Basic knife maintenance with what i have

L

Leo3an

Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Messages
183
hello,

Im a newb.

I read a bunch of instructions online on how to keep a sharp blade, and im very confused. But im sure im not maintaining them well.

Only products I have for sharpening are a Lansky sharpner and a leather strop and some polishing paste. Is this enough to keep my knives sharp everyday so I dont have to spend hours sharpening it?

If anyone could give me a simple direction with only what i have would be great. I go out to do some work, cut some boxes, packaging bubble wraps, ropes, etc. i come home, and want to routinely do things that is fairly not time consuming and keep the blades sharp daily...what do I do? Help!

Thank you
 
You should be fine with what you have. You can buy fancier and more expensive sharpeners, but for everyday maintenance of a knife that is used for common everyday tasks, a basic setup like yours is all that you need.
 
You just got the Lansky and leather strop and have no experience with the stuff yet, is that it?
Which are your knives?

If you have a good steel blade (440C, VG10, S30V, or higher), shaving-sharp from the factory, and don't damage the edge during the day, then 1 leather strop would be sufficient to repair the edge and pass the standard test: the blade should easily cut/slice tomato skin under the sole weight of the knife.

Also consider using a Stanley knife instead. For stupid work tasks i enjoy using my Stanley Quickslide Sport!
 
What you have should work fine. Just learn how to use those tools and you should be fine.
 
I treat my knives like I was taught to sharpen chisels. The fact that you have a strop is miles ahead of most neophytes (beginners).

Unless you really a abuse the edge, a touch up with the strop is all you need to do. Occasionally you'll need the finer stones, and when SHTF you need to go to coarse.
In my experience, jumping from 1000 to strop is sufficient. But when you invest in high end stones 4000x and up the results are worth it. We go on about the mirror polish, but that's more about craft and pride. My kitchen knives never get the full treatment, because if they aren't butchery knives, it's a waste of time.

Use the lanksy to train your hand, and develop a feel for the angle, not as a crutch. Guides are good, but aim to move beyond them. Learn to use a stone freehand. Save your money and then dump money into a wicked edge system. If you've learned freehand, you should be allowed to cheat again. :)
 
What you have can work fine. Sharpening is mostly skill and partly tools. Just make sure you get a burr then switch to the other side and make sure that gets a burr, then do light passes one per side until you minimize the burr to the point that you can barely feel it, then move to the strop. If you get the burr down far enough, you should only require no more than a few passes on each side with the strop. Use a flashlight to shine on the edge so confirm your burr is gone. Yoir knife is now sharp. I personally would have no problem if i only owned a spyderco medium ceramic and a pants leg to strop on. I can get an easy phone book paper push cutting edge with it.
 
Thank you all. It is embarrasing but I think I have ruined several edges just trying to fix something that i am not sure of.

Since most are aus8 and cr13mov, these are inexpensive $26-$70 knives and easy to sharpen.. supposedly. And some of them like Ontario Rat has “cutting bevel?” or im not sure of the terminology but the part you sharpen... is uneven. One size is wider, other side if the blade is not was wide. Not like a chisel grind but slightly uneven. Both sides are 17 degrees but one side seems more beveled.

My main questions are:
- is this uneven cutting bevel normal for $20-$70 knives? Not sure if it is an optical illusion.
- if so, is Lansky a good option to make them even? Using the most coarse stone.
- for leather stropping, can i use Mother’s Mag&aluminum polish to strop the knives.

Thank you all. This community is heaven.
 
Yes, you can use Mother's Mag Polish on a strop. It uses Aluminum oxide as an abrasive, which is what is typically found in white polishing compounds. It should do fine as a stropping compound.
 
Welcome!

As newb, I’d suggest to read stickies on this sub forum, especially ‘what is sharpening about’ : https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-is-sharpening-a-knife-about-2015-updates.1014274/
It’s going to let you know that what you have is adequate, for steel like 8Cr and AUS8.

Go and practice, learn some terminology and ask more specifics if you run into problem.

Lastly, yes, uneven bevel is common, and not only happens with lower price range.
 
Do you have an angle cube? Are you using magic marker on the edge?

Do the knives you are sharpening have flat areas on them? Or are they angled?

See this picture, it has a flat portion that you can clamp the knife into. It's likely the bevels on this knife will be more even. Though that can depend on how your sharpening and the unevenes of the edge to begin with.
sog_uf1001-bx_web_0000_main.png





This style blade does not have a flat area so the clamp cannot have an perfect angle from both sides unless you use tape or something to even it out. An angle cube is useful for this style blade.
Spyderco-Tenacious.jpg
 
Invest in a Sharpmaker.

You can't beat it for general edge maintenance.
 
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