Am I the only one who can't sharpen a knife?

S

Sprayman

Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
257
Greetings:

I've been making knives for about two years now and am beginning to make some decent blades. The problem is, whether or not they end up sharp seems to be completely random. I've watched a bunch of videos, practiced until my arms are sore, but I still can't get most of my knives any sharper than your average spoon. I normally use my grinder and a whet stone. Watching videos of guys shave with their knives just confuses and saddens me:mad:. What works for you guys?

Thanks,

Sprayman
 
I struggled for a long time. You should look into buying a edgepro apex from Ben Dale. You will learn to get a razor edge in about 30 minutes of learning curve. Using this product helped me get over the hump. It was a bridge in my edge making education. Now I can make any knife hair popping sharp free handed on a wetstone.
 
If I get my edge withing .015", I just take it to the 2000 grit Japanese water stone until I feel a bur on the back side. I leave the bur on and take it to a 6000 grit stone with a slurry made on top with a nagura stone (something like that...you can get them on ebay). I take around 30 passes total on the 6000 grit stone, wipe off the blade, and take it to the strop with a medium amount of chrome buffing compound on it. That's how I do it and It gets my knifes hair popping sharp.

Any idea what angle you are sharpening the blade to? Also, different steel types take different edged better than others. My 1084 blades take a really nice mirror polished edge, but some steels like VG-10 do better with toothy edges. I figured that out the hard was :grumpy: For those toothy edges, I just take the edge to 2000 grit and strop it a few times.
 
Having the knife almost sharp BEFORE you sharpen it is a good way. (Don Hanson III)
My biggest problem with 'sharp' knives as a new maker was leaving my edge too thick for all sorts of unsubstantiated reason.
Here's a simple rule - "Geometry cuts. Heat treatment determines how long". Roman Landes.

A thing edge cuts better than a thick edge.
And a thin edge is easier to get sharp than a thick one.
 
What angle are you sharpening to per side? Are you raising a burr/wire on the edge? What type of steel are you using?

Normally I just establish the edge with a dull 120 grit, take a couple passes with a 220, and then knock the wire off on a buffer and it's good.

You've got to raise that burr though, and if you hold your edge to the light and see any reflection on the apex, you're not there yet.
 
The Bubble Jig is a great way to establish a new edge; choose a sharpening angle set the bubble and you have it. It works every time, not most of the time. There a great way to grind the primary bevels as well.

Fred
 
The lansky system is pretty good. If that doesn't get your knives sharp, then there is something wrong with them.

Chris
 
I use a Lansky multi stone system. It's not expensive and works very well if used properly. As the others said, be sure you have raised a burr on the opposite side of the blade before you swith sides. You should be able to feel it with your fingernail.
I also can't freehand on a stone to save my life.
 
I tried for years to freehand with no success. The best I could do is to fool myself into thinking that my new edges were at least a little better than I began. But reality? Eh!

That's why when I discovered guided systems I was totally hooked. And in the long run, has actually improved my freehand skills.





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People are Strange, When You're a Stranger....
 
Thanks for all the great responses, guys. I am tempted to get a clamp system like Lansky, but I'm hardheaded, so first I want to try to get good at sharpening with a stone. It just seems like something I should be able to do.

My blades are all 1084 and 1095. I use a Craftsman 2x42. I'm not sure what grit the whetstone is, but it has a coarse side and a fine side. I hold the blade at about 20 degrees.
 
bflying said:
I tried for years to freehand with no success. The best I could do is to fool myself into thinking that my new edges were at least a little better than I began. But reality? Eh!

That's why when I discovered guided systems I was totally hooked. And in the long run, has actually improved my freehand skills.





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People are Strange, When You're a Stranger....
Click to expand...

What guided system do you use?
 
Fred.Rowe said:
The Bubble Jig is a great way to establish a new edge; choose a sharpening angle set the bubble and you have it. It works every time, not most of the time. There a great way to grind the primary bevels as well.

Fred
Click to expand...

Hi Fred:

I've seen your videos and am pretty impressed with your jig. I'm "this" close to getting one, both for grinding and sharpening. I first want to spend a bit more time trying with the whetstone, though. I guess I'm masochistic.
 
Sprayman said:
What guided system do you use?
Click to expand...

I have multiples, but my favorite is the KME Sharp System. It's simple, accurate, and truly ambidextrous.



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People are Strange, When You're a Stranger....
 
Aside from hard use knives I grind the edges down to .010"-.015" before sharpening. Pretty dang close to a zero edge. Sometimes I'll leave a little extra width(not thickness) on the bevel because, when you sharpen from nearly a zero grind, it'll grind the edge back a little.

Also, you have to keep your edge angle consistent or it's just not gonna work. If you keep having a ton of trouble I'd just break down and get a Tormek or Tormek clone. Maybe an Edgepro or Wicked Edge system. You should still practice free hand though, because everyone, especially a maker, should be able to sharpen on one.
 
Karl summed the key point really well!
And yes, a thick edge will make you frustrated.
My advice is to sharpen with a coarse stone until your edge is...sharp!! Always make edge leading strokes, and after you got a sharp edge you can do the same with finer stones to bring the edge to the desired polishing. Trust me, pratice with a knife you won't cry if you scuff the bevel's finish, because you NEED a low sharpening angle....once you get the handling you'll be able to sharpen high end cutlery without damages.
I didn't mention the grinder, too much heat unless you use very low speed or coolant...sharpening it's not grinding, for a lot of good reasons
 
A simple jig doesn't have to cost much. I can sharpen freehand pretty decently. But I usually use a DMT aligner. takes all the thinking out of the equation and provided you already have a thin edge before you start sharpening it's really not a lot of work. I sharpened 7 knives that way in around 1.5 hours yesterday.
 
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