1st time shaving sharp!

R

rwasham

Joined
Mar 27, 2009
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Ive been trying off and on for about a year now to get a knife shaving sharp on my lanksy sharpener....could never seem to get it past push cutting paper until about 5 minutes ago when I shaved a bunch off my forearm.....now I have a huge bald spot on my forearm cause I was so excited I couldnt stop....all that aside I just thought Id let all of you share in the joy...I only used an old leather belt for a strop which makes me wonder how well I could do if I had a dedicated strop with some compound... might be something to look into
 
rwasham said:
just the regular stones coarse medium then fine
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I learned to sharpen when I was a kid, and I could get my blades to a level that I thought was sharp... but it wasn't shaving sharp. I kept practicing though, and got to the point where I could get a blade shaving sharp, just not the whole thing. More and more practice and I finally got to the point where I could get the entire blade shaving sharp. Wow. I thought I was pretty good, until someone showed me what sharp really was — and how to get there.

The key — for me — was learning to a.) keep a consistent angle, b.) don't press too hard and c.) get rid of the burr on the edge. That last step involved stropping of some kind, something I hadn't been doing before. I don't care if you use the worlds finest leather strop, or an old rolled taco, but use something to get rid of the burr on the edge. Once you learn that, you'll be well on your way.

I've been sharpening for over fifty years now and, if I keep at it, I expect to get pretty good. You will too, if you keep at it. Blade Forums provides a wealth of sharpening info to learn from: some good sharpeners here.
 
The trick is to develop the burr with the coarser stones. A lot of knives that i have sharpened with the lansky realy need to be reprofiled to match the angle that the clamp offers. What I do first is color the existing grind with magic marker, then make a few passes with the fine stone. That gives me an idea of where to start. Then, i grap the coarse stone and give it a few nice passes till i feel the angle is right. Then flip it over and do the other side untill you feel a burr form. You will know the burr is there when the edge kind of has a hook to it on the side when you check it with your thumb. Then you can graduate to a finer stone untill you get the same thing. The burr will gradualy be smaller as the stones get finer. By the time you get done with the medium stone you should have a pretty good edge on it. I use the fine, ultra fine, and saphire stone to put a nice polished edge on the blade.
The problem I had when I started with the lansky is I was kind on afraid to realy grind into it with the extra coarse and coarse stones. They seemed realy harsh. I started to practice on knives that were hopeless hunks of crap, and realy hit them good with the extra coarse and worked my way down. They all took on a nice edge that would mow hair off my arm so easily that I couldnt help myself. Its all almost grown back now.
 
Also, I like to write down what I have the angle set at on which knives. It saves me a lot of time when i have to go do a touchup.
 
first time I got knives shaving sharp was sharpening kitchen knives on a poket stone. got really sharp (nice knives) but I left scratches on it where I ran the blade of the stone. small stone, little experience.
 
my initial elation has been deflated somewhat by the fact that I cant get any of my others that sharp....or seemingly with my native even to the point where it can push cut paper....is s30v extra hard to sharpen?
 
rwasham said:
my initial elation has been deflated somewhat by the fact that I cant get any of my others that sharp....or seemingly with my native even to the point where it can push cut paper....is s30v extra hard to sharpen?
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Its not that its harder to sharpen it just takes more time. If it takes you 10 minutes to sharpen AUS-8 it will take 30+ minutes to sharpen S30V.
 
rwasham said:
my initial elation has been deflated somewhat by the fact that I cant get any of my others that sharp....or seemingly with my native even to the point where it can push cut paper....is s30v extra hard to sharpen?
Click to expand...

If you're using the regular Lansky hones, I would HIGHLY recommend investing in at least one of the Lansky diamond hones. I experienced the same initial frustration in not quite being able to get my blades as sharp as I wanted. That all changed with my purchase of a Medium diamond hone, to supplement my standard set. I start with the Medium diamond, then finish with the standard fine and ultra-fine hones. The diamond will make things considerably easier & faster in producing the burr on the edge. As others have advised in this thread, producing a burr is all-important before you proceed to the finishing hones (fine/ultrafine). Also, there's no need to press hard with the hone, let the grit do the work. Use only enough pressure to make sure the hone stays consistently flush against your edge, just enough to maintain steady control.

Additional tips:

As part of your 'sharpening kit', so to speak, include a magnifier (at least 5X - 10X or more) and a small flashlight. Comes in very handy for inspecting your work.

An easy way to test for the burr, is to periodically wipe the edge of the blade with a damp paper towel. Obviously, this helps to keep the edge clear of muck or dust when sharpening, but an additional benefit is that when the burr begins to form, the damp paper towel will 'catch' on the burr and fray. Makes it very obvious if the burr is there.

If you haven't done so already, find a way to mount your Lansky clamp so that nothing moves (except your hone, of course). I put mine in a small hobby type vise (Pana-Vise), which can be mounted to a bench or wherever you want. Beats the heck out of trying to hold the clamp in one hand while honing with the other. Much less fatiguing.

Congrats on your progress thus far, and WELCOME to the "One Arm's Hairier than the Other" Club! ;) :thumbup:
 
When i was a kid I could always get my knives shaving sharp. But just barely. I use to be obsessed with getting as close to 'the perfect edge' as i could on all my knives. I would sharpen a knife to razor sharp and go out and use the hell out of it just so i could sharpen it again. One thing I love is seeing a knife thats got a worn down look to it. My best knives all had it. Idk if it was from actual use or over-sharpening but i like to think it was from use.

I still do that now that Im (almost) grown up, the only difference is that now I can get my knives hair poppingly sharp.
 
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