Sharpening knifes?

C

Catalyst Edge

Joined
Jul 4, 2013
Messages
13
I'm such a newbie when it comes to sharpening, honestly. I can talk knives, but when it comes to sharpening I'm lost. What's an easy, good sharpener? I'm afraid of ruining my edge. Price point doesn't matter.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!
There is a lot of great information here. Go over to Maintenance, Tinkering& Embellishment and read the sticky "What is sharpening a knife about?" It will give you some good background information about sharpening. There are plenty of threads to read about the different systems and techniques, so read up!

I don't think there is any one best system. Some things work better for some people than others. Whatever system you decide on, practice on some cheap kitchen knives (garage sale, thrift store) and figure out how it works. If you mess up the cheap knife, not a big loss. Then when you build some confidence, you can work on your good knives. Be patient, practice, practice, and then practice some more.

I free hand. I've tried some other things, but free hand works the best for me.

Ric
 
I can't free-hand to save my life. okay well, if it were literally a life or death situation I could probably handle it, but I'm rather pathetic at it.

I use The Gatco 10004 diamond system http://www.amazon.com/Gatco-10004-4...F8&qid=1375592382&sr=8-1&keywords=gatco+10004

and I don't exactly follow the instructions that come with it, I follow the method given by BLUNTRUTH4U on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-KrDFLygeI

it's a several part tutorial that will walk you through the entire process, his stropping in this set is a bit primitive, but he has another video about a better version, I don't really use either, I use a variation of the method he gives on sharpening my way, I put one end of my leather belt under my foot and pull taut on the other then run about 100 passes down the knife, no compound, if I had a real strop with compound I would probably get the same results with 1/4 the effort but I didn't have any more cash to put out, so this is how I do it, and I end up with a razor sharp knife.
 
singularity35 said:
If price point doesn't matter a Wicked Edge Pro 2 is one of the best at around $699.
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I went with the Wicked Edge Pro Pack I and it has been an incredibly easy system to learn and get VERY consistent angles. Previous to this, I could never quite get an edge that I was satisfied with using the Gatco or Lansky system.
 
If you don't want to plop down a few hundred dollars right away with the Wicked Edge, go pick up a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Easiest way to get a hair shaving edge ever.
 
HwangJino said:
When you graduate from training wheels, move up to real stones.
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Training wheels can be very useful. I've used various guided systems and rods, and they have helped me understand the mechanics of sharpening, ie burr formation, edge geometry, etc. Now I'm starting to practice freehand sharpening and it will take more practice before I can get as good results.
 
Indeed they are.

ive seen some fantastic edges made on them, I just prefer my edges and how fast I can sharpen or 10 second touch ups.
 
Some things aren't easy but worth the effort.


do what I do and what I teach, buy a $5 knife from gift shop and practice until youre ready.

once youve sharpened your knife all it takes is a 10-20 second hone, most stones are splash and go.
 
Sharpmaker with diamond and ultra fine stones can work wonders. I prefer a belt wander, but you have to be REALLY confident in your skills because you can easily ruin a blade with it. The good thing with the Sharpmaker is that it keeps its value pretty well so if you want to get a better sharpener a year down the line you can sell/trade it for most of its original value.
 
Pick up a DMT course/fine stone and a guide if you want. It's really frustating at first but once you get mediocre at it, it is extremely useful. Pulling out a stone is always faster than setting up any system. Also, pick up a strop as soon as possible. Strops can make a very rough edge cut a thousand times better.
 
The EdgePro is a pretty good unit also. Perhaps the best "for-the-dollar" deal is the SharpMaker, however.
 
If you don't know how to sharpen a knife proficiently, the first step is not to buy a sharpener. The first step is to invest in your own mind by taking the time to learn the basics of sharpening theory.
 
tokerblue said:
- Some of us don't have the manual dexterity for that sort of thing. ;)
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It's all in your head.

If you can use a sharp maker you basically are freehand sharpening and if you don't know the basics of sharpening then no system will help.
 
knifenut1013 said:
It's all in your head.

If you can use a sharp maker you basically are freehand sharpening and if you don't know the basics of sharpening then no system will help.
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I just got a sharp maker, I never knew how to sharpen knives. It's is great, any errors are from me. I watched lots of videos, and read a lot of topics here on BF. I bought the diamond course with the extra fine stones as well. I noticed the sharpy pen really works, and I really have to keep the blade straight. And sometimes the angle is more than 40 degrees on the sharp maker , that's where it gets a bit tricky. I have to angle the blade those couple of degrees for it to sharpen. Practice, practice, practice.

I want to get to a point of just using stones, how the he'll can you maintain a persistent angle on stones lying flat on a table. That is pretty awesome , I hope to one day get there.
 
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