Sharpening Basics?

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GarageBoy

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May 23, 2003
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I read the FAQ already and I have a cheap 007 to practice on, but I have a few questions. Where can I obtain the stones and for how much? Also, can I sharpen with a dry stone? How does the burr look like and how sharp is sharp? Thanks a lot!
 
stones can be bought at pretty much any place which sell knives, they can range from $2-3, to ~$400 for a complete set, more for the exotic ones, sharpening with a dry/wet stone will depend on the type of stone you have and personal preference, the burr will appear when the steel folds over itself, i don't know how to describe it but its something you'll recognnize when it appears, AFAIK, most people sharpen until the blade can shave arm/leg hair. what's a 007 knife? i dont think i've seen one before..
 
I sharpen with only dry stones, see no reason to worry about oil when I want to pack them up. Stones are $5cdn to $70cdn, but usually 8-10 range. I buy combo stones for $8 at canadian tire. Can also sharpen off sandpaper if you're cheap. 1200 dry wood paper gives a nice working edge.

The "wire" edge(aka burr) is easy to find. Sharpen one side until you feel a lip on it when running a thumbnail over the blade(spine to edge, try to flick the edge). When you feel it, flip sides and do he other. Do it 5-6times/grit. Usually takes me 5-10min on a knife to get it from degrading work edge to shaving. I can do a beat up edge(non knife ppl) in 30-45min to shaving. I can shave off a 500grit stone, though 800 is easier.

14yrs experience by hand. My 204 barely gets used.
 
I also sharpen with dry stones. You can get a decent, dual grit (one on each side) 8" bench stone at a hardware store for 10$-20$, depending on location and quality. I got mine from an ACE hardware store and it does the trick just fine. You'll also want to get a ceramic sharpening rod, which you may be able to find at the hardware store, or possibly at Wal-Mart or K-mart. Check out sporting goods stores as well. A ceramic rod shouldn't be more than $10. This will help you to remove that wire edge once you're done with the stones. When using fairly coarse stones such as the one I'm suggesting, you won't get a really smooth ege, but as long as you do a good job of removing the burr it will cut very well. These are the basics; you can go anywhere from here. But if you learn to sharpen with these basic tools, you'll get better results from more advanced sharpeners later on because you've already learned the basic principles of doing it by hand.

About the burr, you usually can't actually see it, unless you hold it in the light just a certain way, but you can usually feel it fairly easily. For a beginner or an expert, the magic marker trick is useful. It will also help you to see how consistent your stroke is. beyond that all I can say is good luck and be careful! I've gotten some of my worst cuts while sharpening. Not that I'm trying to scare you, just watch where your fingers are in relation to the blade. After a while it'll be second nature, but at first it can be tricky.
 
Thanks! So you sharpen on one stone until the burr is gone?
A 007 is a cheap Knife that kids played with during the 80s. Basically, it's a cheap lock back. (better than Paki crap, but not much)
 
You sharpen one side to form a burr on the other, then change sides, and keep flipping the burr back and forth until it comes off...
 
Typically I work on one side at a low angle till I get a burr. Unless you really sharpen much too long and get a huge burr it is not very visible. You identify a burr by feel. Put your finger tips on the bevel of the blade on the opposite side from the side that you have been honing. Drag your fingers over the edge and off the blade. Don't drag your fingers along the edge or you'll get cut. You are feeling for metal that is bent over away from where you have been honing. I hone one side until I feel a burr on most of the edge.

At that point repeat the process on the other side of the blade. You want to get a burr back on the other side. Assuming that you did this edge thinning at around 15 degrees you need to remove the burr by a small amount of honing at about 40 degrees. Edge-first strokes alternating left and right sides will quickly remove all of the burr. These edge first strokes need to be very light and small in number or you will dull the blade.

Now you go back and do a few strokes alternating sides at around 15 to 20 degrees to put your final edge on the blade. Switch to a finer grit after a few strokes. Don't hone too long or you'll start to form a burr again. Stropping on leather will remove any remaining burr and will leave you with a razor edge.

I have seen good deals on dual grit bench hones at Sears and at Home Depot.

By the way. Your 007 probably has a very soft blade (my old one did). It may be particularly inclined to form a burr. Your good modern knives will take a lot longer to remove equivalent amounts of material. If they started out equally dull your new knives might take 5x as long to sharpen. If your 007 is much duller than your new knives they make take equivalent amounts of time to sharpen. You might practice on some kitchen knives. Go down to a Salvation Army or Goodwill store and find some old used Japanese kitchen knives with blades claiming that they are made of "Molybdenum Stainless". For a dollar or two those will give you some very representative honing practice.
 
I have set of Washita/Arkansas hones (from Buck I believe), they are about 30 years old so I don´t remember the price, I used them with the supplied oil for a while but later boiled them to get rid of the oil, and have been using them dry for many years, they work just fine on the standard steel blades that I have, I haven´t try them in any of the modern super steels.

You can feel the burr with a fingernail, place a fingernail on the side opposite to the one you just honed and gently slide it to the edge, if it just falls off you don´t have a burr, if the burr is there you will feel it (be careful, don´t cut yourself).
 
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