Sorry for a sort of out of focus post here but I guess I don't really know exactly what I want yet...
I bought a set of Norton waterstones but can't quite get the edge I want. It seems to slice cardboard just fine and will cut paper but I have to hold it at just the right angle or it'll tear. It'll also take a couple hairs off my arm if I scrape it enough, hah. I'm probably just out of practice since I haven't fooled with knives as a hobby in quite a few years. Also when I do get the edge decently sharp it seems smoother than I'd like. What I really want is a somewhat toothy edge that's sharp enough to shave clean in one swipe. Seems like I was able to do that with my belt sander when I was making knives 25 years ago. I think I used a 400g, 15 micron and maybe I used a leather belt with some rouge on it, can't remember for sure. But I'm in an apartment now and not sure I want to buy and store a belt sander just for sharpening my pocket knife.
Seems like there are a ton of sharpening systems available but I'd like to get input from actual enthusiasts instead of going by claims made in advertisements. Let's say a $200 max budget for equipment, but if it's just a matter of practicing with the waterstones and maybe setting up a strop that would be awesome. Any tips on how to improve my results with the stuff I have would be cool too.
I bought a set of Norton waterstones but can't quite get the edge I want. It seems to slice cardboard just fine and will cut paper but I have to hold it at just the right angle or it'll tear. It'll also take a couple hairs off my arm if I scrape it enough, hah. I'm probably just out of practice since I haven't fooled with knives as a hobby in quite a few years. Also when I do get the edge decently sharp it seems smoother than I'd like. What I really want is a somewhat toothy edge that's sharp enough to shave clean in one swipe. Seems like I was able to do that with my belt sander when I was making knives 25 years ago. I think I used a 400g, 15 micron and maybe I used a leather belt with some rouge on it, can't remember for sure. But I'm in an apartment now and not sure I want to buy and store a belt sander just for sharpening my pocket knife.
Seems like there are a ton of sharpening systems available but I'd like to get input from actual enthusiasts instead of going by claims made in advertisements. Let's say a $200 max budget for equipment, but if it's just a matter of practicing with the waterstones and maybe setting up a strop that would be awesome. Any tips on how to improve my results with the stuff I have would be cool too.
