How do you sharpen your knives?

ginshun

ginshun

Joined
Apr 6, 2004
Messages
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I know that most of us around here are pretty much sharpening freaks, but I would like to get some examples of how people actually sharpen their knives.

I don't need a play by play, most of us already know the basics, and if you don't, there are plenty of good FAQ's out there for you to learn them.

I am more interested in what you actually use to sharpen your knives. Lansky? Sharpmaker? Edge Pro? Plain old bench stone?

And if you use one of the systems, what angle do you generally sharpen your knives to?

How do you test that they are sharpened to your satisfaction?

Personally I usually use the Lansky with the regular stones for most knives. And I have been sharpening pretty much all my knives at the 20 degree angle.
I will go up to the 25 degree setting for some heavy use / bigger camp knives, and down to the 17 for some kitchen knives, but most all my normal EDC knives get the 20.

I generally try to sharpen them until they will shave hair on my arm and push cut through news print. I figure that is sharp enough for me.

The Lansky works pretty good, but I have been thinking about getting a Sharpmaker, just because I have heard such good things about it, both online and IRL.

What about you guys?
 
I recently got an Edgepro sharpener.
It is much more user friendly than the Lansky or Leray I used previously.
The stones are large enough for most knives & the base is vey steady.
I simply follow the maker's instructions & recommendations for angles, finishes, etc.
I am not an expert on sharpenig or knives.
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I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker because truthfully I'm lazy. It is compact and works well on both serrated and plain edge blades. It sharpens all different size blades and I don't have to fiddle around with clamps. It can sharpen at either a 15 degree or 20 degree edge angle. Here is a link that explains it.

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

To polish the apple (get it really sharp) I strop.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32999&cat=1,43072

For field touchup I carry a small DMT fine stone but really any smooth rock would probably work as well.

For my axes, chisels, wedges, and other tools that take a large edge angle I have a couple of DMT 2" x 6" stones in course and medium grits that work very quickly and efficiently.

http://www.dmtsharp.com/products/duosharp.htm
 
I have both an Edge Pro and a Spyderco Sharpmaker (complete with diamond and ultra-fine rods), but the majority of sharpening I do is freehand with round ceramic crock sticks that I believe came from a Lansky V sharpening system. A couple freehand strokes takes care of most of my daily needs. I only need the elaborate setups for major work like reprofiling.
 
For blades that are big enough, I use my Gatco (Lansky equivalent) to raise a burr on both sides, then I use my Sharpmaker to finish - flats only. My tests for "sharp enough" are basically the same as yours.

For smaller folders (e.g. whittlers) that are too small for the Gatco, I use a diamond rod on the Sharpmaker to raise the burr, then finish with the flats. The diamond rod works well, but is not as fast at raising a burr as the Gatco (at least to me) - which is why I use both systems if I can. Time is precious!

Usually I go with 20 degrees each side, although sometimes down to 15 degrees with folders I whittle with.

I've seriously considered getting the EdgePro, but I'm not sure I want to go to a "wet" system. Dry stones seem to work for me, and are a lot less cleanup (it would seem - but since I've never used an EdgePro, I'm just speculating).
 
DGG said:
To polish the apple (get it really sharp) I strop.
Click to expand...

Ya, I forgot to mention that, I usually strop my blades too. Although probalby not like most people do. It might sound stupid, but I actually use the back of the leather recliner in my den. The cushioning in the chair puts up the perfect resistance. A bit odd maybe, but it woks like a charm!
 
ginshun said:
Ya, I forgot to mention that, I usually strop my blades too. Although probalby not like most people do. It might sound stupid, but I actually use the back of the leather recliner in my den. The cushioning in the chair puts up the perfect resistance. A bit odd maybe, but it woks like a charm!
Click to expand...
You're not married are you? :)
 
For all of my knives (except convex grinds) I use a Lansky, and finish off with a HandAmerican leather block loaded with chromium oxide. For the convex grinds, I use sandpaper and finish with the leather block.
 
ginshun said:
Hmmmmm... how did you ever guess? lol. :D

I do try not to scratch the chair up though.
Click to expand...

I guess it is better to use the chair than the cat! ;-)
 
Another sharpmaker user here. I just pick a knife and start sharpening whenever I feel like it. Since I do it almost everyday I usually only use the white stones. If it shaves it's sharp enough for me. It's gotta shave the fine hairs on my arms, shaving the thick leg hair only is not sharp enough.
 
Edge Pro to reprofile everything to a little less than 30 degrees and then the Edge Pro using 3 stones and 3 polishing tapes to a primary bevel at a little over 30 degrees.

After that its a Sharpmaker at 30 degrees for touchups finishing with their UF stones,

Daily swipes on the strop on that day's carry
 
ginshun said:
I know that most of us around here are pretty much sharpening freaks
Click to expand...

Bah! I can't sharpen worth a damn. I don't really sharpen a knife, I "un-dull" it. However, I am satisfied with the results I get from my Sharpmaker. I follow the directions exactly as the video outlines. I'd like to get the diamond stones some day. I usually slice paper or shave my arm as a test of sharpness.

I have a Lansky that produces good results but I hate fumbling with the clamp. I have tried to free hand with a diamond rod and I usually mess up the edge pretty good.
 
I generally reprofile to well under 10 degrees per side using a belt sander freehand (I use the side of my fingers as a guide). If I have heavy work to do I might start with a 60 grit belt. If I care about the looks of the blade I don't start with anything coarser than 100 grit. For moderate reprofiling needs I start with 220 grit. In any case I usually work up to 600 grit on the sander.

Depending on time and how much I care about the polish of the bevel I may use a Shapton Professional 1000 grit waterstone as a next step. This is also freehand.

From here I move on to a Sharpmaker. I only use it at the normal 20 and 15 degree angles (40 and 30 degree holes) if I am in a big hurry. Normally I put the rods in the 15-degree slots and lay the center of the Sharpmaker base across one of the other rods as a fulcrum. By tipping the base left and right while honing on the right and left rods I can subtract 5 or 6 degrees from the honing angle. That way I do most of my finish honing at around 10 degrees per side (or a little less). I do a few very light microbevel strokes on the ultra-fine rods at around 12 degrees per side.

Anyway I am basically a 10-degree man.
 
I use bench stones. I have a DMT duo sharp heavy/fine for more in depth work (because the diamond cuts faster). I have a norton 25th aniversary india stone that I use for finishing and touch ups
I will also strop sometimes.
I usually keep it around 30 degrees. What this means is that I try to keep the spyderco factory bevel. I can usually tell when I am getting too wide on a blade. Also, I will sometimes match by blades up to a sharpmaker to see how close I am. If its not at 30* stock, like benchmades, I basically profile it down a little and guess at what I like first time sharpening the blade.

My stance on angle is this, it doesn't matter what the number is, it matters that it cuts well and doesnt chip. Also +- 2 or 3 deg per side doesnt matter.
 
I use an Edge Pro. I wish I could free hand sharpen, I tried for years but I didn't get the results I wanted. With the Edge Pro there was a bit of a learning curve and a couple e-mails to Ben later for tips (he's a great guy to deal with), and I was getting these insanely sharp mirror polished edges. :cool:
 
Bench stones, freehand. DMT hones for stainless or high alloy blades (VG-10, ATS-34, etc.). Carborundum for reprofiling, and a big old black Arkansas about 14" long for putting the final edge on high carbon blades -- it seems to impart a toothier edge for some reason. Occasionally I'll use an old Buck angle guide for reprofiling an edge.
 
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