Sharpening your outdoor knives

VTguy17

VTguy17

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Aug 4, 2011
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When it comes to sharpening knives I am completely incompetent. I can sharpen a convex blade with sandpaper pretty decently but other than that I'm an embarrassment but I'm working on it. I've also got a Spyderco sharp maker which works well for blades with a 30 or 40 degree grind but for any other angle it's useless at least for me.

So...what system do you guys use to sharpen camp knives, bush craft knives, machetes, etc... I need some ideas on what to try.
 
For your non 30 or 40 degree knives, Try using your Sharpmaker as a bench stone - it has that option. Practice on some beater knives first - it takes a while to get the hang of free-hand sharpening.
 
I personally haven't used my sharpmaker in a long time. I find it harder to use then sharpening by hand. What I use is a wood backed strop that I lay sand paper over. I hold the "sharpener" in one hand and the knife in the other. I've tried doing this with the "sharpener" on a table top but I find it awkward to do it that way. So I hold both and work from 400 grit, if it's dull, to about 1000 or more if I feel like it that day. Then strop with bark river black compound and finish on green. I sharpen all my blades this way including the v grinds and hatchets. One thing I learned starting out is that I was using too much angle which gave me horrible results. I've since dropped the angle and now get pretty good, consistent results. Not a crazy edge like some who whittle hair but an edge that's good at whittling wood.
 
Keep on trying to sharpen your knife freehand. I always have a Fallkniven DC4 in my pocket. I also have the Diasharp Cards from DMT (coarse, fine, extra-fine).

Kind regards,

Andre
 
A belt sander to knock of factory bevels, then a hand sharpen my own micro bevel. Gives a laser sharp toothy edge great for woods work. I don't care about shaving my arm or paper all I know is it makes feathersticks like a dream and is toothy enough to cut cord and rope without much issue. Learned it from watching the legend Jerry Fisk.
 
I'd like to learn to hand sharpen everything. Should I get some stones to practice and get good with or just a strop and sandpaper?
 
A DMT Aligner Jig with four 'stones' E Course to E Fine
It will rebevel a blade and bring it to very sharp
Very easy to use with constant and reliable results
Goes well on D2
It will cost about $60 and last forever

I then have a small DMT E fine for touch ups
And then a strop with white compound


I have other stones and stuff
But the DMT Aligner is so easy to use

I want to add >

Do not let the knives loose their sharp edge
Keep them touched up freehand
Use a sharpie to see if you are hitting the stone at the correct angle
it is only less than ten times each side
The blade edge will be 'softer' than the exact angle from the DMT Aligner
And then strop them from time to time


And it will stay that way a long long time
Till you decide to rebevel on the DMT Algner
 
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I'm no wiz bang at it either buddy, but I'm getting much better. Actually good enough to slice paper with many of them. From my non- professional experience it seems to be about edge grind angle for me. Some of my cutting tools are more than say 20 degrees on each side, what's that, 40 inclusive or whatever ? Anyway, on some big knives or machetes I have to use an axe file to remove some of the shoulder and make the edge angle more acute. Or... I use my Lansky kit and find the angle that the factory put on it, and use a black magic marker on the edge to show me if I am removing material from were I want. I have a Lansky kit and the Sharp Maker. Both work well for me (now, with more practice). Check out online vids or the disc that came with your set up. I just grabbed a Condor Hudson Bay that is only moderately sharp. I'll give it a whirl on the Lansky kit and see how she comes out. The edge looks to be about 25 degrees on each side but that's just a guess.
 
I will check out the DMT neeman thanks.

I can get convex blades sharp enough to slice now just haven't got the touch yet for other grinds but I'll get there hopefully.
 
I sharpen freehand with a medium DMT hone, and then with a ceramic dog bone thing. I am not great, but I can get reasonably good working edges. My best trick is to touch up frequently and not let them get too dull.
 
Foilist said:
My best trick is to touch up frequently and not let them get too dull.
Click to expand...

thats the ticket, keep up on you knives.

I have been slowly working the edge on my rc6, it has all ways been shaving, however over the last couple years of sharpening with a ceramic hone and that being done multipul times a week, it has gotten to the point with its a polished edge, that is not only sharp, but glides through alot do the edge being polished.
 
at home i use the dmt 8"x3" diamond plates (mostly with scandi knives though). for my machetes i use the dmt diafolds - cheap and very portable, perfect for zoning out in front of the camp fire. the coarse/fine combo works well for reducing the chips on my machete after a long day.
 
Just strop them after every use, and they won't get dull. ;)
I recently acquired a Works Sharp knife and tool sharpener, which works good for me if a knife is too dull. (Small knives the guides work fine, if it is a larger knife, freehand is easy enough to do)
 
Buy a pocket stone, my favorite is the spyderco double stuff, a cheap knife, old hickory paring knife is a good choice and practice, practice then practice some more. If you can watch someone that knows what they are doing it will help, I am sure there are some vids on youtube. Chris
 
The biggest thing that has helped improve my sharpening is the Sharpie trick. If you color the secondary bevel that you plan to sharpen with a black marker, you can see after ONE pass on a stone whether or not your angle is correct. If not, make adjustments either higher or lower and color it again. With this 'trick' you can save much time and headache over grinding for hours. I use this method with an inexpensive Smiths 3 sided stone, small strop, and assorted sandpaper. I can sharpen many different grinds and have spent under $50.


Dig out a sharpie from a drawer and give it a shot!
 
Thanks for all the replies. So last night I took a sharpie and a couple beater knives and went to town with a few different methods. I must say I'm really getting the hang of this. I managed to get a vix multi-tool blade to shaving sharp using a marker and some patients, and a few other blades to cleanly slice paper.

My next challenge is figuring out how to do large blades 9"+ I'm thinking do the blade in sections?
 
I've always used Arkansas stones supplemented with other stuff. I start with a softstone or a Lansky Puck, move on to a hardstone, work up to 2000 grit with wet and dry and then strop with brasso and a self made leather block. It all takes some skill, it's not the kind of thing to learn inside a day, but the effort pays off. Get yourself a Mora to practice on, scandi edges are a cinch to grind manually with a flat stone.
Don't do sections, you'll come off with an uneven grind. I work the edge front to back bottom to top in long passes so I don't get an uneven grind.
 
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The people I know who have struggled with sharpening have generally been sharpening at the wrong angle or using the wrong method (butcher's steel instead of bench stone, etc.).

As long as you know your bench stone or converted Sharpmaker is cutting it really is all about a consistent angle with moderate pressure. I watched Wayne Goddard demo this to a bunch of folks at Blade West and he emphasized the same principles. Took a butter knife dull folder someone had and made it near-shaving sharp in a few dozen passes on a bench stone.

Try the Sharpie method. I think once you establish that you are at the correct angle, all else will fall into place.

Good luck,
Mark
 
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