Knife Sharpening -Tools, Techinques. Options

W

waveone

Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
244
Good afternoon all,

Like most here I am a knife enthusiast which is probably only eclipsed by my love for firearms and back country hunting. That stated these all go hand in hand. I've been in many situations where a trusted and sharp blade are absolutely necessary, but the blade can dull in a hurry. I hate dull knives about as much a san inconsistent shooting firearm.

So my question is what type or types of sharpeners are most effective, both in the field and back at cap or the house? I ask because it is a skill which I simply need to perfect or at least improve upon and have no real idea about the dynamics in this area.

Any advice or direction would be a great help.
 
Convex is my favorite, the edge will last longer and it is a breeze to maintain with a leather strop.
 
In the field: dmt "credit card" stones

Camp and home: Sharpmaker to ultra fine then strop on honing leather from woodcraft with green compound on the "rough" side (forget what the actual terms for each side are) then finish up by flipping it over and stropping on the plain smooth leather. Gets any blade scary sharp
 
Gadsden said:
Convex is my favorite, the edge will last longer and it is a breeze to maintain with a leather strop.
Click to expand...

This is false, convex has nothing to do with edge retention.

Continued stropping will only round the edge, stropping should be reserved as a burr removal method after stones or other abrasive sharpening methods. It might be "working" for you but it's also creating bad habits.

OP,

A pocket stone of about any type will work in the field. For home a nice benchstone set makes sharpening quick and easy. I use a DMT diafold when outdoors and use Japanese waterstones while at home.
 
Jason B. said:
This is false, convex has nothing to do with edge retention.

Continued stropping will only round the edge, stropping should be reserved as a burr removal method after stones or other abrasive sharpening methods. It might be "working" for you but it's also creating bad habits.

OP,

A pocket stone of about any type will work in the field. For home a nice benchstone set makes sharpening quick and easy. I use a DMT diafold when outdoors and use Japanese waterstones while at home.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. Not familiar with any of the tools you mentioned but I will do a search for them. I assume these will come with some form of manual or even a on line video ? THe reason I ask is because the last thing I want to do is ruin the edges of my knives or create a bigger problem than a dull edge.

THank you all for your comments , very much appreciated
 
I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I base my experience with convex edges on something that I have done for 20+ years, hunting and processing game. I do not use "professional" game processing companies to finish the meat to put in the freezer. I field dress, skin, quarter, and bone out the meat myself. I have used many different brands of knives with different edge grinds. From my experience convex has better edge retention. I am getting off of the subject from what waveone asked and I apologize. I am simply adding facts that my statement is not false.
 
Japanese waterstones will sometimes come with instructions but I can't read Japanese ;)

Typically, if any instructions are given it's very very basic and not much help. There are lots of videos and threads here on the forums and on YouTube (I'm MrEdgy) to give you a good rundown of everything from the basics to the advanced.
 
For home, I started out with a Lansky some 20 years ago. had a bout 3 or 4 knives back then. About 2 years ago, I started "collecting" knives. Mostly ZT's and Spydies and none were more than like $150. At that point I bought a Syperco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker regular kit plus a set of Ultrafine stones. Worked great.

Then about a year ago, came the Chris Reeve Sebenzas, a couple Striders, and a Hinderer. One day I bought a Les George VECP 2 from a guy who had put a mirror Wicked Edge on it before he sent it to me and that was it. I had to buy a Wicked Edge Pro Pack 2 because I couldn't stop looking at that damn edge. What a thing of beauty.

So I practiced on a half dozen $20 knives with the WE before I worked my way up to the more expensive ones. Absolutely love it.

Now I just mostly touch up with the Sharpmaker ultra fine and a strop after the WE mirror is on them.

But there's nothing wrong with just having that Sharpmaker with UF stones for home and field for it's compactness and ease of use.

If you're going to re-profile a blade from factory edge and take it to a mirror with the WE, you had better set aside a good hour to an hour and half. Time, technique and patience really pay off.
 
Gadsden said:
I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I base my experience with convex edges on something that I have done for 20+ years, hunting and processing game. I do not use "professional" game processing companies to finish the meat to put in the freezer. I field dress, skin, quarter, and bone out the meat myself. I have used many different brands of knives with different edge grinds. From my experience convex has better edge retention. I am getting off of the subject from what waveone asked and I apologize. I am simply adding facts that my statement is not false.
Click to expand...

What you are experiencing is supreme geometry. It's a very common myth often talked about on these very forums in length. The steel hardness relative to the peak hardness and the apex angel of the cutting edge are primary factors in what makes up edge retention. Things like convex, hollow, saber, and flat grinds only change the amount of friction a blade has going through the object being cut.

So you see, it is false because a flat ground or hollow ground blade with the same steel at the same hardness and same behind the bevel thickness as your convex blade will exhibit the exact same level of edge retention.
 
I know this subject has been talked about to the extent of beating a dead horse. And I don`t want to flood this thread with debating because it was not the OP`s question. I know what I like and I know what works for me. You do make good points though Jason. Thanks
 
In the actual field where I'm hunting I do not bring any sharpening equipment but rather a back up knife just like the one I am using. I will bring a spyderco sharpmaker and a double sided strop to use back at the hotel or house but don't carry that into the field. . Unless you're camping or out in the sticks and using your knife to batton I can't really see it taking more abuse than would require anything more than a minor touch up. This type of system will allow you to sharpen just about anything but leave the major edge repairs for home. I would also think more about the knife you are going to take with you and match it for the desired task and don't limit yourself to one knife to do everything.
If you're looking for a knife sharpening system for home there are a lot of options but for the field I think you want to keep it to the basics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top