I need a good way to sharpen.

[ncrockclimb]

GREAT! Starting on a cheap knife is a good and risk-free way to improve your sharpening competency. I have really come to believe that it is MUCH less about tools (although guided systems can make a huge difference) and more about skill and knowledge.

 

[bgentry]

GREAT! Starting on a cheap knife is a good and risk-free way to improve your sharpening competency. I have really come to believe that it is MUCH less about tools (although guided systems can make a huge difference) and more about skill and knowledge.

I something I heard years ago: "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian."

Just like most everything else: Billiards, photography, shooting, etc. It's almost 100% about the skill of the operator. Bad equipment makes learning slower and makes good results harder to achieve. Decent equipment is all you really need. Advanced expensive equipment can't help a beginner or unskilled person to achieve good results. Because, "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian."

Brian.

 

[Inebriated]

Certainly is the Indian, and this Indian is usually much too confident for his own good.

In this case, however, I think he was adequately confident... As I said, I managed to sharpen a couple cheap knives and that chef's knife I don't use often. But today I moved up to my steak knives and my dad's EDC knife that wouldn't even slice paper.

All were successful. Definitely want an Extra Coarse stone, though, as so many knives in the kitchen have nicks, and the Coarse takes forever to remove that material. Also got a fire under my ass to buy a couple strops and some compounds/sprays. I was very happy with the toothier edge the Coarse/Fine stone (plus cardboard stropping) for the steak knives, but I know I can get the others sharper, and leaving them like that is like going through all the trouble of properly installing a new scope, and never zeroing it. I can't stand it lol.

 

[Spartan00]

If you have a belt , you have a strop. If you don't have a belt cardboard, news paper , even jeans work .

Dmt coarse with a knives plus strop block will give you a great edge. It's one of my most used stones matter of fact.

 

[bgentry]

Definitely want an Extra Coarse stone, though, as so many knives in the kitchen have nicks, and the Coarse takes forever to remove that material.

I really like the DMT Extra Extra Coarse (XXC). I think the bond between the diamonds and the substrate is stronger on the XXC than on the other stones. Plus it grinds like a demon. I don't own the XC. I skip grits and go: XXC > C > EF . Seems to work quite well for me.

Also got a fire under my ass to buy a couple strops and some compounds/sprays. I was very happy with the toothier edge the Coarse/Fine stone (plus cardboard stropping) for the steak knives, but I know I can get the others sharper, and leaving them like that is like going through all the trouble of properly installing a new scope, and never zeroing it. I can't stand it lol.

The finer edges will do more fine edge "tricks" of course. But make no mistake: The edge you get from the DMT C, when properly deburred, can be super, super sharp. I've made some low angled edges that pop hair off of my arms right from the C. A strop can help to remove some burr remnants that are harder to remove with a stone alone. Though honestly, since I switched to the double angle technique for burr removal, I've hardly used my strops.

You might enjoy parts of my Seven Secrets Of Sharpening. I discuss a lot of this in #6 and #7.

Brian.