Any "old school" sharpeners out there?

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
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So, do any of you guys exclusively sharpen freehand with a stone? I've been using crock sticks for a few years now, but still take to an old stone I have in the kitchen drawer to re-profile an edge from time to time. Reminds me of when I was a kid and got a two-stone Norton Fine India set. I'd lay out newspapers on the kitchen table and slosh oil all over the stones, scratching the hell out of my meager collection of slippies. Eventually, I got pretty good at it and only cut myself about 50 times! ;) I think when my ma saw me getting out the knives and newspapers, she'd instinctively check to see how we were stocked for band-aids.
 
I only sharpen by hand. I'm only 22 and only been into knives for a year, though, so I don't do it because I am "old school". I just prefer to do it myself and by hand. I also don't want to shell out the cash for a sharpening system if I can do it myself with some patience and some skill. I think it is a good thing to learn anyways.
 
I sharpen free hand.

Its the only way I have ever sharpened a knife. If I had to use one of those gadjets I just don't know what I'd do. I learned to sharpen a pocket knife from my dad and grandad a very long time ago, and there was no other way to do it. I'm 64 years old, and I guess my first pocket knife was around 1949 or 50. It was a barlow made by Ulster and dad gave me a small pocket stone in a leather pouch to keep it sharp.

The way I was tought was to start at the heel of the blade and hone in small circles up the blade to the tip. Turn the blade over and do the other side. Keep repeating this till sharp and finish on a leather strop. By rubbing the blade in a circular motion all the way up the blade it's easier to keep a constant angle while in constant contact with the blade, as oposed to lifting it up and using the slicing motion. I just love it when you get it to the point were it just whispers through news print. Of course grandad could get his knife so sharp he would hold it real close to his forarm, and the hairs would jump off by themselves rather than face that blade.:rolleyes:

The only major change I have made in technology is I have switched to diamond sharpener because they are even more compact, and I like to have one on me. I'm a little fanatical about my knife being very sharp at all times, and if I am carrying a knife I also carry something to touch up the blade. I like that little one from E-zy lap that has the red plastic handle. I cut off the handle so the sharpener is now only a couple inches long and it fits in my wallet. It was interesting to me that when I bought this little e-zy lap hone the instructions on the back of the blister pack were like dad tought me.
 
MNBlade Yes I sharpen by hand also but not as much as in the past. I use a Sharpmaker alot. But like Jackknife I too use a daimond by hand these days for a good fast edge. My system is a little different however, I hand hold the stone and knife and sharpen heel to tip in a circular motion. For me I'm able to keep better contact of the edge that way. But I did start this method years ago on oil stones. Now with the diamonds it makes it so much faster I rarely use the old stones, plus for most of my uses I find that the diamond leaves a nice micro-serrated edge that works for me better than a more polished edge.
 
I've only ever used the classic 'spit on a stone' method, I've never found a need for those fancy diamond sharpeners or similar complex system. It gets the knife sharp enough to shave with, every time.
 
I've been using a Spyderco 701 MF lately and love it. I use electrical tape if I'm worried about scratches which seem to be inevitable for me.
 
Freehand the only way to go here's my procedure:

Having been sharpening my own blades for the last 30+ years I've come to notice a few things in regards to what you use to sharpen a knife. Diamond hones remove massive amounts of steel and sharpen a blade fast but even with the finest hone you will still need to finish your blade on a strop or ceramic hone to smooth out the edge. Always sharpen at the desired angle,(between 17-24 degrees, depending on the thickness of the blade) till you get a wire edge on one side, (the best way to feel for this is to slide your thumbnail from the spine side, or back of the blade towards the edge) when you encounter a wire edge it will feel like a little lip has formed where the wire edge has rolled over. Next sharpen the opposite side till you achieve the same result. Done on a Fine Diamond Hone, finish off by repeating the process using lighter pressure on each subsequent stroke and the wire edge will become smaller. When the wire edge is barely noticeable with your fingernail. Finish with a leather strop and stropping compound by applying a reasonable amount of force and dragging the blade backwards on the leather at a slightly less angle than you sharpened,(the leather will actually curl around the edge of the blade and wear off the wire edge) after a few strokes on the leather on both side you should have a finished edge. When the edge of the sharpened blade is rested on the smooth part of your thumbnail it will dig in, (bite into the nail with no additional pressure), Your knife should now be shaving sharp.

Diamonds are more aggressive and faster than wet stones or oilstones but will accomplish the same results with a smoother more polished edge, and depending on the grit of the stone may take a lot longer. The key either way is repetition, the more you perform the same task your brain starts memorizing the pathways through your body needed to accomplish this task. Eventually holding an angle, smoothness of stroke, all become second nature, and the task becomes easier. That’s why it always looks easier when someone else whose good at it does it.

My way is not the only way but it works for me, if you feel confident enough to attempt your own blades, start on a cheaper knife that your not afraid of ruining, and remember it’s easier to sharpen a knife that’s not dull, than to sharpen one that is. So don’t wait till your knife won’t even cut butter before you dress up that edge. LOL

PS as for my preference I prefer a diamond hone just because I think it's quicker, and more versatile I can accomplish the same thing with one hone by just varying pressure to the blade as I sharpen.
 
I've always used stones. A sharpmaker is in my kit, but that is reserved for knives that need special care- ones for friends.
 
I have both a Spyderco sharpmaker and a set of medium and fine Spyderco benchstones and lately I have been convexing my blades freehand on the benchstones. The Sharpmaker has its place but I enjoy doing it freehand.
 
I haven't tried any of those jig-type sharpening gizmos yet. I just don't see the need to use one, after freehand sharpening my knives for almost 50 years. There'd be something wrong with me if I couldn't hold a steady angle after that long!

I realize that marketing pressures are very strong, in selling consumers "stuff", so that it's almost an unconscious decision to buy what we are told that we need. But, using gadgets like those rob us of the opportunity to develop really good hand-eye coordination, not to mention the pride of accomplishment from doing something "ourselves", instead of letting a machine do it for us.

Some of the tools I use:

Norton Crystolon stones (silicone carbide)
Carborundum stones (aluminum oxide)
DMT pocket hone (diamond)
Japanese water stones (aluminum oxide, I believe)
Hard transluscent Arkansas stone (it ROCKS!)
the unglazed ring on the bottom of plates or bowls (ceramic)
back of an old belt, with or without a dusting of rock polishing compound
 
Sword and Shield said:
I've always used stones. A sharpmaker is in my kit, but that is reserved for knives that need special care- ones for friends.
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Now see I've always been the opposite, special knives and friends knives always get sharpened freehand.
 
Here's another way to look at machine vs. man:

"That Acme Sharpening Gizmo puts a fantastic edge on my knives."

vs.

"I can put a fantastic edge on my knives."
 
T. Erdelyi said:
Now see I've always been the opposite, special knives and friends knives always get sharpened freehand.
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Well, as I see it, most of my friends don't want a perfect edge, thinned down to 10 degrees and razor fine. They want an edge they can touch up in about two seconds, an edge that looks really good (polished relief bevels) and usually borrow my Sharpmaker to do it. My special ones- heirloom knives, ones that mean a lot- always get freehand sharpening, just because they deserve it. :)
 
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Yup :D
 
Yep, I do them all free hand on bench stones now. I do have a Lansky and the DMT clamp but haven't used them for a few years.
 
Guys I have to say this.. I to have always loved to sharpen knives soley by hand, at an early age I remember my uncle sharpening his pocket knife with a sand stone off the ground that he spit on, and you could practicly split hairs with that edge. But I have to confess, now that I have so many knives ( most of which I carry on a daily basis for cutting what ever at work or play ) not to mention I have even run late for work on trying to decide which to carry. I now use a Razor edge kit with the 8'' stones. One thing I always did when I bought a new production knife is what I call fixing the edge. Im sure they dont have time to make every edge perfect, so I grind it to my own specs. With a Razor edge kit it is fast, consistant, clean, and damn sharp. Hell I liked the kit so much I bought one for my brother,and my step son.
 
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