Help with sharpening

J

Jahaworth

Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
15
Evening all.
I have been trying for over a year to learn how to sharpen with stones & have finally given up as I really am very bad at it.
I have just gotten back from a trip to the States where I picked myself up a Lansky kit. Now I assumed from what I had read & from the instructional videos that it's idiot proof. Well..... does anyone have any tips for me. I can get small blades really really sharp but as soon as I try & sharpen any blade with a curve in it or larger blades then I feel as though I'm just wasting my time. The flat of the blade ends up averagely sharp & the curve not very or the larger knives like kitchen knives just end up average. Is there a different technique for curved or larger blades? I'm starting to get a tad annoyed as I obviously have a taste for sharp that I can't provide on my own & I hate paying someone to do it for me.
Thanks in advance.
 
Greetings Jahaworth: The Lansky is a good guided rod system but it does have limitations. Sharpening a recurve blade is one of them. The flat stones are best (and most consistent) at sharpening a straight blade. If limited to only using the Lansky on the recurved, the following may help: Clamp the blade with the recurve section directly behind the middle of the clamp. Rotate the stone so that only the right or left EDGE contacts the recurved section as you LIGHTLY stroke it across the blade. The stone edges will round slightly with use. Pre-rounding the edges first by sharpening one or two "beater knives" first will remove the sharp corners of the stones and make their use on your favorite blade less aggressive and the result more cosmetically appealing. Simplistically, flat blade section ~ use flat stone face. Recurved blade section ~ use curved stone face. Belly blade section ~ rotate stone face to match blade curve. A guided rod system is a guide not a fixture. It must still be manually finessed to maintain uniform stone to blade contact on all but straight blades. Precision of repetition, contact angle and pressure will yield better results than higher stone pressure and speed. Ideally each stroke should be identical in placement and contact angle. Use the sharpie marker trick to monitor the actual metal removal. It will most likely take A LOT longer than you may think to get to very cutting edge. For long blades ~ move the clamp along the blade and sharpen it in sections. Treat the long blade as a series of separate knives. Blend the sections together with several long light strokes AFTER each time you move the clamp. Make SURE you raise a bur along the whole edge before switching sides or stones. Patience, sharpie marker, concentration, consistency, observation and more practice will produce a sharp edge. Crock Sticks or a Sharpmaker are easier to initially use when sharpening a recurved blade. Good Luck. OldDude1
 
Im sure one exists on this forum but i havent been able to find it yet.Has somone done a big photo tutorial on sharpening blades? thanks
CHRIS.
 
Thank you very much for your reply. I'll give it a go:)
Just another question.... Should I be able to feel the bur against my finger nail on the opposite side? I have never really figured out how to correctly feel the bur.

Thanks again.
 
You should feel the burr on the opposite side of the edge you were sharpening. If there is a burr, you should be able to find it if you place your finger parallel to the edge,on the secondary bevel, and draw your finger down, off the edge.

The Lansky system is good, but limiting in what you can accomplish. For larger blades I used to sharpen one section (not too much, the farther up the blade the shallower an angle you'll get), and then move to the next section. This is the same method that I use on my stones, but with the Lansky system you're limited to that one area until you want to re clamp it.
 
Well I figured out the whole burr thing. I have obviously never sharpened for long enough. I was actually able to feel it curled over on the opposite side. I have actually gone to a whole new level of sharp now :)... well not on the curve but I'll get there.
Thanks again everyone for your help.
 
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