cheapest and easiest way to sharpen cheap knives.

[rhz]

Hi,

I don't know much about knives. I have a Mora Allround stainless steel fixed blade and a stainless Buck redpoint folder. What would be the cheapest and simplest sharpening strategy that yields acceptable results and where the risk of damaging the knives is low? I would not want to spend more than $15 on a sharpener. I know that's not a lot of cash, but at this stage of the game and with these knives, it doesn't make sense to spend more.

PS: I also have a Fiskar's hatchet--so it would be great if whatever sharpening solution I found for the knives would also work for the hatchet.

Thanks!

 

[Jason B.]

You get what you pay for.....


in that price range a 5 dollar norton Aluminum oxide stone from the hardware should be fine but don't expect razor sharpness. Add a ceramic rod to apply micro bevels and you can have razor like sharpness. You can also use sandpaper on glass, a highly effective method widely used among wood workers.

If you want quality stones you'll need to raise your budget.

 

[richard j]

get a piece of glass and some 3m wetordry paper. if your knives are chipped up, get some coarse grit to remove the chips. you wont want more than 400 or 600 grit depending on how sharp you want to go. place the paper on the glass and add some water. sharpen the same way as if you were using a stone. the grit in this paper gets finer as its used so the 600 grit can get a little finer. for the hatchet you put some of the paper on a phone book and work the edge down on it. be careful not to poke through. you can always get some abrasive cloth for sharpening it.