Sharpening technique - quick question

[daved]

Looking for a bit of clarification on sharpening:

Should you hold the knife blade perpendicular to the stone or at an angle across it? If you have it at an angle, you can cover more of the blade in each stroke.

Unless you have a very small blade (or a very wide stone I suppose) you aren't going to cover the whole length of the blade in one stroke. What is the best way to cover the length - move along the blade for each successive stroke or work on one area for a number of strokes and then move along?

Not done this before, so sorry if this seems a silly question. Just looking for the easiest technique for a beginner to pick up

Thanks
Dave

 

[Hedgehog]

If the blade is straight I generally draw it across the stone to with each stroke to cover the whole blade & maintain an even grind.

Othewise I work from the base of the blade in sucessive strokes till I reach the tip, many gentle passes are better than too much pressure - this avoids to much damage if your angle is wrong or you slip etc - let the stone do the work.

The angle of the blade to the stone only really matters around the choil/ricasso near the handle - where the ground edge begins.

Of course try to keep the angle of the bevel flat against the stone.

Sorry a bit brief - I'm at work