Sharpening Stones

T

texasrimfirenut

Joined
Oct 13, 2013
Messages
168
Guys I have been terrible at sharpening knives usually dulling them. Used to just have my dad sharpen all of them for me. About a year ago my wife got me the Lansky system and it worked for me. I could finally sharpen my own knives at 47 years old, lol.

Just recently I was trying to sharpen a very small pocket knife that wouldn't work on the Lansky. I will spare you the details why. Anyways I took the Lansky stones and sharpened the knife manually without the use of their angle system and upon checking the knife expecting it to be more dull as has always been the case for me manually sharpening in the past, to my surprise it was sharp. After working it on the very fine stone, she was shaving like a champ.

Now I know that's no big deal to most all of you out there but for me it was a first successful manual sharpening session I had.

Don't know what clicked but I soon had every knife in the house shaving sharp manually sharpening. Guess better now than never, lol.

All this to come to the point that I am now infatuated with manual knife sharpening and would like to get a nice set of larger sharpening stones.

What should I get and from where? My dad has a nice set that must be 40 years old and they are still good so looks like the investment can be for a lifetime.

What all grits should I get? I see there are everything from course down to arkansas polishing stones.

I have seen some triangular with three stones built into it. Is that all I need? What are good quality stones and how do you pick them out?

Also should I get some leather and set up some stormping blocks or is that really needed. If it even makes knives more sharp I think I would like to do it.

As for price, I like to get a good value but I am the type that would rather pay for quality instead of getting cheap stuff.

So what would you suggest I get? Tell me what all I need for a nice setup.

Appreciate the help.
 
I would get a DMT DuoSharp in coarse and fine. Then if you like, get a smaller one in very fine as a finishing edge stone. You won't use the coarse often, but it is there if you need to re-profile and edge or sharpen something that is really dull or the edge is beat up.

I also like the Norton India Stone (coarse and fine grits) for carbon steel blades. Mine is 1"x2"x8" and cost under $20. This is one you use with oil or something like WD-40 as a lubricant.
 
I use a set of KING brand waterstones. They put a crazy edge on my knives. I have 4 stones total, think I spent ~$150. IIRC they are 1000, 2000, 6000 and 8000 grit, could be wrong about the first two. Three came in a set and I bought the 8000 grit separately.
 
texasrimfirenut said:
Ok so 90% of my fixed blades are carbon so the India stones would be better?
Click to expand...

There are a lot of ways to get things done, it's more technique than anything else. You just have to get a quality stone. Some guys prefer diamond, others prefer waterstones, etc. I've heard good things about everything that was listed so far and I personally own the 4in diamond course/fine/extra fine stones that came with my DMT Aligner that I use to sharpen with. And I will pretty much side with what 22-rimfire said you won't really use the coarse that often, the fine side will be doing most of the work and I find the extra fine not being necessary but I use it anyway because I have it.

At times it does feel like the diamond stones I have remove steel faster than I like, especially with the few carbon steel blades I own. So a norton india stone may serve you better from what I heard about it, and being able to pick up a good quality stone for quite cheap is always a perk.
 
Basic set, good price & reputable deale
http://www.japaneseknifesharpeningstore.com/Dave-Martell-set-sharpening-stones-p/set1dmcore.htm
I had a Norton Tri hone for years
nortonim313.jpg


after about a month of using the stones from Dave, the Norton rig went into the dumpster.

after a while, you'll want to pick up one or two more stones that you just can't live without. :D
this is an old photo of my minimum required stones, I've been good and only bought one more since the pic was taken
DSC_0001.JPG
 
Is that the pink Imanishi on the left? And what are your coarse stones?
 
Waterstones are probably overkill for what you want to do. I would start with a fine India stone.
 
Yes, the Norton India combination coarse/ fine stone offer better value in the long run. You don't need a zillion grit stones to get your knives shaving sharp. DM
 
Because not everyone is obsessed with owning every stone available, or with getting the knife to the epitome of sharpness.
India stones are simple, they work, they wear well.
I am a very sucessful cutler/cutlery designer, and I don't use waterstones for sharpening. I do use them for some blade refinishing.
Waterstones are messy, they wear quickly by their nature, and they are expensive compared to India stones.
 
The triple sided stones you mentioned, like the Norton tri hone, will work quite well. You may want to look in to stropping to take your edge to the next level.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forum Fiend v1.1.7.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Because not everyone is obsessed with owning every stone available, or with getting the knife to the epitome of sharpness.
India stones are simple, they work, they wear well.
I am a very sucessful cutler/cutlery designer, and I don't use waterstones for sharpening. I do use them for some blade refinishing.
Waterstones are messy, they wear quickly by their nature, and they are expensive compared to India stones.
Click to expand...

Like Bill I notice many obsessions in this forum. Which causes these new comers to think they must have the newest whiz bang stones or gadget to get their knife sharp. Whereas in reality a Norton coarse/fine India will work quite well for a long time. DM
 
Rennd said:
The triple sided stones you mentioned, like the Norton tri hone, will work quite well. You may want to look in to stropping to take your edge to the next level.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forum Fiend v1.1.7.
Click to expand...
Agreed, Rennd. I own one of the Norton IM 313 Tri-Hones and they work very well. They actually work better that a lot of stuff in vogue now. DM
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Because not everyone is obsessed with owning every stone available, or with getting the knife to the epitome of sharpness.
India stones are simple, they work, they wear well.
I am a very sucessful cutler/cutlery designer, and I don't use waterstones for sharpening. I do use them for some blade refinishing.
Waterstones are messy, they wear quickly by their nature, and they are expensive compared to India stones.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your opinion.
 
OldNavy said:
From L > R.
Gesshin Pink Brick 220
Tsukiji Masamoto 240
Naniwa Chosera 400
naniwa Chosera 600
Click to expand...

I would like to hear your thoughts on the gesshin and masamoto. If you don't mind shoot me a email.
 
I lost my old stones in a move a couple years ago, and had to start over. I have an india stone, a soft arkansas, and a hard arkansas. I could get by with just the india and soft arkansas just fine I think. And just the india would be ok too probably, I just like the finer edge of the arkansas.
 
Start out with a work horse stone like Norton combo. It will take care of a lot of your sharpening needs. As you get more experience freehanding, add another stone to augment your sharpening equipment.

I still have my first stone, a Boy Scout SiC stone. Then I got myself a Norton Combination India stone in high school, this is my work horse stone. It does 90% of my sharpening. I have gotten some other types of stones over the years, but if I could have only one stone, it would be my Norton. Like pmeisel, I use other stones(Arkansas, Washita, ceramic) I use to refine the edge if I want to.

Ric
 
I like waterstones..My set(that I have to replace) was a bester 220,arashiyama 1000 and 6000 then a kitayama 8000..You know, waterstones are not exactly a "new" thing..They have been around far longer than most sharpening supplies out there on the market..Just not in synthetic form.
I have made myself some knives in cpm3v and cpm154 so I use diamonds and ceramic to sharpen them.
 
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