Sharpening: What's your method of choice?

N

nemesis27

Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
149
Hey fellas. I was wondering if any of you find yourself defaulting to a specific method of sharpening as I always do? When I came across this site, I learned how to use a stone, then tried out the sharpmaker, crock sticks and lansky kit. Then I bought a 1" belt sander and some paper wheels. Now the lansky, crock, stones all sit in a box for the most part since getting use to the belt/wheels combo.

I do quick touch ups still on the sharp-maker but for the most part I always use the belt/wheels now. Of course in the woods or on the go I carry a diamond/ceramic rod still. And once in a while when I get stressed out I'll grab my stones and do them all by hand as I find it's very peaceful and it's nice to be able to fully give my attention to one activity but that's purely for pleasure/therapy haha.

How about you all?
 
I just wish I would have bought a 1" belt sander 15 years ago. Now, 30 seconds with a leather belt with green compound or 30 seconds with a 15 micron belt is all I need for resharpenings. New knives get the full re-bevel with lower grit belts and the wrists don't hurt after like the old days with the Lansky.:thumbup:
 
Ahh, I hear ya on the sore wrists with the Lansky after a re-profile haha. I've been through so many replacement stones for the Lansky and even the Sharpmaker trying to re-profile my blades -gets expensive too. I was pretty darn close to getting the Apex but I'd probably go back to the belt any way.

Now if I can make a good pulley system to slow down the sander I would be in heaven!
 
Method? MethodS!! With an 'S!' :thumbup:

I use an EdgePro for re-profiling and making picture-perfect mirror finished edges. Nothing beats it for sharpness, even bevels, and mirror finish.
I use a Sharpmaker in the kitchen for weekly touch-ups to kitchen knives. (Daily steelings before each use.)
I use a DMT Aligner clamp and diamond stones when I want to get a hair popping edge without paying any attention, as when sharpening while watching TV.
I use a DMT Aligner and wet/dry sandpaper when backpacking (Virtually no weight.)
I use a RazorEdge clamp when sharpening skiving knives and broadheads
I use a file on my goloks and machetes. (I want a verrrry toothy edge on these.)
I use a Washita stone, Arkansas stone, and hard Arkansas stone when I want to play Colonial boy. (Sort of like doing your taxes without a calculator. You can do it, but why?)
I use 400grit, 800 grit, 1200 grit Japanese waterstones on my wife's Santuko and sushi knives (while sitting cross-legged on the floor) ... just because.

And with all of the above (except for the kitchen knives) I finish with a strop with CrO2 followed by stropping with a bare leather.

Stitchawl
 
stitch,,,

do you tape up the knives you sharpen on your edgepro? i don't have the patience so generally just live with the light scratching and swirl marks. (though sometimes i wish i'd take the time to do so.)

i enjoy employing several of the methods you enumerated. well said. :thumbup:
 
Blues said:
stitch,,,

do you tape up the knives you sharpen on your edgepro? i don't have the patience so generally just live with the light scratching and swirl marks. (though sometimes i wish i'd take the time to do so.)
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Nope. And like you, sometimes I wish I did. But knives to me are 'users.' They are tools. They are going get marked up a bit. I don't abuse them, but in general use they do get the occasional scratch. Hell, I've got a couple of low numbered pre-production run knives that I've scratched up pretty badly. I suppose they would be worth 2x-3x what I paid for them already... if I had left them in the box. But to me, that's not what knives are for. I buy 'em because I like 'em, and like to use them. I'm not buying for investment. I take care of my tools, but I don't baby them.

Another thought; if we really wanted to remove the scratches we could do so easily enough. I'm sure many of us have more than enough different grits of stones and polishing compounds, and the skills needed to bring out a perfect mirror finish on a rusty horseshoe... if we really, really wanted to. :D

i enjoy employing several of the methods you enumerated. well said. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

If our only tool is a sledgehammer, every job gets hammered on...

Stitchawl
 
Thanks for the reply, Stitch. We're on the same page. :cool::thumbup:
 
I've been an off and on visitor for a while so, I'm new to the site and glad to finally be aboard, so I'll share what has worked for me. I will say 1st off that I've damaged very good knives trying to learn the benchstone sharpening process but with a little reading and a good amount of practicing think I've greatly improved my sharpening skills espeacially with the stones I now have. I originally started with a lansky rod sharpener but found that I couldn't get that ultra ultra razor edge that I've been trying to find. So I reverted to try and learn the benchstone process which cost me good knives at first from being inexperianced, but I now finally have gotten good enough to shave with.

I have a Shapton 220grit glass stone which I use to start sharpening very dull knives that need a relief.

next is a 800grit that I forgot the brand of
then a 2000 grit Shapton
and finally a 6000 grit Shapton
and hoping to get another ultra fine polishing Shapton stone soon.

I sharpen with bench stones only and will say that the hairs don't pop off with the 5000grit. They kind of do like a hot knife though butter type of slicing that really freaks friends out ;).
 
I go for efficiency: relief bevel gets worked with either medium India if it's a tool steel or low alloy stainless, fine diamond if high alloy, then microbeveled with fine ceramic. Once you get the technique down it's no problem getting quality blades to pushcut newsprint >6" from point of hold. If I need anything more refined, I strop on clay coated paper (thanks again, Zeasor :)) ... and on the rare occasion a blade gets damage I'll use a coarser stone.

Nix on the power stuff :thumbdn:, I use my blades with respect, and it's rare one ever gets really dull; plus it's just relaxing and satisfying to me, raising a keen edge by hand.
 
Edge-Pro.

For the convex knives I own (all three of them :p ) and a few convexes that I do for friends, a 1X30 belt sander, and/or leather hones loaded with diamond spray.
 
Ben Dover said:
Edge-Pro.

For the convex knives I own (all three of them :p ) and a few convexes that I do for friends, a 1X30 belt sander, and/or leather hones loaded with diamond spray.
Click to expand...

Ah another fellow Coloradan :) Yeah I find myself putting convexed edges on pretty much all my knives and the belt does a wonderful job at that. Sometimes I do it by hand when I'm feeling the need to accomplish a small challenge or need a peaceful activity but for the most part, it's the belt.

Hammurabi said:
1x30 belt followed by a Sharpmaker for microbevels and touchups.
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Now on my non-convexed knives (all 2 of them lol) I do this exact method. I edc these 2 more than my others; one being the P-Sark and the other being the Visionary 2. I find the belt very efficient in that it takes roughly less than 30 seconds to touch it up; and with my choice of belt and frequent touch ups, it doesn't seem to lose much steel in the process -as when I do it by hand.

I enjoy the "by hand" method more but as I use mine literally all day long the sharp maker/belt-wheel combo cant be beat for my needs.
 
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