I **SUCK** at Sharpening! Dammit!

Alacrity said:
So I am pretty new to this whole thing, and this thread has helped a little before devolving into arguments. I do have some things I would like clarified.

I am leaning towards going the Spyderco Sharpmaker/ coarse DMT stone route.
First question, will the sharpmaker fine ceramic rods give me enough of a fine edge or should I invest in DMT fine grit stones as well?
Second, should I get the DMT diamond wetstone coarse or the DMT diasharp diamond stone coarse?

Thanks so much, this forum has helped me immensely in getting started with this new hobby.
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You don't need anything finer then the Spyderco rods. Keep in mind that the Sharpmaker is great for doing touch ups but you can't really reprofile an edge on it unless you get the diamond rods, and even then your limited to two angles. As for the DMT Diafolds and Wetstones, they are basically the same abrasive but in different shapes, the Diafold is handheld while the Wetstones are normally placed on the table. Whichever route you take I reccomend getting a strop, they really do make a difference.
 
Alacrity said:
Hey thanks so much!

Just one last question, is there a significant advantage to getting the 8" stone over the 6" stone?
Okay and I will have to invest in a strop. Would you recommend using a compound or not with the strop?

So much for one last question..

Thanks again!
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If you are going to do 4'' or so folders, and not much more, a 6'' will work. As others have said, an 8'' gives you a little room. If you are going to do bigger knives, and you can afford a little more dough, they make a 10''.

If you use your knife a lot, but don't have a lot of chips and such on the blades, you won't have to reprofile but once or twice a year. The Sharpmaker will keep it scary sharp, with a few minutes, a couple of times a week. Yes there are only 2 angles on it, but you can also get yourself the diamond rods that go with it (I have them), and open up a ton of options for edge combos.
 
A less expensive alternative for the Spyderco diamond rods is getting some 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper from an auto parts store and taping it to the flats of the rods. It works great and cost less then $5
 
Forgot to add that you can make your own strop, all ya need is a piece of leather, a wood block, and some glue. Glue leather to the block flesh side up and that's pretty much it. I like to go over it with my palm sander to smooth it a bit before applying the compound. You want to strop with edge trailing strokes at an angle slightly more acute then your edge and use light pressure.
 
You guys are awesome. This helps a lot.
Know anywhere I can order some dmt stones cheap? I can pick up the sharp maker pretty cheap near me so that's not a problem.
And same goes for leather? Does it need to be quality or can I get it from like a hobby store?

You guys are great, thanks for helping me learn.
 
Don't know what you are doing wrong maybe free hand isn't for you. I am using a $50 dmt kit and I picked up there extra extra fine stone for $15 and it took some time but now I can get extremely sharp mirror polished knives after I'm done on that I strop on an old leather belt and a cloth with a polishing compound used on cars. This works great on an edge for me the dmt kit holds the blade in place and keeps the angle correct.
 
No. You don't!!! You just are not good at it yet. Freehand sharpening is like throwing a discus. You just spin around and chuck the thing right? Well yes. And the first 5,000 time you do it, the thing is going to go 30 feet.

Same with freehand sharpening (and even with specialized tools). There is lot to learn. Do not get discouraged. Me? I graduated high school long before I ever got enough practice to even be competitive with a discus...in high school. Luckily, no such time clock is ticking on sharpening. I can now, after years, get a knife really really sharp and can do so predicatably.

Then you've got the real masters like fellow member Richard J. In comparison, my discusses are still just barely making it out of the pit!
 
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