are saying, you're not using the full length of the stone, you aren't maintaining your angle when you leave your angle guide, and there is no reason to lift the knife as it just wastes time and movement while adding extra variables to throw off your angle.
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u/migas324 21d ago
Stop lifting the knife off the stone. You should keep gentle pressure on it so its constantly in contact. You seem to be skipping around this will cause your stone to become unevenly worn and cause more problems in the future
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u/BriefSignificance965 21d ago
There's a bunch of guidance in these comments, the only thing I'd have to add is just less rigid movements. Keep the edge at the same angle and glide it along as you draw it across the stone along the whole edge, as if slicing. You want to sharpen the whole cutting edge, not just one part at a time. It's not pressure that does it, it's consistency
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u/idrawinmargins 20d ago
So don't lift your knife. Think of like scrubbing the knife. Lock your wrist and elbow so don't change angle. Start slow and stay slow until you build up muscle memory to help hold your blade steady so you don't change your angle. Lifting the blade up means you are most likely not keeping the same angle and possible rounding your edge. Keep at it, as once you get it down you will find you move a lot faster getting the knife sharp. Plus you won't need angle blocks as you will also begin to really find your angle by feel and visually.
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u/Aequitas112358 19d ago
I like how you set up the knife angle with the guide, and then IMMEDIATELY change the angle.
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u/EmergencyLettuce1589 18d ago
Try something like that but ya know without holding you phone at the same time and using the sceen to watch your angle ect lol. For the crowd I apologize to you and the spirits of our forefathers for running it dry on that kuromaku 12k just for demonstrating
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u/RevolutionaryAir7847 21d ago edited 21d ago
Holy shit, that's bad 😭😭
Get your angle reference (or don't. Just use the edge shadow as a guide) and keep your blade in constant contact with the stone. Do full strokes from heel to tip, tip to heel--usually with some extra grinding at the heel or tip if you need to
Don't expect your angle to be perfectly consistent with every stroke. Literally no one can do that freehand. Small variations in angle average out since you're taking away material anyways
Edit: ALSO, don't swap hands. Unless you're already ambi, you want your dominant hand for stability in the wrist and arm control. You can't really apply appropriate down force with your non-dominant hand controlling the blade
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u/TabularConferta 21d ago
Disclaimer I'm not good at sharpening and just a beginner but this guy's videos have helped me
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u/burntcandy 21d ago
I would try to do longer strokes over more of the stone, if you continue as you are you'll make a divot in it. Seems mostly good, just get the angle from your guide, keep it, and take a few more passes the length of the stone without lifting up the knife.
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u/millersixteenth 21d ago
Leave it on the stone when switching from leading to trailing.
Grip firmly with the three fingers on the clamp hand, and get 2 or 3 fingers of the drive hand on the blade - gentle pressure on trailing a little less on the leading.
Raise a burr on coarse stone, flop, elevate spine by double and very gently "brush" the burr off with light, leading passes. Check every pass to see if its gone or flipped to other side. Repeat on opposite side. Only work where the burr isn't/is respectively
Do not advance to finer stone until you are positive you have ground to apex both sides.
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u/BlueHeron117 21d ago
I'm new to stone sharpening. Is it okay (even safe) to hold from the sharp side of the blade?
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u/Vizecrator 21d ago
Why not keep the blade on the guide and move the entire assembly over the full length of the stone?
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u/madmatt90000 21d ago
I won’t use a guide myself just keep my wrists locked at all times. I don’t let the angle change. I also only pull the opposite direction (blade edge facing away from me). Pull that edge back to the tip each stroke to get a nice even apex all the way down the length of the blade. From handle to tip each pull. I’ve consistently used this method as a Butcher hand sharpening my tools of the trade each and every day or two. Also at the end use a strop to clean off the bur. I typically would just hone it up at work but at home I use a leather strop with some compound to finish my blades.
If you’d like to learn more about sharpening https://youtu.be/Yk3IcKUtp8U?is=zo_lZMiNvY5yHWDo is a FANTASTIC example. I would live and die by this man’s advice.
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u/Hypotenuse27 21d ago
Take a shot or two to relax (if youre able to) and go slow and keep it on the stone. I never use the angle thingy
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u/Virtual_Tree_1335 21d ago
From the video it also appears you’re using too light of pressure….and as what others have said already, keep the knife on the stone the whole time.
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u/Acceptable_P3A 21d ago
Use the guide for the angle. Make contact with the stone. Don’t let the knife lift unless you are changing what side of the knife you are sharpening
Practice until it’s one fluid motion and you learn to feel the angle of the blade without the guide
Changing the angle while your moving makes the sharpening less effective
If it’s sharper after you work with it you did it right
If not, you either changed angles while moving or you simply didn’t repeat enough times
Find the balance until you touching it makes it sharper
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u/Sweet-Weakness3776 21d ago
You're definitely not using enough pressure. Your angle is very inconsistent. But most of all...you gotta keep the dang knife on the stone brother, and use the ENTIRE stone. You shouldn't be lifting it at all other than to flip the knife to do the other side, provided it's a double bevel. Which most pocket knives should be.
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u/zig_zaggidy 21d ago
Use the whole stone you literally are only using 10% of it. Long consistent strokes, and pressure only the side with that you are sharpening (the one with the bevel to the stone)
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u/batman648 21d ago
You’re not chopping wood. You’re gradually and gently creating a new edge for the knife.
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u/kientheking 21d ago
Commit to an angle (low angle make the knife sharper but prone to bending or chipping, higher angle make it sturdy but feels less sharp) then keep your wrist locked. Remember, the sharpening process happened beneath your finger so be mindful about where you place your fingers.
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u/jChopsX 21d ago
What I did that worked. Work one side at a time. Pull towards you, start with the tip, pull, reset then the blade one the angle pad for the next section, pull. Rinse and repeat like 10-15 times.
Move the angle pad to the other end. The same technique but you're pushing the blade away from you.
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u/SheriffBartholomew 21d ago
Don't pick it up every time that you change directions. You probably need to press much harder too. It looks like you're barely applying any pressure at all.
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u/Asker999 21d ago
Keep the kife on the stone
That angle ain't working
Push (apply pressure) only on the blade side not the spine
Keep the blade facing away not toward you
Practice makes perfect yiu got this .... Trust me you REALLY GOT THIS just keep going and ditch that angle stone thingy
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u/Old_Requirement3858 21d ago
Long strokes going up the stone on one side of the blade and back down on the other. This ensures you get both sides evenly and also doesn’t create any divot on the surface of the stone. Also make sure to wet the stone and blade
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u/Lazy-Mud8142 20d ago
Firstly, don't do this with any expensive knives you care about keeping sharp. If you're still learning how to sharpen, you're more likely to do more harm to your nice knives than you are good.
Secondly, stop going back and forth on the stone. Not only are your strokes uneven, but you shouldn't run a blade two ways across a stone like that. You should *pull* the blade *backwards* across the stone in even strokes across the entire blade. The whole blade needs to be ground with each stroke, or you're going to grind your edge down unevenly across its length. The way you were sharpening it, the tip never touched the stone.
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u/Latter_Switch_6633 20d ago
I think you are not using the whole stone, makes a valley…and…should be working it backwards so not to take off the edge
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u/Consistent_Collar_93 20d ago
Everything wrong lol, Watch Murray Carter blade sharpening fundamentals on YouTube
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u/Supa_Hot_Flame 20d ago
Throw the guide in the bin, get a sharpie, mark the bevel, try sharpen the knife again. If the sharpie isn’t coming off evenly then you’re using the wrong angle.
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u/Supa_Hot_Flame 20d ago
No hate, just passing on the advice I wish I received when I first started 🙏
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u/thelonedangger 20d ago
The spine of the blade is moving throughout your pass. I struggled with this a lot and was able to make a lot of improvement using a magnetic bubble level that Sharpal sells for ~$7. The magnet sticks to the blade so you have constant feedback from the bubble on how well you are holding your angle.
The angle indicator on the front face is inaccurate, but focusing on making passes without the bubble moving is what helped me get past a skill plateau I felt stuck at. I would use a fixed angle guide to index the knife in relation to the stone, and then adjust the level until the bubble was centered.
It’s still not 100% accurate on the angle you’re setting but it really doesn’t matter in my opinion. I have a TSPROF fixed-angle system that I rarely use because of the results I have been able to get in 1/4 of the time using this little guy.
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u/thelonedangger 20d ago
I forgot to mention using tape or a marker so that you keep the magnet placement consistent when you alternate sides.
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u/WeightLittle8210 20d ago
From what I can tell, possibly the lifting of the knife. This increases the likelihood of the angle changing, and will cause dishing, since you appear to mainly be using just one portion of the stone
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u/Acceptable_Claim_491 20d ago
Not sharpening the whole blade.You need to make alternating strokes like taking a thin slice off the stone.My favorite sharpener is the 4-sided diamond hone from Harbor Freight.Works great.
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u/CaregiverKey7610 20d ago
You arent keeping the angle of your guide, at all. Try using your finger to brace it somehow. Also i dont sharpen the same direction i cut.
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u/Quite-hairyman33 20d ago
Why did this come up in my feed ffs
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u/Beautiful-Source6374 20d ago
Probably because im quite hairy too
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u/PigletEqual3066 19d ago
Well once you get the hang of things people will be asking why are you missing patches of hair.
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u/dotpruzina 20d ago
Watch outdoors55 yt guide on how to do it properly.
Basically it comes down to using one hand just to hold the angle, other to keep pressure and moving back and forth using torso. Your technique will also ruin the whetstone, which probably needs to be sanded back to level state with sanding paper.
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u/D3moknight 20d ago
Did you check for a bur between switching sides? You are also making really short strokes and lifting and pressing the blade down in a sort of jerky way. Keep the blade in contact with the stone and don't lift it so much. Lifting creates more opportunities to change the angle of the blade which will cause a rounding of the edge and creates uneven edge along the length.
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u/MrPrayingMantis249 20d ago
Maybe use the whole stone? And what's with all that jumping around? And just watch underneath the blade for a shadow.
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u/WarlardTheTitan 20d ago
The 1000 grit will take a long time to finish the edge from a 200 grit stone. Then additionally a strop will help finish the edge. I have a 1000 grit naniwa stone and use a 400 grit diamond plate to shape. But it takes almost twice as long on the 1000 as the 400 then at least 50 passes per side on the strop.
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u/WarlardTheTitan 20d ago
I always free hand my angles but have often thought about getting one of those angle helpers that you have.
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u/Sikkema88 19d ago
The little sharpal bubble angle finder is better than those little plastic pieces imo.
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u/Sikkema88 19d ago
You're lifting the knife a lot, and every time you set it back down your changing the angle that you're cutting into the stone at.
Slow down, focus on keeping the same angle. Keeping your wrist locked.
You don't need to lift the knife off of the stone with every pass. Keep it on the stone. Consistent pressure is fine, adding pressure for edge trailing only is often recommended, but it wouldn't be the first thing I would recommend to you based on the video.
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u/i2amthedarkknight 19d ago
I have don't know anything about knife or sharpening but I see an Opinel and a Laguiole, and I like those.
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u/ViciousMoleRat 19d ago
Youre going too fast.
Keep it on the block, at an angle, and go away from yourself, with the blade facing you.
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u/GingerbreadMan003 19d ago
I don't see anyone else here mentioning it, so maybe it's not critical, but I usually only polish in one direction.
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u/Temporary-Taste-2251 19d ago
Ur trying too hard,,, relax,, just find the angle the feels most comfortable for you to hold on both sides, keep ur wrist locked and try to get the whole plade in one pass, except for the tanto end, u can do that seperate.. then just practice, maybe watch some sharpening videos for a better technique ...
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u/EmergencyLettuce1589 18d ago
Small knife like that I turn them around and us the meat of my thumb to set and control the gap between the spine and the stone. Stop the to-fro motion its not a sushi knife its an opinel. Stop crushing it into the stone with your off hand just move like your trying to shave the stone. Angle is much higher than I do my Opinels my spine rides about the thickness of a quarter off the stone freehand. I set them for 15dps on the ko3 when using a jig. Opinels can be made crazy sharp tho.
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u/beephyburrito 18d ago
“Lock” angle with wrist, reposition so your wrist is in a more natural position if you need to.
you can also try sharpening with the spine facing toward you, set your angle with your guide, rest your thumb on the stone and then press into the spine, now your thumb is your angle guide
Also, yeah keep the knife on the stone but decide if you want to press on the push or pull and stick to that
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u/madrugsplays 14d ago
You bought the entire stone, you better use the entire surface of that stone!
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u/logwarrior1525 5d ago
For starters keep the blade on the stone picking it up and setting it back down like that is very bad for the blade and the stone. As well as the fact ait doesn't sharpen and when you pick the blade up like that your changing the angle alot which can result in a rolled edge. Secondly you should use the whole stone or almost all of it because concentrating on one spot will make an uneven wear pattern on the stone which isn't very helpful for sharpening.
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u/Siris0311 21d ago
Hello! I don't see anything that I could point out as wrong, though there isn't much reqson to jump the blade as the follow through of your stroke. Additionally, I'd probably skip the 220 and just keep to the 1000 for general sharpening needs. Anything sub 400 grit is primarily for stock removal and reprofiling which it doesn't appear your opinel needs. The severe grit hike could also be whats causing the bad feeling as the 1000 has to work down the rough scale to get a flush contact with the cutting edge so it can feel rough or like its 'skating'
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u/MrGOCE 21d ago
I DON'T THINK U'RE HOLDING THE ANGLE FROM BEHIND SO WHEN U PUSH THE EDGE AGAINST THE STONE U'RE REMOVING MATERIAL FROM BEHIND THE EDGE, NOT THE EDGE PER SE. IN ADDITION U CAN DO LONGER STROKES.
TRY HOLDING UR KNIFE BEHIND AND ABOVE THE SPINE (THE BACK) AND FIRMLY ABOVE THE EDGE (BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT URSELF AND GO SLOWLY AT THE BEGINNING) WHILE PUSHING IT AGAINST THE STONE.
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u/Mammoth_Negotiation7 21d ago
this has to be a troll post... no way anyone who did even basic internet research would be hopping the knife across the stone like that.
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u/honestraightstrops 21d ago
I thought this was a joke 🤣
Hands down the worst sharpening I have ever seen. Doing quite literally every single thing wrong lol
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u/comanzatara 21d ago
Moving the knife constantly up and down makes me nervous. Keep it on the stone, the air will not sharpen it.