Quick question re: sharpening stones

19-3ben

19-3ben

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Jul 27, 2015
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I'm sure it's been asked before, but just want to make sure I'm good to go here, so please excuse the newb question.

I've been a knife geek for a while, but just never got into freehand sharpening. That's about to change. I've decided to take the jump, so I'm going to get a few stones. TKC is doing free shipping with no minimum, and they carry the Lansky 6x2 diamond stones. Will those suffice for my needs for basic free-hand sharpening for a newb? I don't tend toward crazy wear resistant steels. The knives steels I use the most have 1095, 1075, 15n20, 420HC (Buck), some of the Sandvik stuff (on my Moras, mostly), VG10, 154CM, ELMAX, CTS-XHP, and S30v.

I have one knife in S110v that is my wife's and she rarely ever uses so it's not really a major factor here.

For my purposes, are the Lansky stones good to go? Should I also get that Lansky/Nathan's honing oil that they want to sell you with the stones?

I know some people prefer DMT stones. Should i just get those? would they be better in any appreciable way?
 
19-3ben said:
I'm sure it's been asked before, but just want to make sure I'm good to go here, so please excuse the newb question.

I've been a knife geek for a while, but just never got into freehand sharpening. That's about to change. I've decided to take the jump, so I'm going to get a few stones. TKC is doing free shipping with no minimum, and they carry the Lansky 6x2 diamond stones. Will those suffice for my needs for basic free-hand sharpening for a newb? I don't tend toward crazy wear resistant steels. The knives steels I use the most have 1095, 1075, 15n20, 420HC (Buck), some of the Sandvik stuff (on my Moras, mostly), VG10, 154CM, ELMAX, CTS-XHP, and S30v.

I have one knife in S110v that is my wife's and she rarely ever uses so it's not really a major factor here.

For my purposes, are the Lansky stones good to go? Should I also get that Lansky/Nathan's honing oil that they want to sell you with the stones?

I know some people prefer DMT stones. Should i just get those? would they be better in any appreciable way?
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The medium for $23? Yeah, it will work. No, don't buy or use oil for that, use water or dry.
Don't buy the fine either, get the strop stick kit for $35 thenstead.

You can do the medium diamond and jump straight to the green paste on leather.
Use the black coarser compound when your edge needs maintenance in between Sharpening.

You need to use light pressure with coated diamond stones, let the movement cut, not the force.

Use a marker to see what your hitting.

Your edge should be sharp enough to cleanly cut paper off the medium. Then jump to the green compound for a hair popping sharpness.

The strop only enhances, the stone creates.
 
Lansky diamond benchstone will do the trick. The coarse(or medium) and fine double sides will be the most versitile unless you want to fully dive into this. Just know it won't make it any sharper, when you finish on a coarse grit it creates a toothy edge that excels at slicing. The higher grit stones create a polished edge that excels at slicing.

600 grit diamond leaves a versitile edge, the DMT coarse 320grit leaves a good toothy edge which is pretty close to the 280grit of the lanskys. The Lansky coarse is close to the DMT XXC stone, which removed a LOT of metal really fast. To put it short get their C/F if you want the ability to removes excessive amounts of metal fast. Or get the M/F to get one that gives you two versitile grits that work good to finish on in my opinion.

And well DMT is considered better, Lansky will still get the job done. The difference doesn't matter too much unless your OCD about this stuff.
 
Thanks so much for the feedback DeadboxHero DeadboxHero and B Bob6794 .

I've done my own sharpening for years, but it's just been with guided sharpening systems (the KO Worksharp and the Sharpmaker). I'm definitely cool to the subtleties of toothy edge vs. polished edge etc... and my strop with green paste gets more use than any other piece of sharpening equipment. All my knives end up with a polished slight convex eventually...

I'm just finally now feeling bold enough to try my hand a freehand sharpening. The only time i have done it in the past was on my straight razor, using my 4000/8000 Norton waterstone, and ooohhhhh boy did that leave a hell of an edge, but I also laid the blade down against the spine, as you can do with a deep hollow grind, so I freely admitted, I cheated on that.

The long and the short of it is, I am voraciously reading everything I can on techniques, and I appreciate your advice. Thank you.
 
You can pick up benchstone angle guides, I would highly recommend it. It will make the transition go easier as you develop your technique and help keep your angle consistent
 
Bob6794 said:
You can pick up benchstone angle guides, I would highly recommend it. It will make the transition go easier as you develop your technique and help keep your angle consistent
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I had to look those up. That's a neat idea. Like training wheels for dummies like me who have always relied on guided systems as a crutch!
I like it. Thanks for the suggestion.

I've always been ok with just being a knife nut. I think the next rabbit hole is going to be sharpening.
 
I have used the same DMT's and an angle guide (an ancient BuckMaster) for 30+ years to sharpen freehand. That's basically all you need.
 
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