Hand Sharpening

r8shell said:
Clamp style sharpening systems are quite popular these days, and I can see how they could be useful for kitchen knives and other larger blades. But they aren't well suited for sharpening the small blades found on many traditional pocket knives. Besides, there's something satisfying about being able to sharpen a pocketknife freehand, using just a stone.
Here are a few tips and tricks I've discovered while learning to hand sharpen small and unusually shaped blades.

I like to use a ceramic stone, but a diamond plate or a good old Arkansas stone would be equally effective, if you prefer.

The most important technique for holding a consistant angle, is to use one or two fingertips on the spine of the blade, and gently push in an edge-leading pass across the stone. Flip the blade and move it in the other direction to sharpen the other side, still edge-leading. Another finger or your thumb can touch and slide along the side of the stone, to keep your passes straight.

Forward movement of a straight edged blade, like a sheepsfoot:
TFY2aDg.jpg

Backward movement of a slightly curved pen blade:
OZ8BdIv.jpg


This method of using the left hand to guide the blade is especially useful when sharpening an x-acto blade. Removing it from its handle allows a more acute angle on the stone, but is more challenging to hold with the right hand. The right hand is simply holding the edge against the stone. The left hand is the one pushing the blade forward.

VU9ZvcU.jpg


In addition to a simple flat stone, it's good to have a few small sharpening rods for touching up various blade shapes. Here, I'm using a Swiss 4 cut (very fine) round jeweler's file to sharpen the string cutter hook on a Vic MiniChamp.
Resting the back of my left hand on a flat surface is sufficient for holding the knife still, while moving the file forward.

TUvNMYG.jpg


Looking around for a few more small utility blades to sharpen, I remembered that the old fashioned style pencil sharpeners have replaceable blades. All it takes is a small phillips head screwdriver, and you can remove the blade for sharpening. It's not possible to pinch the blade with one's fingers, but it's not too hard to get the hang of holding it in flat-nosed pliers. I'm using a forward stroke, turning the blade over to do both sides.

4tByqJQ.jpg


This same technique is used to sharpen the little metal saw-toothed ripper from a tape dispenser. First I remove it from the dispenser frame and use the pliers to sharpen the full edge on a stone:

MkA5FLO.jpg


Then I snap it back into place, giving an easy way to hold it as I use the tip of a needle file on the serrations.

tVR6JbP.jpg




The next thing I planned to demonstrate was using a small ceramic rod to sharpen the curved blades of a set of nail clippers, but I think I need to stop here and go lie down for a while.
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Love it, thank you for this story. Take care.😁
 
Rachel, I fell for it hook, line, and sinker this morning, even though all the bandages seemed curious to me. 😲 o_O 😁
I fell for the What-a-Burger post back in 2015, too, but enjoyed all the subsequent ones without being taken in.
I thought you'd never get me again, but I guess there's no expiration date on my gullibility! 🤓
I was aware that today is April 1, but my sharpening ability is still below average, so I'm always more than eager to read sharpening advice from others, so my guard was down.
Another great post from you to kick off April! :thumbsup::cool::cool::thumbsup:

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Rachel, I fell for it hook, line, and sinker this morning, even though all the bandages seemed curious to me. 😲 o_O 😁
I fell for the What-a-Burger post back in 2015, too, but enjoyed all the subsequent ones without being taken in.
I thought you'd never get me again, but I guess there's no expiration date on my gullibility! 🤓
I was aware that today is April 1, but my sharpening ability is still below average, so I'm always more than eager to read sharpening advice from others, so my guard was down.
Another great post from you to kick off April! :thumbsup::cool::cool::thumbsup:

- GT
Click to expand...
Has it really been ten years, Gary? Getting fooled once per decade isn't too bad!



FYI: Most of the sharpening advice in this thread is true. I really do place a finger on the back of the blade spine, and slide another finger along the side of the stone. It helps me keep a consistent angle, not solely relying on my right wrist.

Anyway, I hope everyone was amused. I've only got one year to come up with a new one!
 
r8shell said:
Has it really been ten years, Gary? Getting fooled once per decade isn't too bad!



FYI: Most of the sharpening advice in this thread is true. I really do place a finger on the back of the blade spine, and slide another finger along the side of the stone. It helps me keep a consistent angle, not solely relying on my right wrist.

Anyway, I hope everyone was amused. I've only got one year to come up with a new one!
Click to expand...

😂 ok because I’m an idiot and was thinking “cool, this might be the tutorial I need, to really hone in my hand-sharpening skills” …what’s the April Fools part? The bits about sharpening tape dispensers and xactos?
 
GaiusJulius said:
😂 ok because I’m an idiot and was thinking “cool, this might be the tutorial I need, to really hone in my hand-sharpening skills” …what’s the April Fools part? The bits about sharpening tape dispensers and xactos?
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Yeah, basically that. A progression of smaller and more absurd items to sharpen, with each new photo showing more bandages.
The sharpening advice could be taken seriously.
 
r8shell said:
Yeah, basically that. A progression of smaller and more absurd items to sharpen, with each new photo showing more bandages.
The sharpening advice could be taken seriously.
Click to expand...
Nice Job, Rachel!!! 😂 😂
 
I never seem to have issues sharpening my curved blades with a forward motion, but I'm always open to being wrong.

Is there a reason going backward is preferred?
 
Hatchet_Jack said:
I never seem to have issues sharpening my curved blades with a forward motion, but I'm always open to being wrong.

Is there a reason going backward is preferred?
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I sharpen both sides edge-leading on both curved and straight blades. Since I'm not very ambidextrous, I always hold the knife in my right hand. So to do both sides of the blade without switching hands, one pass is "forwards" and the other is "backwards"

I hope that makes sense.
 
r8shell said:
Yeah, basically that. A progression of smaller and more absurd items to sharpen, with each new photo showing more bandages.
The sharpening advice could be taken seriously.
Click to expand...
I 'liked' your post in the first place, based upon that aspect specifically. And as dense as I can be at times before I've had enough coffee in the morning, I initially didn't even notice all the bandages. And when I started to notice them, even then I was thinking 'been there & done that', and my response was more out of empathy and still missing the deliberate humor in it (and still clueless it was April 1st, even then). 😁

There IS a part of me that takes note of the things like the removable blades in pencil sharpeners and such and theorizes about how I'd go about sharpening them if the need arose. I have two of those pencil sharpeners just like the one you pictured, BTW. And I have been sharpening my nail clippers for some time as well.
 
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