Simple way to improve sharpening accuracy.

W

WilliePete

Joined
Apr 28, 2001
Messages
125
I stumbled onto this and thought you guys might like to try it. If you use a system that depends on stroking the knife down an abrasive surface that is mounted at a fixed angle, this will work.(Crock sticks, Sharpmaker, Smith's Ceramic Sticks, etc..) Be sure that your sharpener is sitting on a level surface. Get one of those spirit filled line levels (about three inches long, with hooks on it to hang from a string), and hold this in place across the back of your knife handle, with your thumb (its ok if the part with the bubble sits off to one side as long as the bottom of the level is held firmly against the back of the handle). Place the knife at the top of the crock stick, and center up the bubble prior to making your stroke. Try to concentrate on holding the blade plumb as you sharpen. I was surprised at how far out of plumb I had been when just "eyeballing it". This works real well on knives with a little width: SAK Soldier, all my Benchmades; and not so well on thin handled knives like my Delica. Good luck.
 
Aha, good idea, Willie. Now to achieve that steady, surgeon grip! Steady, hand, steady.

rhettfcr
 
I know that a real knife lover actually enjoys sharpening his own knifes. I considder myself to be a real knife-lover but I am very clumsy and it seems like a sin to damage a nice high end knife, due to my lack of dexterity. I also take into account that excessive sharpening wears down a knife, each time a bit of metal dissapears. Over here the butchers and cooks have knifes that end up half of their width, it is really ugly and cutting power is compromised (the steel is thicker there on top, so more resistance). That's why I reluctantly withold to sharpen, if it is not dull then I don't touch it. I'm planning to bring the ones that need sharpening and my serrated blades to a specialist in knife sharpening, he is a few blocks away from my home and does supposedly a nice job. I know, perhaps I'm too anxious but most of my knifes (I have a collection the value of a months wage and I've barely started), my knifes although good quality serve predominantly for admirring purposes, a "healthy, strong" knife is really beautifull to me.

Here is a listing of the blades I already own:

*Al Mar SERE-2K (VG-10): very sturdy, sharp, well designed, low maintenance, can be rather easily concealed (I coloured the clip black with a permanent marking pencil, I know there are more sophisticated ways of adjusting the clip but as I'm no handyman, I've opted for the simple and reversable way.)

*Spyderco Howard Viele - new type in VG-10 - full serrated: very nice looking, a real beaut. Quick deployment and easy to maintain. I now see what all the fuss is about regarding VG-10, it's a though do-it-all and takes and holds a keen edge. It can also be polished to give it a lustreous shine... A question, the serrations only show at one side, the other side is just flat, is that normal?

*Cold Steel - Black Bear classic: a big, subhilted (more control, less chance of being disarmed) fixed blade that looks very good, blade and tang are one strong piece. Handle in micarta, showing the fixing spikes. The people of Cold steel claimed it would boast a razorsharp double edge, but in fact there only one edge sharpened and not even that sharp, you can almost not dent your finger. I will hand the knife to a pro and ask for both sides to be honed razorsharp. It's a fighting knife, not utility, very low use and If once needed a nicely sharpened edge is required (two nicely sharpend edges are even better). When it gets its touchup by a pro-sharpener, I will ask for a small angle and coarse grit: to obtain micro serrations. That knife should penetrate human tissue without effort and do a maximum of damage to my potential assailants. Sheath included.

*Boker folder, ceramic "no honing" blade with good edge, titanium handle (very light): the knife is brittle and can actually fall to pieces so only carefull use. It's really a genteman's folder, very nice design, extremely corrosion resistant blade (though attention to pivot area is required as it contains common stainless steel, no need to sharpen when used apppropiatly ( if you have to cut food or something, put something soft under it that spares the edge), very light, suited for EDC. A fine knife for small cutting tasks, will last indefenitly, no chopping are hammering allowed, to brittle for selfdefence, this is the knife you should produce in the company of "sheeple" to cut of the end of a cigar...

*SOG SEAL, fixed blade, though handle, combo edge, not that sharp, beautifull grey, matte finish, sheath and lanyard included

*SOG powerplier needlenose multitool, coated with titanium-nitride to a gold colour, coating increases wear resistance and really protects the steel, it is rather expensive though. The blade inside is rather small and not that sharp, a bit dissapointing, the tool does not seem up to substantial cutting tasks. This tool hangs on my belt permenantly, I'm a street-cop, and has already been usefull (great help for cleaning pistol, excellent for hard to reach places). But I need at least one more knife for emergency self protection: really really sharp, concealable, rust ressistant (though I will regulary rinse it down with hot, fresh water and when it is dry I will give it a coating with thick adhesive heavy duty oil, sure, it attracts dirt but that's why I rince regulary, the pasty adhesive oil is odourless but toxic (not suited for food contact) and offers excellent protection and even facilates penetration capabilities when deployed. This type of lubing involves regular review but does an excellent job (even stainless steel is suscetible to rusting, especially when it is often close to hot humid sweaty (salty!) area's. quick and easy deployment, dependable strong locking mechanism if it is a folder, preferably double edged, no utility needs, very sporadic use, rapid and simple deployment, must be fitted with lanyard hole to facilatate retrieval (a strong, long shoelace should do the job, one end tied to my belt, the other end fixed to the knife-handle that's kept concealed... A shoelace for combatshoes (black) seems strong enough and long enough to prevent it from impairing the reach of the blade... if really needed you can cut the shoelace and later replace it (cheap).

Any comments are welcome, I also started a thread regarding my emergency selfdefence blade as last resort backup for street cops. I'm very fond of high quality knifes and care for them as the were my babies ;-)

Stay sharp and be prepared :-)
 
hmm, wonder if I could rig a way to attach it so it stays on....

Then I would not have to recheck myself as often.
 
koolstof, you've got a nice collection, mostly different styles to cover different needs.

Sharpening isn't really hard to do, and touching up is even easier. You don't have to remove a lot of metal to keep a good edge. In fact, it's easier to maintain an edge than to restore one, once the blade goes really dull.

I agree with a lot of people here that the Spyderco Sharpmaker is an excellent system for maintaining a good edge. I generally only use the fine rods for a few strokes, when I think a blade is "losing it".

Don't worry about messing up a good blade -- buy a cheap one. Get a small, inexpensive fixed blade for sharpening practice, to develop your technique. You'll see, it won't take long.
 
thanks, I'm gathering the courage needed to do my own sharpening. I still haven't the gear needed for sharpening, not to speak of the skill. So I want to stress that your considerrations regarding suitable sharpening gear are more than welcome. A setting with the rods in the different angles seems effective and rather simple to perform. Freehand on a benchstone seems to me an over-optimistic approach that does not keeps in mind that I'm really clumsy... Although... I feel tempted to gradually learn to do it because I believe that it offers most of the possibilities to "shape" your edge and produces a real impeccable result when done right. I relactantly look forward to the day that I freehand-sharpen my outstanding VG-10 folders, sooooooooo scared of doing "my babies" wrong...

Does the Spyderco Tri-Angle setting guarantee a nice sharpening job, in particular of non-Spydercos and serrated knifes. In other terms, is that system fit for general use, fit to act is principal sharpening system. If not, I would be thrilled with your suggestions. I'm eager to learn and experience (but somewhat reluctant because "experience" implies failure and mistakes, and that's something my exquisite knifes do not deserve). A lot of practise with cheap, replacable knives to master the freehand/benchstone technique seems unavoidable. Does this technique really delivers the best results when done properly? And is their any other manner of sharpening (my serrated blades are fit for sharpening on the Spyderco-Tri-Angle?) And is the Tri-Angle adequate and actually all I need, will it take care of a wide range of blades and edges? (yeah, I know, I'm a freehand-chicken).

Comments on different sharpening methods, their pro and con's, answers to questions like: "Do I need a diamond sharpening surface to preserve the keen edge of CPM440V-blades?"

I sharpening system may be time consuming to me, I prefer that if it comes with a substantial "margin of error" and the ability to correct myself.
 
The Sharpmaker is almost intuitive. I began sharpening while I was still watching the enclosed video, after reading the pamphlet. The only skills you need are holding the knife correctly and stroking down the rods smoothly and not pressing too hard. The system takes care of the rest.

What the basic Sharpmaker will not do is reprofile, or sharpen a really, really dull blade quickly. For that, you would need the diamond rods, which are an addition to the system that costs about as much as the Sharpmaker itself.

Since your knives are in good shape now, don't jump into that right away. Just get the Sharpmaker Model 204, just under %50 here.

The Sharpmaker gives you the option of using the coarse or fine rods, the flat of the rods or just the edges, for different sharpening needs (as the instructions will explain). One of the Sharpmaker's greatest strengths is that it does serrations extremely well. It also does non-knife sharpening well -- I've done scissors, nail-clippers, and potato-peelers easily.

And if you want to practice free-hand, eventually, you can set the Sharpmaker up as a benchstone, too.
 
ok so how would I use my emerson cqc-7a double-v ground(at least thats what it says it is, its only sharpened on one side) on my crockstick? I know use it only on one side, but would it provide the same angle. I'm scared to sharpen it yet I want it shaving sharp.
 
I don't want to touch my knives because I'm scared to damage them, but I realize it is essential in order to keep enjoying the benefits of your collection. I think I will go with the Spyderco sharpening system, to start off and to get myself to learn the benefits of a good sharpening job and thus increasing my willingness to "compromise to virgin-integrity of my knives" in order to make them more performant and keep them like that.


One small step after another I'm growing into a hardcore knife-buff :-)
 
koolstof, this is something most knife knuts go through, I think. Usually we go right ahead with our cheap knives and bang them up, cutting and prying and digging in the dirt, but when it comes to a more expensive knife, we wonder if we can use it at all ... like a Sebenza or especially a decorated Sebenza.

There are guys with high end Striders or Busses who are afraid of that first scratch, but Strider and Busse make knives specifically for the harshest conditions the owner may face. Your Sere and Black Bear and SOG Seal were made for heavy use -- they don't look right without scratches!

I can be meticulous with the edges of my knives. I inspect them under magnification, and I can tell each time I sharpen how much of an effect I've had. I see the change in the bevel, or the marks left by the manufacturer as opposed to the different marks left by my Sharpmaker or whatever freehand method I'm using. Only then do I know what kind of sharp the edge is.

And there are different sharpnesses. You may be sharpening to a slicing edge when what you need is a blunter, more robust edge. With the Sharpmaker, you can even approximate a convex edge.

"After the first scratch, there is no other!"
 
Commando Joe, and everyone interested in any kind of sharpening, you really should go to the very top of the page here, check out TUTORIALS/FAQS, and especially the Knowledge Base. See everything by Joe Talmadge.

There are a few threads on the Emerson forum on sharpening. This is the list that my Search of that forum found.

Browsing through it, I found this post that may help you right away. He's using the Sharpmaker, but you'll see his technique is applicable to crocksticks as well.

James Y
Basic Member

Registered: Feb 1999
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1561
I have 3 different CQC7A's and the oldest one I had to sharpen, it was my first one-sided grind that I needed to resharpen. I used my Sharpmaker, BUT...I did not keep my knife perfectly verticle, but pressed the edge against the rods first, to determine the exact angle of the edge in relation to the rods. Then I resharpened only the sharpened side, after which i lightly ran off the burr on the opposite flat side by bringing the blade down almost flat to the rod once or twice using the weight of the knife and no force. I got that edge very sharp, it cuts nicely, though it may not necessarily feel as sharp as a razor. That could be due to my own inexperience, though. I didn't find it any more difficult than a conventionally-ground knife, you just gotta remember the edge is NOT ground at the 20-degree angle. More like 25 to 30 degrees on the sharpened side.
Jim

07-15-2002 03:31 PM
 
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