should I be happy....or not.

[getridone]

So, I'm relatively new at trying to get good edges by free handing on various things. This evening I put an edge on my Eskabar that readily shaves leg hair and slices through news print cleanly using my duofold coarse/fine followed by lansky ceramic rod. Prior to this the knife was not able to do either one of those things.

Other than being limited by the size of the duofold for bigger blades, I guess my question is..If you were me, and you found one thing that works good enough for your cutting needs (which this does), would you keep experimenting with other ways (bench stones, arkansas, india, water, etc...), or if it ain't broke, don't fix it and just keep on sharpening the same way. Personally, when I find something that works I tend to stick with that, but on the other hand I sometimes wonder if I was doing something else, might things be better. I do limit myself to freehand systems though...Anybody have any thoughts on the matter??

 

[DrivebyTrucker]

Be happy and proud of what you accomplished. And keep experimenting. What kind of grind is that Eskabar? Is it a full flat with a secondary bevel?

 

[Magnaminous_G]

If you are happy with the results, then there's no need to try anything else. In fact, I applaud you for learning sharpening on a system you can easily take with you into the field! I might replace that lansky rod with the one that screws into its own brass cylinder. It's essentially the same rod, just more convenient for travel. With those two, you are set to sharpen axe heads, knives, and whatever else, in the field or at home. No need to try anything else if you don't need to.

For example, I have some doubts about those folks who learn to sharpen with massive Japanese water stones. What are they going to do? Take 10 lbs of water stones into the woods with them as well as a bucket to soak them in? Of course they won't.

Your angle on the edge looks pretty good, too. If I were you I might just test the edge's durability a bit on some cardboard or wood to see if your razor edge is a wire-edge or a real edge. If it is a real edge, then you're good to go. If it gets dull after a little bit of cardboard cutting, then you might be dealing with a wire edge, in which case you would need to spend more time on the stones.

In conclusion, congrats and don't change a thing!

 

[Wyszrd]

I'm learning to make leather sheaths. I can make a simple pouch sheath that will hold a knife securely. That doesn't mean that I have to stop there and not learn anything else. I can make my stitching straighter, finish my edges better, improve retention, experiment with different finishes/carry styles/accessories, and move on to other sheath styles. There's also stamping, carving, inlay, etc.

I'm a good pistol shot, but I'm always looking for new ways to improve my speed, accuracy, and consistency.

I've heard it said that when you stop learning you stop living, so if the art of putting an edge on steel interests you, by all means experiment. And by all means be happy with the fact that you have learned one technique for accomplishing your goal!

 

[eccvets]

try shaving your face with your blade. Shaving arm and leg hair and being able to comfortably shave your face with a blade is 2 very very different things.

 

[HeavyHanded]

So, I'm relatively new at trying to get good edges by free handing on various things. This evening I put an edge on my Eskabar that readily shaves leg hair and slices through news print cleanly using my duofold coarse/fine followed by lansky ceramic rod. Prior to this the knife was not able to do either one of those things.
Other than being limited by the size of the duofold for bigger blades, I guess my question is..If you were me, and you found one thing that works good enough for your cutting needs (which this does), would you keep experimenting with other ways (bench stones, arkansas, india, water, etc...), or if it ain't broke, don't fix it and just keep on sharpening the same way. Personally, when I find something that works I tend to stick with that, but on the other hand I sometimes wonder if I was doing something else, might things be better. I do limit myself to freehand systems though...Anybody have any thoughts on the matter??

Continue to master this method (good results for your tools BTW). When it comes to freehand every technique or media you learn will help if you switch (or are forces by circumstances) to something different. You could strop on plain newspaper a dozen times/side after the ceramic and you'll see a further improvement with no additional money for materials. Usually I wrap the paper around a stone, but you can just drape it over the edge of a kitchen counter or other hard surface and back-drag the edge at a slightly shallower angle (light pressure) than you used when grinding.

I wouldn't say you need to keep going, but why not as long as you can afford to buy other sharpening gear? That said if the edge does everything you need it too, don't feel as though your edges are substandard because they can't whittle a tick's leg hairs. For day to day, wide variety work, the edge you describe is going to give you a good combination of cutting ability and edge retention.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Having one simple method to do all your sharpening is no doubt a good thing. Having said that, I've always learned more about sharpening in general, every time I've tried a different method or tool. Even if I keep 'falling back' to an old tried-and-true method, the benefits of having tried others have always paid off, big time, in every other 'experiment' I've approached.

I learned volumes about proper angle control and use of pressure, when learning to use a guided system. Didn't fully realize that at the time, but my hands and muscle memory were being automatically conditioned to the process as a whole.

I obsessed over stropping for a good while, until my hands became comfortable with it. That led to a smooth-as-glass transition to convexing, using wet/dry sandpaper over the top of my strop block. Exactly the same technique as stropping, but the easiest method I've found to take a dull-as-a-butterknife blade and, using a range of grits, transform it into a fantastic slicer. The sandpaper really opened my eyes to the effectiveness of silicon carbide abrasives too. So this is also where I really started paying close attention to how certain abrasives can work well (or not so well) with certain steels.

The muscle memory that developed in my hands from the convexing process, then carried over into using hard hones to put nice, new freehand V-bevels on blades, with an edge-leading stroke. The 'feel' for angle and pressure was automatic, based upon what I'd done previously.

I suspect, long-term, the sandpaper-over-strop block method will be my 'go to' method for most of my sharpening tasks. Technique is as simple as can be, materials are dirt cheap, and I've never been disappointed in the edges produced this way. Having said that, I'm grateful that I took the time to play with all those other tools & methods. They were the stepping stones to where I am now, and also the foundation of everything I've learned.

I'll never stop experimenting with new things, I hope. You can never really predict how a new experiment will pay off. But it will always, always pay off.

 

[getridone]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the really thoughtful replies, I do appreciate your time.

I think I would like to experiment with sandpaper, have not done any of that.

And yes, the Eskabar is FFG with a secondary.