Sharpening help please?

S

Shawn_Jewell

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May 11, 2013
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I am trying to find a good way to sharpen my knives. I use a very cheap and battered sharpening stone and it just isn't cutting it. Are there any stones or other methods of sharpening you can recommend me? If it helps, I own blades that are Aus8 and 1095 Cro-van. Thanks in advance!
 
Spyderco Sharpmaker is an excellent option. I also like DMT diamond stones. The 6" versions can be had for around $30-35 each.
 
If the stones are your problem and your skill / technique is adequate, then both Spyderco and DMT make good products. If you want benchstones you can get them from both companies. Spyderco's will be ceramic and DMT's will be diamond.

If you're having issues with your sharpening technique or you don't have a lot of experience yet, the Spyderco Sharpmaker is a good way to get started and still achieve excellent results. It will also help you learn a little more about the process of sharpening a blade so you can decide whether you want to move on to either freehand sharpening or get into higher end guided systems for more advanced sharpening.
 
Please post sharpening questions in the Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment forum, where I have moved this thread.
 
Learn to free hand with small hones/stones, so you can sharpen anywhere at any time. I carry a small Eze-Lap diamond hone with most of the plastic handle cut off, so it fits in the zipper part of my wallet. At home there's my old boy scout pocket stone that I've started to use again just for the nostalgia factor. It does a grear job on 1095 from GEC. A little stropping and the blade is shaving sharp. Knife sharpening is not rocket science, and free hand is easier than you think.

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What about products like Kleva Sharp? Does it works? I want to get my blade razor sharp, is stones better than this sharpeners?
 
a ?kelva sharp? is a steel remover not a sharpener it does no good all of these type devices are BAD for knives.
 
There should be ACE, Lowes, Home Depot or a local store that carries bench stones at good prices.

Flattening stones is easy, that may help you with the stone you have.
 
Good to know about the kevla sharp. So what do you recommend? Those 2 side stones? I would like razor shrap knife
 
I recommend reading around, sharp is a subjective term, razor sharp may mean scraping some hair off of your arm, and it could mean an edge sharp enough to easily and happily remove your facial hair without any 'burn'.

Apexing the edge at an angle and desired grit that you want is your goal.

So look at what angle and grit you want and remember that neither of those mean anything without apexing the edge.

For a sharp edge, sure a cheap norton stone will chew through anything from 420 through the most abrasive resistant steel available for finer edges there are other bench stones from completely natural stones to diamond and synthetics.

To start sharpening, grab a knife, grab a stone and start watching YouTube of reputable sharpeners.

Alternately you can purchase guided systems or power sharpeners, every single system from freehand to guided to clamped requires learning.
 
Shawn_Jewell said:
I am trying to find a good way to sharpen my knives. I use a very cheap and battered sharpening stone and it just isn't cutting it. Are there any stones or other methods of sharpening you can recommend me? If it helps, I own blades that are Aus8 and 1095 Cro-van. Thanks in advance!
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Any of these would be good (if not great) ways to start:

  • Norton oil stones; either or both of their 'Crystolon' (silicon carbide) or 'India' (aluminum oxide) varieties. These will be very fast for re-bevelling and also leaving great, toothy edges on a blade. The India stones, I believe, will also take the finish a little further. The Crystolon stones are very aggressive.
  • On steel types like you've mentioned (AUS-8 and 1095), as well as other similar middle-of-the-road carbon and stainless steels (Case CV, 420HC, 440A/C, etc.), I've grown to like using wet/dry sandpaper in a 'stropping' fashion. Most of the paper is silicon carbide, some is aluminum oxide. This is a very inexpensive way to get acquainted with these abrasives, and it works quite well.
  • (Edit) Forgot to point out, as mentioned earlier, a decent and inexpensive oil stone can be picked up at Home Depot. They have what's called a 'Norton Economy Stone' (6" coarse/fine double-sided), which is silicon carbide and not expensive at all. ACE also carries what appears to be identical stones, with their own branding. I have a sample of each, and they perform identically. I've actually been using both of mine quite a lot, recently.
  • For finishing and polishing edges on the steels you've mentioned, ceramics, high-grit wet/dry sandpaper (1000+), or the black hard or translucent Arkansas stones can work very well.
  • For stropping, green compound (chromium oxide) works GREAT on 1095 and simple stainless like the ones I've already mentioned. Silicon carbide compound (many of the 'black' compounds) also works well, but it's possible to over-do it with this compound on these steels. Simple polishing paste, like Flitz/Simichrome can also be used for stropping, and it can work pretty well also. Both of those use aluminum oxide abrasive.

That's just a start. You have a LOT of options, for maintaining the steels you're using. So, if you have more questions, don't be shy about asking. :)


David
 
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Is there a major difference between ceramic and diamond that I should know about? I have a lot of experience with stones but the ones I have used are just very very cheap and I am wanting to take my sharpening to the next level.
 
Shawn_Jewell said:
Is there a major difference between ceramic and diamond that I should know about? I have a lot of experience with stones but the ones I have used are just very very cheap and I am wanting to take my sharpening to the next level.
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First thing to be aware of, the grit descriptions of each (ceramic vs. diamond) will imply completely different results, depending on which. A 'Fine' diamond will be a lot more aggressive and leave a coarser scratch pattern than a 'Fine' ceramic. Even EF or EEF diamond will sometimes be coarser than a Fine ceramic. Same holds true for the Coarse or Medium descriptions of each. They're graded according to completely different standards, with diamond referenced to a much more aggressive scale, in terms of the finish produced.

In practical terms, ceramics are best-used for edge refinement or polishing. They aren't aggressive enough for heavy grinding or re-shaping of edges (very, very slow). Diamond can be used for anything from complete grinding or re-bevelling, to highly-refining edges. Depending on the steel for which they're used, even a Fine diamond can often be used for some pretty heavy work on an edge. Diamond can sometimes be overkill on simpler steels like 1095, because it's very easy to remove too much steel too fast, and leave the finished edge rougher than is ideal (this is why I didn't even list diamond in my earlier suggestions). A diamond hone can eat up a small & thin 1095 blade pretty fast. If using it on such knives, I've always started with nothing coarser than a 'Fine' diamond, and often use an EF (Extra-Fine) instead.


David
 
Shawn_Jewell said:
I am trying to find a good way to sharpen my knives. I use a very cheap and battered sharpening stone and it just isn't cutting it. Are there any stones or other methods of sharpening you can recommend me? If it helps, I own blades that are Aus8 and 1095 Cro-van. Thanks in advance!
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Depends on your budget, preferred method of sharpening, and number/size of knives or frequency of sharpening.

Guided systems are expensive, but they're extremely precise and cover a broad range of sharpening finishes.

Japanese waterstones are high maintenance and require frequent "flattening", but they'll cut faster than cheap stones because the wearing of the stone actually helps by exposing fresh abrasive material. Ceramics are low maintenance and just requires occasional cleaning as the stones become loaded with metal, though you need a bit more than just soap and water to clean them, and from what I can tell the stones are usually too fine for serious sharpening. Diamonds are often overkill simply because they're best at sharpening extremely wear resistant steels and ceramic blades, plus many people have told me that softer steels often yank the diamonds off the plates, and so the diamonds would typically last longer from sharpening ceramic blades over steel blades.

If you're willing to practice though, you can try the Worksharp knife and tool sharpener, which is sort of like a mini belt sander. The actual unit itself is $69.95, though the belts are relatively cheap. You can sharpen real fast(but practice with cheap knives first or else you'll take a chunk out of the knife), and also get the edge polished up real fine.
 
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