Flashlight Method for Sharpening Knives. Brico, Guide D'affutage. Afilar Cuchillos Con Una Linterna

This is a modification to the method I devised for honing chisels and planes, so that it can now be used to sharpen knives.

Il s'agit d'une modification de la méthode que j'ai conçu pour aiguiser les ciseaux et les rabots, de sorte qu'elle peut maintenant être utilisée pour aiguiser les couteaux.

Esta es una modificación del método que diseñé para el bruñido de cinceles y cepillos de carpintero, de manera que ahora se puede utilizar para afilar cuchillos.

Comments

[strooom]

Hi, I took a class in sharpening knives this weekend, and indeed it is difficult in the beginning to get the 22.5 or 15 degree angle right. But I think the idea is that after enough practising, you should get experienced enough to get the angle right without any additional tools. (even if I like your idea with the light and shadows, I find it a bit cumbersome to set it up..)

So then my next thought was "how to learn as fast as possible the right angle", and of course that is by having a real example next to the knife you are sharpening.

So my suggestion is to make 2 wooden wedges (22.5 and 15 degrees), with a magnet in there, so that you can easily stick an old or similar knife onto the magnet, in the same position you are working on the stone. By looking left and right, you can easily compare the two knives, and adjust if needed.

I will build one next week and post an image.

[Pointy]

Simple solution for countering the shadow: Flip the blade over to your other hand.
In the beginning this will feel a bit off, but your get used to it soon enough.

[Organikmechanic]

Thanks for that! I tried your technique and it felt strange at first but I'm getting the hang of it. I just included your good advice in the blog post I wrote to go with the film. My blog is The Green Lever, if you want to check it out. All the Best from France, Andy.

[Pointy]

De rien! I have a bit of experience from my job. Where I have to sharpen the knives for the mise en place. A sharp knife works wonders in working quicker. It was a lot of trial and error. Glad I could help a bit. Salute de Pays-Bas

[cminsart]

Très bonne idée, merci.

[Organikmechanic]

De rien! Merci d'avoir regardé mon film! Salut de Normandie, Andy

[EmcySquare]

First of all many many thanks for putting your time and your brain into investigating a solution for the problem I posted.
I think the solution is simply briliant !!! Should you patent it you could make some money out of it ;-)
I think this is a very clever way to start, expecially for beginners, since it helps getting the right "feeling" of when you are doing thing right.

My two cents:
- you could benefit of a simple way to fix the straight angle to the blade, like a magnet or some screws. Strong falt magnets can be found in old computer hard drives.
- for the back pannel where the shadow is cast, I'm goint to use a cutting mat, since it has all squares and parallel lines. You can keep the board vertical and incline it the amount of angles you need. This way you have multiple parallel lines to use as a reference even while you slide the blade back and forth.

Thanks again !

[Organikmechanic]

Thanks ! I just wrote a blog post to go with the film and I included your suggestion for holding the straight edge to the blade and the idea of the cutting mat, both valuable additions to the technique. I can't put you the link here because it will not activate but my blog is The Green Lever and it is the latest post on the blog. I am about to upload another little film with an Idea I have for holding the straight edge in place - hope you like it - it was another recycled bit of junk aka valuable scrap!!! All the Best, Andy