My father’s sharpening method

S

sharpmaker

Banned
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
74
Hi ,

I want to ask about a sharpening method that I saw my father use all his life.
He used to sharpen his knifes one way only. What I mean is that he does not use the common slicing movement that is used in sharpening. He only sharpens away from the edge free hand on a stone. I remember seeing him using a file sometimes but again he uses the same method. Sometimes he used a cloth belt similar to that used in car seat belts. He sets it up tight like a cord, then puts some very fine sand on it and sharpens.

He would only sharpen against the edge of the blade for his axes.


I don’t know if I was successful in my description but would this method have any benefits? Or is it just what worked for him.
 
My father sharpens all his gardening tools with a motorized grinder. All his edges look like crap but he doesn't need a shaving sharp edge on shovels and sickles.
 
sharpmaker said:
He only sharpens away from the edge free hand on a stone.
Click to expand...

This is called stropping, it tends to be more prone to burr formation than edge-into honing, but can prevent the edge from cutting into the abrasive. I freehand sharpen convex bevels that way usually.

-Cliff
 
I know a lot of guys that do that technique too. It is just a matter of what they are used to and what worked for them and still does I think. Old habits die hard so they say.

It is kind of like this from what I have observed. You are young and impressionable and you meet someone older and wiser and learn how they do it and you start doing it their way. Then when you get older you learn other ways, some of which may even be better but you always do it the way you learned how. I've seen it time and again but the bottom line tell all is when you go to use your knife. Does it cut or not? If it cuts what you are using it on that is all that matters in the end.

About the burr formation. I don't know if that is so much from the technique used to sharpen as it is the steel being sharpened. It seems to me that some steels are just more prone to forming burrs on them than others are. It may be some of both.
 
Over the last 45 years or so I have gone through phases where I have used almost every technique you can think of. I went through a stropping phase back 40 years ago. I did it so that I could get an edge that shaved well. It gave a fine shaving edge on nonstainless steels that were then common. As cheap stainless steel became common I became less happy with the approach. I had some edges that seemed weak. I decided that I had a burr. I switched to edge-forwards honing to try and get rid of the burr. It was difficult to get a shaving edge without some type of stropping. I developed a technique where I would hone edge forwards until I got as sharp an edge as I could. Then I would lightly strop on my finest hone edge-trailing. Subsequently I would strop on leather.

So I guess that I would say a stropping technique gives good results unless you notice problems with a burr along your edge. You either detect that by eye, by feel of the edge, or by noticing problems with your edge getting dull or chipping very rapidly when you use it. If you have a burr problem try taking that off by some edge-forwards honing and then go back and do a little of the edge-trailing (honing) method afterwards.
 
I'm going to jump off the tread just a bit. I've always had a running battle (not really a battle) with my wife and her kitchen knives. She lets them get so bad I don't think I could cut a deviled egg!

Anyhow I found the answer! It is a Spyderco paring knife serrated. It is wicked sharp and holds an edge even with all her chopping on the cutting board and dishwasher use. Another I found that was slightly smaller was a Victorinox paring knife, also with a serrated edge.

If you want to cut veggies, any shape, size, or texture get one for her birthday, anniversary, mom's day, what the heck anytime!

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=75

She'll love you for it and it is a lot less frustrating than trying to sharpen some old kitchen knife that has one of those chrome finishes were you really need a couple of diamond stones to sharpen because it is so hard.
 
True, True. Its all about habit formation. I was just thinking that their might be some wisdom to the method. As mentioned, my father never used stainless steel.

The thing is, I learned to sharpen the same way and got fairly sharp knives. Recently, I started sharpening in the more orthodox method. The problem is that now, I am like the crow that wanted to imitate the walk of the peacock. I cant walk like the peacock, and i cant walk like I use to.
 
sharpmaker said:
True, True. Its all about habit formation. I was just thinking that their might be some wisdom to the method. As mentioned, my father never used stainless steel.

The thing is, I learned to sharpen the same way and got fairly sharp knives. Recently, I started sharpening in the more orthodox method. The problem is that now, I am like the crow that wanted to imitate the walk of the peacock. I cant walk like the peacock, and i cant walk like I use to.
Click to expand...


I learned on a stone in boy scouts. We had very small folders. We oiled the stone and sharpened in a circular motion and amazingly it worked, sort of.

What I use now are DMT diamond stones 6 x 2 inches for reprofiling and the Spyderco Sharpmaker for regular sharpening. They are both small and compact and very good (read easy) at sharpening both regular and serrated edges.

If I really want to go all out I'll strop the edge on the rough side os an old leather belt (or use my dremel tool with Cr02 past and just run along the edge if I can't find the belt).
 
The trailing edge is what Murray Carter uses. Had good results with it, but you do have to pay attention to the burr, especially on the coarser hones.
 
I tried many times to learn how to free hand sharpen but I was not happy with the results. I got an Edge-Pro Apex and I'm as happy as can be with the edges I get.
 
"He sets it up tight like a cord, then puts some very fine sand on it and sharpens."
in my young ages when i was working in india, I 've seen them using a very same technic.
first of all, carpenters have only one instrument, "wood chisel".
they could do everything with it.
when they think it's not enought sharp, they put sea sand on a hard wood board, and used it to sharpened their chisel...
after couple of minute, the sand become like flour... and the chisel like razor !
really surprising ! :eek:
 
I recently added a slury of JB bore scrub paste and oil to the top of a smooth hard oil stone I had been useing. OMG!! This combo cuts a smooth polished edge you wont believe! Try it!

Jim
 
...but over the years I've probably tried about every sharpening gadget to come down the pike in my quest for the "ultimate scary edge". Right now I usually sharpen most everything that will reasonably fit in my Chef's Choice 120 ...followed by a couple of strokes on my Spyderco ceramic "Galley Sticks" for good measure. Produces a rather impressive edge ...especially on some otherwise "tough customers" I'd had problems sharpening in the past. Used carefully the Chef's Choice can make a believer out of ya ...but they can also unintentionally "customize" some blades if you're not really careful :eek: . For irregular shaped/curved blades I rely on the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker which really works great with patience. My Bark River and various other convex blades are the lazy man's dream ...just a fine ceramic bench stone now & then, and a strop/cardboard fairly regularly and they'll shave a swath of hair the whole length of your arm! Holy mackerel! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top