First Hand Sharpening

linuxology

linuxology

Joined
Dec 31, 2010
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I have always sharpened my knives, but never thought I had the skill to hand sharpen. Own the spyderco sharpmaker and the edge pro. Sharpmaker has been a positive experience. I have enjoyed the edge pro though I have find it to be time consuming and at times I have misjudged it and it creates a bigger bevel than I anticipated. Decided to try out hand sharpening and picked up to Shapton Pro Stones 320 and 1000 grit. Took a small victorinox paring knife for my first try and transitioned through the two stones fairly quickly. Finished up on a piece of junk chinese belt to remove the burr and it was popping hair shaving sharp and slicing coloring paper like a mad man. I think I can get used to this hand sharpening and was overall impressed with my first try. Maybe it is easier on a thin paring knife as I know the steel is not S110V, but overall I am a carbon steel fan. Maybe beginners luck. Regardless I was very pleased with the results.
 
Congrats! I think you did well by starting with those two grits. One of my mistakes in my earlier sharpening attempts was being worried about ruining a knife by removing too much steel with a coarse stone, and therefore spending too much time by starting out on fine stones but not achieving much in the way of results, and trying to compensate for the slow progress by using too much pressure. I have a worn-out DMT Fine diamond hone to show for it.
 
jc57 said:
Congrats! I think you did well by starting with those two grits. One of my mistakes in my earlier sharpening attempts was being worried about ruining a knife by removing too much steel with a coarse stone, and therefore spending too much time by starting out on fine stones but not achieving much in the way of results, and trying to compensate for the slow progress by using too much pressure. I have a worn-out DMT Fine diamond hone to show for it.
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Such is life as long as you learn. I made similar mistakes with the automated sharpening and possibly progressing to quickly. I have learned that I am just fine with toothy edges many times.
 
Congrats!
Heavy Handed site has some good videos with tips & tricks to keep the angle steady. It's the single most important thing in free hand sharpening, after patience;)
Glad you started out with the Victorinox paring. Good steel that will take an edge but easy to sharpen. :thumbup:
 
I love sharpening old high carbon steel knives free hand on arkansas soft stones and stroping with green diamond paste. Them old knifes get scary sharp real fast and easy! Good luck and keep practicing! :)
 
The thin Victorinox paring knives are great teaching aids for sharpening, as they embody all the attributes that make a good cutting tool: very thin grind, and good steel that responds excellently to most any desired finish using a wide variety of stone or abrasive types. And best of all, they're inexpensive too. That eliminates all of the variables that might otherwise detract from a positive learning experience, leaving only technique (light touch, steady angle) to determine how good the results can be. They always reward good technique with a screaming-sharp edge. :)


David
 
Congrats!

I am still waiting for my gear to show up so I can start the free hand process.
 
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