Knife Sharpening Review

[okbohn]

Hey guys. I don't hang out here much, but I have a favor to ask of you.

We are trying to make our site more helpful for people who need to gain sharpening knowledge and/or products.

Would you be willing to look at our page and let me know what you think and make any suggestions? I am not looking to be the end all of sharpening, but I do want to make sure what I am saying is clear and accurate. I want to help the average guy understand the options.

Here is the link Primer on Knife Sharpening http://www.knivesshipfree.com/knife-sharpening/

Thanks for looking!

 

[awestib]

Thanks Derrick for including us here on BF for this project. Great opportunity!
I think I have to read the instructions a few times but first thing that I missed under the section v-bevel - it would also apply to the convex section - is to use a marker for the edge to see whether the sharpener is on the edge bevel or not. That makes it easier for the beginner to see where one is rather than inspecting the scratch pattern etc. Do u consider instructional videos?

 

[okbohn]

Thanks for looking at it.

The sharpie thing is good--I'll get that in there.

Instructional videos are a great idea.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Derrick,

I'd say you're off to a very good start; your sharpening page covers many more specific options, and that's always a good thing. Most 'tutorial' sharpening pages are much too generic in nature, and it seems like it'd be difficult for new sharpeners to learn much from them. Your detailing of the different methods and tools for different aspects, like freehand, guided and convex sharpening is much more informative and useful, especially with the included videos.

The only thing I felt somewhat conflicted about, was the very last statement & paragraph about "Don't sharpen your knives; maintain them." I can see, in the context of making things less intimidating to someone just beginning to learn the fundamentals, that this would probably be good advice. In looking back at how I learned it all though, I learned a HUGE amount in a very short time in taking very dull blades, or new blades with very thick edge profiles, and completely re-grinding new bevels on them. Really showed me what's involved, in such aspects as revealing which abrasives/grits will work efficiently with some steels, and which ones won't. I learned this in trying to use Arkansas stones or cheaper AlOx stones to re-bevel blades in 440C (Buck in particular), D2 (Queen) and anything in S30V. Those lessons were priceless in what they taught me about abrasives in general (natural, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, diamond), as well as what makes each type different from the others and the real degree of difference, between some of them. For these reasons, I see some value in encouraging a new sharpener to try a complete re-bevel at least once, and pay very close attention to all the things that can be learned in doing so (most of what I learned, was in doing these things with guided setups from Lansky/Gatco, BTW). Simple maintenance sharpening becomes a breeze after such an undertaking, more often than not.


David

 

[bgentry]

The article is not at all what I expected. I was expecting some type of tutorial or instruction that would allow someone to start sharpening their knives after reading it. Instead, it was an introduction covering sharpening in a fairly broad way. I think it was accurate, but I'm not sure what a beginner would do after reading it. For instance, if I'm a beginner, I read the article and figure out I have V ground bevels on all my blades, where do I go next? There aren't any pointers to additional info, other than convex.

Now, I *do* understand that this is a hard subject to approach properly. Most people have a short attention span when it comes to sharpening, so what do you tell them? Too much and you may lose them early. Too little and they may not understand how to do it. I mean, the guys like me that hang out around here, can't even seem to come up with a consistent answer to "I'm a beginner with a $100 budget. What sharpening stones or system should I buy?" You'd think we'd have that down by now... but we don't!

I'm not sure exactly what path to tell you to take with your article, but I think it needs at *least* some pointers to concrete instructions, if not the instructions themselves.

Just MHO.

Brian.

 

[TedCruzForPresident]

Okay. I'm a complete noob. In fact, I joined the forums today because I was trying to learn more about sharpening techniques, mostly concerning freehand. So, I might be your target audience and my perspective might have some value.

I was able to learn a little by reading it. But, I feel like you left me hanging in a couple of places. For example, you talk about bevels and you say 1st, determine your angle. I think most all of my cheap knives are V angle. I'm pretty sure they are. But, how can I know for sure they aren't double V (or double angle)? And, what if they are V? How would that change the game for me? Is one preferable over the other? Should I take my V bevels and make them double V? Is double angle more for chopping than slicing? Is it more durable and require less maintenance?

You also talked a lot about steels. I'm sure that any of you can quickly look at a knife and determine the type of steel you have. Again, I'm a noob. I have no idea really. My guess is that mine are all cheap stainless. And, I wasn't too sure why I needed to know. How does knowing whether or not my knives are stainless help me determine the best sharpening technique. But, the article didn't really tie that together for me very well.

What I was hoping to get out of reading it was learn more about the objectives and fundamentals of how to apply the knowledge of the things I just mentioned to knife sharpening techniques. What angle should I be targeting? Should I be putting a double angle on it or just keep the V angle or what?

I'm at work and kinda had to read that quickly. So, my apologies if you addressed these things and I just missed them. Also, I'm not really looking for answers to these questions now. I was going to read the forums a bit more before I started posting questions. I haven't done my due diligence. So, I don't think it's appropriate for me to start lobbing stupid questions at the forum. I just thought I might have a unique perspective to offer. I think most of the people who answer you are already expert.

HTH

 

[okbohn]

Okay. I'm a complete noob. In fact, I joined the forums today because I was trying to learn more about sharpening techniques, mostly concerning freehand. So, I might be your target audience and my perspective might have some value.

I was able to learn a little by reading it. But, I feel like you left me hanging in a couple of places. For example, you talk about bevels and you say 1st, determine your angle. I think most all of my cheap knives are V angle. I'm pretty sure they are. But, how can I know for sure they aren't double V (or double angle)? And, what if they are V? How would that change the game for me? Is one preferable over the other? Should I take my V bevels and make them double V? Is double angle more for chopping than slicing? Is it more durable and require less maintenance?

You also talked a lot about steels. I'm sure that any of you can quickly look at a knife and determine the type of steel you have. Again, I'm a noob. I have no idea really. My guess is that mine are all cheap stainless. And, I wasn't too sure why I needed to know. How does knowing whether or not my knives are stainless help me determine the best sharpening technique. But, the article didn't really tie that together for me very well.

What I was hoping to get out of reading it was learn more about the objectives and fundamentals of how to apply the knowledge of the things I just mentioned to knife sharpening techniques. What angle should I be targeting? Should I be putting a double angle on it or just keep the V angle or what?

I'm at work and kinda had to read that quickly. So, my apologies if you addressed these things and I just missed them. Also, I'm not really looking for answers to these questions now. I was going to read the forums a bit more before I started posting questions. I haven't done my due diligence. So, I don't think it's appropriate for me to start lobbing stupid questions at the forum. I just thought I might have a unique perspective to offer. I think most of the people who answer you are already expert.

HTH

Thanks! That is very helpful.

 

[stompbox64]

I agree about the Sharpie trick, very helpful hint there. A few other things I'd bring up:
If the edge on your cutting implement keeps failing with very little use, de-stress the cutting edge and grind it back in. This is typically an issue where the alloy in question has either been scorched via the sharpening process with a machine or too many passes with the strop causing work hardening in the metal as the micro edge deflects on the softer leather.
If using a stone (Arkansas, Water, DMT, etc) try using a binder clip to align the angles for a repeatable action until you build up the "muscle memory" to do it consistently. And start with a cheap knife.
If using a stone (Arkansas, Water, DMT, etc), don't use too much pressure on the strokes across the sharpening surface. Not only do you get a bad result on the knife with angle variations, but you can dig into softer stones (like my nice Japanese waterstone that I ruined...LOL - Weep - LOL).

 

[okbohn]

Derrick,

I'd say you're off to a very good start; your sharpening page covers many more specific options, and that's always a good thing. Most 'tutorial' sharpening pages are much too generic in nature, and it seems like it'd be difficult for new sharpeners to learn much from them. Your detailing of the different methods and tools for different aspects, like freehand, guided and convex sharpening is much more informative and useful, especially with the included videos.

The only thing I felt somewhat conflicted about, was the very last statement & paragraph about "Don't sharpen your knives; maintain them." I can see, in the context of making things less intimidating to someone just beginning to learn the fundamentals, that this would probably be good advice. In looking back at how I learned it all though, I learned a HUGE amount in a very short time in taking very dull blades, or new blades with very thick edge profiles, and completely re-grinding new bevels on them. Really showed me what's involved, in such aspects as revealing which abrasives/grits will work efficiently with some steels, and which ones won't. I learned this in trying to use Arkansas stones or cheaper AlOx stones to re-bevel blades in 440C (Buck in particular), D2 (Queen) and anything in S30V. Those lessons were priceless in what they taught me about abrasives in general (natural, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, diamond), as well as what makes each type different from the others and the real degree of difference, between some of them. For these reasons, I see some value in encouraging a new sharpener to try a complete re-bevel at least once, and pay very close attention to all the things that can be learned in doing so (most of what I learned, was in doing these things with guided setups from Lansky/Gatco, BTW). Simple maintenance sharpening becomes a breeze after such an undertaking, more often than not.


David

You are right, the best way to learn about sharpening is to do it. Over and over and over. I dulled a lot of knives before I actually made one sharp!

Thanks for the feedback.

I will have to figure out where to go from here. There is no way to end up with a be all and end all of sharpening. There are just too many ideas out there. Just helping people figure out what system to use is a big enough job for me!

 

[okbohn]

And start with a cheap knife..

That is so important! I will add that one for sure.

 

[okbohn]

I mean, the guys like me that hang out around here, can't even seem to come up with a consistent answer to "I'm a beginner with a $100 budget. What sharpening stones or system should I buy?"
Brian.

thanks for the ideas. I am really hoping that we can get that one answered for them.

 

[coop1957]

Derrick,
Although I am not a nubbie to sharpening I am far from being an expert. I found your article to be very informative. The last paragraph about not sharpening your knife but maintaining it is excellent advice. However I think that paragraph should be shown twice. Once at the beginning and again at the end.

 

[duxbellorum]

I agree with most of your general messages, however I think you could refine your section on convex grinds.

One of the projects I took on to get better at sharpening was to completely re-grind a Hanwei Katana (made in China, not Japan of course). Katanas are meant to have convex edges with a very specific curvature, so I spent no small amount of time grinding away machining imperfections on the sword.

I found that hard, PERFECTLY flat or even slightly convex stones were best for working on the convex grind, with a careful and steady tilting of the blade during each stroke across the stone. This helped to achieve a precise and fine edge in the final geometry. I believe that this would have been hard or impossible with softer sharpening equipment that has "give". If a material has give, it will flex around the edge of the blade and round it off. I also chose stropping material with very little give so that I could maintain precise control.

Sharpening a sword is an overkill way to learn about this, so a more reasonable person would probably start with Chisels, which will function very well with a slightly convex edge and are extremely easy to sharpen on a flat stone.

 

[5thShock]

A good survey of options with no attempt to sell The One True Way. I like that. Maybe you could decide what sharpening device readers of the piece would most likely have on hand. Let's say a stone for starters. Then you could give a short, simple procedure to get a useful edge with that stone. That way readers of your article would be well and truly on their way and would have just gained the experience needed to make an informed choice of their next sharpening tool, from your pages.