New to forum and knife maintenance need advise

S

stryder420

Joined
Jun 2, 2011
Messages
4
Hello all
As stated above I am new to collecting knives and needed some tips or advise on maintaining my (ok I only have 1) knife. I bought a japanese katensune white steel knife and since I spent a decent amount on the knife I would like to keep it sharp and maintained. The intended use for my knife will be for outdoor use, generally for when I go backpacking.

I've been reading on what stones people are using, the different types of stones, the different grits on the stones and frankly it is a lot of information to take in. The reason I reason I started this thread was because I was hoping anyone could help me decide which stones would be best suited for my needs and also to help me figure out some terms I came across that I don't understand.

Well let's start first wit the terms: first one being a wire edge. What is that describing? Second is the difference between a polished edge and a coarse edge. I can imagine what a polished edge is, but not a coarse. And also what is being described when the term microbevel is used.

So basically all I am trying to learn is how to keep my knife sharp and polished(that's how it came) and which stone would be best suited for this task. My knife is made from Japanese white steel with no additives. The hrc is rated around 59-60. I've been looking at arkansas stones and Japanese water stones. Haven't really looked into diamond stones cause they are pretty pricey.

Any advise would be appreciated thanks.
 
For information on burrs/wire edges refer to the link in my Sig, it should answer your question.

A sticky at the top of this subforum will take care of the microbevel question.

A coarse and polished edge relates to the grit used to sharpen, 320 grit finish= coarse edge, 10,000 grit finish= polished edge.

For sharpening of that steel and blade my only suggestion would be waterstones, but not king stones.

Welcome to BF :)
 
Any suggestions on which water stones? I was looking at Naniwa stones, but i'm not too sure on which stone to buy. Which grit stones are more for honing? Is it possible to sharpen a knife with a honing stone? Is there a difference between a sharping stone and a honing stone? Sorry for all the newb questions i hope u can bear with me a little.
 
Not a problem.

A honing stone is generally a finer finishing stone and sharpening is the process. I try not to confuse myself or others so simply "sharpening" is the term I use when the question is "do I hone or sharpen".

Naniwas are good but not my first choice, I don't like how they feel.

My preferred waterstones at this time are the 1k & 6k arashiyama, they act and have similar feel to a natural waterstone which is a very good thing. Add a 500 grit Beston and you would have a complete set.

Chefknivestogo is a great resource for a wide selection of quality stones, have a look then come back and ask more questions :)
 
Wow, looks like i'll have to invest a little bit of money for a complete set of stones, the japanese stones i've looked at so far are all synthetic? i read a little about synthetic and natural stones, but not enough to know the differences bewteen the two, so the quality of the synthetic stones would depend soley on the manufacturer correct?

Also what do they mean by the stone is easy to cut? does that mean it gets the edge faster?
 
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I can tell you now your about to head down a deep and dark rabbit hole :D

Natural stones are pretty easy to tell apart from synthetics, they look like flat rocks and are usually flat color tones. They can also be very expensive $200-600 for average ones and thousands of dollars for rare stones. Though natural waterstones would be a wonderful choice for the blade you have they take lots of skill to use and though they "sharpen" that is not their main purpose.

Synthetic stones unlike the naturals will work with a wider range of steels and produce the high gloss polish we often call a mirror edge. They are more brightly colored, cheaper $$, and have a known grit value. Cutting the stone or gouging becomes more of a issue with softer stones but can happen with all of them. It's where the edge of the knife digs into the stone from incorrect angle hold.

To someone new it may seem expensive but for $100-150 you will have quality tools to properly maintain you blades for years to come.
 
Ok, so after doing a little more reading on the forum and examining my knife, i have found that my knife might actually have a convex edge. I'm not too certain, but i have a Katensune Sabaki (KB-126). I can't seem to find any distinct bevel on the edge, but my inexperience could prove me wrong. Anyways my question now would be if i do have a convex edge would a leather strop be sufficient on maintaining the edge's sharpness and polish?

Also once you apply a compound to your strop is that particular strop committed to that particular compound?
 
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