# Honesuki tip sharpening



## perneto (Jun 21, 2015)

I'm struggling to put a good edge on the tip of my Carbonext honesuki.

I have no problem with other knives, so I think there might be something special about honesukis that I'm not getting. It might just be the thickness or steeper angle that I'm not used to as much.

I use Jon's recommended technique on my other knives:
[video=youtube;tmBTO0cA_qw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmBTO0cA_qw&index=9&list=PLEBF55079F53216AB[/video]

I have tried that with the honesuki too, but it doesn't seem to work so well.

Today I noticed that I've made the back bevel wider as it gets to the tip. I think that means I'm not hitting the edge as much as elsewhere. I don't seem to have this problem with the front bevel, even though I struggle with getting a burr both for the front and back bevels.

Here are some pictures:

Back:






Front:





Any suggestions?


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## ThEoRy (Jun 21, 2015)

Yeah you're too low on the back side. It should only look like a micro bevel there.


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## JBroida (Jun 21, 2015)

bevel wider at the tip can mean over rotation with possibly the tiniest bit of not lifting up enough FWIW. These are technical mistakes that can be fixed.


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## perneto (Jun 21, 2015)

What do you mean by over-rotation?


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## JBroida (Jun 21, 2015)

So...
For adjustments in sharpening the tips of knives, the adjustments are always going to be the same. You must lift up the handle and rotate towards the spine at some point during your sharpening process. It doesn't matter how you do this, as long as the adjustments are made. The amount of lifting up and rotation will depend on the profile, grind, and distal taper of the knife, along with the angle you choose to sharpen at. When the adjustment is done correctly, the bevel width will be consistent from heel to tip. When it isn't done correctly, you will see some problems (many of which are not significant in terms of the impact they have on performance). For example, if the bevel near the tip gets wider as it nears the tip, this is due to over-rotation towards the spine. If the bevel gets smaller as it goes towards the tip, this is under-rotation. If you notice that the bevel does not reach the tip of the knife and the bevel becomes wider towards the tip, this is due to not lifting up enough. If the tip of the knife starts to get rounded over and you can see light reflecting up and over the tip, towards the opposite side, this is due to lifting up too much. Once you can see what your bevel looks like, problem solving is rather easy. I think i talk about this in my sharpie video, but i'm not 100% sure.


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## perneto (Jun 22, 2015)

Thanks a lot! I'll give it another try soon.


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## ThEoRy (Jun 22, 2015)

For what it's worth, here's a video I made sharpening a hankotsu. This knife has a similar asymmetry as my honesuki 99/1 so they both get sharpened the same way. Pay particular attention to how I do the back side. Just a simple pull is all it takes. This may not be what you are doing, this may not be the best way on earth, but it works extremely well for me.

[video=youtube;FqEkSHJkQaQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqEkSHJkQaQ[/video]


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## bkdc (Jun 22, 2015)

Think of that honesuki as a single-bevel knife. It is a highly asymmetric (sometimes single-bevel) knife. The left side edge only deserves a microbevel only. You probably focused on raising a burr and went in too low.


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## Benuser (Jun 23, 2015)

Are Honesuki tips always arrow-like? The Hiromoto Honesuki I've got had OOTB a thinned but deliberately slightly rounded tip.


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## Devon_Steven (Jun 26, 2015)

Benuser said:


> Are Honesuki tips always arrow-like? The Hiromoto Honesuki I've got had OOTB a thinned but deliberately slightly rounded tip.



Perhaps to minimise the tip catching on bones..?


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