Sharpening question

B

BossHog84

Joined
Feb 3, 2005
Messages
9
I'm pretty new to sharpening knives. I bought a Sharpmaker about a month ago and have been getting decent results with that. I also have some Arkansas stones that I've been trying to use with less than satisfactory results.
I currently use a Cold Steel Recon 1 Clip Point non-serrated, with 440A steel. I was wondering if 440A is one of the harder steels to work with as far as sharpening. I have had no trouble getting a decent edge on it with the sharpmaker, but no luck with my Arkansas stones.
If I remember correctly from a previous post of mine, it was said that ceramic stones tend to take steel off faster than the arkansas stones will, is this right?
Also would it be beneficial to start with the medium grade sticks on the Sharpmaker and then procede to the soft Arkansas stone? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hog
 
440A is a rather soft steel actually, and very easy to work. Especially compared to steels like S30V.

The best thing about the Sharpmaker is that it's so easy to use. Keep the knife vertical, and your angles will be right where they should be. This is the difficulty when freehanding with stones. I'm guessing your problem is that you're not maintaining a constant angle, but it's hard to say with the information you gave us. Could you describe your technique when using the stone?

Using the medium rods on the Sharpmaker is much quicker than the fine ones (duh), but that doesn't necessairily mean you should only use them for removing material. The coarser rods make toothier edges, which might be better for certain tasks.

One question that I have to ask, and please don't take this as me being factious, but why are you bothering with freehanding with stones when you've got a Sharpmaker? The reason to own a Sharpmaker is for exactly this.
 
I would start with the Sharpmaker and finish with the Sharpmaker. Start with the medium rods or even the diamond rods if the knife is really dull. Then used the white ceramic rods to finish up the edge if so inclined. I dont hear alot of problems about sharpening the Cold Steel knives, I'd bet your issue is from going from Sharpmaker to stones.
 
Planterz said:
I'm guessing your problem is that you're not maintaining a constant angle, but it's hard to say with the information you gave us. Could you describe your technique when using the stone?
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I've been pretty much following the instructions that came with them. It said to keep the knife at a 20 degree angle, draw the blade toward you in a single sweep, and to repeat 3-10 times, then turn the knife over and sweep away, maintaining the same angle and 3-10 times. I think i'm using a proper angle. I've tried to use a Buck Honemaster that a friend let me borrow. Even with that on to hold a constant angle, I still haven't had any luck.

Planterz said:
One question that I have to ask, and please don't take this as me being factious, but why are you bothering with freehanding with stones when you've got a Sharpmaker? The reason to own a Sharpmaker is for exactly this.
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Well, I'm pretty new to sharpening knives so I've been playing around with different stuff just to see what works best for me. So far its been the sharpmaker :)
 
Have you tried the sharpie trick yet? Just take a black marker(don't worry it washes off) and paint the edge. Then sharpen. It wil show exactly where the stone is hitting the edge, letting you know if you have the correct angle or not.
 
samhain73 said:
Have you tried the sharpie trick yet? Just take a black marker(don't worry it washes off) and paint the edge. Then sharpen. It wil show exactly where the stone is hitting the edge, letting you know if you have the correct angle or not.
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No, I've never heard of that. I'll had to give it a shot and see if it helps.
 
buy some crappy chinese or pakistani knives and practice sharpening on the arkansas stones. You can usually find them at flea markets, second hand stores etc. these places might also have old kitchen cutlery, for literally pennies, and you can use them to practice with longer blades.

Cheers and good luck :)

Pete
 
Pete1977 said:
buy some crappy chinese or pakistani knives and practice sharpening on the arkansas stones. You can usually find them at flea markets, second hand stores etc. these places might also have old kitchen cutlery, for literally pennies, and you can use them to practice with longer blades.

Cheers and good luck :)

Pete
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I don't know about the paki or chinee blades. If it won't take a good edge from the get, how can you tell if you're doing it right? I would agree to the second hand stores or Goodwill or the like for cheap decent blades. I haven't been yet, but will drop in when I'm over by there. The Goodwill, Salvation Army and all those are all clustered together on the other side of town and I've been too lazy to make the drive.

What I DID do for practice on my new Shapton Pro 1000 waterstone was get 2 Mora's. $28 to my door and if I do right those suckers will show it. Man, will they take an edge! I really do need to get to Goodwill though.

Rob
 
No that wasn't an insult...

Arkansas stones are usually very soft stones- they are great for putting a polished edge on a near-finished blade, but will take forever to put an edge one one. If you didn't buy the "ultrafine" rods for your Sharpmaker, you can make light strokes on your Arkansas stone in just get that final piloshed edge.

You don't have to though- I've always been quite pleased with the edge from my 204's regular fine rods...

Good luck!
 
Get a Frosts Mora. 10$ and takes a REAL nice edge. Same with Opinels, but Oppys have crappy edges from the start.

The Sharpmaker is nice, but it's nice to have the option of goping freehand, so take the time to learn it. The Sharpmaker is like automatic transmission, works ok, but stones have more to choose from
 
wetdog1911 said:
I don't know about the paki or chinee blades. If it won't take a good edge from the get, how can you tell if you're doing it right? I would agree to the second hand stores or Goodwill or the like for cheap decent blades. I haven't been yet, but will drop in when I'm over by there. The Goodwill, Salvation Army and all those are all clustered together on the other side of town and I've been too lazy to make the drive.

What I DID do for practice on my new Shapton Pro 1000 waterstone was get 2 Mora's. $28 to my door and if I do right those suckers will show it. Man, will they take an edge! I really do need to get to Goodwill though.

Rob
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Those "crappy" chinese and pakistani knives take wicked sharp edges. I call them crappy because their tolerances suck, and the knives themselves don't stand up to minimal use for the most part.

I have two pakistani "buck" style folders, and several chinese and taiwan clones, and although there is maximum blade play, they take a RAZOR edge.

They are great to get practice on getting the proper angle when sharpening free hand. I didn't have that luxury, I learned on a party boat how to sharpen with a stone. It was good practice to keep the right angle when the boat's pitching in a 7 foot heave though. :)

Flea markets and second hand stores, or even antique stores have old kitchen cutlery. Pick up a few, and go buy a cheap stone, and practice practice practice. you'll get it eventually, and its not a bad skill to know.

good luck and cheers

Pete
 
Hog, since no one has mentioned it, I'll just say there's a great FAQ on sharpening in the knowledge base.
 
I freehand everything I sharpen, unless I have a knife that I want absolutely perfect for some reason. While I can put an insane edge on a knife using just stone and hands, there will always be some tiny scratching above the bevel- product of using a natural stone. If I want it perfect, say, for a gift, then it gets Sharpmakered.
 
Just out of curiosity, isnt the Sharpmaker considered freehand sharpening? All you're doing is changing the relationship of the stone to the table. There isnt anything holding the angle for you, it's just in a better position for your eye to judge. Heaven knows I've gotten the angle off when using my sharpmaker and bench stone stand.
 
me2 said:
Just out of curiosity, isnt the Sharpmaker considered freehand sharpening?
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Freehand generally means your hand and a flat benchstone. The Sharpmaker isn't as rigid as using a clamp and jig like the Apex of course, as noted there is still user judgement.

-Cliff
 
Pete

If you can sharpen on a party boat ... well, you have my admiration. Sometimes it's hard enough just to cut bait when it gets 'brisk'. LOL No fun getting beat up.

I was thinking of some of Paki blades that are so soft that they will never get sharp. If it will take an edge, then it's good practice.

Rob
 
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