Sharpening Becker's or otherwise

FAL'ER

FAL'ER

Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
5,513
What are you folks using these days?
I myself am using DMT diamond hones, but only as little as possible cause I'm not wanting to remove too much metal.
What's really turning my crank now are these leather strops with the polishing compounds on them.
Apologies for dragging on but I'm feeling very reflective of having cool knives and never using them because I'd be afraid of not being able to get them sharp again.
I was sitting here on the throne stropping my new BK 9 and shaving my arm and thought I might post up.

This is what I use most. A home made strop bat (2 - 5 gallon paint stir sticks with a swiss mil belt), ceramic element from a high pressure sodium bulb, DMT Diafold, Diaz Frogleg neck knife.


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So to make a short question long.
What are you guys using these days?
 
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Spyderco med/fine ceramic pocket hone. Model 303mf.

SP303MF.jpg



I have been toying with the idea of trying the stropping on the pastes as well but haven't got the stuff yet. Although really the hone above does all I need it to do. I've got one of the cheap $5 stones from the hardware store too if I need something coarser.
 
If my edge is almost gone I will put it on a stone but most the time it just needs a touch-up.

I seem to have good luck using a ceramic steel and it gets scary sharp.


From what I have heard at a local butcher shop I worked at, the diamond will take off larger amounts of steel over a ceramic steel...

A regular honing steel will straiten your edge without removing any steel.

My Ceramic Steel
200707130421ox4.jpg
 
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i just got the "sharpening made easy" book, and i'll let it influence me...

what i WANT to make is a strop belt system with adjustable tension rod, i got the parts, just never quite got around to the fiddling. one can put rouge on one side, and various grades of paper on the other, and convex like the dickins. hand power belt machine basically.

but a 2x72 bader with trijicon optics and a sweet match grade lower would be good too. wait. i've been watching too many of those hysterical videos :)

oh, yeah, i've got various stones, pocket and other wise, spyderoco bench stones, and their triangle system, kitchen-pro machines (keep finding them free), and a box with glass slabs, sandpaper, and all SORTS of stuff. even some nice rouge :)
 
Spyderco Sharp Maker. I like it more than my large Lansky kit. The Lansky will do it but I find the Sharp Maker to be easier and cleaner to use.
 
I rock a Lansky and canvas strop combo. Lansky is a 5 stone setup, and the strop is charged with jeweler's rouge on one side, and crystylon powder on the other. Love it. I also use a Norton 9" benchstone (Fine India/Courst Crystylon) for my longer blades with a DMT Adjustable guide.

Moose
 
Some knives I use a strop and some I use stones. I like the natural stones for some reason. I like to finish with my Arkansa transluecent oil stone. I use stones to do most of my touch up's. Then I will take the knife to the strop or machine every so often. Stones are so much simpler to get out and quickly use, than cutting sand paper and messing with the strop. IMO
 
Meh, all this sharpening talk makes me feel pretty bad about the pis-poor job I have been doing. I watched several videos, read several descriptions, but so far a mouse pad and 400 grit sandpaper just hasn't done the job I was hoping for. And it unfortunately put me in a bad mood when I went to Lowe's and found that they didn't have anything close to the kinds of sandpaper I needed. I mean I wake up in the morning and one of the constants I feel I can hang my hat on is that a place like Lowe's has frickin sandpaper. Of all shapes and sizes and grits. And I was content in this assumption because I didn't really need a lot of sandpaper over the last few years. When I finally do (cause I gotta try to convex this monster of a BK2) I find that Lowe's has sandpaper. IN all shapes and sizes and grits, provided the shapes and sizes are one size and shape, and you want either 80 or 120 grit sandpaper.

Not gonna lie, I seriously spent the next 30 minutes looking at their flammable goods and contemplated burning the place to the ground after that.

I suppose I should just put more time in until I get the hang of it, but with every other method of sharpening I have tried, I have had much better results much faster than I am seeing with this.

Aggravation, thy name is convex.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions for ways to make convexing easier, by all means, shoot them my way. I haven't been able to use my BK2 cause it is duller than a butter knife.
 
DerekH said:
Meh, all this sharpening talk makes me feel pretty bad about the pis-poor job I have been doing. I watched several videos, read several descriptions, but so far a mouse pad and 400 grit sandpaper just hasn't done the job I was hoping for. And it unfortunately put me in a bad mood when I went to Lowe's and found that they didn't have anything close to the kinds of sandpaper I needed. I mean I wake up in the morning and one of the constants I feel I can hang my hat on is that a place like Lowe's has frickin sandpaper. Of all shapes and sizes and grits. And I was content in this assumption because I didn't really need a lot of sandpaper over the last few years. When I finally do (cause I gotta try to convex this monster of a BK2) I find that Lowe's has sandpaper. IN all shapes and sizes and grits, provided the shapes and sizes are one size and shape, and you want either 80 or 120 grit sandpaper.

Not gonna lie, I seriously spent the next 30 minutes looking at their flammable goods and contemplated burning the place to the ground after that.

I suppose I should just put more time in until I get the hang of it, but with every other method of sharpening I have tried, I have had much better results much faster than I am seeing with this.

Aggravation, thy name is convex.

P.S. If anyone has any suggestions for ways to make convexing easier, by all means, shoot them my way. I haven't been able to use my BK2 cause it is duller than a butter knife.
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I can do it, but I really don't like it. I like v edges, I like geometry, angles, and repeatable and consistant results. One of the reasons I have never cared for freehand sharpening. The only guy I ever seen that could free hand and get his knives as sharp as mine, as a guy at the SMKW. He looked like him and Moses went to High School together, but when he worked a benchstone, his hand was as steady as could be, and he could hold the same angle either way. WTF. Bottorff's book was the first book that made sense to me, and what a knife edge should be. Not everyone is the same, and I'm not dogging convex edges, but Derek, you are not the first person I have heard that has had a hard time finding the materials, and the proper technique for convexing.

I like Lansky and DMT for a reason, and its consistant, geometrical edges.

Moose
 
moosez45 said:
I can do it, but I really don't like it. I like v edges, I like geometry, angles, and repeatable and consistant results. One of the reasons I have never cared for freehand sharpening. The only guy I ever seen that could free hand and get his knives as sharp as mine, as a guy at the SMKW. He looked like him and Moses went to High School together, but when he worked a benchstone, his hand was as steady as could be, and he could hold the same angle either way. WTF. Bottorff's book was the first book that made sense to me, and what a knife edge should be. Not everyone is the same, and I'm not dogging convex edges, but Derek, you are not the first person I have heard that has had a hard time finding the materials, and the proper technique for convexing.

I like Lansky and DMT for a reason, and its consistant, geometrical edges.

Moose
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I have a lansky, and have had good results, but honestly, I have freehanded with a ceramic rod for the last 10+ years and never had any other method produce anything as sharp. My old Camillus could featherstick one of your shoulder hairs no problem, and it has never seen the lansky setup or anything other than freehand. But I really want to get this convex thing down. If the upkeep is as easy as people say, that alone would make it worth it.
 
DerekH said:
I have a lansky, and have had good results, but honestly, I have freehanded with a ceramic rod for the last 10+ years and never had any other method produce anything as sharp. My old Camillus could featherstick one of your shoulder hairs no problem, and it has never seen the lansky setup or anything other than freehand. But I really want to get this convex thing down. If the upkeep is as easy as people say, that alone would make it worth it.
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Some have free hand down, I don't. I don't want to, I can sharpen a knife in the field on a ferral stone, if I have to, but it won't hold a candle to what I can do with a guide system. Hell, you can strop a knife on dirty blue jeans and get a a shaving sharp edge, after you use a ferral stone, but it won't last long because it is rough and rough sharp edges, don't stay as sharp as a good polished edge. The media you are cutting rubbs the steel away faster.

Covex or V edge, its a personal preference.

Moose
 
moosez45 said:
Some have free hand down, I don't. I don't want to, I can sharpen a knife in the field on a ferral stone, if I have to, but it won't hold a candle to what I can do with a guide system. Hell, you can strop a knife on dirty blue jeans and get a a shaving sharp edge, after you use a ferral stone, but it won't last long because it is rough and rough sharp edges, don't stay as sharp as a good polished edge. The media you are cutting rubbs the steel away faster.

Covex or V edge, its a personal preference.

Moose
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I hear ya, but I gotta try this convex jive so I can see if I would like it before I go making opinions on it.
 
DerekH said:
I hear ya, but I gotta try this convex jive so I can see if I would like it before I go making opinions on it.
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I did the same thing, that and I bought a pricey custom built knife that came with a full convex grind, and a convexed edge. I needed to maintain it. All my Beckers still sport a V edge though, as well as the other 40 knives I have. I only have 2 that are convexed, my FBF Hunter and Condor Bushcraft basic that I bought to learn to convex on. They both work just fine. So do my others. Good luck, muchacho.

Moose
 
moosez45 said:
I did the same thing, that and I bought a pricey custom built knife that came with a full convex grind, and a convexed edge. I needed to maintain it. All my Beckers still sport a V edge though, as well as the other 40 knives I have. I only have 2 that are convexed, my FBF Hunter and Condor Bushcraft basic that I bought to learn to convex on. They both work just fine. So do my others. Good luck, muchacho.

Moose
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Gracias, Tortilla. I go to it with vim and vigor. Or at least mild irritation.
 
DerekH, JRE industries has a strop kit, comes with everything you need to get it done. Taking a V edge to convex by hand takes a loooong time. At least it did for me. But to me it's worth it.

I use norton water stones, I bought a kit that has 2 stones, a 200/1000 and a 4000/8000
And as long as I don't mess anything up, this combo makes for an amazing edge that will only need an occasional strop to keep it sharp.
I bought Murray Carters introduction to knife sharpening DVD. Some very good info there
Using that technique I got my Bk9 to slice see through pieces of potato
 
I just got a Lansky Fold-A-Vee field sharpener and I'm impressed. Put a hair popping edge on my Spyderco Delco and EsKabar. Gonna try it on the BK2 when I get a chance to use it.
 
DerekH - not sure what's in your area but hobby shops always have an abundance of the higher grit paper, both in sheets and an small emery boards for more detailed areas (the latter can be purchased also in drug stores).

I just got a strop kit from t-k-c and plan on the convex as well. I'll be trying this week.

Good luck!
 
Thankfully I found an auto paint and supply shop that has every grit of sandpaper imaginable in every shape worth having. Also they had a good bunch of other stuff that I had been looking for, and they are a local business, so wins all around. Still want to burn Lowe's to the ground though.

I have however used the emery boards and the specialty buffing boards for various projects though, and was going to take one of the buffing ones in my kit if convex ended up being the bees knees as everyone says. Glad to see I am not the only one to use those.
 
For field use I have a medium grit diamond stone. To really get a good edge I use my belt sander though. I never use very aggressive belts. Usually all a knife needs is an ultra fine belt the first time and then it is "power" stropped if you will on a leather belt that I use green rouge on. That puts a mirror finish on it. If I am being super particular I will run a bare leather belt after that.

IF IT WON'T SHAVE IT ISN'T SHARP. Lol, cutting paper is a better medium than hair imho.
 
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