sharpenning discussion

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diogo

Joined
Nov 14, 2002
Messages
63
Hi everybody!

What do you think about sharing our sharpening techniques, systems and oppinions?

My sharpening technique uses a medium-fine grit stone, fine grit sand paper, a piece of leader, a broomstick and three clamps.
I start with the stone alternating each side of the edge. Each strike i done allways in the opposite direction one uses to cut. The edge is allways perpendicular to the line of stell dust that forms on the stone surface. Each strike starts on the tip and ends on the bottom of the blade in order to cover the whole edge on each strike. When the edge grabs your upper finger's skin put the sand paper (800-1200 grit) arround the broomstick and polish until it's almost a mirror ten repeat using a leader piece.
Your edge should be good shaver at this point tough it won't be as sharp as my scalion (kershaw).

Try it and good luck
 
the clamps are used to grab the streched sand paper, or piece of leader to the broomstick.
 
To keep the edge perpendicular to the line of steel dust that forms you must follow the shape of the blade.
This system is simple, economic and works on every blade. you have my word on it! It requires a little experience before achieving good results.
You sould put some pressure on the blade at the begining (in the stone fase) and then decrease. On the step II when you use sand paper you shouldn't use as much preassure on the begining and decrease it gradually. Finally when you are using the leader you may increase the preassure.
 
I've been using a Chef's Choice electric sharpener recently and the results have been amazing. However, you have to be careful with this unit as it can create an inconsistent bevel if you are not careful. KEEP YOUR SERRATED BLADES AWAY FROM IT. (I use a Spyderco ceramic stick system for those)

Hope this helps.
 
I got a few differant ways of sharpening a knife. Depends on how dull the knife is, what kind of knife ? thickness, steel, use etc.
Even though some people dont like it, I have had a fair amount of success with the Lansky system. With really dull blades, especially hard steel ones, I have a Gerber diamond round sharpener, its about the size of a pencil. I duct tape a aluminum rod to it and use it in the Lansky, at whatever angle I choose. After I raise a good burr ( wire) I flip the knife around and do the other side.
Then, I use the course, then medium, then fine grit stones. AS needed .
And then, its the sharpmaker. The course and then the fine stones.
Finally, a strop. Currently I use a piece of pine with some valve grinding lubricant on it. I like the soft pine better then a piece of leather.
Now, if a knife just needs touch up then its the Sharpmaker.
Or some knives just sharpen real easy (440c ) then the sharpmaker is all I need. For example, most of my kitchen knives.
Now, My kitchen knives get steeled a lot. I have very old steel that just gets the edge right on them.
I am trying to learn how to sharpen a knife on a round 6 " disk or a flat platnum, that I got . Its a 4 " x 36 " belt with a disk sander on the side.
So far I am not having any luck with it. I killed a lot of junk steel though, not my good knives.

So thats my basic procedure on how I sharpen.
Good Luck
Jack
 
Sharpening is a life-long learning experience, so my techniques and gear have changed a bit. Now I use quite a variety ofstuff, and each item serves an important purpose. Essentially, I have 3 "systems"- Razor's Edge pro system with guide clamps, Spyderco Sharpmaker, and my belt sander/buffer.

Sharpmaker gets used for serrated blades and some other things I sharpen. I find the 2 grits to be very good, and set-up ad clean-up is easy! Sometimes I'll swipe my EDC blades on the sharpmaker stones while I have them out.

The Razor's Edge kit doesn't usually get used with the guides, but sometimes I do use them. I like this kit because the stones are big, the case is easy to carry around and the coarse hone cuts FAST! I usually take this kit with me when visiting relatives and use it to sharpen kitchen cutlery.

My belt sander/buffer gets used when I have it all set up for knife making. Belt sanders kick butt! I can sharpen axes shovesl, folders, kitchen knives, etc. on my belt sander. Ant convex edges... oh baby... so easy to put on! I can get a toothy edge by using something like an 120 grit belt and a quick buff with chromium oxide. Or I can get a super push cutter by going up into the 400/600 grit of belt and spending a little longer buffing. You have to learn to be light and fast with the grinder, but anyone can learn to do it. But this systed takes the longest time for me to set-up/clean-up, since my tools are put away in the shed after use. And there is a greater risk of damazing the blade, from too much heat or too much pressure, etc. But it is no more care than one needs when driving a car.

Lately though I've been really getting into waterstones. I have a "medium" stone here, which I think is 1000 or 1200 grit. I sharpened an inexpensive chef's knife and my custom Allen Blade MEUK made from O1 witht he stone a few weeks ago, and the edge produces was awesome! The edge is polished, but toothy. I'd recommend a 1200 grit waterstone for EDC type knives, and for kitchen use.

I see 2 trends with me and sharpening. I am more and more interested in getting "perfect" edges, so I am concerned a lot more with holding angles on my belt sander, doing the magic marker trick on the sharpmaker, etc. But at the same time, I am developing my hand sharpening skills. Jigs are great, but hand sharpening is fun and with practice you can get amazing results. My MEUK sharpening experience proved that to me! I took my time, looked at the edge prequently, and tried to listen to the feel of the knife on the stone. It worked! Of course, Rambo 1 was on t.v. at the same time, so maybe the spirit of Rambo had something to do with it all :)
 
Just bought an Edge Pro a couple of weeks ago and it blew me away.

I've tried them all(Spyderco, Lansky, Gatco, Diamond, Arkansaw, Japenese Waterstones), and for the most part they all have their place.

Freehand will always be the way to go for me, and when I get a chance I'll repost my complete process for free hand sharpening.
 
Originally posted by Crayola
Jigs are great, but hand sharpening is fun and with practice you can get amazing results. My MEUK sharpening experience proved that to me! I took my time, looked at the edge prequently, and tried to listen to the feel of the knife on the stone. It worked! Of course, Rambo 1 was on t.v. at the same time, so maybe the spirit of Rambo had something to do with it all :)
Click to expand...
LOL. It might not be the spirit of Rambo, but for me freehand sharpening has a certain spiritual aspect to it, like meditation.
 
Hi guys! Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope this issue interests you as it is important to me.

By the way, has any of you have a hand system of sharpening serrated blades that produces a regular and consistent edge?

Our colleague Harpy has posted an explanation on how he stropps a blade using a shoe lace embebd with a silver polishing product(I can't find it so I won´t post a shortcut here, sorry). I didn't actually tryed it because I have some doubts:

Harpy, do really you use only one shoe lace, Doesn´t it deform your edge?

How do you stropp the blade? Do you cover the whole blade on each stropp? How do you stropp the serrated edges (explain me the movement you make please)?

Thank you!
 
Some knife makers use freehand sharpening because it produces sort of a curved V shape edge that lasts longer... Since I only use freehand sharpening I cant tell the difference... Did any of you notice that difference?
As far as I can tell it is only a marketing technique...
 
Diogo,
I use the shoelace strop on my serrated harpy. I strop as normal drawing the edge of the blade across the lace with the edge trailing.. It's not as efective as a normal strop but it works great for serrated blade maintanance. No edge deformation unter a 10x loupe either.
 
It actually works!

I tried it in a D2 steel ka-bar folder and gess what, after that procedure I've described before in the leader stropping fase I aided some silver polishing product to the leader stropp and let it dry, as suggested by harpy. I stropped and the result was a true mirror polished surgical edge. I've never seen or had a blade so sharpened nor even Microtech or Kershaw factory edges come that sharp.

Thank you for the advise Harpy! I'll try your protocol in my serrated blades!
 
Interesting/fun stuff guys....thanks :)


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
Hi T.Erdelyi!

I don't want to be a "pain..." but I'm still curious about your freehand sharpening protocol...
 
I like to use a Razor edge knife guide. Its easy to get the angle of the blade consistant. I use a piece of paper to determine the angles of the primary and secondary edge. Fold the corner of the paper once to make a 45 degree agle, then fold 2 more times to make a 11.25 degree angle. 11.25 for secondary edge then for the primary edge-22.5. I use water stones from 220-8000 grit. Depending on how sharp the blade is. I have an easier time sharpening my knives once a week rather waiting till they get completely dull.
 
Originally posted by diogo
Hi T.Erdelyi!

I don't want to be a "pain..." but I'm still curious about your freehand sharpening protocol...
Click to expand...

No problem diogo, I had to search for it as a thread from awhile back, I lost the original from my HD, anyway here it is, BTW there is another version in the past posts, if I find it I'll redo that one too.

Having been sharpening my own blades for the last 20 years I've come to notice a few things in regards to what you use to sharpen a knife. Diamond hones remove massive amounts of steel and sharpen a blade fast but even with the finest hone you will still need to finish your blade on a strop or ceramic hone to smooth out the edge. Always sharpen at the desired angle,(between 17-24 degrees, depending on the thickness of the blade) till you get a wire edge on one side, (the best way to feel for this is to slide your thumbnail from the spine side, or back of the blade towards the edge) when you encounter a wire edge it will feel like a little lip has formed where the wire edge has rolled over. Next sharpen the opposite side till you achieve the same result. Done on a Fine Diamond Hone, finish off by repeating the process using lighter pressure on each subsequent stroke and the wire edge will become smaller. When the wire edge is barely noticeable with your fingernail. Finish with a leather strop and stropping compound by applying a reasonable amount of force and dragging the blade backwards on the leather at a slightly less angle than you sharpened,(the leather will actually curl around the edge of the blade and wear off the wire edge) after a few strokes on the leather on both side you should have a finished edge. When the edge of the sharpened blade is rested on the smooth part of your thumbnail it will dig in, (bite into the nail with no additional pressure), Your knife should now be shaving sharp.

Diamonds are more aggressive and faster than wet stones or oilstones but will accomplish the same results with a smoother more polished edge, and depending on the grit of the stone may take a lot longer. The key either way is repetition, the more you perform the same task your brain starts memorizing the pathways through your body needed to accomplish this task. Eventually holding an angle, smoothness of stroke, all become second nature, and the task becomes easier. That’s why it always looks easier when someone else whose good at it does it.

My way is not the only way but it works for me, if you feel confident enough to attempt your own blades, start on a cheaper knife that your not afraid of ruining, and remember it’s easier to sharpen a knife that’s not dull, than to sharpen one that is. So don’t wait till your knife won’t even cut butter before you dress up that edge. LOL

PS as for my preference I prefer a diamond hone just because I think it's quicker, and more versatile I can accomplish the same thing with one hone by just varying pressure to the blade as I sharpen.
 
I often sharpen my dick in every nice pussy that comes my way. I´m an expert in all techniques and styles...
 
What is this???? I'm glad he was banned....

Thank you very much T. Erdelyi! I'll try it and post here the results
 
Hi all,

Here at the store I have set up a paper wheel grinder. One wheel is a 3/4" cardboard wheel with a fine diamond dust glued to it. The other wheel the same size cardboard wheel with slots cut into it at spaced intervals. I have the grinder set up backward so the wheels turn up and back instead of down and forward. It is set up next to a sink so I have access to running water to keep the blade cool.

This has been the best system for the amount of knives we sharpen daily. I have looked at so many systems and decided on this one for the cost, versatility of all grind styles, and ease of teaching employees.

Since the wheel turns backward, I can sharpen off the top of the wheel. That allows me to easily see the angle I'm trying to acheve. If the knife is dull, I start on the gritted side. Make a pass, dunk blade in water, make a pass, dunk, etc. I generally do one to two passes on one side before turning over. The idea is to make sure I have a wire edge on one side before turning over. Sometimes if the knife is extremely dull, it may take three passes. I then turn the knife over and making sure I dunk the blade after each pass, bring up a wire edge on that side.

Now I change to the slotted cardboard side. I use white rouge on the wheel to help polish the edge. This time I am trying to take off that wire edge, so I make a pass, dunk, turn over, make a pass, etc. until that wire edge is completely gone. At this point it is consistantly shaving to hair popping sharp. About 70% of the time I can cut a dangling hair with the knife.

All of this is done free-hand. It takes a while to learn, but I can teach a motivated employee to keep an angle with one to two weeks of practice. I can do concave, convex, chisel, and flat grinds with this system. I can even reprofile a broken blade with a little effort. For serrated knives, I use a either an EZE Lap tapered diamond sharpener, or a diamond Sharpmaker stick. These two cover all the serrations I've come up across. I just file each individual serration and then carefully polish off the wire edge on the back.

When the store moves in January, I will need to set up two grinders. I am planning on a sharpening seminar in the spring where I will show that you can sharpen (actually steel) the edge of a knife with a florescent light bulb. Yes it's showmanship, but an effective way to demonstrate how steeling works.

If you haven't noticed, I enjoy sharpening.

Pam

edited for spelling.
 
Pam, I deleted your double post.

I also banned Kuduro yesterday evening after coming across his asinine remarks.
 
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