Sharpening?

bamahabir

bamahabir

Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
314
How do you guys sharpen your CRKs?

What system do you use, if you use(edge pro, wicked edge, lansky, sharpmaker)?

How experienced are you guys at it?

Recommendations for a complete beginner?

Thanks!
 
Hi Bahamabir,

As you might know your sebenza has a convexed edge! This is put on by one of very few skilled CR employees!
You can choose to maintain this, and convex-sharpen it, but I started using the EdgePro few weeks ago!!

I have no comparison with any of the other systems besides the Lansky(which I Hate...)
The edges I can put on my knives with the EP are truly awsome!!
Besides that it a very easy-to-learn process!

Only drawback is the $$, but you will spend your hardearned$$$ on quality stuff

Good luck,

Niels
 
I hate sharpening systems of all kinds. I think taking the time to learn to sharpen free hand and learning to enjoy it is in a way honering your knife. I have been sharpening all sorts of things free hand for a long time from chainsaws to brashing axes to pocket knives and some things inbetween so it's easy for me to sit here and talk, but nothing beats that IMO.

I actually prefer to hold the tool in one hand and the stone in the other and sharpen totally free hand with no bench. I picked this up as a habit from my time as a forester and as always old habits die hard. :p:thumbup:
 
@Haze:
Respect... I wish my skills allowed me that technique!
Also I'm a sucker for the polished edge, possible with the EP
 
I used to put a bit of green polishing compound on the inside of my rig belt to use as a strop. That would polish most things up quite nicely. :D:thumbup:
 
I never got the hang of the edge pro. However i just got a work sharp and it puts a high polish convex edge on a knife quite easily and quickly.
 
Strait from CRK

What is the best way to keep my Chris Reeve Knife sharp?
One important thing to remember with any knife is to maintain the edge - it is better to keep it reasonably sharp rather than let it get completely dull and then try to get the edge back. To maintain an optimal cutting edge on a Chris Reeve knife, we recommend the use of the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker or a Lansky Sharpener. If you prefer to use a stone, the angle at which to sharpen will be best achieved at 18 - 20 degrees.
We will sharpen any knife we have made free of charge. We ask only that you pay for the return shipping. Simply return the knife (in its sheath if applicable), make sure that you include your address and phone number and we will restore that famous, hair-popping sharp, Chris Reeve Knives edge.
 
CRK suggests the Spyderco Sharpmaker, there is a post from Chris Reeve regarding how to use it somewhere in here.
 
I have been sharpening knives since I was about 10 because of a heavily involved hunting family. I used the vintage crock sticks made by Case, Smiths, Lansky just to name a few. They were all the same design. The traditional V shaped rods you swiped the blade down each side. The Spyderco Sharpmaker is a vastly improved design and I find it to be the best I have seen to date. I have had experience with this style of sharpener for 28 years now and it works amazingly for me. The key is that sharpening a knife takes time and the blade needs to be at the same angle with each stroke. I like using slow controlled strokes. Don't push too hard. Just normal pressure, let the ceramic rods do the work. For example, I reprofilled a strider SMF from the goofy 23 degree angle to a more user friendly 20 degree. It took me aprox 2 hours of non stop sharpening using the brown stones. S30V is hard and one should not expect to do things like this in 10 minutes. Plus by adding the sharpie trick to it, the system is almost full proof if you have patients and time to perfect it.
My advise if your looking for a new sharpening system. Get the Sharpmaker and learn how to use it. Its the last one you will ever need. Plus, this is the sharpening system CRK recommends, so you get my recomendation and theirs.
 
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My latest Mnandi came with a >20 degrees on one side only. For the rest of my CRKs I use a sharpmaker. In the case of the Mnandi I ended up doing a reprofile on the Edge Pro at 18 degrees per side and then moved to the Sharpmaker for a micro bevel. Now touch-ups on the Sharpmaker are easy. As others have said, making sure the edge does not get too dull between touch-ups certainly helps.

DSC_0870.jpg
 
The Spyderco Sharpmaker is recommended by CRK. That's quite an endorsement. No need to think about alternatives. Search this forum and you'll find instructions by Chris Reeve himself.

That said, freehand sharpening is a skill that can and will be acquired by practicing. Once learnt, you can maintain the convex edge of a Sebenza with ease. So my suggestion would be to get a Spyderco Profile Set and learn. It's worth it.
 
I use DMT bench hones, followed by stropping with chromium oxide compound. S35V takes a very fine edge -- my 21 gets as sharp as my very best high carbon steel blades (hair popping).
 
For someone just getting into sharpening I think a sharpmaker and a sharpie pen is the best way to start learning.

Like Haze, I freehand either on stones or with a belt grinder. It wasn't a magical overnight skill to acquire though.
 
+1 on the Sharpmaker.

Haze: I applaud your skills in sharpening free hand. I wish I had that and always wanted to teach myself but so afraid of not keeping the right angle, in regards to the stone and knife angel and messing up my knives. It really bothers me so I dont try.
 
I cannot say enough good things about the Wicked Edge sharpening system. I have owned the DMT Magnaguide and the Edgepro Apex and could never really get the results I wanted. The Wicked Edge is by far the easiest and most intuitive system out there. Sharpening knives use to really stress me out. Now I can reprofile, sharpen, and polish an edge to a razor sharp mirror finish within half an hour consistantly. By far the best knife related purchase I have ever made.
 
Haze said:
I hate sharpening systems of all kinds. I think taking the time to learn to sharpen free hand and learning to enjoy it is in a way honering your knife. I have been sharpening all sorts of things free hand for a long time from chainsaws to brashing axes to pocket knives and some things inbetween so it's easy for me to sit here and talk, but nothing beats that IMO.

I actually prefer to hold the tool in one hand and the stone in the other and sharpen totally free hand with no bench. I picked this up as a habit from my time as a forester and as always old habits die hard. :p:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I do this too and always have. Though, I will say, CRK's convex edges are the absolute worst enemy of the freehand sharpener at first, until the microbevel is formed.

I hate to blaspheme, but I'm not a fan of the convex edge. To me, they are fine if you don't do a lot of cutting with your knife. In that case, they're easy to maintain by periodic stropping. But for heavy cutting that dulls your edge significantly, I've found waterstones and DMT diamond benchstones to be the only way to go to shape and maintain an edge.

To me, using strops and Spydie crocks to sharpen CRK's convex edges when they're dull is akin to trying to move a firetruck by blowing on it gently.

Probably also why my blade edges have shrunken from their original state, but by George, they're sharp. :D

Just my .02.
 
P.S. to my last post...

I understand why CRK chooses the rather thick convexed edge for their S3XV-bladed knives. It's the same logic that car manufacturers apply by now putting rev limiters on their throttle assemblies so that folks don't blow their engines with chronic red-lining.

Prof.
 
I'm really looking at getting a Wicked Edge system for all my CRK's. I've been watching alot of comparison videos of the different sharpening systems, and to me it looks fool proof.
 
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