Sharpening: What Do you Use and How do You Do It?

[G. Scott H.]

I have an Edge Pro Apex guided system which I rarely use, unless I am doing some serious reprofiling. After 45 years of sharpening knives, I am rather good at freehand now. I do use the Edge Pro stones however. They are affordable and work really well.

My Apex has been relegated to specific situations as well these days, as I find I do just as well (finally! after a couple decades of frustration) on my water stone setup, and I have a bit more leeway to finesse oddly shaped blades, etc.

 

[Hashishiin]

The guided systems each have their own learning curve as well. They also work well on certain blade shapes but not on others, depending on the model you end up with. Some have real issues with recurves/kukri shapes blades, while others have issues with very upswept tips, etc. There are also thickness limitations on a number of the clamping systems. Far and away the fastest and easiest setup I've ever worked with for getting killer edges (no matter the blade shape) was the Work Sharp Ken Onion sharpener with the Blade Grinding Attachment. I burnt out the motor on the WS (user error ) and have never gotten around to replacing it, but I definitely will someday.

I saw the Worksharp, and honestly, I wish I had paid more attention in shop class to power tools. Is that advisable to use in, say, your living room or only in a worksshop/garage type environment? I finally have enough money to where I can buy a nice sharpening system.

I specifically have no interest in recurves at this point in time because of how weird they will be sharpening. I basically want to be able to sharpen, in order of what I use, Spydercos like the PM2, Endura and Yojumbo, RAT, Cold Steel (Espada may be difficult with large curve, but Voyager XL tanto and GRIK are also interests), softer carbon steels and larger, wider beveled fixed blades like the Ontario SP-1 or Buck 119-120. I expect the biggest challengest will be the Espada XL, the bigger fixed blades, and the tanto. Very excited to learn to sharpen the PM2, Yojum, and carbon steels, that will solve a lot of my cutting needs. I really want to learn to strop properly, too, as that'll save me sharpening.

 

[Hashishiin]

If you will buy only one suspension, get a 1 micron polycrystalline IMHO. Experiment with different leather and wooden (balsa, basswood) strops.
Less is more, eg strop ten times per side, usually no need for much more, or you will start rounding the apex. Use a light touch. Stropping is mostly about removing the remnants of the burr.

Like the Wicked Edge brand stuff? Thank you.
Oh, and I was attempting to strop-only. I thought stropping was advisable to get a knife back into sharper shape, even without sharpening.

 

[shane45-1911]

I thought stropping was advisable to get a knife back into sharper shape, even without sharpening.

You may be thinking of a sharpening hone/rod. Not recommended for mirror polished/high grit edges, however.

And they don't really sharpen, they re-align the edge on minimally dull knives.

 

[Hashishiin]

You may be thinking of a sharpening hone/rod. Not recommended for mirror polished/high grit edges, however.

Definitely thinking of stropping, but maybe I had it wrong. Folks talk about stropping by itself to get knives "shaving sharp", "scary sharp", that was def the word they used. But they could have been wrong about that. Always learning.

So, sharpen, don't strop, to maintain. Or rather, I should get a sharpmaker if I want something to maintain/hone. That is what I'm getting out of this.

 

[shane45-1911]

Definitely thinking of stropping, but maybe I had it wrong. Folks talk about stropping by itself to get knives "shaving sharp", "scary sharp", that was def the word they used. But they could have been wrong about that. Always learning.

So, sharpen, don't strop, to maintain. Or rather, I should get a sharpmaker if I want something to maintain/hone. That is what I'm getting out of this.

You are actually correct as well. Many do strop to refresh the edge on a knife that has lost its keenness. But a strop won't do much on an edge that is just a bit more than slightly dull.

 

[sgt1372]

I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker kit w/every type of triangular rod, a flat diamond stone and 2 sided (course/fine) carborundum stone, a couple of steel honing rods, a leather strap and leather topped block and a couple of those cheap quickie plastic shrouded sharpening "tools" lying around.

Which I use depends on the type of knife/steel involved, how much "sharpening" is needed and how much time I want to devote to the task.

 

[G. Scott H.]

I saw the Worksharp, and honestly, I wish I had paid more attention in shop class to power tools. Is that advisable to use in, say, your living room or only in a worksshop/garage type environment? I finally have enough money to where I can buy a nice sharpening system.

It throws off some grit in use around your immediate area, but it's not horrible. I used mine in a little work/tool room, but you could use it at the kitchen table if you wanted to or some other area that's easy to clean up. The whole setup is pretty quiet too, so if you're an apartment dweller, for example, no worries about that.

Btw, the WSKO is pretty good on its own, but it was the addition of the Blade Grinding Attachment, with its wider belts and ability to be used freehand that was the real game changer for me.

P.S. I feel I should specify how I burnt mine up, so as not to bring the durability or longevity of the unit into question. I was using a very tight (even with adjustment), very low grit belt to put initial bevels onto a blunt sword blade. I got frustrated at my lack of progress at one point and began really leaning into the sword. The combo of the tightness of the belt, the high drag of the low grit (60-80 iirc), and the undue amount of pressure, not to mention working both sides of a ~30" blade, was just too much for that little motor, and it stopped and wisps of smoke started coming off of it. Completely 100% abuse on my part. The little guy served me admirably for two years prior to this. For normal knife use it I'm sure it would still be going strong.

 

[HDEdges]

I use the KME with the diamond stones and polishing tapes to 3 micron, then finished with the knives plus preloaded strop. I can get very sharp hair popping edges, but still can't seem to consistently get the hair whittling edge that some can achieve. Any tips on that would be welcome. I have also started trying to learn to freehand, starting w/ inexpensive stones. The edges I achieve with that method are inconsistent at best.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I free hand sharpen on a tri-stone when it comes to "traditional steel". Free hand with diamond and ceramic sticks for the super steels.

All get stropped on a loaded piece of leather scrap.

 

[Hashishiin]

You are actually correct as well. Many do strop to refresh the edge on a knife that has lost its keenness. But a strop won't do much on an edge that is just a bit more than slightly dull.

Oh, I see. So, it is for already sharper edges, and refining them. The knife that I have "successfully" stropped was a BD1N Z-cut, the edge is not all the way dull, just not as sharp as it could be after a month of near-daily kitchen use. "Dulling" meant, to me, that it would no longer shave an "s" shape down paper. It would only do "Z"s. Stropped it, and it did slightly better at an S shape.

I love the Z-cut.

It throws off some grit in use around your immediate area, but it's not horrible. I used mine in a little work/tool room, but you could use it at the kitchen table if you wanted to or some other area that's easy to clean up. The whole setup is pretty quiet too, so if you're an apartment dweller, for example, no worries about that.

Thank you for the info, I was thinking of setting up a small little bench area in the corner of a spare room that we just got. That might be ideal.
Would you consider it fairly easy to use? Like, say I dulled my Cruwear PM2 a bit, not dying dull, but, it's dulling, won't cut paper reliably. Would it be easy for someone without a lot of experience to turn that back into sharp with some attention?

 

[G. Scott H.]

Thank you for the info, I was thinking of setting up a small little bench area in the corner of a spare room that we just got. That might be ideal.
Would you consider it fairly easy to use? Like, say I dulled my Cruwear PM2 a bit, not dying dull, but, it's dulling, won't cut paper reliably. Would it be easy for someone without a lot of experience to turn that back into sharp with some attention?

I found it very easy to use. There is a bit of a learning curve, as with anything, so start with a knife you don't mind sacrificing. I did round a few tips when I first started using the BGA, but as soon as I figured out not to run the tip off the edge of the belt (stop moving the blade when the tip is still more than halfway across the width of the belt) it was fine.

 

[kobold]

Like the Wicked Edge brand stuff? Thank you.
Oh, and I was attempting to strop-only. I thought stropping was advisable to get a knife back into sharper shape, even without sharpening.

True, you can do that, but not forever. Also it depends a lot on the steel (eg Spy27 responds well) compound, strop material and skill.

 

[EngrSorenson]

I’ve spent many (many) hours whittling with various knives, and I’ll tell you that basic stropping every so often will maintain and edge so well that you won’t need to hit stones again. Some of my purpose-made Deepwoods Ventures whittling knives have never been put to a stone, for instance.

Now if you go and cut up a room full of carpet you’re not going to bring that back with a casual strop.

Stropping for maintaining an edge is only as effective as what you use the knife for and how often you strop.

 

[cmfkdragoon]

I freehand sharpen and vary the type of stone based on what steel I am sharpening.

For carbon steels, I typically use King water stones or Shapton ceramic stones. They cut well on carbon and low-carbide stainless steels and provide excellent feedback. I tend to use the Shapton more because they do not require soaking, but often turn to my King 6000 when finishing the edge.

For vanadium-heavy steels I use DMT plates. I am not a big fan of the DMT plates and am waiting to pull the trigger on proper bonded-diamond stones. Unfortunately I invested in several DMT plates and besides the coarse, I hate them, even after being well-broken in.

Strop with diamond paste on leather.

 

[Hashishiin]

I found it very easy to use. There is a bit of a learning curve, as with anything, so start with a knife you don't mind sacrificing. I did round a few tips when I first started using the BGA, but as soon as I figured out not to run the tip off the edge of the belt (stop moving the blade when the tip is still more than halfway across the width of the belt) it was fine.

Oh yes, I am buying some knives to learn on. Maybe an Opinel, a Mora and a RAT 2 or Kershaw knife. Be a good reason to buy a USA Kershaw.
Sorry for all the questions, but one last thing if you do not mind - what about overheating? Do you only introduce it to the belt for a second at a time, or are there variable speeds, or must you introduce water or mineral oil?

 

[Scaniaman]

Metallic bonded CBN F400, Hapstone R2. Power strop on loaded hard felt wheel.

 

[Bob Denman]

I have a Sharpmaker, and a KME Setup.
But I usually just freehand them on my 14" F.Dick honing steel.
A half-dozen passes per side usually does the trick.

 

[G. Scott H.]

what about overheating? Do you only introduce it to the belt for a second at a time, or are there variable speeds, or must you introduce water or mineral oil?

The WSKO is variable speed, and I usually used it down closer to the bottom end of the range. No issues with heating during normal sharpening. When I used it to do serious reprofiling, I'd just do a couple passes on one side of the blade, feel the steel near the edge for heat, do a few more passes, and so on until done. I never had a blade get more than vaguely warmish, even ones that were really thin behind the edge.

 

[VorpelSword]

When I go all in, the progression is with my DMT plates (XXF, XF, F, XC), medium and UF ceramic Spyderco bench stones and DiaPaste loaded leather strops.

Mostly, I use just the UF ceramic stone on my folders, finishing with a very light stropping motion.

I maintain my convex fixed blades with Bark River white compound loaded leather strops.

I have a few Naniwa Chosera water stones for my normal HRC traditional knives. Also a Spyderco Double Stuff for when I want something pocketable. Thinking about selling the Choseras actually.

I carry a DC4 to go with a fixed blade beater in my backpack.

A couple of nimble Victorinox sharpeners (diamond and ceramic) for SAKs.

Lastly, there is a honing steel in the kitchen.

I am sorry to say that most of that means nothing to me . .too much jargon. I just don't know what you are referring to.

Same goes for some other posts. I guess I'll have to look up what these systems are.

In any case, I have had good luck with the Lansky system since they were introduced. I have replaced or up graded the stone set some too. Gave a "saphire" stone to a friend many years ago and he used it to polish things when doing a trigger job on Smiths.

Nice to know there are plenty of other effective options out there.

Now: What do you all use on a larger blade, say 5' to 7" and up?