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I give up I cant sharpen $#!* 2nd update page 5
- Thread starter okbow68
- Start date
Me too, but I am afraid that I'll go bald before I get there. So I aspire to push cut a 1" wide piece of clean, dry toilet toilet tissue.
Does this mean that you have made it to the slicing newsprint level?
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2010
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- 756
I had the EXACT same problem dude. Then I bought an Edge Pro Apex Kit #4 and now I get mirror edges that push cut phonebook paper and shave hair off my arms. Best investment I've made in the knife world.
Well I got a little closer. I do have a lansky but like I said I really want to freehand, anyway I sharpened my Benchmade Stryker on it. It still wasnt shaving but it was a decent toothy edge I guess. Well i got the strop out and stropped each side about ten times with green compound and then about five times with jewelers rouge being really careful of the angle with each stroke. Very very light strokes and to my amazement that baby is popping some hairs off my arm. Getting closer.
Okay I am proud to announce that with a Duosharp stone, two quarters, a sharpie, and my strop, I am shaving like a son of a gun with my newly acquired sodbuster that I dulled very well and the knife that started this post the old spyderco. I am not whittling hair but I am shaving arm and leg hair like nobody's business. Now I need your help acquiring the zen of sharpening on to the hair whittling level. Help me out please!?
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- Oct 20, 2004
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- 4,704
Just work your way up in grits from where you are now. The more polished you get it the better chance of whittling hair. Also, a lot of practice helps. Another thing that really helps is to get some good stropping compound. Get some 1 micron diamond spray and a decent piece of leather on a wood backing. Diamonds make quick work of even the most wear resistant steels. Also, good steel really helps. I find high end steel gets sharper, easier than cheaper steels. What kind of steel have you been trying to sharpen.
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- Apr 12, 2009
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- 13,534
The Case SS is 420HC, hardened into the mid-50s or so on the RC scale. The Enduras have been using VG-10 (high 50s on the RC scale) for a while, and I think AUS-6 or AUS-8 prior to that. Any and all of these will take a very fine edge. Polish helps, but only if angle is consistently maintained. Focus and practice on that. Otherwise, you'll just end up with a shiny, rounded edge (otherwise known as a 'butterknife'
).If you're already shaving hair at will, you're doing quite well (excellent, in fact). Good work. :thumbup:
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- Nov 5, 2009
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- 1,711
once it is shaving sharp you want to keep the pressure low and use very fine abrasives - nothing courser than green compound on a strop.
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- Oct 20, 2004
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You might have 0.5 Micron green chromium oxide but you don't have 1 Micron diamond spray. Very different and the diamond particles are much harder and works much quicker. You can stick with it but I usually make knives more dull with the green while diamonds easily go to the next level in sharpness, even the first time I tried using it. It doesn't matter how small your Micron compound is if it isn't abrasive enough to work quickly.
1.ask your dad,2.you dont need anymore equipment,3.the blades you may be trying to put an edge on now are possibly to obtuse and need to be re-profiled so you might need to use an aggressive stone to established some sort of an angle to work form,4.steepen the angle on the edge of the knife to knock off the burr on the final strokes.5.sharpening is somewhat of an art,be patient-you're not alone.oops made the mistake of replying to the post before reading all the threads-sorry
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Kalsu
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2010
- Messages
- 1,851
My problem is that I rush things. For example.....................
I just got my Wicked Edge sharpener. I have seen all the videos on their web site (multiple times) and have a pretty good understanding of how the system works and how to get a knife sharp(gotta get that bur). So I set off and TRY to sharpen my Spyderco Manix 2 (154 CM). For the life of me I couldn't put an edge on that knife that would even cut paper. I was doing everything right but still no respectable edge. I brought my 10x loupe home from work and immediately saw the problem. I was not spending enough time with each set of stones to properly refine the edge. The edge on the Manix 2 looked like the sawtooth mountains. So I went back and started over, taking my sweet time and slowing way way down. I re-profiled the edge to 15 degrees and then micro-beveled it back to 20 degrees. Now it has a shaving sharp edge and is easily one of the sharpest knives I own.
So for me it comes down to not rushing through it and taking the time to really work the edge over with the finer grit stones. Good luck. I think anyone can get a quality edge on a knife. It is just finding the right method for you.
I just got my Wicked Edge sharpener. I have seen all the videos on their web site (multiple times) and have a pretty good understanding of how the system works and how to get a knife sharp(gotta get that bur). So I set off and TRY to sharpen my Spyderco Manix 2 (154 CM). For the life of me I couldn't put an edge on that knife that would even cut paper. I was doing everything right but still no respectable edge. I brought my 10x loupe home from work and immediately saw the problem. I was not spending enough time with each set of stones to properly refine the edge. The edge on the Manix 2 looked like the sawtooth mountains. So I went back and started over, taking my sweet time and slowing way way down. I re-profiled the edge to 15 degrees and then micro-beveled it back to 20 degrees. Now it has a shaving sharp edge and is easily one of the sharpest knives I own.
So for me it comes down to not rushing through it and taking the time to really work the edge over with the finer grit stones. Good luck. I think anyone can get a quality edge on a knife. It is just finding the right method for you.
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- Apr 12, 2009
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- 13,534
99.9% of all sharpening difficulties could be remedied by simply following the above (highlighted) points. Sums it up very well. It's all about PATIENCE and paying close (read: magnified) attention to the work, as you go. Good post. :thumbup: