Sharpening questions

D

Ditch-Tiger

Joined
Jan 20, 2018
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Sorry if this is the wrong place but I didn't see a sharpening sub-forum.

Backstory- I've only recently gotten decent at sharpening and now that I've got the hang of it I think I need an upgrade.
Right now I'm using a Gatco 3-stone guided kit and it takes forever to get a good edge on things so I'm looking for a cost effective replacement. Probably under $150 for everything and I'd like to have the ability to put mirrored edges on some blades once I learn how.
Most of my blades are S30V, D2 and 154cm plus an M4 and some Aus8. But I will eventually own an m390 and S110 so please keep that in mind.
I'm looking at the lansky diamond 3 stone kit, plus the sapphire stone and leather strop and accompanying stand.
Will diamond stones work well on everything?
Is there another system I should be looking at in my price range? If not, then what?
Also, what "compound" do I use on the strop to gain that mirrored edge?
If this is a good choice, who has the best prices on this kit?
Any help is appreciated; thanks in advance.

Sorry for so many questions in a single post.
 
Petunia D. Feeble Petunia D. Feeble help a brother out! My wife needs birthday ideas for me.
(I figured I'd holler at you since you seem to be a very active and helpful member and a master sharpener; sorry if this is out of line)
 
Ditch-Tiger said:
Probably under $150 for everything and I'd like to have the ability to put mirrored edges on some blades once I learn how.
Click to expand...

Yes and people in hell want ice water.

I can't recommend emphatically enough an Edge Pro Apex but talking ~ $250 base price and you will want some other things to go with it.
For S30V, and S110V you will want diamond stones.

$150 . . . and mirror . . . dude . . . you're screwed.
 
Here is a link to the Sharpening Forum where I am sure we will enjoy many other views on the topic than my desperately unsatisfactory one.

>>>LINK
 
Wowbagger Wowbagger - so mirrored edge and $150 budged is unrealistic; thank you for your feedback.
I'm just trying to learn and take the next step.

Will diamond stones work with lesser steels ok? (D2/154cm/aus8)

And thanks for the link, I didn't see it when I looked.
 
You can get a mirror polished with sandpaper over a hard wood or glass background. Get the pack of fine sandpaper at an automotive store that goes up to like 2000 or 2500 grit.

Don't let anyone convince you that for $150 it's unrealistic:rolleyes: It's possible for a tenth of that price.
 
Ditch-Tiger said:
Sorry if this is the wrong place but I didn't see a sharpening sub-forum.

Backstory- I've only recently gotten decent at sharpening and now that I've got the hang of it I think I need an upgrade.
Right now I'm using a Gatco 3-stone guided kit and it takes forever to get a good edge on things so I'm looking for a cost effective replacement. Probably under $150 for everything and I'd like to have the ability to put mirrored edges on some blades once I learn how.
Most of my blades are S30V, D2 and 154cm plus an M4 and some Aus8. But I will eventually own an m390 and S110 so please keep that in mind.
I'm looking at the lansky diamond 3 stone kit, plus the sapphire stone and leather strop and accompanying stand.
Will diamond stones work well on everything?
Is there another system I should be looking at in my price range? If not, then what?
Also, what "compound" do I use on the strop to gain that mirrored edge?
If this is a good choice, who has the best prices on this kit?
Any help is appreciated; thanks in advance.

Sorry for so many questions in a single post.
Click to expand...

I don’t know about a stand, but you can get a Spyderco Sharpmaker which comes with two medium and fine stones for around $70. You can also purchase diamond rods for harder steels like S90V and S110V, and ultra fine rods for a more polished edge (probably not mirrored).
For a strop compound, I use the ZAM brand green compound, I believe it costed me around $12 for a push up tube that should easily last a hundred years. As far as a strop goes, get you a cheap leather belt from Wally World and you should be good to go.
 
TheEdge01 said:
I don’t know about a stand, but you can get a Spyderco Sharpmaker which comes with two medium and fine stones for around $70. You can also purchase diamond rods for harder steels like S90V and S110V, and ultra fine rods for a more polished edge (probably not mirrored).
For a strop compound, I use the ZAM brand green compound, I believe it costed me around $12 for a push up tube that should easily last a hundred years. As far as a strop goes, get you a cheap leather belt from Wally World and you should be good to go.
Click to expand...

I think the sharpmaker is above my comfort zone.
I feel like I still need a guided system hence me looking at the lansky.
 
Ditch-Tiger said:
Petunia D. Feeble Petunia D. Feeble help a brother out! My wife needs birthday ideas for me.
(I figured I'd holler at you since you seem to be a very active and helpful member and a master sharpener; sorry if this is out of line)
Click to expand...

I dont mind at all. $150 is a bit tight for a mirror-ready kit, but The Aflac Duck The Aflac Duck is right, if you're willing to do a bit of leg work you can pull it off for far less than that.

Let me poke around a bit and see what I can find. Shoot me an email when you get a chance at Tlesharpening@gmail.com
 
Did this with a lansky fine diamond then ultrafine 1000 then on to the sapphire and finally the lansky strop with green compound. Could use a little more polishing but I'm happy with it.
IMG_1010.JPG
 
Ditch-Tiger said:
I think the sharpmaker is above my comfort zone.
I feel like I still need a guided system hence me looking at the lansky.
Click to expand...

The Sharpmaker should not be above most anyone's comfort zone. Read the directions and watch the included DVD if needed (I did not). It's extremely easy and effective. The only question is whether you want 20 degree or 15 degree angles. 20 is recommended for most knives per the directions. Don't overthink it. Really, it's super easy.
 
Check out the Work Sharp Ken Onion edition. There are many you tube videos on it. It is guided, gets knives impressively sharp, and shiny bevels. I would put tape on every blade though, the filings on the guides can leave little scratches. Tape completely solves that. The instructions mention that, but don't emphasize it enough, imo.
Oh, $140.
There ya go!
 
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that lansky with diamond stone, add the sapphire, with a couple of strops and compounds will get you the polish you want, at the price you are asking.

it will not be much faster than the gatco - as its the same principle and setup - although diamond stones will speed it up some, they are still small stones and take a while to do the job.

get the 4 stone diamond kit to add the XC diamond, IMO
 
In years past I've used the Gatco clamp with DMT Diafolds and the magna-guide. Worked quite well.
 
Ditch-Tiger said:
Sorry if this is the wrong place but I didn't see a sharpening sub-forum.

Backstory- I've only recently gotten decent at sharpening and now that I've got the hang of it I think I need an upgrade.
Right now I'm using a Gatco 3-stone guided kit and it takes forever to get a good edge on things so I'm looking for a cost effective replacement. Probably under $150 for everything and I'd like to have the ability to put mirrored edges on some blades once I learn how.
Most of my blades are S30V, D2 and 154cm plus an M4 and some Aus8. But I will eventually own an m390 and S110 so please keep that in mind.
I'm looking at the lansky diamond 3 stone kit, plus the sapphire stone and leather strop and accompanying stand.
Will diamond stones work well on everything?
Is there another system I should be looking at in my price range? If not, then what?
Also, what "compound" do I use on the strop to gain that mirrored edge?
If this is a good choice, who has the best prices on this kit?
Any help is appreciated; thanks in advance.

Sorry for so many questions in a single post.
Click to expand...

If you're looking mainly to speed up the work, the Lansky diamond kit may not buy you a lot of improvement in speed, because the hones are so small (4" x 1/2"); even quite smaller than the Gatco hones. Diamond WILL cut more wear-resistant steels better (much better), but the very small size of the hones will be the limiting factor in speed to get the job done. Heavy grinding and reprofiling jobs will still take quite a while with those small hones, even in diamond.

You might consider something like a DMT Duo-Sharp plate in 8" or larger size. Something like a Coarse/Fine (Blue/Red) or Fine/EF (Red/Green) plate in that larger size will make a much bigger difference in working speed, cutting it down to maybe ~ 1/3rd or 1/4th the time spent. And for guided assistance, their Aligner blade clamp can be used with the Duo-Sharp plate as well. You should be able to keep within your projected budget for the dual-grit plate and the clamp. You might look for a Duo-Sharp kit including the plate and their base/holder for it, which elevates the working surface for use with the clamp accessory.

For polished bevels, if you use the Fine/EF plate to set and refine the edge, follow that with DMT's Dia-Paste in 3-micron and finer grit used on a hard/firm WOOD strop (basswood, balsa, mdf, etc). You can polish steels like S30V very quickly with the 3-micron paste following the EF DMT hone. To do any real polishing, you want to progress through the EF DMT hone at least, before the paste stropping, as ending with the Fine or coarser hones will leave the scratch pattern too rough to polish very easily, if at all. So, the Fine/EF plate is sort of a compromise between fast grinding and ability to polish afterward. The 'Fine' side of the plate is aggressive enough to set bevels in a relatively timely manner, due to the larger working surface area. A Coarse or Extra-Coarse would grind faster, but will leave the bevels a bit too rough to polish easily, without another finer plate following up.
 
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