Knife sharpening

F

Frontiersman101

Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
192
I realy love blades, but I realy suck at sharpening them. Infact, I realy don't know how to do it properly. Is there place I can go to learn how to do this? I know I could probably learn on the internet, but I would rather have someone show me. Thanks
 
Get one of those guided angle sharpeners. Edge pro is probably one of the best. DMT aligner kit for best value. Slight learning curve but once you get it you can have hair whittling edges consistently.
 
it really isn't hard.

i'd suggest getting some benchstones and stropping compound from a hardware store. then get a piece of 4" x 8" leather and glue it to an 8" lump of 2x4 and rub in the compound, this is your strop.

now, get either a cheap knife ($12 Mora is perfect) or an old knife you have no major love for and practise your sharpening technique. there are plenty of intarwebz tutorials etc on the process.

seriously, it really isn't that hard to do.
 
I just sent an email detailing how I sharpen with waterstones... hit me back if it isn't clear.
 
singularity35 said:
Get one of those guided angle sharpeners. Edge pro is probably one of the best. DMT aligner kit for best value. Slight learning curve but once you get it you can have hair whittling edges consistently.
Click to expand...
I second the Edge Pro Apex. Get the #4 kit and never look back. Was probably my best investment in the knife world.
 
Knife sharpening is a skill. There are many different methods of sharpening out there that can produce results, but most require that you put in a little time to acquire the skill. The tools you use are less important than the skill you have and your knowledge of knives and what makes them sharp.

But if you're curious, I typically use a 1000 grit and 8000 grit japanese water stone for most of my sharpening. When I want to sharpen a convex edge, I use several different grits of sandpaper on a mousepad and then a leather strop with sharpening compound. I can get hair popping edges with both methods, but the type of edge achieved is different. I have never used any of the guided methods of sharpening, such as the Edge Pro. I know people can get results with them, it's just not what I do.
 
I would recommend the Paper Wheels. All you need is a bench grinder, and it'll likely be cheaper than an EdgePro.

Your edges won't look pretty at first, but this system will get your knives SHARP and it will do it FAST. I personally found it fairly intuitive and quite similar to freehand sharpening, minus the hundreds of strokes if you want to alter the angle of your edge like I do.
 
Bottom of a coffee cup or some creek sand rubbed onto some flat wood. Finish with a horsetail strop...oops...wrong forum. ;)

I use the Crock Sticks Turn-Box along with a hard Arkansas stone for the tip. Strop on some old cardboard and polish on a leather belt loaded with metal polish. The result is a polished edge that is spooky sharp.
 
I got myself a Fallkniven DC-4 pocket stone and very enthusiastically spent 2 hours learning how to sharpen freehand. It's a skill. Learn it.
Are you always going to be able to carry your guided system with you out in the field? Once you develop muscle memory and the feel for the right angle, it'll just become second nature. There's a sense of confidence that comes with knowing you can sharpen anything pretty much anywhere.
 
Amazon had the Sharpmaker for $44.99 and free shipping, like 4 left, so I am going to go with that. Everyone says that it is easy and if you keep them semi sharp, great for touch up. If I get one that needs reprofiling, I will get some 200 grit sandpaper and wrap it around the rods or a coarse stone. Someone mentioned that you can use a sharpie, color the edge and you will see what is removed when you use the sharpmaker. I wont have many knives and will hit the kitchen knives, once they are sharp, once a month on it, maybe a few strokes here and there. Maybe 7 or 8 knives a month to touch up?
 
JohnWayne360 said:
I got myself a Fallkniven DC-4 pocket stone and very enthusiastically spent 2 hours learning how to sharpen freehand. It's a skill. Learn it.
Are you always going to be able to carry your guided system with you out in the field? Once you develop muscle memory and the feel for the right angle, it'll just become second nature. There's a sense of confidence that comes with knowing you can sharpen anything pretty much anywhere.
Click to expand...

Well said. Nothing wrong with the guided systems, I'm sure they work fine, but learning and mastering the skill of freehhand knife sharpening opens the door to a lot of other skills. I first learned on japanese water stones, then now I learned how to do convex edges on sandpaper with a mousepad, and next I am going to get a belt sander so I can do a larger volume of knives and do convex edges faster and more efficiently.
 
Those of you who can hand sharpen and get the results you desire, you have my utmost respect. Me? Not so much.

For the rest of us, here is a fast and easy way to get convex edges sharpened on your blades: (( spam ))

Getting a hair popping sharp blade is fast, with little to no learning curve.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I use diamond stones up to 1200 grit, and they work really well, but I would like to go finer, are there any diamond stones that go higher, or do I have to switch to water stones? sorry about the hijack but it seems relevant.
 
Nebulae said:
I use diamond stones up to 1200 grit, and they work really well, but I would like to go finer, are there any diamond stones that go higher, or do I have to switch to water stones? sorry about the hijack but it seems relevant.
Click to expand...


DMT extra extra fine 8000 mesh/3 micron, your 1200 is 9 micron.
 
Work Sharp said:
Those of you who can hand sharpen and get the results you desire, you have my utmost respect. Me? Not so much.

For the rest of us, here is a fast and easy way to get convex edges sharpened on your blades: (( spam ))

Getting a hair popping sharp blade is fast, with little to no learning curve.
Click to expand...
Interesting, but I prefer to have 15 degrees or less per side on all my knives, and that thing doesn't seem to give me that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Work Sharp said:
Those of you who can hand sharpen and get the results you desire, you have my utmost respect. Me? Not so much.

For the rest of us, here is a fast and easy way to get convex edges sharpened on your blades: SPAM

Getting a hair popping sharp blade is fast, with little to no learning curve.
Click to expand...

Isn't this SPAM? Smells kinda' "spammy" to me.

I think we have rules against this don't we?
 
LawyerSam said:
Amazon had the Sharpmaker for $44.99 and free shipping, like 4 left, so I am going to go with that. Everyone says that it is easy and if you keep them semi sharp, great for touch up. If I get one that needs reprofiling, I will get some 200 grit sandpaper and wrap it around the rods or a coarse stone. Someone mentioned that you can use a sharpie, color the edge and you will see what is removed when you use the sharpmaker. I wont have many knives and will hit the kitchen knives, once they are sharp, once a month on it, maybe a few strokes here and there. Maybe 7 or 8 knives a month to touch up?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good way to go about it. Once you get the edge set to where you want it, use the Sharpmaker to maintain the edge. A few light swipes (not hard enough to create a burr but enough to touch up the edge) should do it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top