Regardless of Steel, How Often Do You Sharpen?

[Squeezymo]

So pretty much everyone on these forums is a knife nut, there's no arguing with that. We like knives, and even moreso, we like sharp knives. Some of us like really sharp knives. And some of us like deathly sharp knives that can carve an atom like it's a christmas ham.

Now I've been working on my sharpening recently, because I like sharp knives. And I want to eventually learn how to get a knife scary scary sharp. But for now I settle for shaving sharp, which is about as good as I can get it when I'm lucky. As far as I know most people here like their knives sharp, but how often do you sharpen your knives? Because I use my knife in S30V constantly, and even when I get it shaving sharp, I use it a few times to where it loses the shaving quality, but still cuts about as well as I need it to, I wind up sharpening it to get it back to shaving. I do the same thing with my knife in 420HC. To me I don't utilize the "edge holding abillity" of S30V if I sharpen it after every day of use anyway.

So what about you guys? How often do you sharpen and how sharp do you get your knives? And if you are one of those people like me that sharpens after every use regardless of what it is, then why get a super steel?

 

[dalefuller]

I touch up the knives I carry and use about once a week. That seems to keep everything in good order for me. If I've done something unusually heavy (camping, working on the house, trimming shrubs) I'll clean the knives I used and get them back in shape as soon as the job is done. Other stuff that's stored, probably three times a year.

A touch up involves a some light strokes on the U/F Sharpmaker rods or a few swipes over strop block. Anything more than that is sharpening. I try to keep from having to do that too often.

 

[bodydamage]

I keep a piece of corrugated with green compound on it in my desk at work.. Whenever I'm bored Ill go to town on it for a few minutes.. Ive only ever needed to sharpen my Emerson once, as I polish the edge fairly regularly and its "plenty" sharp enough for me..

 

[richard j]

if you guys want to sharpen your knives to the max, check out this thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578787
i reprofiled a knife i made and made this video last night. i'm making another since this one is sort of dark http://knifetests.com/kII.html you can get all of your knives sharp in minutes and have more time to dull them back up.

 

[thombrogan]

My daily carry get sharpened when they're close to what I've heard call "a working edge," my chef knives get sharpened whenever they drop below scary-sharp, and my wife's knives get sharpened when she wants 'em sharpened.

 

[knarfeng]

My daily carry get sharpened when they're close to what I've heard call "a working edge," my chef knives get sharpened whenever they drop below scary-sharp, and my wife's knives get sharpened when she wants 'em sharpened.

This is a man who will remain married a long time.:thumbup:

I sharpen mine when they won't pass the fingernail test. No schedule. It just depends how much I've been using them.
And, in reference to the original post, it does matter what alloy they are as to how often they get sharpened.

 

[bodydamage]

the fingernail test

?????

 

[siguy]

i used to sharpen alot back when my EDC was an opinel. the edge retention on that wasn't awesome-decent, and adequate-but not awesome. i carried a small soft arkansas stone in my pack pocket or pack and touched it up as often as twice a day or as little as once a week.

now that i carry a stockman that has better edge retention i sharpen probably once a month or so (that is-my own knives. i sharpen lots of other knives). i use the main blade about 98% of the time, and don't obsess about keeping it hair popping sharp all the time. every once in a while i strop it to keep it in good shape. i know that the blade will cut well even when its a "little dull" (which is still 100% sharper than alot of people's kitchen knives) and i know that if it isn't sharp enough to do the job i have two other blades handy.

as for my fixed blades-i have been carrying a scandi for a while, and i really don't like sharpening scandis. this means that i put off sharpening for as long as i can, but even when i decided that its time to sharpen it can still usually slice paper cleanly. i often strop in between sharpenings to keep the edge in good shape.

i used to really obsess over keeping my knives crazy sharp all the time, but i realized that its a bit silly to sharpen after nearly every use. with my stockman i can always keep a stupid sharp edge in reserve, which solves a dilema for me (what if i need to perform emergency surgery?!?!). i like to step back and take a look from a different perspective...even when i call it dull 90% of the population would still call it stupid sharp.

like knarfeng, i depend on the finger nail test for a general sharpness test. i'll make a video and put it up to demonstrate, i am at a loss for how to correctly describe it with words.

edited to add; fingernail sharpness test

 

[THG]

If it doesn't catch my nail on the slightest touch, I sharpen it.

 

[bodydamage]

Gotcha, Ive never seen it done like that before.. Ive done it on Bic pens and Sharpies, but never on my nail.. They are all about the same I guess..

 

[Reeek]

After every day's use unless I'm busy doing something- I try not to lose the edge completely on my EDC if possible, unless it's saving a life of course - not that it ever has yet . . ..

My BOB has a Sharpmaker (ceramic medium and ultra) a steel and a loaded strop at all times. Along with a couple handguns, a neck knife and a spare folder then a few survival type devices and personal effects . . .

 

[Squeezymo]

i used to sharpen alot back when my EDC was an opinel. the edge retention on that wasn't awesome-decent, and adequate-but not awesome. i carried a small soft arkansas stone in my pack pocket or pack and touched it up as often as twice a day or as little as once a week.

now that i carry a stockman that has better edge retention i sharpen probably once a month or so (that is-my own knives. i sharpen lots of other knives). i use the main blade about 98% of the time, and don't obsess about keeping it hair popping sharp all the time. every once in a while i strop it to keep it in good shape. i know that the blade will cut well even when its a "little dull" (which is still 100% sharper than alot of people's kitchen knives) and i know that if it isn't sharp enough to do the job i have two other blades handy.

as for my fixed blades-i have been carrying a scandi for a while, and i really don't like sharpening scandis. this means that i put off sharpening for as long as i can, but even when i decided that its time to sharpen it can still usually slice paper cleanly. i often strop in between sharpenings to keep the edge in good shape.

i used to really obsess over keeping my knives crazy sharp all the time, but i realized that its a bit silly to sharpen after nearly every use. with my stockman i can always keep a stupid sharp edge in reserve, which solves a dilema for me (what if i need to perform emergency surgery?!?!). i like to step back and take a look from a different perspective...even when i call it dull 90% of the population would still call it stupid sharp.

like knarfeng, i depend on the finger nail test for a general sharpness test. i'll make a video and put it up to demonstrate, i am at a loss for how to correctly describe it with words.

edited to add; fingernail sharpness test

Hey cool, I've never seen that test. Thanks!

 

[Ben Dover]

Whenever they won't smoothly and cleanly shave arm hair.

 

[Roger999]

I keep a strop next to my bed and strop my EDC knife/knives right before I go to sleep, and I sharpen when I cannot cleanly draw cut printing paper with little effort.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Whenever I can't pare the nucleus of an atom (except for my wife's knives, as thombrogan wisely notes... married 40 years next June).

 

[SOLEIL]

The better the steel, the longer it will hold the edge that I like. If it gets used it gets touched up. If it is not scary sharp it does not leave the house. It does not matter what steel it is.

 

[knarfeng]

fingernail test.

?????

like knarfeng, i depend on the finger nail test for a general sharpness test. i'll make a video and put it up to demonstrate, i am at a loss for how to correctly describe it with words.

edited to add; fingernail sharpness test

I do it a bit differently. I set the knife on my nail at about a 30° angle. I put no push on the blade, just the weight of the knife itself. If the knife slides across the nail, it fails the test. If the knife just stays, it is sharp enough for what I do with a knife.

 

[James_Terrio]

Whenever they won't smoothly and cleanly shave arm hair.

I haven't had any hair on my arms in years. I mostly go by the fingernail thing. A lot of times a leather strop will do the trick. If I can see a shiny spot, looking at the edge straight on, then it's definitely time to get it on a stone.

 

[Roger999]

I haven't had any hair on my arms in years. I mostly go by the fingernail thing. A lot of times a leather strop will do the trick. If I can see a shiny spot, looking at the edge straight on, then it's definitely time to get it on a stone.

Use your leg hair .

 

[knarfeng]

I haven't had any hair on my arms in years. I mostly go by the fingernail thing. A lot of times a leather strop will do the trick. If I can see a shiny spot, looking at the edge straight on, then it's definitely time to get it on a stone.

I often use that test when sharpening, using a 3x hand lens and examining under a high intensity light. If I can see the edge reflecting any light, it is not yet sharp.