Help choosing a sharpening kit/method ($50?)

A

AllenH

Joined
Aug 1, 2011
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6
Hi guys,

New the forum here, so if this is posted somewhere, please don't waste your time on the thread- just let me know, and I'll do more searching!

I've used a stone from my boyscout days to sharpen knives with, but the more I learned in my degree, the more I realized I likely should be sharpening with different grits. [It's been ages since I've used the stone, however, but understand the basics.]

I've heard of the sharpmaker and a few others. [Sharpmaker quality may be on the down-swing? - according to amazon comments.] I'm not used to using sticks to sharpen with, but can learn.

I've recently purchased a Spyderco H1 (used to have a ladybug - since lost) - decent price for an interesting steel and long-lasting knife. Used to carry Kershaw Chive by Ken Onion, and a Mel Pardue Benchmade. Was thinking of using the Salt1 to be a groomsman's gift- it's basic, should last a long time, and not rust with abuse. But- I know that this steel will likely need to be sharpened over time (cold-rolled steel I believe). So, I'm here asking about sharpening options.

I don't have any combo-edges anymore - scratch that, I have 1, CRKT Bigdog with combo edge- but it gets no use, so it's out of the box sharp. I know stones don't due serrated edges. I'm of the opinion that the plain-edge is better for everyday use, so I tend to carry plain edges.

Any thoughts? Should I buy a starter 2 stone kit? Should I go with a sharpmaker and learn the ropes there? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I don't want to spend too much, but I want the kit to last for a good long while.

Thanks for your help, everyone!
-Allen
 
The answer to your question is extremely variable, depending on precisely what you expect from the system, and what kind of edges you like. In the under-fifty-bucks range, my leaning would go in hand systems to the Lansky or DMT guided system, or the Sharpmaker. Bear in mind that the Sharpmaker is much better suited for MAINTAINING an edge than setting one initially. The rods included (and even the aftermarket diamond sleeves) are very fine and remove metal extremely slowly. This can be compensated for by clipping or taping wet-or-dry sandpaper around the rods to temporarily add a coarse grit for re-profiling.

If you have a bench grinder, you might be able to get into a set of the paper wheels within your budget as well. If you have a belt sander already, a set of good belts will make your life easy.
 
I would suggest some double-sided waterstones. I believe a decent set can be bought for $50. The Sharpmaker rods are WAY too fine for actual sharpening. It's more of a tool to maintain a sharp edge rather than to actually sharpen up an edge. Plus, if the edge angle on said knife is more obtuse than 20 degrees per side, the sharpmaker won't touch it.
 
I like my sharp maker. But I'm moving towards stones.
Currently I use an extra coarse dmt diamond stone, an old arkansas stone, my sharpmaker with medium, fine and extra fine rods, and then I also have a set of strops with black green and white compounds and one bare leather. I also have some 600 and 2000 grit sand paper that I lay on top of my strops. I've probably spent $200 on sharpening equipment.

I believe that I could get by with just an extra coarse (diamond) stone and an aggressive strop. If you make your own strop I believe you can get this set up for under $50. And I also believe that you will be better off using your old free hand sharpening skills and keeping them in the front of your mind.
 
Hi guys, this is very interesting information!! I'm also reading the steel faq etc., and has helped me understand more than I did in the past. I appreciate everyone's insights and experience!!

Very good to know about the sharpmaker. I think that it's a very valid question regarding making a new edge and sharpening -v- keeping something fairly sharp. I will say that some of our kitchen knives need help. I am starting to suspect that the knives were damaged by the v-shaped ceramic rod type sharpener that we have on hand. I've heard they can grip the edge and rip out bits. This might explain how bad the edges have gotten over time. Luckily, I've never used any of my knives in this fixed v type sharpener yet. [and now won't for sure] Komitadgjie - thanks for that input- you're very right, it depends on what I'm trying to accomplish. I unfortunately am not settled into a good place to have a shop, so I don't have a bench-grinder yet.

ac1d' and Noctis' - thanks for the input! I must admit that I've been tempted to keep doing down that road of stone-sharpening, since I've dabbled in it in the past. I unfortunately only have the boy-scout pocket stone (which must be an Arkansas stone?- any way to get a feel for the grit size?). Could I use that stone along with one or two others to keep a sharp edge? It seems like the strop might be all that's needed to touch up a slightly dull edge from general use, but that the stones are useful for more serious edge sharpening.

I will mention that I do a bit of metallurgical polishing in my research from time to time, and we always step down from grit-sizes to finer and finer sizes. [I do some transmission electron microscope sample preparation- very little- but have used diamond lapping films of grit sizes from 30 microns down to 0.01 microns in size.] So, I can see the need to have multiple sizes of grit, and for careful cleaning between. [Cross contamination is definitely an issue, but you might not notice unless you're at higher magnifications.]

I don't really need a mirror finish on my edges, I just want to have them nice and sharp so that they're safer to use, and more effective.

Thanks for everyone's input!! I really appreciate it! So, if I'm going to attempt to get some stones, what would you suggest? Do you think a strop is best for the last step? [I've only really heard of strops for straight-edge razors, I have double-edge right now that I use with a badger brush, but haven't delved into straight-edge yet.]

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts!
-Allen
 
If you've done work with stones in the past, then that's an entirely valid method to continue with! There's some quite good stones out there for a minimum price, some of the King waterstones are reputed to be quite good, and DMT diamond plates are hard to beat for fast material removal. A strop is darn near essential IMO, it performs the final polish, and makes sure that any wire edge is removed. Very good ones can be had for a reasonable price from Fat Toad leather (Jagged Horizon Knives) or KnivesShipFree. Or you can just make your own, any good, stiff piece of leather with a smooth finish will serve when rubbed down with compound, some people even like the cardboard back from a note pad for the purpose.
 
I started sharpening my own knives about a year ago. My first system was a GATCO kit + sharpmaker. I set the bevels with the GATCO, then used the sharpmaker for touch-ups. The GATCO is all but worthless on 3" or smaller blades. It can be done, but it is extremely difficult and time consuming to fit the blade to the guide properly. Knives with swedges, or anything but a flat spine further complicates the process. I recently bought a combination crystolon, and started stropping. I like the results so far. Just not having to spend 30 minutes fitting the blade to the GATCO guide has turned sharpening into an enjoyable experience. If I could do it all over again - I would have started with the crystolon + maybe a 5,000-6,000 grit waterstone. I like to keep things simple and enjoyable, and guides, clamps, gizmos, etc, just are more trouble than they're worth. I like the idea of just being able to sit down with a stone and a knife, and slowing down for a while.

Adam
 
Hi Komitadjie and alpehr1! Thanks for the input! Good to know about the strop, K'! I'll definitely look into it!! [As you can imagine, I have some slurries available to me via the lab that would be fairly easy to use a bit- or purchase along side to save shipping.] Interesting that the card-board is sometimes used... unique solution! I used to have a friend who was a shoe-maker, but since lost touch. I bet he'd had some fantastic scraps for this purpose. If I cross paths again, I'll definitely ask.

aplehr1- thank you for mentioning the smaller blade issue! I currently mostly carry smaller blades, my only larger blade has a combo-edge and is never used. Aside from oxidation of any sort, the blad is as from the factory- LOL. [Tactical folder that's a bit much for daily use - honestly, who needs a serious tanto blade for close-combat? not a science graduate student! LOL] I also appreciate you mentioning the grits of the water stones- I'm completely new to this, so I'm going to have to spend some time surfing and reading in the forum to get a feel for things. To complicate matters, the hardness of the steel will also make a difference as to how easy it is to achieve an edge, or what angles are used etc. I do agree, I'd prefer the sharpening to be a slower contemplative method. Of course, if it was something like the paper-wheels, it'd be very nice and quick, but I don't have enough knives to warrant such a system at the moment. I definitely wonder about the little angle setting tools on things like the Gatco. Heck, I even had a little angle-guide for my pocket stone, but in the end it was more of a frustration than anything else. I found I'd get a feel for the angle based on the current grind, and carefully work from there, usually with decent results.

Thanks, guys! I really appreciate our advice! I will admit that something like a sharp-maker just to keep the edge up, is definitely tempting. I'm going to have to think over how much time and care I want to take with this, and what I can get on both sides for similar amount of cash. [I don't have much to work with, so cheaper is definitely better for my current financial situation!]

BTW, for general kitchen knife steel (Chicago Cutlery at the moment), how hard is it to remove nicks etc.? What type of grit would you start with if you had to get rid of some deeper nicks? [I think they were removed via the darn ceramic v sharpener- although it could have been abuse via my Fiancée. ;) But, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.]

Wishing you guys a fantastic week!
-Allen
 
Hey Noctis'! Thanks for that input- very good to know, and jives with what Komitadjie was saying! I appreciate it. I'm going to have to carefully look at my current knives and see what sort of angles are on them! Thanks!
 
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