14 Jul 5+1 mistakes not to make when sharpening!
When sharpening, it is easy to make a few mistakes that can damage the cutting tool and reduce its sharpness, sharpness or lifetime.
It’s worth working with several mesh sizes to get the job done as efficiently as possible. That’s why we first sharpen with a coarser P120 or even P60 or P80 abrasive belt, where appropriate, while we form the edge for the knives.
What is a justified case? When the knife is very worn or for some reason a lot of material needs to be removed from the blade, so in this case it is a good idea to start with a coarser abrasive belt. As soon as the edge is formed and the *line appears on both sides over its full length, we switch to a finer grit and “fine-tune” the edge, but here one or two strokes per side is sufficient. Essentially, we turn the formed row back there and then separate it with leather tape and paste, thus obtaining the final edge.
Here are some mistakes to avoid:
1. Too much pressure.
Applying too much pressure to the blade when sharpening can damage the edge, causing it to overheat. (More on this below.) Use minimal force when touching the blade to the abrasive belt. Feel when the abrasive belt is working well and there is good material separation.
2. Use of inappropriate mesh size
It’s worth working with several mesh sizes to get the job done as efficiently as possible. That’s why we first sharpen with a coarser P120 or even P60 or P80 abrasive belt, where appropriate, while we form the edge for the knives.
What is a justified case? When the knife is very worn or for some reason a lot of material needs to be removed from the blade, so in this case it is a good idea to start with a coarser abrasive belt. As soon as the edge is formed and the *line appears on both sides over its full length, we switch to a finer grit and “fine-tune” the edge, but here one or two strokes per side is sufficient. Essentially, we turn the formed row back there and then separate it with leather tape and paste, thus obtaining the final edge.
*Sorja: when the material at the edge has thinned to the point where a thin layer of metal is folded back at the blade. This should always be removed from the edge.
3. Separating too much material.
When sharpening, care should be taken to remove only as much material as is justified, as this will have a major impact on the life of the cutting tools. This is completely solved when sharpening from a chuck, as the workpiece is always returned at the same angle when sharpening. Proper lighting is also important, which is why we have decided to include a machine lamp as a standard accessory with every machine we buy.
4. Catching on
Patience! You have to take your time to sharpen it. It only takes 2-5 minutes/knife with the DTG-KS range, but when sharpening stones by hand it can take tens of minutes, depending on skill of course. Do not rush – hurry when sharpening, let the abrasive work, do not apply too much pressure when sharpening as mentioned above.
5. Using too high a speed:
It is important that the machine used for sharpening does not have too high a belt / peripheral speed.
By sharpening tools at too high a speed and using inappropriate pressure, you give them a chance to overheat, which, if it results in a bluish discolouration, can lead to a loss of hardness, which is a serious negative for edge durability. To avoid this, many people constantly cool the workpiece while sharpening.
The single-speed machines in the DTG-KS range have a belt speed of 5 m/s, which in our experience is the optimum speed for a sharpening operation, slow but still sufficient to work efficiently.
+1. Incorrect angle of focus.
Setting the right edge angle is key when sharpening. Using too low or too high an edge angle on the knife will affect the proper functionality of the blade.
This raises the question of what edge angle we sharpen our knives to. You can read about this in this article
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