help an old redneck

gincoza

gincoza

Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
69
hello everyone,,new guy here,,I have always loved a good sharp knife, but honestly,,have never had many knives that cost anywhere near $100,,long ago,, far longer ago than I like to admit , I bought a Shrade Bear Paw,I still have it though the blade is worn down a lot,,I no longer carry it, and maybe 10 yrs ago my wife bought me a Boker liner lock folder,,I have no idea what model it is,,the liner has worn out on it now so I no longer carry it either. I have just recently started buying a few knives,,so far I have a BM Harley AO, a BM H&K auto and one other BM I bought for my son,,cannot remember the model,,dang memory is gone I guess, lol,,I have also bought a Spyderco Tenacious, a Rat 1 , a CS Roach Belly,,,along with an assorment of cheaper knives from Bud K. I am very interested in learning to sharped my knives much better than I am able to now,,I have a cheap combo rock and one soft arkansas stone,,I just aquired an old bench top 1 / 30 belt sander and I am planning on ordering some belts from Lee Valley in the next week or so,,I am in need of much help on this, I have read as much as I can find on this matter,watched every video I can fine as well,,I need advise on the grit belts I need to get a good start with as well as a good compound for a strop I plan on buying to, I am able to get a fairly good edge with the stones I have now I can get each of my knives to shave hair off my arm,,yeah both are bare now, lol,,any help I can get will be much appreciated,,thank in advance, Rick
 
ginco, What is the make of cheap combo stone and the size of the Arkansas ? I hope you got aluminum oxide belts for the sander and what speed does it turn ? Your sander can do it if it turns away from the knife your working and has a flat area to rest your hand on . Starting with a 100 grit belt set the angle (bevel) of the blade, flip it over using a light touch do the same at the same angle . Create a burr on one side remove it on the other once you flip and sharpen . Repeat using a 300 grit belt then strop . If no strop then do a few light strokes alternating one per side on your Arkansas stone 10-20 holding the edge at the same angle . Check the edge using a 5X magnifier your looking for shiny spots/dots straight on look at the edge . There needs to be none . It should appear as a nonreflective dark line . Then you've arrived at a sharp edge it will easily shave hair or any thing it touches . Let us know how your progressing . DM
 
thanks for the info, it is great to have a place to learn and make my knives sharper. I have not ordered any belts yet,,but I will order the aluminum oxide belts when I do,,and will practice on several old throwaway knives I have sitting around before I try on one of my better knives, I am also going to order a set of paper wheels from Razor Sharp, I want to try both and see what works best for me, I have much to learn and willing to put in the time and effort to learn it right,,thanks again
 
there is not much I can tell you, one of the stones is a combo, coarse on one side and smooth on the other side,,looks like a norton,,I cannot remember where I got it,,I have had it for years, but just really started using it,,the other is a 2/6 inch tannish color stone, looks like a soft arkansas stone to me,,I have a old Smith sharpening system to that was given to me, I tried to use it long ago without sucess, I do much better with the old stones I have, I use a drop or two of the smiths honing oil on the stones and get a fairlt good edge,,I can shave the hair from my arms ,,even the cheaper knives I have will sharpen good,,but its not the hair popping sharp I want to be able to get,,I cannot afford a EP,,so for now until I can get some belts for my sander or my paper wheels I will use what I have,,thanks:D
 
If you can freehand stick with it, power tools can make it easy but one little slip and its good by knife. You have more control freehand and your edges will trump any power equipment simply because of selection of product available. If you can get your knives sharp with the stone you have now wait till you see what modern stones can do.
 
I have read that it is best to learn freehand first and I am doing ok that way,,can you recommend a good set of stones?,,arkansas??waterstones?,,diamond stones?, etc?,,I have read all I can find about each kind and jsut cannot make my mind up as to which ones I like best,,all I have ever used are what I have so maybe its best to stick with natural stones,,a good set of stones can cost a good bit from what i haave seen,,but I want to but good ones when I do get them,,thanks again :D
 
If it a Norton it should state it on the side . Those are quality stones and if its grey on lite grey it could be a Norton crystolon (SiC) in coarse and fine . Just right ! Use that as your doing to start then on to the fine side and then the Arkansas . Which sounds like a Washita they're around 500-600 grit . Thats high enough . Just invest in a leather strop 2X10" lay it or glue it to a wooden backing and charge it with green AO compound . Then strop, using edge trailing, light strokes the same angle as you sharpen on the stones for 5-10 strokes alternating sides . This will take your knife edges to the next level you seek . You may not even need to bother with the sander unless you have other uses in mind for it . DM
 
sounds good to me, I had intended on getting a good strop and some green compound in time anyway,,after listening to what you have said maybe sooner would be better,,I plan on getting more knives along the way and want to keep them all sharp as possible, I looked at a ZT 300 series a few days ago a friend had,,I really liked the feel of it,,but it is a lil pricey for me right now,,the 200 series is not so bad,,but have never held one of those,,not sure how I would like it, and it does not have a frame lock,,oh well there are many to choose from, lol,,so many knives so little money,,,:cool:
 
My personal preference is DMT diamond stones because they are fast, highly effective, and will sharpen any steel. Stone sellection can be a tough process and will be based highly on the steel your knives are made of. Diamond and quality waterstones are IMO the top two choices when looking for a stone set that will yield professional results. I use diamond because I sharpen a lot of high wear resistant steels and I find them to not have the shortcomings that other stones can have when sharpening a wide range of steels. Waterstones have become a new interest of mine but just for high grit finishing (8k and up), low alloy stainless, carbon steels and ZDP-189 were my main reason because they finish very well on waterstones. Personal preference really, diamonds will bring you results regardless and waterstones are a art in themselves that bring a great feel and high level of satisfaction when complete.
 
Once you purchase knives which have a blade that has over 1% vandium your Norton SiC stone will struggle to sharpen it . Then your Arkansas stone is useless . You'll need a x coarse diamond stone to start the bevel then go to the fine SiC and finish on the strop . That one diamond stone could run you 100$ . Choose carefully . DM
 
Stropping after a 600 grit stone would be a waste of good compound considering quality chromium oxide is 50k grit, it a bit of a jump.
 
I am sure I will find the right combo of stones,,I am interested in the daimond stones,,I know they will sharpen most any steel made,,that would be if I am ever able to get higher end knife,,I will look over the kits and see if I can find one I can afford..I may have to buy one at a time, lol,,but I have plenty of time, I just want to get the best when I do buy,thanks again so much for all the info,,:thumbup:
 
Its how I did it, took me a year to get all 8x3 DMT plates but it will be a cold day in hell before I get rid of them.
 
do you use a strop after you do all you can with the diamond stones?,,if so what compound do you use?
 
I use several different grits of diamond compound, its well worth the money. Anyone the has used diamond compound will tell you the same thing.... why did I wait so long to try it...
 
I guess each has to decide for themselves on how much they are willing to spend on anything be it a sharpener or a knife,,I would love to have a Strider but I just cannot see spending that amount of money for aknife,,yes I know ,,you get what you pay for,,but for me it would be just being able to say I had it,,there is nothing my BM,s, Rat 1 or other various knives I have will not do that I need to use a knife for,,,but still I can drool and wish, lol :D:D:thumbup:
 
gincoza,

If you have not already ordered or decided not to order belts for your belt sander, supergrit.com has some ceramic belts which I plan on trying next time I order. Probably the more aggressive grits are where they would shine.

Doug
 
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