I'd like to know who uses a microbevel, if you think it's beneficial, and also what angle do you increase to; to get the best benefit from a microbevel?
Ex: if your edge is 15° inclusive, what would you increase the microbevel to? 17°/18°/20°/22° inclusive?
Thanks for your time ^.^
Microbevel and what angle is best
Microbevel and what angle is best
I came here to cut sh#$ with my knives and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum
Re: Microbevel and what angle is best
Do you mean 15 degrees per side (dps)? 15 inclusive is straight razor material!
For steels that have decent apex stability I don't add a micro-bevel, most get a 30 degree inclusive edge. Others that I expect to use harder, or that are prone to chipping or carbide tear-out under harder useage, get a 40 degree inclusive microbevel, mostly because it's what the Sharpmaker provides and that has worked well for me (doing microbevels on my guided system is a lot of setup time and doesn't seem to offer any benefit over the SM).
When a blade finished with a single angle to apex needs a touch-up that the strop won't provide, I usually do a few Sharpmaker passes on the 15 dps/30 incl. rods, but cheat the angle manually, so I'm probably doing a 17 dps micro bevel, or there about...
For steels that have decent apex stability I don't add a micro-bevel, most get a 30 degree inclusive edge. Others that I expect to use harder, or that are prone to chipping or carbide tear-out under harder useage, get a 40 degree inclusive microbevel, mostly because it's what the Sharpmaker provides and that has worked well for me (doing microbevels on my guided system is a lot of setup time and doesn't seem to offer any benefit over the SM).
When a blade finished with a single angle to apex needs a touch-up that the strop won't provide, I usually do a few Sharpmaker passes on the 15 dps/30 incl. rods, but cheat the angle manually, so I'm probably doing a 17 dps micro bevel, or there about...
-David
still more knives than sharpening stones...
still more knives than sharpening stones...
Re: Microbevel and what angle is best
I use microbevels on all my knives.
I sharpen everything free-hand, and generally shoot for 10dps bevels and 15dps microbevels. Sometimes thinner, never thicker.
There are two reasons I love microbevels.
1. They dramatically reduce sharpening time. When I touch up one of my knives, I do so in a matter of seconds. I use a Spyderco ceramic stone dry and use maybe 2-4 edge leading strokes per side, then I'm done. No lengthy setup, no messy oils, no raising and removing a burr. Just a few light strokes on either side and I'm hair popping sharp.
2. It enables me to run thinner bevels. If you have a knife that, hypothetically, is stable at 15dps at the apex but chips at 12dps, then you can run it at 8-10dps and run a 15dps microbevel and have a stable edge with superior geometry.
I sharpen everything free-hand, and generally shoot for 10dps bevels and 15dps microbevels. Sometimes thinner, never thicker.
There are two reasons I love microbevels.
1. They dramatically reduce sharpening time. When I touch up one of my knives, I do so in a matter of seconds. I use a Spyderco ceramic stone dry and use maybe 2-4 edge leading strokes per side, then I'm done. No lengthy setup, no messy oils, no raising and removing a burr. Just a few light strokes on either side and I'm hair popping sharp.
2. It enables me to run thinner bevels. If you have a knife that, hypothetically, is stable at 15dps at the apex but chips at 12dps, then you can run it at 8-10dps and run a 15dps microbevel and have a stable edge with superior geometry.
