sharpening

[tonymp]

What type of sharpening system/stones/ ceramics are you using to sharpen your knives? if you use any type of carbide sharpener please don't reply, I cringe when I hear a knife being pulled through one of those. I started out with a Lansky then a sharpmaker and now I use the Kme with the sharpmaker and a strop with unbelievable results (unbelievable by my standards).

 

[BilboBaggins]

What type of sharpening system/stones/ ceramics are you using to sharpen your knives? if you use any type of carbide sharpener please don't reply, I cringe when I hear a knife being pulled through one of those. I started out with a Lansky then a sharpmaker and now I use the Kme with the sharpmaker.

That's what I use too. Sharpmaker + KME + Stropping. Pretty much covers all of my bases.

 

[kwackster]

A Tormek T7 wet sharpening machine fitted with an SB 250 Blackstone (black silicon carbide) for major edge repair & reprofiling.
Rubber Wheels with diamond grit for intermediate work, and Paper Wheels with various diamond compounds for fine polishing & deburring.
And practice.

 

[Korean Hog]

Diamond stones, 320, 600. I normally stop there for a work knife. Might do some back and forth passes on a ceramic rod if I feel like it or if the edge is real burry.
In the kitchen I'll take a veggie slicer up to 1000 grit water stone, and a meat slicer up to 5000 grit (damn near mirror polish)

 

[sharp_edge]

For kitchen knives I do free hand: a $10 wally two-sided coarse stone --> a $40 King 1000/6000 two-sided stone --> a leather strop loaded with green compound. Sometimes I also use this set up for sharpening my folders, but I also use Lansky. If the sharpened knife can slice paper towels with ease, I consider sharpening is finished.

 

[knoefz]

Various wetstones upto 5000 grit, diamond plates upto xxf (3 micron) and strops with various materials (leather and balsawood) and various compounds.

Some of it is pictured here

 

[JJ_Colt45]

used to use old arkansas stones and a couple norton india oil stones and leather strops but was time for new stones mine were very well worn ...

and to upgrade for some of the new knives with newer steels ... after talking to several who sharpen professionally I went with a mix of Chosera and Shapton waterstones ... replaced the norton combination India stones ... and got a few diamond an Atoma for lapping and a few DMT for the few knives I have that called for those ... and found the Artic Fox Stones were very affordable and filled a nitch in my mixed matched group of stones ...

so a combination of stones and strops leather balsa and others ... still freehand sharpening but with much better equipment and much better results ...

and lately I am getting close to breaking down and trying a Wicked Edge System ... but haven't talked myself into that yet ...

 

[User27]

If the blade is wide enough for it I use the Gatco sharpening system *Lansky type sharpener*, use the medium and fine stones and strop it on a leather belt to get a hair shaving edge

 

[tiguy7]

View attachment 832743 View attachment 832744 I use a homemade jig over a Shapton pond to sharpen with Shapton Glass water stones. For knives with harder inclusions like Vanadium Carbide, I use Venev bonded diamond stones over the same pond. The rubber brick is used to resurface the Shapton stones in the pond.

 

[David Martin]

Tiguy, I always like seeing your home made sharpening gadget. Simple parts and a lot of thought went into it. A good mind at work. DM

 

[Hytekrednek]

I use the TSPROF K-02 system. I love it. I also have a sharpmaker for maintaining kitchen knives between major sharpening.

 

[tiguy7]

Tiguy, I always like seeing your home made sharpening gadget. Simple parts and a lot of thought went into it. A good mind at work. DM

Thanks David. I always pay attention to your posts because I don’t anyone who uses a knife more than you.View attachment 832838

 

[Minnesota Man]

Work Sharp Ken Onion addition. Also use diamond stones.

 

[David Martin]

Tiguy, thanks. Is the amount of pressure limited w/ your upright stone holder? DM

 

[tiguy7]

View attachment 832966 Not at all. The Aluminum base is 1/2” thick. The pressure is limited by the “stones”. The DMT stuff cannot take much pressure because Diamond particles get pulled out of the Nickel substrate. SiC and Al2O3 [Carborundum and Corundum (India)] stones can withstand much pressure as can natural Arkansas (micro crystalline quartz) stones. The Venev bonded Diamond stones can also stand a lot of pressure.

 

[Gvard]

SiC stones for rough/medium work and a cheap ceramic stone from smiths for finishing. AO on leather for stropping.

 

[l1ranger]

currently, lansky for me - i have the full ceramic and diamond stone sets, along with some arkansas and strops
and some basic bench and pocket stones

 

[tonymp]

currently, lansky for me - i have the full ceramic and diamond stone sets, along with some arkansas and strops
and some basic bench and pocket stones

when I was about 16 years old I seen the guy at the archery shop using a lansky and that was the start of my obsession with sharpening knives, I used it without the fine stones and without a strop,I went through about 8 new lansky systems, since I couldn't hear the fine stones working like the others I didn't think it was doing much, this was before I new what a sharp knife really was (I still got some sharp knives with the medium stones). I switched to the sharpmaker but would get frustrated if the knife was really dull and needed reprofiling, now I use the KME along with the sharpmaker and a strop so now I can get a hair whittling edge, I know you can get the same results with the lansky if done properly but I don't have the patience.

 

[l1ranger]

and thats the key, use what works for you.
like above, we all seem to do things a little differently, and that will give us different outcomes with the same system.

I 'used' basic stones freehand for years, and I could get somethign that would pass as serviceable, but never sharp.
my first good edge was with a lansky - but I wasn't able to repeat that consistently. it wasn't until i came here and read about the sharpie trick and making sure I'm getting to the apex that it all started to click. i was then able to get a good sharp edge consistently with the lansky up to the 1000 grit that came with my kit.

once i was able to do that, i expanded, adding the 2000 'sapphire' stone, strops, diamond stones, and diamond pastes to expand my capabilities and further refine edges as I see fit. and continue to learn from the guys here

eventually, i want to build my own system that allows for better materials and more control - just havent done it yet

 

[tonymp]

and thats the key, use what works for you.
like above, we all seem to do things a little differently, and that will give us different outcomes with the same system.

I 'used' basic stones freehand for years, and I could get somethign that would pass as serviceable, but never sharp.
my first good edge was with a lansky - but I wasn't able to repeat that consistently. it wasn't until i came here and read about the sharpie trick and making sure I'm getting to the apex that it all started to click. i was then able to get a good sharp edge consistently with the lansky up to the 1000 grit that came with my kit.

once i was able to do that, i expanded, adding the 2000 'sapphire' stone, strops, diamond stones, and diamond pastes to expand my capabilities and further refine edges as I see fit. and continue to learn from the guys here

eventually, i want to build my own system that allows for better materials and more control - just havent done it yet

Do have any particular design you were going to use? I also want to build my own system but I have so many designs in my head I don't know what I'm gonna build.