Micro-Bevels

[woodbloke]

To achieve repeatability first you need to set up the blade in your honing guide at the desifred angle. Then you need to freset this for a second - and perhaps a third! - microbevel. How long does that take you?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek - if you use the 'bench hook' method of setting the projections, it takes less than a second to switch from one setting (honing to micro-bevel angle) to the next and each setting is accurate and repeatable, this is using the Eclipse clone guide - Rob

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Rob

OK, that method is repeatable. I know, I do it too. While I prefer to freehand on a hollow grind, I own and use four different honing guides (2 x LV, Eclipse, and Kell). Honing freehand creates a co-planar microbevel, not a secondary microbevel*.

I only use a secondary microbevel on BU blades - because it is too difficult to create a camber on a blade that is hollow ground at 50 degrees. Impossible in fact. So I add a secondary microbevel of 50 degrees on a 25 degree primary bevel.

Then it comes time to strop the blade between honings....how do you maintain the edge between honings, or do you resharpen each time? Well I strop the blade and it works very well for me. The thing is that it is impossible to freehand strop a microbevel at the same angle it was honed. One could do it with a honing guide, but that sort of defeats the advantage of a quick strop on leather, the strop kept under the bench for just such a time.

Microbevels on a BU plane blade are unavoidable. Microbevels (for my sharpening strategy) ona BD plane blade or chisel are to be avoided.

Regards from Perth

Derek

*Jeff, I disagree with your terminology. A microbevel is simply a micro bevel .. a very tiny bevel. It has nothing to do with angles. A secondary bevel can be any size - micro or large - but it indicates a bevel angle that is higher than the primary bevel. Regards, Derek

 

[woodbloke]

Hi Rob



Then it comes time to strop the blade between honings....how do you maintain the edge between honings, or do you resharpen each time? Well I strop the blade and it works very well for me.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek - I just hone the secondary bevel on the green DMT (a few passes) then up the angle to the micro-bevel and use a combination of a strop and a couple of passes on the 10000g Spyderco. 'Ruler trick used though - Rob

 

[bugbear]

*Jeff, I disagree with your terminology. A microbevel is simply a micro bevel .. a very tiny bevel. It has nothing to do with angles. A secondary bevel can be any size - micro or large - but it indicates a bevel angle that is higher than the primary bevel. Regards, Derek

Long ago, micro bevel emerged as a common jargon for a tertiary bevel (often in discussions about stopping).

Then Leonard Lee used it close-to-synonmously with secondary (AKA honing) bevel.

I think the two meanings have been muddled ever since, and microbevel has become an almost unuseable piece of jargon, due to the lack of a clear and universally agreed definition.

BugBear

 

[planetWayne]

Hi all,
I've been reading this with interest and am still learning the ropes here so please take this as a complete novice perspective. A question I have here with all this talk about micro bevels etc (and on another thread the scary sharp methods!), how does the end result compare to other sharpening systems like the WorkSharp 3000? That method of sharpening doesn't seem to allow you to add these microbevels at all, at least not by using the plunging guide on them (I'm going on the video demo they have on the site).

If we are going on the basis that the micro bevel is there for the fine polishing and requires the most work to get correct as compared to polishing the whole of the bevel, then if you have a machine that can do the whole of the bevel face in one simple go, that has to be as good doesn't it? And from a point of speed, I guess once its sharp then to keep the edge its just a quick job of 're plunging' on your last used finest wheel?


I understand there there are also other sharpening systems out there that do a similar job - the reason why I have picked on the WS3000 is that I've been looking at getting one



Cheers
Wayne.

 

[woodbloke]

Hi all,
I've been reading this with interest and am still learning the ropes here so please take this as a complete novice perspective. A question I have here with all this talk about micro bevels etc (and on another thread the scary sharp methods!), how does the end result compare to other sharpening systems like the WorkSharp 3000? That method of sharpening doesn't seem to allow you to add these microbevels at all, at least not by using the plunging guide on them (I'm going on the video demo they have on the site).

If we are going on the basis that the micro bevel is there for the fine polishing and requires the most work to get correct as compared to polishing the whole of the bevel, then if you have a machine that can do the whole of the bevel face in one simple go, that has to be as good doesn't it? And from a point of speed, I guess once its sharp then to keep the edge its just a quick job of 're plunging' on your last used finest wheel?


I understand there there are also other sharpening systems out there that do a similar job - the reason why I have picked on the WS3000 is that I've been looking at getting one



Cheers
Wayne.

Wayne - this machine was favourably reviewed recently in F&C by the editor. It will enable the user to create a primary bevel (usually about 25deg) and an additional honed bevel at 5deg higher, referred to in their text as a 'micro-bevel' but which is correctly termed a 'secondary bevel' This works fine for many applications...a primary bevel at 25deg and a secondary bevel at 30deg. The 'micro-bevel' I'm referring to is an additional third bevel at about 32deg (needed for A2 steel) which can only be made accurately by using jig of some sort using a sharpening stone. This bevel is so small it can hardly be seen by eye...I make it by about 4 passes on a 10000g ceramic stone. I have to concede that the whole thing is complicated because of the different terms used by manufacturers - Rob