Beginner sharpener

S

Sandman84

Joined
Dec 4, 2014
Messages
31
I'm horrible at sharpening. I usually drop my dull knives off at my dad's house or use a pull through sharpener. (I know....awfull) just this year I've started researching and buying quality knives. It's time I learn to sharpen them myself. Anyways, enough back story. I'm buying an Arkansans whet stone and I also ordered a Kershaw 1082 field knife in 14c28n. I was just wandering if that would be a good knife/steel to learn with. I would like to be moderately skilled in sharpening before I start buying D2, s30v, elmax etc.
thanx in advance.
 
You could start like I did, Look at dollar store knives and when you mess up, no worries!
 
all day still said:
Spyderco Sharpmaker, buy the Ultra fine stones as well
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I disagree, the sharpmaker doesn't sharpen, it's only good for keeping sharp. It won't teach someone what sharpening is all about. And god forbid if a knife comes from the factory with an edge greater than 40 degree:grumpy:
 
Blues Bender said:
I disagree, the sharpmaker doesn't sharpen, it's only good for keeping sharp. It won't teach someone what sharpening is all about. And god forbid if a knife comes from the factory with an edge greater than 40 degree:grumpy:
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Very true, if the edge angle is over 40 degrees it will be difficult to use the sharp maker. However if you are sharpening a dull knife with the sharpmaker you can always buy the diamond stones. beats buying an edge pro apex or wicked edge, or free handing.
 
I've had the sharpmaker on my wish list for months now. I really want something that teaches me the basics and is useable in the field. The kicker is price. Atm my hours at work have been cut. It goes without saying that our $ is focused on Christmas right now. I received an amazon card for my birthday so I decided to replace my crappy winchester skinner for the kershaw 1082.
 
I learned how to sharpen with a Lasky turn box and Buck Vantage Select. Very cheap way to learn. If you go this route make sure to get the one with diamond rods
 
IF you are planning on getting a lot of high end knives i'd invest in a wicked edge system... its pricey but its an investment in keeping your other investments in top shape. that system eliminates most of the user error associated with other systems and will end up teaching you alot about the mechanics and science behind sharpening. basically the big draw with the wicked edge is being able to dial in an exact angle and easily replicate it on future runs.

The reason Id condiser getting it now would be because you will have to break the stones in so you're better off getting past the learning curve and break in period on cheaper blades (ie kitchen knives), work your way towards your kershaws, and eventually the crazy high end stuff you'll end up with in the future
 
Like said above, start with some super cheap knives and try out several systems to work on your technique and find what system you like using.

I am by no means an expert sharpener, but I can get a working edge that will last on most any knife.
 
If you buy a sharpmaker, the best accessory is the diamond rods for when things are really dull.

If you don't have much money, various grits of sand paper, a block of wood and some glue is pretty cheap. Being from AR you may want a a simple coarse/fine AR stone combination. These are usually pretty reasonable. One of the DMT combo hand sharpeners are also a good low price start. There are lots of tutorials that can help.
 
Thanks everyone. I've got lots of cheap knives from before I knew that all knives aren't the same. I'll definetly get the AR stones for now because of my financial situation but I'll also check out the other options. I do plan on getting into the higher end knives in the future. I need to learn how to sharpen them and keep em that way first
 
Just a quick cheap start would be a $20 Lansky turn box if you read the instructions completely it wants you to put a sort of micro-bevel on the blade, but more importantly learning proper use is very easy. I used to sharpen many of my Benchmade griptilians on it for speedy touch ups and 3-5 swipes per side and they were shaving sharp. The downside is these type of sharpeners are not good for reprofiling which is a major undertaking and the rods or stones with these don't cut enough.
 
Sandman84 said:
... I'm buying an Arkansans whet stone and I also ordered a Kershaw 1082 field knife in 14c28n. I was just wandering if that would be a good knife/steel to learn with. I would like to be moderately skilled in sharpening before I start buying D2, s30v, elmax etc.
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1) While an Arkansas stone will work for 14C28N... D2, S30V, Elmax, etc. will laugh at your Arkansas stone. Wrong tool for the job. You need a better abrasive for the "higher end" (i.e. abrasion-resistant) steels. SiC, diamond, or ceramic. For restoring a heavily (deeply) damaged edge, 220-grit or lower. For medium damage, ~400 grit. For edge-finishing, 800-grit is still quite toothy, 1200-grit is well-polished, and 2000-8000 grit is a high push-cutting mirror-finish. As a reference, my DMT hones include black, blue, red, & green, after which i strop on compound if a higher polish is desired. The DMT Double-sided DiaFolds are an easy way to acquire a portable (pocketable) sharpening system with multiple grits, and their Deluxe Magna-guide system works for quicker restoration at a selected angle on small knives (like that kershaw).

2) That Kershaw is NOT a good knife to learn on. Due to the lack of a choil (notch at the heel of the blade), it will not come fully sharpened from the factory but will curve out into the ricasso at the plunge-line :thumbdn: To fix this I recommend a curved hone. Another pocketable sharpening option is the Hewlett/Buck FlipStik or Flipstik Ultra, diamond-coated rods. The latter has multiple grits like the DMTs but has more trouble sharpening all the way to the choil unless there is sufficient space.

3) If you don't want to shell-out the $20-30 for a FlipStik or DMTs, you can get a Norton Crystolon combination stone for <$20 or some wet/dry SiC sandpaper and a block of wood for cheap. Check the here for more advice: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment
 
I swear by this worksharp when in the field. Notice the 20degree guides to keep you at a consistent angle and all the other features. it wont get your blade hair-shaving sharp, but will slice through paper like butter, in a paper test. Only $25 and great for a beginner.



 
Wow! That's an awesome gadget there. I'll have to check that out.
How difficult is it to sharpen a cpm154 drop point blade? I've got one on a benchmade mini barrage.
 
220 grit diamond plate 3" by 8" DMT for re-profiling
600 grit diamond plate 3" by 8" for refining/honing
Spyderco Sharpmaker for maintenance
Fallkniven DC-4 and Eze-lap sportmans diamond rod for field.

Everything else I tried was too much hassle, price , maintenance , or gimmicky. Learning how to freehand will become an awesome skill if your a knife aficionado. Been free-handing since the 60's myself.

Spend a few hours in the maintence , tinkering , and embellishment section and you will learn a lot as a beginning sharpener.
 
hiwa said:
220 grit diamond plate 3" by 8" DMT for re-profiling
600 grit diamond plate 3" by 8" for refining/honing
Spyderco Sharpmaker for maintenance
Fallkniven DC-4 and Eze-lap sportmans diamond rod for field.

Everything else I tried was too much hassle, price , maintenance , or gimmicky. Learning how to freehand will become an awesome skill if your a knife aficionado. Been free-handing since the 60's myself.

Spend a few hours in the maintence , tinkering , and embellishment section and you will learn a lot as a beginning sharpener.
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Agree. Freehand is a true skill worth learning. It is good to learn this type of craft skills from an expert. I encourage you to take a look at Murray Carter's sharpening videos. You can buy DVD on his site Carter Cutlery or watch most of it on YouTube. Also consider waterstones, they work better over a wider range of grits and will serve you a lifetime unless you go professional like Murray and sharpen tens of thousands of blades. I dislike most angle gadgets because they don't match up to blade 's existing angles, and don't deal with hollow, flat and convex blade shapes equally. Plus there is more than just the sharpening step to really great blade maintenance. Hint: watch Murray's videos and you will see.
 
MathewsZ7 said:
This:thumbup:
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I would start with a sharpmaker, and don't worry if your knife(s) are over or under 20DPS, it's not hard to make an adjustment. Just make sure you use a sharpie to mark the edge so you are hitting it, and then you can adjust your angle.

The sharpmaker is great tool in learning what the fundamentals are of sharpening.

Once you get good with it, then move to stones, the transition will be much easier....

I would recommend that you start with high carbon steel....
 
A Norton Economy stone from Home Depot and a small bottle of oil. Might as well earn how to freehand, but I'd also buy a cheaper knife to learn on or use your kitchen knives.
 
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