New guy sharpening question

C

CK_32

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Apr 28, 2013
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Hopefully Im not breaking any forum rules. Wasn't sure where to post this at.

First post.. Just purchased my first 2 EDC knives/knives ever. RAT-1 and a Tenacious.

I just watched this and got an idea how to sharpen a knife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TxDAqOIFcI

But my question is should I buy these wet stones or is it better/cheaper to buy that spiderco all in 1 sharpener for like $70 to $100??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5LcoY69x3U

So which way is recommended/cheaper to sharpen a knife? Also if one is a little more but way better I'd rather buy once cry once and have a good kit off the bat and not need to buy another sharpening kit in 5 months when I get more knowledgeable.


Again complete noob to knives. And if this has been explained or answered please feel free to direct me to there. I did read the how to sharpen thread but again am looking which sharpening tools to buy for quality and cost.

Thanks
 
Read, find something that seems like it
Makes sense and begin practicing. Read more, practice more, stop when sharp enough/happy.
 
I dont quite follow

Am I actually reading something titles "Find something that seems like it" because Google didn't bring anything up under that.

And I tend to practice tons with both of these knives before I move onto better knives I just need to either buy whetstones or that spiderco tool to start practicing.
 
You can go either way. A combination stone like a Norton IB8 can do a good job at a cost of around $30. The bad part is it takes practice. There is a lot of info on this site about sharpening freehand. A Spyderco Sharpmaker is fine if you buy the diamond rods to go with it. The bad part is it will cost about $120. Another option is a rod-guided system like Lansky or Gatco. Those are $35+, but are easy to use.

Hope it helps,
Dave
 
I swear by Japanese waterstones. They cost a lot more than the Spyderco. Do you want to enjoy your sharpening, or just get your knives sharp and be done with it? I enjoy using the waterstones because I take pride in sharpening by hand (as do a lot of people). Some people use an angle controlling sharpening to make things easier and/or faster. Some guys get knives stupid sharp in just a few minutes on paper wheels. It all depends on what you want to get out of sharpening.
 
bpeezer said:
Some guys get knives stupid sharp in just a few minutes on paper wheels. It all depends on what you want to get out of sharpening.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I want in my knives, and what I get with my paper wheels. I get a lot of enjoyment out of sharpening my knives, and is really why I have them in the first place. I could get enjoyment out of using some other method, but my time is valuable to me if to no one else. I don't feel that I loose anything by getting the job done in a short length of time, as long as the job is done well, and the knife looks good when finished. After using my knives for a period of time, I often only need to strop them with the slotted paper wheel to return them to "stupid sharp". This saves on removing any more steel by having to grind away on them again. Of course I am very easy on my knives and do not use them for tasks that they are not designed for. YMMV

Blessings,

Omar
 
My browsers being retarded and isn't letting me multi quote but thanks for the responses.

I have looked into paper wheels and sharpening that way but I'm curious I purchase the wheels, do step 1 shine with 2.. Then be done with it? Because I noticed some guys hand sanded for the last step some guys 2 hand steps. Is this required for a nice EDC blade or are these just the anal "stupid sharp" guys?
 
CK_32 said:
My browsers being retarded and isn't letting me multi quote but thanks for the responses.

I have looked into paper wheels and sharpening that way but I'm curious I purchase the wheels, do step 1 shine with 2.. Then be done with it? Because I noticed some guys hand sanded for the last step some guys 2 hand steps. Is this required for a nice EDC blade or are these just the anal "stupid sharp" guys?
Click to expand...

Omar gets them stupid sharp, and I don't think of him as being "anal" about it :p
 
CK_32 said:
But my question is should I buy these wet stones or is it better/cheaper to buy that spiderco all in 1 sharpener for like $70 to $100??
Click to expand...

i believe knives plus has the spyderco sharpmaker for @ 55 bucks. it is my personal preference for most things, but will not sharpen a convex edge. my last one lasted for @ 14 years, before somebody swiped it....all you gotta do is take care of it.
 
I started off with a Lansky guided system and got frustrated with it. I'm probably too ADD to fiddle getting it right. I realized the more focused, locked in methods like the Lanskys and Wicked Edge systems and the like probably weren't for me. Not saying they don't work, but just like anything, they may work for some but maybe not for all.

When I picked up a Sharpmaker (and it was a whole lot cheaper back when I got mine), I was finally able to get knives pretty sharp. Unfortunately the brown ceramic rods that come with the Sharpmaker are only good once you already have a bevel set and a knife is already pretty sharp. You're going to spend decades re-profiling or bringing one back from damage, for example, if you don't get something with some more grit.

I checked prices on the diamond rods and decided rubber bands and sandpaper would work good enough for me. I was then able to reprofile knives, even though it took a while.

Once I got the diamond rods, I could reprofile and fix damage a whole, whole lot faster.

I got a BK-11 in trade one time that someone had convexed by hand and that thing was an insane cutter. I just marveled over how much it outperformed even my best v-grind knives at pretty much everything. And it was so easy to keep sharp, with a few swipes on my jeans or a leather belt (or even the back of my multi-tool pouch!).

So I decided I wanted to learn more about convexing and I haven't looked back since. I am in the process of learning the best technique I can to hand convex pretty much everything I own (all of my knives are users).

I picked up a Worksharp to help me along the way, to get some of the shoulders smoothed out, but I'm probably going to focus more on doing it all by hand.

So there's two camps really, when it comes to hand sharpening, one side likes sandpaper and leather strops and the other likes benchstones. I like both methods but for me the sandpaper/strop method is easier to master and the one I'm working on now. I'll eventually move on to stones though.

Anyway all that to say, decide what you want and then focus on the techniques to get you there.
 
CK_32 said:
My browsers being retarded and isn't letting me multi quote but thanks for the responses.

I have looked into paper wheels and sharpening that way but I'm curious I purchase the wheels, do step 1 shine with 2.. Then be done with it? Because I noticed some guys hand sanded for the last step some guys 2 hand steps. Is this required for a nice EDC blade or are these just the anal "stupid sharp" guys?
Click to expand...

Just to clear something up, step 1. you sharpen your blade on the gritted wheel until you get a small burr all along the edge of your blade. 2. You then apply some compound on the slotted wheel and proceed to strop your blade, being careful to use the same angle you used to sharpen the knife with. After stropping both sides of the blade and ensuring that the burr is gone, your blade will be (assuming you did a good job on both steps) "stupid sharp" and very polished. May not be mirror polished, but polished non the less. This is probably all you realistically need for an EDC knife. Your blade should cut standing hair at this point, and push cut phone book paper.

Note: this is not the only system out there, but is a very good system you can get into for less than $100.

P.S. Thanks bpeezer, You are right in that I am not "anal" about getting my knives stupid sharp, I am just conscientious about the work I put out, especially when done for other people.

Blessings,

Omar
 
I (very subjectively !!) would suggest a DMT coarse diamond stone (you can use it dry or wet) or a Norton Crystalon oil stone, practice establishing an apex on those stones, practice to remove the burr edge leading on those stones, practice to remove the finest remaining burr on a strop. If you can do that, you can consider more equipment, maybe more expensive waterstones etc. Nothing is more rewarding than being able to sharpen a knife freehand, with virtually anything and anywhere. The spyderco sharpmaker is a great tool as long as your bevel is less than (or equal to) 20 dps (or 15 dps respectively). One nice way to sharpen your knife is a hybrid approach of profiling your knife freehand to less than 20 degrees (or less than 15 dps depending on knife use) and then use the spyderco sharpmaker to finish the apex in a very accurate nice way that you can maintain easily. The spyderco sharpmaker is also quite portable and light enough if you use only the brown rods (medium) which is all you need for a working edge anyway! This all depends a bit on the knife type too since a scandi edge for instance is a complete different ball game!!
 
Ok so would you guys reccomend I pick up the paper wheels?

Or go with the stones? I feel like this is all personal preference... So I'm leaning towards the wheels because it seems faster and somewhat easier. If I grab the wheels would that bring my knife back to basic paper cutting edge?

I'm not going to abuse these knives 90% is going to be paper cutting tape and box cutting and 5% rope or twine with random other tasks that may come up. Again first knives on the cheap so as long as it cuts simple tasks I'm ok I don't need a perfect blade but of course want a good edge for my knife.

And again if I get into this hobby I may and probably will pick up other systems like the good stones and put some time into my "better" knives in the future. But for now I just want a utility knife for work and be able to sharpen it and keep going for when need be.
 
If you do decide on the paper wheels, then get you some cheap thrift store knives to practice on. You can usually find them for about $1 each. You can also use an old hack saw blade to learn on. Richard J recommends the hack saw blade in his thread above in the stickies. He also has a "tips" site that has some great tips for using the paper wheels.

When I got my wheel set up, I bought about 8 thrift store (Goodwill store) knives to learn on. After about 3 or 4 knives, I had it down to where I was comfortable with sharpening some of my knives. I still have those 8 knives, and loan them out to family and friends whenever I have their kitchen knives over to be sharpened. The secret is to go slow and watch what is happening to the blade, and concentrate on steady even grinds or bevels. Keep the knife moving, and watch for the burr to form.

My early mistakes were not grinding enough to get a good even burr the full length of the blade. I was afraid I was going to grind too much steel away. However, if your wheel is properly set up with adequate wax applied, then over grinding will almost have to be done on purpose. Look at your blade often and have a good bright light over your wheels. If you need help or guidance, just ask on here and someone will be more than glad to help you. Richard J has personally called a lot of folks and guided them on the use of their wheels. He is more than eager to help someone get started.

Blessings,

Omar
 
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