# Scratching the blade on the stone while sharpening



## dafox (Apr 2, 2018)

I'm having some scratching of the blade on the stone while sharpening. The scratches are near the edge of the blade and are about 2mm long, perpendicular to the blade.It only happens when I'm sharpening my 240's and only on the right side. Doesent happen on my 210's or on the left side of the blade. Looks like I'm not holding the blade level with the stone but am tipping it a bit. I've tried rounding the edges of the stones with the lapping plate but this doesn't seem to be helping. For the right side of the knife I sharpen with the blade at about a 45 degree angle to the length of the stone, and when i sharpen the left side of the blade I start at about a 90 degree angle to avoid the handle and gradually change to about a 45 degree angle as I move toward the center of the blade. The scratches are mostly towards the center if the blade. Ive tried to be very careful when walking my fingers that are applying pressure to the blade to try and keep them in the center if the stone. I'm getting my knives very sharp and the edges looks pretty even after after doing a progression of stropping strokes eith fewer and fewer strokes with less and less ptessure. Before doing the stropping strokes I can see where the edge is uneven, looks like I'm not holding the knife level with the stone.
Any ideas how to remedy this?
Probably just more practice.
Interesting that there is such a difference between the left and right sides of the blade.
Thanks in advance for your insights.


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## Benuser (Apr 2, 2018)

Very common to have a thicker, convex right face. And at the base, near the heel, it often is even thicker.


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## Paraffin (Apr 2, 2018)

It might be a high edge on the stone? If you're not doing this already, try using a pencil to mark a grid or cross-hatch across the stone before lapping. Lap with your plate until all marks are removed, while trying to keep the plate as level as possible to the stone surface. Then round off the corners some more after the marks are removed. 

I use pencil cross-hatch marks every time before flattening, and I'm sometimes surprised at how it shows high spots around the edges I didn't know were there.


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## Benuser (Apr 2, 2018)

+1
Especially the corners are likely to be the culprit.


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## dafox (Apr 2, 2018)

Paraffin said:


> It might be a high edge on the stone? If you're not doing this already, try using a pencil to mark a grid or cross-hatch across the stone before lapping. Lap with your plate until all marks are removed, while trying to keep the plate as level as possible to the stone surface. Then round off the corners some more after the marks are removed.
> 
> I use pencil cross-hatch marks every time before flattening, and I'm sometimes surprised at how it shows high spots around the edges I didn't know were there.



Thanks i will do that!


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## Chef Doom (Apr 3, 2018)

It's called love marks. Happens all the time. Also happens when the stone surface isn't even. Either embrace your skill level forouts flaws or you can do some post blade surface cleanup when finished.


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## Jovidah (Apr 4, 2018)

Another way to remedy it when your technique still isn't up to snuff, is to put easily removable tape over the face of the blade.


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## parbaked (Apr 4, 2018)

Jovidah said:


> Another way to remedy it when your technique still isn't up to snuff, is to put easily removable tape over the face of the blade.



Painter's tape works well for this as it is designed to not leave residue after it's removed...


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## Chef Doom (Apr 4, 2018)

This is a good trick but it doesn't have that in your face "you suck at sharpening" aspect that one needs as motivation to improve their technique


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## Benuser (Apr 4, 2018)

Make a piece of wood or wine cork with a small inclination and use it as a reference for the sharpening angle. After some time you won't use it anymore.


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## Thorndahl88 (Apr 4, 2018)

Check Dave martells way of finding the right angle, and What he does about scratches . Best of luck


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## Nemo (Apr 4, 2018)

Thorndahl88 said:


> Check Dave martells way of finding the right angle, and What he does about scratches . Best of luck


Where could one find Dave's take on this?


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## Thorndahl88 (Apr 5, 2018)

Nemo said:


> Where could one find Dave's take on this?



Google is Where i found it. A sharpening video. He,s sharpening a nakiri While explaining. [emoji4]


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## Nemo (Apr 5, 2018)

Ok thanks


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## Benuser (Apr 5, 2018)

This one perhaps?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MezIEKGk9T0&feature=youtu.be


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## dafox (Apr 5, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> It's called love marks. Happens all the time. Also happens when the stone surface isn't even. Either embrace your skill level forouts flaws or you can do some post blade surface cleanup when finished.



Thanks chef, just hurts a bit to see the pretty new knives not look new any more. But, I'll just keep working at it and continue to get better.


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## Thorndahl88 (Apr 5, 2018)

Benuser said:


> This one perhaps?
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MezIEKGk9T0&feature=youtu.be



[emoji119] that One Yea, and if all the episodes is there alot of good details about sharpening gets explained.


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## dafox (Apr 5, 2018)

Jovidah said:


> Another way to remedy it when your technique still isn't up to snuff, is to put easily removable tape over the face of the blade.



No room for tape, the marks are very close to the edge.


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## dafox (Apr 5, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> This is a good trick but it doesn't have that in your face "you suck at sharpening" aspect that one needs as motivation to improve their technique



Ya, I'm motivated.


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## dafox (Apr 5, 2018)

Benuser said:


> Make a piece of wood or wine cork with a small inclination and use it as a reference for the sharpening angle. After some time you won't use it anymore.



Doing that already, thanks.


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## Benuser (Apr 5, 2018)

dafox said:


> No room for tape, the marks are very close to the edge.



So they're going to be a part of one convex bevel, once you thin a bit behind the edge.


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## dafox (Apr 5, 2018)

Thanks all, looks like I need more practice keeping the knife level with the stone and applying pressure to the blade in the center of the stone. Will definitely cross hatch the stones with a pencil and remove them with the lapping plate and round the edges to rule out any stone problems.
And, just keep working at it.


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 5, 2018)

Deal with sharpening quite a few new knives. Sounds like your sharpening technique is good. What I do for lower angle bevels I lift the blade off the stone after each stroke. Even the mud on the stone can mar up a new blade face. For higher micro bevel no need to lift knife off the stone.

Most cooks don't care what the blade face looks like as long as the knife is sharp & cuts well. Even with very shallow angles on some knives at work never lift blade off stone.

With other peoples new knives lift it to keep the blade face clean.


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## dafox (Apr 7, 2018)

Keith Sinclair said:


> Deal with sharpening quite a few new knives. Sounds like your sharpening technique is good. What I do for lower angle bevels I lift the blade off the stone after each stroke. Even the mud on the stone can mar up a new blade face. For higher micro bevel no need to lift knife off the stone.
> 
> Most cooks don't care what the blade face looks like as long as the knife is sharp & cuts well. Even with very shallow angles on some knives at work never lift blade off stone.
> 
> With other peoples new knives lift it to keep the blade face clean.



Great advice, thanks, I will try lifting the knife up after each sharpening stroke. Now that you mention itvi think that that little knicking that im experiencing is at yhe end of the stroke.


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## Anton (Apr 7, 2018)

Chef Doom said:


> This is a good trick but it doesn't have that in your face "you suck at sharpening" aspect that one needs as motivation to improve their technique



i like this guy


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## dafox (May 25, 2018)

Sharpened 12 knives today.
Not scratching the blade while sharpening anymore. It was as simple as holding the knife just firm enough to keep the proper angle and only pressing down with my fingers that are on the blade in the center of the stone. Just being a little more relaxed. 
I did flatten my stones and rounded the edges more.
Thanks for the pointers.
Sharpening w#2 is a pleasure, even sk4 is fine but the stainless in the Victorinox is not very enjoyable.


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## panda (May 25, 2018)

i just embrace the scratches


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