Poll: How do you sharpen your knives?

When the edge must be reprofiled I use a 320 grit King waterstone followed by an 800 or 1200 and finished with a 4000 stone if I want a mirror polished edge. For general touch up I use a ceramic rod that is used like a chef's steel.
 
For really dull knives I usually start with the narrow side of a medium coarse aluminum oxide hone under running water. Then set my bevel using an 8" Eze-Lap diamond plate. Next a 12" Eze-Lap extra-fine diamond plate to remove all trace of burr. On to medium then extra-fine crock sticks in a v-holder, primarily at 19-degrees, but finish strokes at around 22-degrees. Depending on the application I may rough up the edge by going back for a few light strokes on one of the diamond plates. Some steels and applications call for using a strop. I have a hard strop impregnated with green chromium oxide buffing compound and a softer straight leather strop for really fine grained steel.

I also have a 1000/4000 grit water stone for some steel that just likes it. I also sometimes find knives that like my Norton combination India stone. Sometimes I rough down a really bad edge using a 150 grit silicon carbide disk in my electric drill or use a 12" mill bastard file.
 
A Razor's Edge Deluxe gets to deal with the new knives when a lot of metal needs to be removed. A 204 takes care of almost everything else. I keep a Double Stuff handy for quick touch ups when I'm out and about.



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Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
Understanding without knowledge is a rare gift - but not an impossibility.
For the impossible is always possible through faith. - Bathroom graffiti, gas station, Grey, TN, Dec, 1988

AKTI Member #A000831
 
1 calcium chloride stone

2 limestone

3 leather strop

all knive end up razor sharp.
 
The Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker is great for maintaining a good edge.

The Lansky system is good for rehabilitating an abused blade.

An Arkansas stone can't be beat for general use, and to keep your skills sharp as well.

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James Segura
San Francisco, CA
 
Edgepro Apex most of the time. Also use DMT coarse and fine as well as sharpmaker 203. I only wish the edgepro provided a diamond coarse stone that is the same size as the naturals for some of these hard steels.
David
 
I begin on the asphalt in my driveway, then I pull out my cat's tongue with pliers and strop the blades on it.

Seriously, my 204.
 
I used to use a Lansky system for a while, but I didn't really like the results. I do everything freehand now on a small EZ-Lap fine diamond stone then if I want a polished edge I use a large, VERY smooth Norton India stone (not sure what grit, but I think it is an antique). I get really good, fast results with these two stones. For recurves and khukuris I use ceramic rods, although I haven't had to sharpen any of these yet.

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My Custom Kydex Sheath page:
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Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
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Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
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Edge Pro Apex with a stone upgrade kit and soon I'll be getting a Spydie 204 for touch ups and serrated knives. I'm still kicking myself for trading my 203 before I could afford to rep[lace it right away.

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Just because I talk to myself does not make me crazy. Now, when I listen to myself, that makes me crazy.
 
Sharpmaker 203

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Johnny
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Spyderco sharpmaker 204

Have the Lansky setup too. Works OK, but a bit of a pain to set up. Is good for really messed up edges though

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AKTI Member #A0000180

"Everyone was born right-handed. Only the greatest overcome it."
 
I use a cardboard box and a car.

I place the knives in the box, put the box in the car and then haul the whole mess to Bass Pro and give the kid with the grinder money.

I own a Spyderco 204 and a Lansky but remain "hone challanged". Until somebody can draw me pictures, the box gets the best results, by far.
 
Spyderco Sharpmaker 203. Sometimes my Spyderco Doublestuff when the 203 is at home.


Blades

 
In the kitchen I use a smaller crock stick made by Smiths, and I just picked up another model of a smaller crock stick by Smiths for my son and daughter to use on their pocketknives. In the tacklebox I have a small crock stick that I think is made by Normark, for use with fishhooks and fillet knives. I have a well dished Norton silicon carbide combination stone for rough duty use, and three Sears silicon carbide combination stones for use with knives, planes, chisels, and such. Using three stones allows me to keep them all nicely flat by touching them up against one another when needed, and the Sears 2x7 inch stones were only about $6 each. I follow up on soft, hard, and black Arkansas stones as needed, as well as strops made from scrap leather charged with white stainless steel buffing compound.
 
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