Unconventional sharpening

J

Jccrigger

Joined
Jul 15, 2013
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What are some unconventional ways you people sharpen your traditional knives wheather it's your small peanuts, large trappers and stockmans or your fixed bladea with an 8 blade what's some of your uncommon ways of keeping your blades sharp
 
I have been free-handing for over a decade, and I always do it while sitting in my bed, couch, or comfy chair. I hold the stone in my left hand and knife in my right and I work them in unison.
It is the most satisfying and comfortable way to sharpen by far IMO.
 
Not sure this is really unconventional, but when I was a kid in the era of the crock stick, I bought a single white (AlO?) rod about 6". I think I planned to use it like a steel. Well it is one of my go to touchup "stones." I usually finish a full edging with black and green strops and I think the rod actually gets them sharper when they go for touchup.
 
In a pinch,for a 4" or plus size kitchen knife,you can turn a coffee mug upside down there is a ring of un glazed ceramic . Use that to "strop". I use this trick alot while at non knife peeps places when I'm asked to carve meats sometimes. I hate it because most often their knives are basically garbage
 
I also have used the coffee mug trick for honing a knife out someplace where there is nothing else. I've picked up smooth stones from a creek too, and it worked pretty well. I have no idea what grit it would have come out to.

My sister in law, Diane is a great lady, but she does not like sharp knives. Doesn't keep one in the kitchen, I know because I've tried to give her a nice Victorinox chefs knife. I was ove there helping with a dinner once, and she asked me to carve a roast. I had a peanut in my pocket, but even my number 8 Opinel would have been too small. She had a nice selection of dull knives, so I picked one that looked like a carving knife profile. Took it out front to the cement front porch. The steps were a nice smoothly finished cement, and I honed that knife on the top step, and it got a very nice aggressive edge that worked well on the meat. Di wrapped up the blade in a paper towel and kept it in the drawer for me to use when I was there. I had just done what I saw those Italian ladies do when I was stationed over there for a while. Every day about 1700 (5pm for the civilians) they would get ready to start evening dinner, and go out to the stone steps and hone their knives. Probably generations of them had been doing that and learned from their mothers. So I just did the same with Di's kitchen knife. Worked like a charm.

Carl.
 
I've used the to rounded edge of a car window for an emergency hone, sand paper, I also have a 10" X 4" ceramic flange I got from work, it was supposed be used on some kind of vapor deposition system, it cost over $5,000 and because it had a little chip in it it was useless to them but if so valuable to me.


I learned how to free hand sharpen my blade 40 years ago, that was all I knew for 20 years, I got lots of practice.

Here's what I use the ceramic flange is at the bottom, in the bottom pic, just left of center.

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I think the most 'unconventional' (by today's standards) method I've used so far, was to use a piece of red sandstone I picked up on an outdoor walk. I'd always been on the lookout for stones/rocks or other natural 'found' materials to use for sharpening. I flattened one face of the sandstone against the concrete in the carport outside, and then used the sandstone wet, like a waterstone. Works up a super-fine slurry this way. Using back/forth 'scrubbing' strokes on the wet stone, I completely re-bevelled a Case Tru-Sharp trapper's spey blade with it, finishing with lighter, edge-trailing strokes. Interestingly, the edge produced was very similar to the somewhat coarse, but wicked-sharp edges seen on Case's Tru-Sharp blades from the factory. Was able to shave hair from my forearm with it. Taking it another step further, I used some of the fine slurry from the sandstone to de-burr the edge, with the slurry rubbed into a cheap leather paddle strop I wasn't otherwise using for anything else.

I learned a ton from that exercise, and am quite proud that I was able to step back a little in time and use an 'old school' piece of sandstone picked off the ground to completely re-bevel, refine and finish the edge on that knife. I'm still looking out for a larger piece of the same sandstone, to do some more of this. The piece I did use was just 'pocket-sized', and it erodes pretty fast when used wet. Not too much of it left.


David
 
I'll occasionally sharpen on the bottom of coffee mugs and strop on the cover of a magazine. I have coffee mugs in several grits on my desk at work. :)

It amazes my coworkers when I can take their abused edges and get them to paper-cutting sharp by doing that.

Weirdest ever was using the underside of the lid of a toilet tank at a hotel. Nicely unfinished fairly coarse ceramic for setting a fast bevel. Then used the underside of a hotel coffee mug for a finer grind, and finished up on a catalog cover as a strop.
 
jackknife said:
I had just done what I saw those Italian ladies do when I was stationed over there for a while. Every day about 1700 (5pm for the civilians) they would get ready to start evening dinner, and go out to the stone steps and hone their knives. Probably generations of them had been doing that and learned from their mothers. So I just did the same with Di's kitchen knife. Worked like a charm.
Click to expand...

When I was a kid growing up in Sheffield, it was not uncommon to see women sharpening knives on the front step :)

knarfeng said:
OK. John wins.
Click to expand...

:D
 
I've been using this sandblaster nozzle since rescuing it from the shop I worked at that closed down.
I don't know why it was there,because we didn't have a sandblaster,but it sure does sharpen a knife up great.
Too bad about the color,but if it works as good as it does I can forgive that little idiosyncrasy.

DSCN0061.jpg
 
Powertools grinder......:D:eek::eek:

When I was a small boy, a neighbour who was a well-to-do lawyer also used the backdoorstep (some kind of sandstones?) as the carving knife sharpener. Let's just say the edge looked a bit uneven as far as I can remember

I use cardboard to strop as I've never got round to getting leather or those costly compounds...works OK though.

That toilet cistern is really innovative piece of re-cycling :thumbup: Not too portable mind:D
 
There's a rusty coloured patch on the concrete in front of my shed where I start the retouching of vintage (see: blunt) tools inherited from my granda. Get some odd looks from the neighbour, on my knees grinding steel against the floor :)
I also once used half a brick to put an edge on an axe, at a houseparty. Firewood needed chopping, and the lack of sharpness offended me greatly.

I think the weirdest technique I've heard of is stropping a blade on your hand. Not something I've tried, but I'm informed it works.
 
I've got a 4 1/2 filament out of a shop light that is no good. Rick Menefee gave it to me and said it is about 2000 grit. Does work to put a finish edge on your blade. For strops I have used my palm or even a piece of card board to slick them up.
 
ive used car windows, bricks, various types of cups and dishes and concrete. the wife has some old porcelain labware (made by coors lol) that i have used.
jc57; im gonna remember the toilet tank lid trick!
 
I used to use the sole of my shoe as a strop back when shoes were made of leather.
 


This (above)is an interesting customised Sheffield knife. It was made by Firths as a cafe knife, and is marked ‘Mecca Cafes’ on the surface. Shortly after the end of World War 2, in 1945, Mr J Unwin of Mexborough near Sheffield wrote to Firths as follows:

“Sir

“I have just returned from a Prisoner of War camp in Siam and would like to pay tribute to the makers of the enclosed knife.

“I found it in Singapore and while in Siam I shortened and shaped it for a razor. Needless to say it proved its makers and steel, and was the only means of my comrades and I to keep clean-shaven.

“Hundreds of shaves it gave us and we were lucky enough to keep it out of the ‘Jap’s’ hands.

“So many thanks again for the excellent steel and make. I hope the firm will keep it as a small souvenir from a P.O.W.

“Yours sincerely

“J.Unwin”

Shows what can be done with a bit of ingenuity eh? :)
 
I have used the top of a car window, and it works pretty well. I have also touched up the edge on a knife by stropping it on a cartridge case. 45/70 works well, or a 30-06.
 
On a few occassions, I've used another knife as a steel for taking out small dings in the edge. I have a few "super steel" blades that are easily in the lower 60's as far as Rc hardness, and the back of the blade will make quick work out of a damaged fine edge.

I also wear a tungsten ring that has served the same purpose. It won't sharpen an edge, as it's too smooth, but it will straighten out a folded over fine edge.
 
Daniel Dorn said:
On a few occassions, I've used another knife as a steel for taking out small dings in the edge. I have a few "super steel" blades that are easily in the lower 60's as far as Rc hardness, and the back of the blade will make quick work out of a damaged fine edge.

I also wear a tungsten ring that has served the same purpose. It won't sharpen an edge, as it's too smooth, but it will straighten out a folded over fine edge.
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I have to say, I've done both of these. I often use the spine of my knife to give a few licks to a friend's rolled edge, bringing someone's knife back to serviceable sharpness in a matter of moments.
Also, I wear a titanium wedding ring, and used it once as a steel to straighten out a rolled 1095 blade edge. That was several years ago, when the ring still easily slipped on and off, and I removed it and set it down on a table top. These days, that ring has been on my finger for so long that it'd probably be easier to bite through it than to slide it off. ;)
:thumbup:

After learning the coffee mug and car window tricks from Carl, I've used both with great success on many occasions.
That experience has opened my eyes. Now, I hone my blades on everything! :D
 
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