My Simplistic .02¢ on Knife Sharpening - for those new to sharpening

[Modoc ED]

A lot of new to knives people will get new knives this Christmas and one of their first thoughts is going to be - How do I keep my knife sharp. For what it's worth here's my .02¢.

There are a lot of threads and posts in this sub-forum about angles - 20º, 30º, etc.. Too many people worry about getting that exact angle when all they need is to be close to that angle and most importantly be consistent in the angle they hold their blades at from sharpening to sharpening.

Their next worry is what to use to sharpen their knives. I have been hand sharpening for years and have settled on stones mostly like the ones show in the picture below. Norton India coarse/fine, aluminum oxide stones and Arkansas stones. One other stone that I also use is a Norton Crystolon stone shown in the second picture.

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to get into sharpening is to use a simple rod system. Most of these systems have predrilled holes or slots to hold various rods and sharpeners at a consistent angle. Here are two systems that I have. The Lansky system holds rods at 20º and 25º while the slots of the Case system hold a sharpener at 20º. Both systems are very easy to use. Just follow the directions that come with the systems. A plus for the Case system is that you can use diamond stones from various manufactures. A heads up - you may need to lightly and carefully sand the holes or slots to fit the rods or sharpeners to their holders.

EDIT: Adding this picture of a Spyderco Sharpmake to say it would be a great addition as a "rod syster" but it is perhaps a bit expensive for just starting out. As stated below, the Lansky rod system next to the Sharpmaker will do just fine to get a beginner started.

OK!! This has been kinda clumsily written but I hope this helps some of you guys. I think the easiest way for a new sharpener to get some sort of satisfaction when they first start sharpening is to use a round-rod system such as the Lansky system shown above.

Of course everyone can start out using diamond sharpeners but those are a bit expensive for someone just starting out sharpening knives. Here are a few of the simpler diamond sharpeners to use.

Whatever sharpeners you decide to use, keep it simple and be patient.

 

[OHALLUM]

Great post ED, and in reality, it is worth much more than .02 cents.

Blessings,

Omar

 

[kwazyjuice]

Thanks for your 2 cents bro Good points for sure

 

[David Martin]

Well done ED. I wish some new comers would read this before posting the same old question. DM

 

[Sticky]

I can't live without my old school ceramic crock stick turn block. Even with my fancy Edge pro clone I always finish on the white ceramic sticks to really get the hairs to pop off the arm.

 

[Modoc ED]

That Lansky ceramic rod system is very portable. Easy to take to the field to sharpen your knife when needed. They are cheap too so it's not out of the question to have one for home and one in your vehicle. The Lansky 4-rod system pictured below has both the coarse and fine rods. A very good, sharp, edge can be obtained using it. The rods in the pictured system are 5" long but Lansky also has a rod system available with 9" rods that includes both the coarse and fine rods.

EDIT to add - this type of system with the round rods makes sharpening a recurved blade a snap.

 

[kevnkar]

Good post ED. When I was a kid our high tech sharpening system was a set of Arkansas stones. No one ever said anything about angles. The way I was taught was to try to feel like you are trying to slice off a very thin layer of the stone. Never had a problem getting my knives to shave arm hair using that advice. I think the information age has gotten people to overthink things sometimes.

 

[Modoc ED]

When I was a kid, most sharpening instructions said to sharpen a knife in a circular pattern. Those were the instructions packed with Buck knives for years. That's a good point about trying to slice off a very thin layer of the stone for whoever uses a stone.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Also want to say 'Kudos to you, Ed! for an informative post.

I never knew that Case sharpener was adaptable to the Dia-Folds, as you've pictured. Adds a lot of versatility.

Another good & very compact field sharpener is A.G. Russells 'Field Sharpener', with ceramic and diamond rods (set at 30° inclusive). I have one, and have found it to be very useful. Rods are pretty small (4"), but the diamond rods add a lot of aggressiveness for their short length. I've used mine to re-bevel a couple of S30V blades (Kershaw Leek and a Sebenza), and both went pretty quick. I think a larger version, with 8" or longer rods (including diamond) and a couple angle settings, would be great.

David

 

[David Martin]

Good post ED. I think the information age has gotten people to overthink things sometimes.

Yes, a very good point. Plus, many have a health tendency toward OCD. Just what I've observed. DM