I **SUCK** at Sharpening! Dammit!

[RussB]

I like ceramic stones, mine are a couple of spyderco "ceramic whet stones" fine and medium grit.

There is a leaning curve, I was in the same boat as you once and it was frustrating, eventually you'll know
how to sharpen by feel.

Don't focus on your knife, just try to slice a piece off your stone... don't use force just let it slide and
and when you feel some bite you are probably doing it right.

practice, practice.

 

[L2bravo]

I like ceramic stones, mine are a couple of spyderco "ceramic whet stones" fine and medium grit.

There is a leaning curve, I was in the same boat as you once and it was frustrating, eventually you'll know
how to sharpen by feel.

Don't focus on your knife, just try to slice a piece off your stone... don't use force just let it slide and
and when you feel some bite you are probably doing it right.

practice, practice.

I have the brown Spyderco 8'' stone. It is a good stone, but more for maintenance. Try and reprofile an S30V or better with it, and you will be there a week attempting to make it happen. They probably run out of gas at VG-10, as far as cutting power goes. But on the other hand, they will polish the higher end steels very well.

 

[L2bravo]

[. It's a frickin' AWESOME lifestyle, and I recommend anyone in the Constitution-hating, communist-loving Northeast move to the South -- immediately! :thumbup:
Lost the quote somehow


The south is a great place to live I'm sure but all of us Northerns aren't commie liberals.
It's a shame there's so many of them here though

You're not, but the people running your joint are! That is problematic, for God fearing decent people, who hate tyrrany. Good luck bro, you need it.

 

[wilejoe]

You're not, but the people running your joint are! That is problematic, for God fearing decent people, who hate tyrrany. Good luck bro, you need it.

Thanks we need all the luck we can get
and a whole lot of prayers

 

[Cursum Perficio]

I used to suck at sharpening too, really badly.
So I bought a SM and a Wicked Edge and I googled and youtubed and bladeforumed and read and watched and practiced and oops/ouch/bled and kept trying on every knife I could get my hands on.
Now I would call myself competent at sharpening. People bring me knives to sharpen and think I'm an expert at it, bless them.

Even with a guided stone system it takes some time, practice and learning to get satisfactory results.

 

[Surfingringo]

I am hardly more eloquent with words than you. In fact, I live vicariously through you, as an islander. LMAO.
As far as the Sharpmaker goes, I don't think it is anymore a set of training wheels, than all of the guys that use an Edgepro, just different. I sharpened my new PM2 in S30V today on my Coarse/Fine diamond stones. All freehand, and it will poke your eye out. However, I enjoy the ability, to have everything be perfectly straight, and easily predictable. Not to mention the super quick and easy touchups. Hey, we all enjoy sharp knives right? Thanks for the compliment. Just when you think you are really good, you go buy a SE blade like I did, and get your teeth kicked in. I've got it okay, but there is that little something "extra" missing. I either find it, or make my Endura a PE in the process.

You know what I think is the difference in our sharpening experience with se? I think that for me, my se pacific salt is viewed purely as a working knife. I get a shaving sharp, functional edge on it and I'm done! Time to chop up some fish! I dont get obsessive with it. With my pe knives its different. I want a full on novelty edge on them! I go obsessive and I enjoy the process. But i think if I practiced that level of obsession on the se salt...it could get out of hand. Hehe. For whatever reason, with my se work knife it's easier for me to say "meh, that's sharp enough" even though I know I could get it sharper.

 

[Ben Dover]

double post

 

[Ben Dover]

My forbears hunted with flintlock muskets. Most of them would have used my Browning Safari Grade semi-auto if it had been available.

Training wheels??? Indeed. Rather, modern technology versus archaic tools. Most professionals today use belt sanders or grinders. I prefer the Wicked Edge and/or Edge-Pro. I certainly have the ability to free hand sharpen if I chose to do so. But why accept a less than perfect bevel when I can have a perfect bevel? Why would I use a Flintlock when I can have a semi-auto??

As for sharpening in the field. A properly sharpened knife of a quality steel shouldn't need to be re-sharpened in the field. If you're going out for an extended period, a second knife is lighter than a stone.

 

[L2bravo]

My forbears hunted with flintlock muskets. Most of them would have used my Browning Safari Grade semi-auto if it had been available.

Training wheels??? Indeed. Rather, modern technology versus archaic tools. Most professionals today use belt sanders or grinders. I prefer the Wicked Edge and/or Edge-Pro. I certainly have the ability to free hand sharpen if I chose to do so. But why accept a less than perfect bevel when I can have a perfect bevel? Why would I use a Flintlock when I can have a semi-auto??

As for sharpening in the field. A properly sharpened knife of a quality steel shouldn't need to be re-sharpened in the field. If you're going out for an extended period, a second knife is lighter than a stone.

Easy man, I was simply making light, of myself included. I am all about technology. I don't have an Edgepro.....yet. Oh I am sure there is one in my future. For now, I am a Sharpmaker guy. One who has a lot of good luck with it. I was simply comparing ourselves, to the guy that only freehands. In that we are using "training wheels", by way of a guarenteed outcome. I'm all for it. I hope I didn't offend, and that you are rather poking fun, so to speak.

 

[Krav]

I got me some 1200/1600 ceramics for my wicked edge, and they work great. I have been practicing, and practicing............ And finally I'm getting a great edge. Now I can sleep at night....

 

[Magnaminous_G]

Wow! OK, I've read the whole Magnanimous thread (sick), watched Knut's videos (though they seem to be mostly wet stones with carbon blades -- the Becker and the Kitchen knife) and I'll take the diamond stones advice. I would like to lick freehand first before I get a WS or EP system.

 

[Mr. Chips]

When people tell me that stropping makes their knife duller than when they started, in almost every case I find that they are flipping the blade over at the end of every stroke and coming back the other way.

If you do that, you will anticipate the flip and start lifting the back of the blade before you lift the blade off the strop entirely, and the result will be that for a bit you wil be dragging the edge at almost 90 degrees. That will dull it every time.

Others don't go back and forth with their stropping, but give the blade a little flip at the end of the stroke that amounts to the same thing.

LOSE THE FLIP!!!

Strop slowly (so that you can see what you are doing) with firm pressure at the same angle you honed the knife - KEEP THAT ANGLE FOR THE ENTIRE STROKE!

Repeat about 40 times, and then do it the other way.

Try this.

 

[Mr. Chips]

I have taught 100s of 9 and 10 yr old kids how to do this - free hand.

You can do it too.

Hold a consistant angle on a decent stone Aluminum oxide, Harbor Frieght diamond, even wet or dry sandpaper. I carve wood, so I use a 10 degree angle. For a 4 inch stock knife, you can put a nickel under the back edge of the blade to get the angle. Grind til you get the burr along the entire edge - not just in one spot. Turn the knife over and repeat. Do it again with finer grits if you like and have them (fine diamond is good 800 grit Aluminium oxide is good), then strop with any decent buffing compound - green, white gold,Rick's White Lightnin' whatever NOT RED - (useless), using the instructions in my previous post.

This works!

I have spent time in Dixie and love it. It is the only culture that is keeping the US from sliding directly into Hell at this point in my opinion.

 

[Jason B.]

Wow! OK, I've read the whole Magnanimous thread (sick), watched Knut's videos (though they seem to be mostly wet stones with carbon blades -- the Becker and the Kitchen knife) and I'll take the diamond stones advice. I would like to lick freehand first before I get a WS or EP system.

You must have missed this one

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrEdgy81

 

[cactusjake007]

I just use a coarse and fine grit whet stone and some spit.....I learned to sharpen a blade by my butcher grandfather who also sharpened his own straight razor.


Stop with all the lame gimmick sharpeners.... it is not exactly rocket science.

Slow deliberate strokes with your complete focus on your blade angle..... sharpening a knife is like a zen like experience and allows the mind to rest by focusing all of it's attention on a mundane task.

 

[leghog]

My forbears hunted with flintlock muskets. Most of them would have used my Browning Safari Grade semi-auto if it had been available.

Training wheels??? Indeed. Rather, modern technology versus archaic tools. Most professionals today use belt sanders or grinders. I prefer the Wicked Edge and/or Edge-Pro. I certainly have the ability to free hand sharpen if I chose to do so. But why accept a less than perfect bevel when I can have a perfect bevel? Why would I use a Flintlock when I can have a semi-auto??

As for sharpening in the field. A properly sharpened knife of a quality steel shouldn't need to be re-sharpened in the field. If you're going out for an extended period, a second knife is lighter than a stone.

Sometimes newer isn't better. That's why cast iron pots and skillets are still around. Same with basic flat sharpening and honing stones.

Sometimes simpler is better. The complicated does sometimes makes for more convenience and speed in doing chores, but not always.

Sometimes one must find, for himself, the point of diminishing returns. Sometimes the extra expense or extra complication isn't worth it or isn't even truly necessary.

Regarding the non-necessity of stones and just using a second knife, doesn't work so well when you are gone for months at a time.

To each his own.

If one learns free hand (and let's be totally honest here -- it really just isn't complicated or difficult), one will not be reliant on gadgetry but a simple skill he carries with him everywhere and always.

 

[Skimo]

I counter your argument with my experience with most sharpeners not being able to sharpen very well. I was there too until I picked up my Edge Pro.

Sure free hand I can get knives to shave arm hair, not on the same level as with the EP.

The equipment enables me to sharpen steels that most users call difficult to sharpen, with ease.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Sometimes newer isn't better. That's why cast iron pots and skillets are still around. Same with basic flat sharpening and honing stones.

Sometimes simpler is better. The complicated does sometimes makes for more convenience and speed in doing chores, but not always.

Sometimes one must find, for himself, the point of diminishing returns. Sometimes the extra expense or extra complication isn't worth it or isn't even truly necessary.

Regarding the non-necessity of stones and just using a second knife, doesn't work so well when you are gone for months at a time.

To each his own.

If one learns free hand (and let's be totally honest here -- it really just isn't complicated or difficult), one will not be reliant on gadgetry but a simple skill he carries with him everywhere and always.

Have to start out by saying I've never owned a guided system, or used one for that matter (and never will).

The machining technology needed to make a guided system has been around a long time - a couple hundred years, maybe more. Why are there no 150 yr old guided systems collecting dust in antique stores and cultural museums - they weren't needed so no one made any. The only reason they've become popular recently, is that the skill of sharpening tools stopped being passed down. I'm likely the first generation in my family line going back who knows how far, that wasn't taught this in the normal course of growing up and had to learn on my own. Freehand isn't that tough to learn, at least well enough to make edges that will do all normal cutting chores, but its also not easy to learn with zero hand's on instruction.

 

[leghog]

Dad taught me how to sharpen when I was in my pre-teen years. When he was in his 60s and 70s I knew to have my stones with me when I visieted as, invariably, during the visit, he'd pull his hand out of his pocket, hand me his knife, and ask me to sharpen it.

 

[L2bravo]

Dad taught me how to sharpen when I was in my pre-teen years. When he was in his 60s and 70s I knew to have my stones with me when I visieted as, invariably, during the visit, he'd pull his hand out of his pocket, hand me his knife, and ask me to sharpen it.

Leghog, I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and guess you're not using grandpappy's old whittling pocket stone, for sharpening S30V and better. While I appreciate your nostalgia, you are also better off with an Old Timer, if that's the road you wish to take. The new high wear resistant steels, and steels that are rc'ing at 65, will laugh at your old pocket stone. Don't take my word, give it a try. You will not even touch those knives with an old norton stone. That is why some guys, like me, have a good arsenal of diamond stones, and stone made for such steels.