Freehand sharpening your CRK

S

Sir_flip_a_lot

Joined
May 24, 2020
Messages
17
Im fairly new to freehand sharpening at the Moment, but so far had great Results.

Wondering who uses traditional Stones or Diamond Stones? Do you prefer it over some Systems or is the Majority here using Systems?
 
DIamond stones or my grinder. No jigs currently but it is dependent on where I am around the property.

Mine is worst for wear though and I reground it recently to thin it out.

I also only sharpen lately to “good enough for my uses”.
 
Get DMT if you go diamonds. Buy once, cry once. Their diamonds are monocrystalline vs their competitor’s polycrystalline structure. I have a set of DMT stones that are close to 30 years old, and I still use them today.
 
91bravo said:
Get DMT if you go diamonds. Buy once, cry once. Their diamonds are monocrystalline vs their competitor’s polycrystalline structure. I have a set of DMT stones that are close to 30 years old, and I still use them today.
Click to expand...

already got some DMT extra coarse to extra fine. great stones
 
I find it easiest to freehand sharpen on narrow stones like the Sharpmaker rods. You can hold them up at eye level with one hand and hold the knife in the other and it's very easy to see whether or not you're matching the bevel correctly.
 
Spyderco rods, medium (If it needs more work), fine, extra fine ceramic rods, then black and green strop.

I hold a single rod on a flat surface with a flat side up/point down. This allows the rod to pivot a little as it rounds the belly of the knife. Hair whittling sharp...

Sharpie if needed but the burr tells you everything about what's going on. Find the burr!

crAbtKFl.jpg
 
I can sharpen free hand but I prefer the SharpMaker. When I’m traveling I find a ceramic bowl or coffee cup with an adequate bottom to sharpen with. When I lived in the Virgin Islands for 6 months I only brought a courser diamond SharpMaker rod and finished sharpening on a bowl. As long as I didn’t chip the edge or anything I could really just keep it sharp with a ceramic bowl.
 
For freehand sharpening I use Shapton Pro synthetic whetstones. I work in a restaurant kitchen (on leave at the moment) and have to sharpen my knives--traditional and Western style Japanese--fairly regularly. I use 1200 and a 5000 grit stones and then a 2 sided leather strop with black compound on one side and white on the other. I get very good results with this setup, but save I it for my kitchen knives. I use the Sharpmaker on my CRKs because it takes off less steel and I can also get excellent results with it.
 
Though I do have DMT diamond plates. I’ve been preferring a DMT Diafold Course/Fine. Followed by a spyderco double stuff Medium/Fine and stropped 3.5,1.5,1 micron. As long as it pops hair of my arm tip to heel, I’m happy. Lately I don’t like to spend a lot of time sharpening. I’ve realized if I make quicker work in the sharpening area, I’m not hesitant to use the knife in a lot more ways.
 
I have about 15 different stones . Never had much luck with my small sebenza.
Decent but not super edge . I just bought a sharpmaker, and i can see why even reeve recommend it
Regardless of what you have heard s35vn is a tough steel . And they come with a slight convex on a hollow grind
The convex comes from being finished on a belt . I was get ready to buy a black hard Arkansas stone from Dan's whetstones. You will have to remove the convex on a free hand stone sharping .
 
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