Sharpening M21-14SF

F

Fry-kun

Joined
May 8, 2008
Messages
5
Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie to this forum & knife ownership, but don't go too easy on me ;)
Of course, lurking would be a lot easier with search function available.. but google has this site indexed fairly well already..

I just bought my first non-crappy knife - CRKT M21-14SF.
Anyway, I have some questions about the knife and it looks like members on these forums have plenty of answers :)

1. This knife has a chisel edge, and the edge on serration is quite sharp - not "scary sharp" but pretty close to it (can cut paper, but not hair). The main/plain edge is what I'm wondering about: it's not nearly as sharp, possibly because the blade was ground on the other side a little. It's pretty small (~0.3mm), but it makes me wonder why it's there at all - the part with serrations doesn't have it.



2. How should I go about sharpening this knife? I have some (seemingly) old sharpening stone - Craftsman 64401.. it doesn't say what grit it is.. Someone gave it to me a long time ago, along with some buck knife oil.. Question is, is it usable or should I toss it and buy something new?

Any other tips & advice is welcome, too.


Thanks in advance!
 
I'll try to help, and Welcome to Bladeforums :thumbup:.

I have used a smith's diamond pocket sharpener for everything since I bought one about 2 1/2 years ago, maybe longer. Here's a link to view one and it also has user feedback to help: http://sports.ciao.co.uk/Smith_s_Retractable_Diamond_Knife_and_Tool_Sharpener__6668354

It's a great little gadget, and you can find it at walmart, academy, or just about any outdoor store for about $8.00 usd.

Now, on the rod there is a flat side and a round side, use the FLAT side for your knife. Hold the rod in your left hand (if you are right handed) and be sure to have the flat side facing up. Next, you get the CRKT in your right hand and place the blade on the rod with the sharp part facing away from you. Now you just have to make sure to keep the blade "flat" on the "flat" side of the rod. Always sharpen using the original angle. Don't just start rubbing the blade all over the rod, because that's not going to work. Keep the original blade angle flat on the rod and gently stroke away from you. Do this several times on the angled side. After about 3 or 4 strokes on the angled side, place the blade facing you and at the end of the rod and pull it towards you to get rid of the burrs on the back side.

There's other ways of sharpening and better systems, but this is the one that I use.

Hope this helps, J.
 
Cool, thanks!
I went out and bought the sharpener you recommended. It works very nicely so far, but I realize now that I really liked the near-mirror finish I had before.. so I think I'll invest in some stones.
Keeping the pocket sharpener, though, because it's so compact :)
 
if all you carry is a knife, it is best if you have a good set of stones.................b
 
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