how about a separate sharpening forum/section?

Well, in regards to this particular request, I don't think it would be a good idea to add a separate forum for this.

Why?

Well, I can think of 2 very good reasons;

1) There already is a Shop Talk forum, where, if I'm not mistaken, talks about the entire spectrum of working with knives, from creation, to the finishing details...such as sharpening. I'm sure many of the makers and members who frequent that forum would be glad to lend a hand in your travels.

2) I would agree with the above suggestion that adding another 'fad' forum would be pointless, server resource consuming, and pretty redundant.

We've already got plenty of forums here that simply go unused because people don't take the time to broach subject matter in them, or don't utilize the 'search' function of the site. If anything, my suggestion would be to start taking out forums, and consolidate them into existing forums that get the traffic, and that which they're relevant to.

Part of the reason these forums have gotten so slow, is surely to do with reduntant posts to the extreme, as well as being so large as to initially confuse people. I've looked over a couple of other knife-related bulletin boards out there, and I see the same trend...too many forums...not enough posts to go around.

Just my opinion, like everyone else's, but I don't think it would be a good idea to diversify more than we already are.
 
If concerned with bandwidth of adding a new forum, why not just get rid of the forums that get less than one post a week. They obviously aren't needed, and don't get checked regularly enough to even post a question. JMHO

Mike
 
Thanks to many people here:

I now know how to deal with a wire edge even though I don't have a strop.

I know why my 204D are bare along the edges (because I'm stupid and used too much force!).

I can reprofile M2 on a Sharpmaker in an hour versus hours.

I can sharpen edges that range from hair-shaving to hair-popping and I still don't really know what I'm doing (which explains my stripping diamond grit off of the 204D rods).

The info came from many sources. Most were from a whole cadre of Bladeforums individuals and some were from Benchmade forum folks who experimented with what they learned here. It'd be good to have this info all in one subfolder. That way, we can put all of the "how-to" Q&A's and the Sharpmaker vs. EdgePro Apex vs. Edgepro Professional vs. tattooing patches of 400 and 1200 grit diamond particles to our forearms in one tidy place and use this forum to talk about what really matters:

The Sebenza Wars
 
Sharpening is a popular topic. I used the search function and found that the word "sharpening" has been used in 7163 threads in our current forums. This compares with 2774 threads referencing "automatic", 4405 mentioning "testing" and 7031 mentioning "review". Another way of looking at it is that "sharpening" appears in 1/4 as many threads as the word "custom".

Sharpening is not primarily a "Shop Talk" subject. There are millions of people who use knives (actually it is billions). There are more people out there dulling knives than there are people who use the internet. Knives that are used need sharpening. These users need their knives sharpened. This is not just a topic for knife makers and those interested in knife making technology.

It doesn't surprise me that newbies come to Bladeforums with sharpening questions. At first it surprised me that frequently Bladeforums regulars had sharpening problems. Eventually I discovered that they were trying to do neat jobs of sharpening thick blades made out of exceptionally tough alloys. Most struggling owners of these difficult blades did not have years of experience sharpening the family knives and were reluctant to screw up expensive blades. They wanted to maintain special edges like convex grinds. The faqs help, but people want some discussion before they wreck their favorite knife. They want to post a question and get advice specific to their situation. Bladeforums has done a good job of meeting that need.

Adding a forum just for sharpening discussions will not consume additional forum bandwidth. It will simply group sharpening discussions in one sub area. My concern is that sharpening topics will receive less attention if they are moved out of the Blade Discussion Forum. I suspect that a lot of members will never look for a sharpening forum, either to post questions or to post responses. Since the Makers forum list has grown long I don't even scroll down to Spyderco as often as I used to. I suspect that a "Sharpening Forum" would become a "Sharpening Geek Forum". Those of us concerned with finding the perfect tools and techniques will kick around experiences and theories with less benefit to the general community. It would be like the review and testing forum, but with even narrower appeal.

If I felt that we were greatly advancing the art of sharpening here at Bladeforums I would push for a dedicated forum. Since I think the art is already understood by a large fraction of are members I don't see the advantage of creating a sharpening ivory tower.
 
....for sharpening. I Already have two forums that I look at and don't need a third. Sharpening is so basic, it belongs in the Knife Discussion forum. As someone mentioned, many newbies come just for sharpening advice. As a relative newbie myself, I know that it took me several months before I really had time to investigate the numerous other forum topics available. To be told, as a newbie, that the question doesn't belong, and to go here or go there.....I just don't think it's a good idea, especially since it works just fine the way it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. My 2 cents
 
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