how do you sharpen that special knife

D

Dr sharp

Joined
Oct 20, 2003
Messages
299
I know alot of folks on here have a special baby of their collection, such as a limited edition etc...what system can a rookie use to keep that nice factory grind as perfect as it was when it was new.
 
I take about 20 mins a side to sharpen my Tom Brown tracker in my lansky sharpener.It gets a lot of abuse so it gets the most love.My Ka-Bar usmc is a close second.
 
determine what kind of edge you have. Flat grind use an edge pro but practice on other knives first. Blacken the edge with a magic marker to make sure you have matched the factory angle. Convex edge use a strop or mouse pad and sand paper. Course if you don't use the blade alot and only want to touch it up use a leather strop. I like the hand american strops. Site has good tips on how to strop too. Search the Toolshed forum for tips on sharpening
 
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I send mine in to be sharpened. I don't know how to sharpen a knife, and I am so afraid to screw up one if my knives.
 
At the risk of sounding like an old horse's arse....
If you guys would spend as much time practicing sharpening on a stone, as you spend talking about all the fancy jigs and sharpeners-everybody would have a sharp knife.
It is very easy, takes about 30 seconds, and is no big deal. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. Once you get it figured out, you realize how simple it really is-and how much time you wasted before you learned.
Most people overcomplicate it trying to make sharpening easier!
Bill
 
Bill DeShivs said:
At the risk of sounding like an old horse's arse....
If you guys would spend as much time practicing sharpening on a stone, as you spend talking about all the fancy jigs and sharpeners-everybody would have a sharp knife.
It is very easy, takes about 30 seconds, and is no big deal. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. Once you get it figured out, you realize how simple it really is-and how much time you wasted before you learned.
Most people overcomplicate it trying to make sharpening easier!
Bill
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You are right! You risked it and you did!
 
If you are worried about damaging the blade or handles just tape them before sharpening. For lots of sharpeners it is a good idea anyway, regardless of the price of the knife.
 
"You are right! You risked it and you did!"
That may be true, but it seems to me if you want to play with knives you should learn to sharpen them in the easiest and most expedient way. I'm really not trying to be a smart ass (as I have seen you do in another post), but there is no need for all the sharpening gadgets unless one has severely limited motor skills.
Bill
 
I can establish an edge with freehand sharpening. I've done it with things other than knives too.

I'm not sure if I could bring the edge up to a high level of polish and have it consistently good along the whole blade at this point.

It's really not maintaining an angle when doing a single stroke on one side that I have trouble with. It's when I switch sides and such that I have a a bit of trouble. Or even when doing more strokes on the same side. The other issue would be touching up a knife and hitting the existing edge just right.

I know things don't have to be exact, but what does everyone use as a visual indicator in maintaining the angle? And do you bother to raise a burr or just do equal strokes on each side?
 
If the bevels are correct, alernate strokes until it is sharp. If there is a burr, use finer stones until it is minimal. You can then strop.
As far as a visual indicator- you can "read" the edge. If you are cutting high on the bevel, increase the angle. Low= decrease the angle.
Bill
 
The question was what system could a rookie use to keep the factory grind as perfect as when it was new...hence the answer. No disagreement though that one should learn to sharpen freehand. I learned on arkansas stones about 30 years ago...but then the question wasn't how to freehand sharpen a blade. :)
 
Ok, I will have to play with my stones some more. Thanks. I also just remembered the marker trick after seeing the convex edge thread so I'll employ that too.
 
If you have a flat grind and a 30 or 40 degree anlge I would highly recomend a sharpmaker, they're really good and really easy to use.
 
I use a sharpmaker to keep my favorite knives in good shape, a touch up every now and then.
 
I sharpen all my knives freehand with a large benchstone or with ceramic files. The one irreplaceable piece I have, I'm not touching to use or to sharpen. Same goes for the few knives which I don't find real use for but which have some or a lot of monetary value. If I had an expensive knife in frequent use, I'd just pay extra attention when sharpening. I tend to get a nice even edge even when I'm a bit sloppy, though.
 
TheKnifeCollector said:
I send mine in to be sharpened. I don't know how to sharpen a knife, and I am so afraid to screw up one if my knives.
Click to expand...
Try a Lansky.it's easy as pie:D just remind yourself "if savagesicslayer can do it I can do it":D :D :p
 
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