- Joined
- Nov 17, 2005
- Messages
- 1
I have a rather new interest in knives and i can't seem to get my knives razor sharp and was wondering if anyone could give me advice on that.
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How To Sharpen
- Thread starter god_of_the_mind666
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 3,536
Time and practice. What kind of sharpening gear do you have?
G.O.M.
Welcome, glad to have you join the forum.
You are asking the question everyone here has asked. As previously mentioned there is no easy answer and the biggest mistake I personally made when first getting decent at sharpening was to underestimate the amount of time it took to get to the BURR edge stage. I learned to start with the course or medium stone and until I had a good edge with these not to progress to the fine stone stage.
I quickly learned to use a black magic marker on the edge to see exactly where the stone was touching. Many times I found myself high up on the blade and not the edge. If I just increased my sharpening angle I touched the edge and things started to get sharp. This magic marker trick and a small magnifier of some sort and good light and a place to sit or stand comfortably make the whole process much easier. But like my mother said, "Son, life isn't easy." Knife sharpening isn't terribly difficult but it does take some effort.
Here is some very good info about knives and edges that I printed off for a friend who was inquiring about how to sharpen well. Hope it helps. This guy is a great knife maker and good teacher also.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828
Here is a decent little book on the process. The DVD that comes with the Spyderco Sharpmaker is also very good.
http://users.ameritech.net/knives/
Here is some good info although it leans toward kitchen knives but aren't they the ones in your home that get the most use? They are in mine.
http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=26036
Welcome, glad to have you join the forum.
You are asking the question everyone here has asked. As previously mentioned there is no easy answer and the biggest mistake I personally made when first getting decent at sharpening was to underestimate the amount of time it took to get to the BURR edge stage. I learned to start with the course or medium stone and until I had a good edge with these not to progress to the fine stone stage.
I quickly learned to use a black magic marker on the edge to see exactly where the stone was touching. Many times I found myself high up on the blade and not the edge. If I just increased my sharpening angle I touched the edge and things started to get sharp. This magic marker trick and a small magnifier of some sort and good light and a place to sit or stand comfortably make the whole process much easier. But like my mother said, "Son, life isn't easy." Knife sharpening isn't terribly difficult but it does take some effort.
Here is some very good info about knives and edges that I printed off for a friend who was inquiring about how to sharpen well. Hope it helps. This guy is a great knife maker and good teacher also.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828
Here is a decent little book on the process. The DVD that comes with the Spyderco Sharpmaker is also very good.
http://users.ameritech.net/knives/
Here is some good info although it leans toward kitchen knives but aren't they the ones in your home that get the most use? They are in mine.
http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=26036
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2004
- Messages
- 3,041
Sharpening is like chess...doesnt take that long to learn, but you really can't ever stop getting better at it....Its the user, not the tool. I am a maker and use a sharpmaker-type sharpener that I picked up for maybe 35$.....
The key to sharpening is also a large part the blade....a blade that is too soft will have a burr that does not want to roll off. Too hard, and you won't even get a burr.....
Use light pressure, you don't want a huge burr that takes forever to get off. Use your fingernail until you raise a burr the entire length of the blade with a coarse stone, then switch to fine and do the same, varying side to side. Once you have a fine burr, strop the blade on a piece of leather at a slightly higher angle than the shapening angle. Again, not too much pressure.
If you do this all right, you will have a scary blade. Using this method, my knives will easilly shave and fillet ink off a piece of notebook paper without cutting through....and thats sharp enough for anyone!
The key to sharpening is also a large part the blade....a blade that is too soft will have a burr that does not want to roll off. Too hard, and you won't even get a burr.....
Use light pressure, you don't want a huge burr that takes forever to get off. Use your fingernail until you raise a burr the entire length of the blade with a coarse stone, then switch to fine and do the same, varying side to side. Once you have a fine burr, strop the blade on a piece of leather at a slightly higher angle than the shapening angle. Again, not too much pressure.
If you do this all right, you will have a scary blade. Using this method, my knives will easilly shave and fillet ink off a piece of notebook paper without cutting through....and thats sharp enough for anyone!
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2004
- Messages
- 474
Get all of Wayne Goddard's Books. "The Wonder of Knifemaking" especially. He does an outstanding job of explaining the process of sharpening, and what what to look for. Plus, he answers several questions regarding knives that will no longer sharpen easily and the like. Worth every penny, and I heard he was working on "The Wonder of Knifemaking II".