# Does anyone know the bevel angles for Lamson Sharp knives?



## mrsnak (Oct 3, 2015)

Hi all,

Have a Lamson Sharp Santoku (double bevel) and an 8" cooking knife. These had previously been occasionally sharpened professionally, locally (but not by Lamson). Also a small paring knife.
Have a Smith's Adjustable Edge Pro. Would like to get as close to the manufacturer's preferred bevel angles as possible.

TIA

Kurt


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## ThEoRy (Oct 3, 2015)

Well, you may not find much advice here on electric sharpeners as most of us use waterstones to sharpen our knives. Electric sharpeners tend to remove too much metal wasting away the useful life of the knife. What I can tell you about sharpening in general is that repeating the same angle of sharpening over time causes a wedge like edge as you move up through the cross section towards the spine. The more you repeat an angle the thicker the edge becomes. What you want to do is slightly change the angle (lower) each time you sharpen so as to thin the edge as you go. This way the edge remains thin as you work your way up. You can have a sharp knife but if the edge is too thick, it won't cut well.

So what angle should you use? I don't know. I don't measure angles. What you can do is paint the edge with a magic marker and start sharpening it to see where the metal is being abraded from first. If the metal is removed from the very edge the angle is too high. What you want is for the metal to be removed from the top of the bevel first then from there down to the edge. This should be making your bevels wider over time, keeping them nice and thin as you go.

Why not purchase a cheap combination waterstone to practice your skills on?


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## Mrmnms (Oct 4, 2015)

Original angles on the knives were between 18 and 20 degrees . The steel was pretty much the same as some German knives, a little on the soft side. Theory is suggesting that if you simply maintain the angle with also removing ( thinning) metal behind the edge, the performance will deteriorate over time.


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## mrsnak (Oct 4, 2015)

Thanks so much for the insight to the science behind the sharpening. The black marker test makes complete sense. 

Perhaps shameful to admit to this group, the knives, besides having been sharpened professionally locally on an electric grinding wheel, they were also periodically sharpened with of of those kitchen manual sharpeners to try and keep a honed edge.

That being said, probably accurate to say that whatever the angle originally was, it's not anymore?


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## Pensacola Tiger (Oct 4, 2015)

Yes, it's probably safe to say that whatever angle was on the blade originally, it is not there now. Of more importance is that the fingerguards on the chef's knife and possibly the paring knife are probably preventing sharpening the edge properly, so it does not contact the cutting board:





If this is the case with your knives, the easiest fix is to grind away the protrusion on the side of a waterstone so that the edge again makes proper contact:




Rick


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## Mrmnms (Oct 4, 2015)

Probably not. No matter. I would follow Theory's suggestion. Starting sharpening without hitting the edge, to thin the blade. When you get to the edge, by all means, put a small 18 to 20 degree bevel on it for a more durable edge.


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## mrsnak (Oct 4, 2015)

You guys are awesome. Will spend some time later to evaluate my knives' conditions...


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