Newbie thinks you rock! Shaving sharp like never before

nmb

nmb

Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
100
Folks,

I'm new to BFC, but thanks for the wealth of advice here. I've tried to learn about sharpening my kitchen knives before, but that's about it. I got a Kershaw Leek last week based on the posts that I saw here and it is my first EDC knife (and only knife right now). I also read up on sharpening and decided to try first with sandpaper before I sprung for any kind of hones.

I picked up some 320, 600 and 1500 grit sandpaper at my local auto parts store and started on some beater kitchen knives, following the advice here. They got sharper than I've managed to get before, but I didn't get them anywhere remotely scary. They were sharp enough that my wife commented "Oooh, I like the sharp knives. Can you do that again?" So I did about half of the kitchen knives when I had a chance and now, they're the only knives in the kitchen that we want to use!

But I wasn't brave enough to sharpen my Leek. Except, last night I completely rolled the edge trying to cut through a plastic plant that had wire in the stem. I tried to steel it back and it helped, but there were still some chips and the start and end of the roll. So, today I got out the mousepad and the sandpaper and did the edge on all the grits, raising a burr and all and it's shaving sharp! My arms are getting a bit bare! I didn't think I could do it, but if anything it was more fun to sharpen the expensive knife than the cheap beaters.

So I want more. I want to keep freehanding and I'd like a cheap, multipurpose setup like the sandpaper but with more permanence. Can you guys suggest an inexpensive coarse/fine stone that would let me keep advancing? No need for anything mirror-polished, I just want good, functional everyday knives.

Thanks again Bladeforums!
 
Personally, I prefer sandpaper to stones. If you are getting good results with what you have, try going to a finer grit (up to 2000), or better yet, get yourself a strop.
 
whet stones will work alright with your knives + they're cheap, also make yourself a strop with leather on wood and get some chromium oxide online for 7bucks, you'll get hair popping sharpness with a strop and you'll lose all your bodyhair :).
 
Home depot sells a coarse/fine Norton stone in the tool section for around $5 or $6 bucks. If you look online, you can get a Norton India combo for around $10, and it's a pretty good stone.

Glad you're having fun, enjoy!
 
Try using more sandpaper like, 320, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, then strop. Sounds like a lot of work but its actually faster and the results are much better. I have been using DMT dia-fold's for a few months, I don't think I would exactly call them a cheap sharpener but surely well worth their mild price tag. They have the most flexability of all my sharpening tools and cut a lot faster than sandpaper, plus its a one time buy, you got to keep buying sandpaper.
 
Since you are using a mousepad and therefore a stropping motion, get a relatively inexpensive King combination waterstone, preferably the 1200/8000 combination, but the 1000/6000 is also ok. In addition, get a piece of MDF board and some diamond paste 1 or 0.5 grit for the final touch.
 
no cheap stones. please do yourself a favor, and pick up a course dmt, and a sharpmaker to finish with. other stones require flattening, or will take way too long to sharpen harder steels.
 
NMB, it was so refreshing to read your post :thumbup:

My advice is since you've had success free-handing skip the sharpmaker and pick up a DMT Coarse/Ex. Fine. These are amazingly efficient sharpeners that if used with water don't get clogged up. They stay flat as mentioned above. Not cheap, but worth every penny IMHO.
 
theonew said:
NMB, it was so refreshing to read your post :thumbup:

My advice is since you've had success free-handing skip the sharpmaker and pick up a DMT Coarse/Ex. Fine. These are amazingly efficient sharpeners that if used with water don't get clogged up. They stay flat as mentioned above. Not cheap, but worth every penny IMHO.
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In addition to knives I do some pretty neanderthal woodworking with hand tools only. As the gentlemen tells you, buy this stone. It will save you much time in getting the "Primary Bevel" established and then you can finish up with the sandpaper routine. I like kerosene on my diamond stones, it really works well, is cheap and not too awful messy. I also like the way it does not have the surface tension like water and stays in place on the stone better. Just about a tablespoon and rub it all over the stone with your finger, clean up with it when you are finished too! Try it, you will like it ;)
 
Tractorshaft said:
I like kerosene on my diamond stones, it really works well, is cheap and not too awful messy. I also like the way it does not have the surface tension like water and stays in place on the stone better. Just about a tablespoon and rub it all over the stone with your finger, clean up with it when you are finished too! Try it, you will like it ;)
Click to expand...

Interesting tip, thanks, I'll give it a try :thumbup:
 
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