Sharpening a pocket knife

Joined
Apr 6, 2012
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2
Hi.

I am new to this site but wanted to register to hear if someone could help me out a bit.

I have gotten a Leatherman Style CS keyring tool, that I am very thrilled about - I need it for cutting strings, opening packages and that sort of thing. Only occassionaly but it is still nice to have it at hand and it has a nice feel.

I would however like to be able to sharpen the scissor and knife safely (no locking mechanism) as it gets used.
What would be the best way to do this on a budget?

Kindly
AndreasDK
 
If you're comfortable freehanding, or are willing to learn it, then sandpaper on a flat surface works well for a low initial cost. Buy the following grits - 220, 400, 600, 1500. These should be readily available at Ace/Home Depot/Lowe's, you can find higher grits at auto parts stores if you want a finer edge, but 1500 grit will be just fine for a working edge. Get a glass cutting board from walmart, or for that matter get anything flat that you can get your hands on, to use as a backing for the sandpaper. Wet it and lay the paper down, and that's your stone.

The other really cheap option is a Norton stone (again, Ace, Home Depot, etc.) for maybe $5. This is technically cheaper than the sandpaper, but its limited in the range of grits, usually having a 'course' and 'fine' side where the fine side is still quite course. You can get a sharp edge but it will be quite toothy, which honestly will work fine for most things (and better for some). If you want to whittle hair it's not going to get you there. Cutting packages, cardboard, fruits and veggies- yes.
 
get a bunch of sandpaper and start rubbing. as long as you keep your angle right it will work. 99% of it is holding the same angle.
 
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Thanks for the idea of sandpaper.

I hadn`t thought of that.

email me at ginrickie1@juno.com and I will email you a picture of a knife sharpner that I have made my self and have been useing it for about 15 years now. If you steel in you knife is good and not china crap the it should sharpen up really fast. you just have to use it once in a while to keep a good edge on your knife. I have a kershaw leek and been useing it to sharpen it since the leeks first came out. it is the only sharpner that I have used.
 
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99% of it is holding the same angle.

I'm also relatively new to sharpening and was wondering: exactly HOW precise does your angling have to be? I can hold a knife that looks and feels like it is consistently at the same angle, but do you need to hold it at an almost robotic, superhumanly exact angle every time?

I have been doing my share of reading sharpening instructions from "the experts" and they seem to say that it doesn't have to be exact, just within a few degrees. Of course, I have yet to get a real sharp edge.
 
I'm surprised nobody has said to use the bottom of a mug yet. The unglazed ceramic part works great and you don't need to be insanely exact about the angle. If it was a fifty dollar knife I would say to be as exact as you humanly can, but I know from experience that with many leatherman blades as long as you don't sharpen for to long, you shouldnt have to worry about the angle too much. Good luck!
 
Also if you put some sharpy on the bevel (angled part that gets sharpened) of the blade it helped me a lot when I was learning to sharpen because it will help you to see if your only getting some of the blade
 
I'm also relatively new to sharpening and was wondering: exactly HOW precise does your angling have to be? I can hold a knife that looks and feels like it is consistently at the same angle, but do you need to hold it at an almost robotic, superhumanly exact angle every time?

I have been doing my share of reading sharpening instructions from "the experts" and they seem to say that it doesn't have to be exact, just within a few degrees. Of course, I have yet to get a real sharp edge.
Even most pro freehand sharpeners out there creates a slight convex on the edge.For exact V edge i think u have to go for sth like edge pro.
But doesnt matter,its all sharp;)
 
I'm also relatively new to sharpening and was wondering: exactly HOW precise does your angling have to be? I can hold a knife that looks and feels like it is consistently at the same angle, but do you need to hold it at an almost robotic, superhumanly exact angle every time?

I have been doing my share of reading sharpening instructions from "the experts" and they seem to say that it doesn't have to be exact, just within a few degrees. Of course, I have yet to get a real sharp edge.

I think not robotic...but the more precise the better here is what I do. I use trigonometry. I measure the width of the blade in milimeters. Then I figure my desired angle...ususally 15 per side which is 30 inclusive. Then I use a trig calculator from the web (there are a bunch of them) and plug in the the side and the angle and it gives me height that I should hold the center of the spine off the stone...frequently about 7mm or so... Then I bend and cut a paper clip to that height. I set it on the stone (or sandpaper or whatever) and start my strokes at that height. This is by no means precise...as in CNC machine precise...but it provides an excellent visual cue for your strokes. Works great.
 
Even most pro freehand sharpeners out there creates a slight convex on the edge.For exact V edge i think u have to go for sth like edge pro.
But doesnt matter,its all sharp;)

Some might argue that it does matter;) Depending on what you are doing with the blade, convex might be greatly preferred...or vice-versa.
 
Vice Versa = depending what you are doing with the convex blade may be greatly preferred.

.....?
 
Vice Versa = depending what you are doing with the convex blade may be greatly preferred.

.....?

I am not sure what your post means...but I will attempt to provide some insight as to what my post meant.

Some people speak as if a certain edge geometry is superior (period, end of statement), and others suggest that there is no difference as long as it is "sharp". I suggest that there is no unique answer to all needs (otherwise every knife would have the same edge type), and differences may matter greatly for some individuals. There are uses where a very V-shaped edge is advantageous, and there are uses where a highly convex shaped edge is advantageous, and there are LOTS of people that rely on compound edges for their needs (a common example is the micro-bevel, but there are others;)).


While these topics (convex vs. V vs. compound bevels, and other edge geometry debates) are frequently discussed on these forums and are fairly easy to research, I suggest that individuals conduct their own trials to develop preferences according to their own needs and wants (said another way, just because a lot of people on line say something is great, does not necessarily mean it will work well for you).
 
Unit i was not talking about convex vs v edge.I tried to say a perfect v edge and freehand sharpened blade to a same sharpness is same(okay not perfectly equal but u know what i mean).Cus the convex at freehand is very slight if im not mistaken.And these two shouldnt differ from each other imo,if u dont whittle hair under microscope all day:D
PS:i love v edge with microbevel
 
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