Sharpening my Knife?

B

bob singletary

Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
15
Hi, i'm fairly new to knives, and just bought a case mid folding hunter. CV blade. I can't get it sharp! i think i made the blade worse and just scratched the hell out of it.
Any advice would be great. I'm using a flat stone. Will the scratches on the face of blade be a problem? i'm assuming not, since regular use will probably scratch it.
thanks.
Also is there a way to get that patina quickly? and does it actually protect the blade?
 
A Spyderco Sharpmaker is what I use to quickly touch up knives.

I use a light coating of mustard on the blade to create a patina. Some people soak the blade in warm vinegar. There are a few other methods, but those are the most popular.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

If the scratches don't bother you, they're no big deal. I wouldn't worry about them on a user. The patina will protect the blade. Also looks good :)

Go for the Sharpmaker. On a thin carbon steel blade like that, it works real well. Much less chance of scratching, too. A stone is good once you learn how to use it, but it isn't intuitive. Pick up a good but cheap carbon steel knife like a Mora or sodbuster or Opinel and practice on that.

I'm going to move this discussion to our Maintenance, Tinkering, and Embellishment forum.
 
Welcome to the forum. If you are new to sharpening, you're better off getting a sharpening system that lets you hold a precise angle, such as the Sharpmaker or Lansky or Edge Pro.

You need to do two things to get a sharp edge: match the angle of the edge to the angle of the stone and then raise and remove a burr.

Paint the edge of your blade with a magic marker and then make a dry pass with the stone at some preset angle. If all the ink is not removed, your angle is wrong. So you need to either change the angle of the edge (reprofile) or change the angle of the stone.

Once you get the angle right, you sharpen until you raise a burr (where the edge folds over on the side of the edge opposite of the sharpening stone). I like to make 10 passes per side and then switch sides until one side develops a burr. You can feel the burr with your fingertips. Once the burr is raised over the entire length of the edge, remove it with ever more gentle sharpening passes on each side until it is gone.
 
try the smiths two step sharpener,its a small yellow block with both carbide and ceramic for coarse and fine sharpening,it has the perfect angle and it doesnt scratch the blade and its only about 3 bucks at wall-mart
 
One problem with small sharpeners with a preset angle is the angle may not match your knife. Another is that carbide sharpeners can seriously damage an edge with the least bit too much pressure, and it's hard to reprofile once you do that.
 
thanks.
never realized it would be so difficult to use a stone. i think i'll try the spyderco. Now for the Patina. If i use mustard, how long should i keep it on the blade?
 
Sir

I would recommend trying to get your knife as close to a 20 degree angle as possible. It may be hard at first but you will get the hang of it. As for the scratches, I can't help you there. Good luck

:jerkit:
 
There is only one current Spyderco model. You can get replacement rods for it, and you can also get ultrafine and diamond rods to supplement the coarse and fine set that comes with it. I recommend staying with the original set for a while at least.
 
1.) Lay the blade flat on the stone. 2.) Raise the spine off the stone to an equal thickness/height of the spine. 3.) Until you gain experience push INTO the blade. This will give you approximately a 10 deg. angle (20 compound). That's really all there is to it.
Scratches / discoloration don't matter if it's a user.
 
Welcome, Bob,

For newbies, there are 2 web sites that I recommend:
http://gpvec.unl.edu/filesdatabase/files/feedlot/sharp1.htm#sharp_f
and
http://users.ameritech.net/knives/index.htm.
Just peruse until you find something you like.

For professionally setting up bevels (say, to match a Sharpmaker's angles), thinning blades, etc., there are forum members who can help for a modest fee. Depending on where you live, there may even be local sharpening services, perhaps at a barber supply company.

You've got lots of choices, and much of the fun is in the choosing. Enjoy!
 
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