Alright I need a sharpener

After sharpener set of good benchstones and waterstones would be nice investments. Freehand sharpening usually is not that hard, it just takes bit time to learn few tricks.
 
Hi Bill,

I would agree with those that say freeehand sharpening is best. But there is a long learning curve. It's much easier to learn to ride a bicyce.

I would not recommend learning to sharpen on your Strider. Use cheap blades to learn.

I would suggest that you get a copy of the video for the Sharpmaker. From the video you can learn basic edge knowledge that will give you a greater understanding of what you are trying to achieve.

sal
 
I also agree with the others that learning freehand is the best.

The reason I say that is because once to learn how and get good at it you will really know what to look for if you use one of the systems like the Edge Pro and you will really get the most out of them.

I still freehand sharpen from time to time to stay in practice. :D
 
I picked up a basic 3 stone Lansky kit the other day for $25 on sale at a local sporting goods place. I like freehand sharpening generally, but there is no question it took less time to reprofile a dragonfly with the rig. The fine 600 stone put a nice sharp edge on it, but I still finished on arkansas black and my strop.
 
Sounds like I'll start with freehand and move on to an edge pro after that, thanks for the recommendations. What kind of stones and such do I need to get to start freehand sharpening.
 
OldDude1 said:
Once learned, the ability to free hand sharpen on bench stones is unquestionably a highly useful and rewarding skill. But it is a learned skill. It seems neither exceptionally difficult nor ridiculously easy. For a person NEW to sharpening, buying and using bench stones on a new knife may not however, be the best way to go. Most novices seem to be PRIMARILY interested in making their knife acceptably sharper in a short period of time with the least chance of error. They may also expect as cosmetically and mechanically perfect an edge as is frequently displayed on the pages of this forum. A novice using a bench stone may not be aware that one inexperienced miscalculation in edge to bench stone contact can instantly create some really nasty scratches high on the side of a nice new blade. The idea of waiting until they develop muscle memory and some degree of precision with an unfamiliar skill, by sharpening expendable knives first, may not seem like something to be looked forward to. The desire to start sharpening is usually triggered by the fact that they have a dull knife that needs a new edge. Not because they had an interest in stones and now need something to sharpen. Disappointing or frustrating results after using bench stones, that were recommended by more experienced and knowledgeable forum members, may quickly dampen a new bench stone user's eagerness and interest. Not screwing up a new knife is even more important than getting it sharper. Guided rods, blade clamps, fixed angle ceramic stones all have limitations but these limitations were designed to reduce the opportunity for user error while still producing an acceptably sharp edge.
With a large budget, both a Sharpmaker (short learning curve, less chance of screwing up a new knife edge, good for quick touch ups) and a set of bench stones (long term valuable skill, extremely versatile) might be the way to go. OldDude1
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good advice!
that's actually what i resigned myself to doing earlier. I've been working on my freehand technique with my Norton Cryostolon (8" double sided) and Hard Arkansas (6", my final step) stones, finishing up with a strop with metal polish (bit too abrasive polish, but it's what i could get) on one side and jeweler's rouge on another. I've improved somewhat, getting my SAK pocket pal to the minimum (and painful) shaving sharpness after about 3 hours practice. I've found through my various other hobbies, that muscle memory is one of my strong points. I'm still planning on picking up a sharpmaker until i'm MUCH more confident in my freehanding skill.

Anyone have any suggestions for a really cheap knife to practice with?
 
Bill86 said:
Sounds like I'll start with freehand and move on to an edge pro after that, thanks for the recommendations. What kind of stones and such do I need to get to start freehand sharpening.
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Cool. :D

Another reason is that once you have learned freehand you will really appreciate how good the Edge Pro really is. :thumbup:

Dnullify said:
good advice!
that's actually what i resigned myself to doing earlier. I've been working on my freehand technique with my Norton Cryostolon (8" double sided) and Hard Arkansas (6", my final step) stones, finishing up with a strop with metal polish (bit too abrasive polish, but it's what i could get) on one side and jeweler's rouge on another. I've improved somewhat, getting my SAK pocket pal to the minimum (and painful) shaving sharpness after about 3 hours practice. I've found through my various other hobbies, that muscle memory is one of my strong points. I'm still planning on picking up a sharpmaker until i'm MUCH more confident in my freehanding skill.

Anyone have any suggestions for a really cheap knife to practice with?
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Start with cheap kitchen knives..
 
Alright what kind and how many stones do I need total? nothing too pricey because I'm still eying that edge pro, although I could put that one off and get some NICE stones. Suggestions ?
 
You might try what I've got:
Norton cryostolon pre soaked oilstone.
It's double sided with coarse on one side and a decent medium on the other. Then all you née is a finishing stone of your choice. I've got a hard Arkansas (fine, but they come finer.)
 
I like DMT Aligner kit. It has a very wide range of diamond whetstones, from the coarsest at 120 micron particles down to the finest at 3 micron. The deluxe kit with 3 stones can be had for under $50.

However, I've been freehand sharpening since I was a little boy, so I don't discount the value of learning that skill.
 
Real men use Arkansas stones. ;)

They also use Spyderco bench stones. I forget what I use. :p
 
Bill86 said:
Alright what kind and how many stones do I need total? nothing too pricey because I'm still eying that edge pro, although I could put that one off and get some NICE stones. Suggestions ?
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Just get a nice Tri-Hone to start with, they have Coarse, med and Fine stones, all you need to start and they are pretty cheap at under $30 most of the time.

Something like this...

TRI6.jpg
 
Big Mike said:
Go convex, you will never look back. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:




Big Mike
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i do have a convexed ultratech on it's way back to me I'll try it out, but first I just need to learn how to sharpen then I can look into reprofiling.
 
I've had good results with crock a stick system for the last 30 years. It's fast and effective for regular edge maintenance. If sharpening is something you enjoy spending time on, or your have a need to re-profile, there are better options. I just decided to upgrade to a spyderco sharpmaker, with the addition of a 3rd set of coarse rods. Everything shipped was about $88., which is great, since I just popped for a couple of nice autos for the collection. This system is a great value, it's fast, simple and versatile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjvxTf5QNGs&playnext_from=TL&videos=gEeMJiNrvA0
Your can find more info on the sharpmaker on this site with the search button:thumbup:
 
phm14 said:
I've had good results with crock a stick system for the last 30 years. It's fast and effective for regular edge maintenance. If sharpening is something you enjoy spending time on, or your have a need to re-profile, there are better options. I just decided to upgrade to a spyderco sharpmaker, with the addition of a 3rd set of coarse rods. Everything shipped was about $88., which is great, since I just popped for a couple of nice autos for the collection. This system is a great value, it's fast, simple and versatile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjvxTf5QNGs&playnext_from=TL&videos=gEeMJiNrvA0
Your can find more info on the sharpmaker on this site with the search button:thumbup:
Click to expand...

good results on that video - a sure way to get a convex edge on your blade using a Sharpmaker.....use a wobbly cardboard box to set up on..lol :D :D
 
Ankerson said:
Just get a nice Tri-Hone to start with, they have Coarse, med and Fine stones, all you need to start and they are pretty cheap at under $30 most of the time.

Something like this...
Click to expand...
Sounds good ill go hunt one of those down and order it tomorrow
 
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