Sharpening Methods

For me, i was taught when i was young to hand sharpen.
about 30 years ago now and have gotten pretty good at it imho.

To answer the question though, it really depends on what condition my knives are in at time of needing a sharpening.. I carry 2 EDC'rs, Both are PE's, however are different from there on in style an usage.

One has a not so finished edge on it that i use for the dirty work when nesc, and the other one has a highly polished edge that if i had to, could operate with, this one does not see the level of work the other does.

So, if either are in poor condition and need to be re-dressed,(Unlikely, as it is a nightly affair with me to clean and maintain equipment) i start with Ark stones, and work my way back up to croc sticks or stropping, and a little wet sanding if either blade has aquired any blemishes from use.(I rarly nick mine when sharpening, from usage yes)

Then if i am bored, i use a metal polish,2000 grit on the stainless blades,then a cleaner to remove residue and finish of with mothers Caranuba cleaner wax.

Yes, wax, i wax everything in my possesion, including monitors,TV's,Windhields ect, those that know me, see why i do it. after a few cycles of this treatment, they , i guess for lack of better words,talk to me when clean,shiny and ready for a new day. Not to mention protective properties that are obvious, but really brings the sweetheart out in some things.(Just absolutely love high surface tensions) :D


WR
 
i use a king 1200 grit waterstone...... 30 bucks
- set a real low secondary bevel..... and wire edge
next-
a flat piece of pine.... loaded with chrom oxid buff compound (put a little methanol on it to make a slurry and evenly spread the buff comp)..... strop on it till it is sharp.... sharp as in cleaving a empty standing cig pape


Greg
 
I've been thinking about getting an Edge Pro. What is it that scratches the blade?
 
I keep everything I own (and everything my friends and relatives own) razor sharp with a Syderco Sharpmaker and a two stage leather strop.
 
bigdog said:
I've been thinking about getting an Edge Pro. What is it that scratches the blade?
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Grit and metal shavings. The EdgePro table slants downward from the knife edge to the spine. When sharpening, loosened grit from the stones along with the metal removed can collect on the table. If you use the stop plate it tends to collect there. As you slide the blade along to keep the edge perpendicular to the stroke of the stones the blade will be scratched. Taping the blade eliminates this problem. I just squirt the table with the water bottle when changing sides but I still get some scratching, especially when re-profiling with the course grit stone. Since all my knives are users, this is not a concern. If someone gives me a blade that's pristine, I'll tape the blade to protect the finish.
 
Sword and Shield said:
Rod's right. :) I learned on a flat stone, held in my left with knife in right. Time and practice are all you need.
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True. As long as the knife owner has had the good sense to buy a knife with 1095 steel and not some wunderbar, new and improved, stainless junk. Then you have to also invest in some high-tech gizmo to try to sharpen it. And good luck with that.
 
After practicing on (ruining) 3 knives, I finally got good enough with a belt sander (1x30) and a 320 grit belt followed by a loaded leather belt. Puts a razor edge on nearly anything in about 2 minutes, but I still have to be careful. I finally got up the nerve to try another folder after ruining an AFCK. For my work knife, I just use some slack 220 grit paper followed by either a norton fine india or 800 grit waterstone. The india stone stays in the truck and gets used most often.
 
cattleking said:
True. As long as the knife owner has had the good sense to buy a knife with 1095 steel and not some wunderbar, new and improved, stainless junk. Then you have to also invest in some high-tech gizmo to try to sharpen it. And good luck with that.
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The problem with 1095 is that the number of knives made with it is limited.

You have some slipjoints (but a lot are stainless), some fixed blades and not many modern folders. So if you want a nice modern folder you may have problems.

That said, I think it's a good steel.


Steels that are hard to sharpen tend to hold an edge for a long time. Touch ups rather than major resharpening would be better. The only problem is when you want to reprofile the blade or you have to remove damage.
 
I recently got a generic system with the usual rods, which you place in holes in the wood holder/base. One set for coarse and one for fine.
Not sure I am totally happy with it, but at least I am not scratching my blades now.
Heard a lot of comments on the Sharpmaker.
Question is: IS the Sharpmaker likely to give me better results, or some other name brand, vs my generic set-up??
I have not done well trying with stones, nor with Diamond fold out things either.

Please give me your input. :eek:
 
i recommend the Lansky sharpening system. it comes in many types of stones and ranges to fit pretty much any budget, and works well.
the only 'downfall' i see in it is that it only sharpens to 30, 25, 20 and 17 degree grinds. so you may have to regrind your edges but thats usually no problem. i also wouldnt mind if the stones were a bit wider, but then it wouldnt be so compact.

if you dont want to scratch your blades, this is also the way to go. you get the perfect angle, and the blade remains untouched - you can get that factory edge on them very easily. i would recommend, however, winding a layer of electrical tape around the tiips of the knife clamp - this keeps it from marking your blades. with this done, you can resharppen/regrind a knife and noone will ever know it was even resharpened. it works for blades as small as an SAK blade to large kitchen knives (never tried with a machete).

it is also excellent for sharpening false edges - a perfect example is the kershaw boot knife. ive sharpened quite a few sharp edges, i think ive lost count of the hunting knives ive done this to.

the deluxe system with extra course, cource, medium, fine and ultra fine stones is like $35. you can also get a standard version, one with arkansas stones, diamond hones, and even ceramic stones for serrations. a neat thing is that all of the parts are available separately - so if, say, you wear out your extra course stone sharpening false edges, you can just buy a replacement for like $8.
get one of the metal bases for it. theres one thats a clamp, or another thats an aluminum stand that can be clamped or screwed down to a workbench.

cheers,
-gabriel
 
Boozoo Chavis said:
I keep everything I own (and everything my friends and relatives own) razor sharp with a Syderco Sharpmaker and a two stage leather strop.
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Any suggestions on the best prices on one of these 2 stage strops online?
I am not sure what 2 stage means. You mean one side is more coarse, and the other is smoother? ALso, do you use some kind of paste for this?

Thanks.
 
I like the Lansky wet stones. It keeps my angles right. I can shave with every knife I own. Edges are long lasting and you can even put a pseudo beveled edge buy going from stepping your angles.
 
I am pretty new at sharpening, but, like some of the others in the group, I haved tried about 1/2 a dozen different sharpening systems. I recently purchased the Razor Edge sharpenig system and it works great for me. I was able to pass the pape edge test immediately. I like the hands on approach with hones. Using the guides included with system made the task a breeze. Razor Edge gets my vote.
 
cattleking said:
As long as the knife owner has had the good sense to buy a knife with 1095 steel and not some wunderbar, new and improved, stainless junk. Then you have to also invest in some high-tech gizmo to try to sharpen it.
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Not really. I sharpen all my knives using the same technique - I hold a DMT stone in my (weak) right hand and the knife in my left. When I'm happy with the edge I sometimes use an old leather strop I got from my father. Works beautifully for all my knives, no matter what kind of steel they're made of.

Hans
 
I use a lansky to reprofile the blade, sharpmaker to touch up and put the edge on, and a fine diamond benchstone to touch up or reprofile a tip. Then strop!
 
steve4765630 said:
I like the Lansky wet stones. It keeps my angles right. I can shave with every knife I own. Edges are long lasting and you can even put a pseudo beveled edge buy going from stepping your angles.
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I'm sometimes wondering whether it's really that important "to keep the angles right". I handsharpen my knives, and the way I do it I tend to get several small bevels, resulting in what may be called a "semi-convex edge" because of several small alterations of the angle in the sharpening process. My knives are shaving sharp, and hold their edge really well.

I'm not saying the modern systems that help you keep your angle are bad, but they're not *the one true way* to get a knife scary sharp. The real advantage they have is that you're unlikely to scratch the blade during the sharpening process (unless you make a really dumb mistake), or to inadvertendly dull the almost finished edge because you make one wrong stroke.

Hans
 
smegs said:
Grit and metal shavings. The EdgePro table slants downward from the knife edge to the spine. When sharpening, loosened grit from the stones along with the metal removed can collect on the table. If you use the stop plate it tends to collect there. As you slide the blade along to keep the edge perpendicular to the stroke of the stones the blade will be scratched. Taping the blade eliminates this problem. I just squirt the table with the water bottle when changing sides but I still get some scratching, especially when re-profiling with the course grit stone. Since all my knives are users, this is not a concern. If someone gives me a blade that's pristine, I'll tape the blade to protect the finish.
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I got my edgepro, and it is awesome,. I put a piece of shelf liner on the place you lay the blade...you know, that weird stuff that sticks without being sticky to keep the blade from scratching and sliding as well, it was sold at napa as tool box liner. Anyway, it is head and shoulders above the smiths system I used before and using the tool box liner, I haven't scratched the blade either. It sets the angle precisely, no play at all, and is a very solid system.
 
The easiest way to keep the Edge Pro from scratching your knives when you sharpen them is to wrap painter's tape around everything on the knife that is not going to be sharpened. I even wrap the handles. No fuss, no muss, no intermediate cleanings required. Just pull the tape off when you are done.
 
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