sharpening

J

jpeg87

Joined
Apr 9, 2009
Messages
65
So ive got my first RAT on the way, the RC-4, but after reading another thread i realized i dont really have any knife sharpening skills. what are people's recommendations on picking up a sharpening kit? my brother's always sharpened my edc folders with spyderco sharpmaker and a lansky kit, which ive used once and both seem pretty foolproof. any help on keeping my new backpacking knife razor sharp would be great!
 
I love the Sharpmaker. Be sure to get the diamond hones with it though.
 
Buy a Japanese water stone 1000/300 grit
get a cheap knife you dont care about ruining and practice practice practice
then when you feel comfortable take your RC knife to the stone!
 
thanks for making this thread. I've always used those blue extendable sharpening rods. However, i can't help but think that they arent the best tools to be using. The sharpmaker has been on my list for a while now, might actually take the plunge. Still very lost on how to use those water stones.
 
I'll be real honest with you, if I'm not using a Sharpmaker for touch-ups then I just hone the knife to a thin edge and not worry about the factory bevels. IMO, a knife is made to be sharp. It's true that thin knives don't have the strength of thicker edge bevels but if you use a knife for what's it's suppose to be used for (CUTTING and SLICING - NOT ABUSING) then you will never have a strength problem. I like my knives to cut and slice. I HATE factory bevels.
 
i just need my knife to stay sharp, i cant imagine i will be doing much more than cutting and slicing, i will be using my rc4 for backpacking, but usually that doesn't really involve batoning or beating on that blade that much, at least not for me. sharpening is something i have almost no knowledge of and need to learn, so i suppose the only way for me to learn is to start and get some experience.
 
Another vote for the sharpmaker.

If you get it, be careful not to let the point bounch off at the end of your stroke. It's pretty easy to round the tip off with it if you aren't careful and deliberate. At least I know I've managed to...
 
R.A.T. said:
I'll be real honest with you, if I'm not using a Sharpmaker for touch-ups then I just hone the knife to a thin edge and not worry about the factory bevels. IMO, a knife is made to be sharp. It's true that thin knives don't have the strength of thicker edge bevels but if you use a knife for what's it's suppose to be used for (CUTTING and SLICING - NOT ABUSING) then you will never have a strength problem. I like my knives to cut and slice. I HATE factory bevels.
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This is my favorite post on Bladeforums ever. As a noob I was worried about not having all the angles right, but reading this makes me happy.

I think you should learn how to use sharpening stones. Its how I was taught in the Boy Scouts, anyway.
 
For folks on a budget--skip the diamond stones and wrap some sandpaper around the stones. Not as convenient but it gets the job done. :p
 
I've never had any problems with the regular Sharpmaker -- it just takes a little longer.
 
R.A.T. said:
I love the Sharpmaker. Be sure to get the diamond hones with it though.
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May I ask what grit? I have already asked that in another thread and got some answers. But I am curious about how would you use those hones with sharpmaker - before ? after ? (maybe instead?)
 
Not sure what grit the diamonds are but they are aggressive. I usually use them if a knife is in real bad shape then go to the ceramics after that.
 
Oh, so those are hones which fit sharpmaker - I just made a search on the Internet and found them. Thank you - I did not know they exist!
 
stokka said:
Oh, so those are hones which fit sharpmaker - I just made a search on the Internet and found them. Thank you - I did not know they exist!
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My apologies. I misunderstood your question when I responded.
 
This has got to stop guys !!! Seriously. After all the rant and rave about a Sharpmaker, I became possessed and pressed the "Place Order" button so I could get one too. I am going to end up broke hanging around here. Oh well, Merry Christmas to ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
penenpitsu said:
Where can i buy sharpening stones locally? Would Wal-Mart have them?
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Wal-mart might have a few, but not sure what type, grit, or makers. You'd have a much better selection if you'd check out some online retailers. They could also give you some direction on the different types and grits.
 
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