What do you need to sharpen a knife?

The Moose

The Moose

Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
376
Whats a Norton fine stone?
Arkansas stone?
Diamond stone?
How big should they be to sharpen a DogFather?
Whats the best sharpening method in your opinion?
Lots of questions, thanks :]
 
the paper wheel sharpening system i have been using the past 16+ years has always gave me good results. i used to use stones freehand until i bought an e z sharp. i gave it to my cousin once i bought the wheels. here is a video of a knife i made that was sharpened on the wheels slicing newspaper http://www.myculpeper.com/richardj/MLNA0018.AVI once you learn how to use them you can sharpen just about any knife. i have even sharpened a 3' machete that was made in south america. it was a bear but i got it done.
 
I would do a search on Joe Talmadge. He has a great web book on sharpening.

Other than that, I would buy 3 diamond stones, course, medium and fine.

A couple of tips:
Don't put too much pressure when trying to sharpen. In beginning, I would practice on a chunk of wood, over and over again. Why waste steel and grit? This will help you get the form down. It will take you some time.

good luck
 
I'd suggest first understanding the principles of sharpening. Otherwise it's not likely you will get consistently good edges. Joe Talmadge's online sharpening article is great http://www.knifeart.com/sharfaqbyjoe.html and I'd suggest reading The Razor Edge Book Of Sharpening by John Juranitch (which Mr. Talmadge recommends). After you understand the basics and can get a knife sharp every time you might want to think about a convex edge, which many people here prefer.

I like and use Razor Edge hones. The 8" sharpens my Battle Rat, which is about the same size as a Dogfather. You can use a smaller hone but it takes a little longer to sharpen.
 
moose1132 said:
Whats a Norton fine stone?
Arkansas stone?
Diamond stone?
How big should they be to sharpen a DogFather?
Whats the best sharpening method in your opinion?
Lots of questions, thanks :]
Click to expand...

Norton Fine stone: This is usually refers to a Norton "Fine India" stone, a man-made, aluminum oxide ceramic stone. It is manufactured by Norton Abrasives, now a division of St. Gobain. Norton also makes there Crystolon stones, which are Silicon carbide. Silicon carbide is harder than Aluminum oxide and is usually coarser, even if it is called "fine"
http://www.nortonstones.com/Data/El...it.asp?ele_ch_id=L0000000000000004977&Lang=US

Arkansas Stone: This is a natural stone. These come in soft, hard, and very hard, (Washita, white, black) The grit size decreases with the increase in hardness. These, being natural stones, are available from a number of companies.

Diamond stone: A metal plate into the surface of which fine diamonds are set.

For a large knife, I like a 6" or 8" stone. I said "like" not "need".

If I am free handing, I like a Norton combo stone with a medium Crystolon on one side, Fine India on the other. I use Gunk Thread Cuttling Oil as a lubricant. I find the edge I get from this combination works for me in my everday cutting uses. If I am sharpening prior to edge retention testing, I start that way to rebevel the edge, then finish up on a Spyderco Sharpmaker to guarranty that my edge bevels are all the same angle.

But there are lots of ways to sharpen and there are lots of folks here that are way better at sharpening than I.
 
To sharpen a steel knife you need something to abrade the edges of the knife.

To sharpen a stone knife you need something to apply pressure to the edge of the stone so as to break it as cleanly as possible and in a straight line.
 
richard j said:
the paper wheel sharpening system i have been using the past 16+ years has always gave me good results. i used to use stones freehand until i bought an e z sharp. i gave it to my cousin once i bought the wheels. here is a video of a knife i made that was sharpened on the wheels slicing newspaper http://www.myculpeper.com/richardj/MLNA0018.AVI once you learn how to use them you can sharpen just about any knife. i have even sharpened a 3' machete that was made in south america. it was a bear but i got it done.
Click to expand...

What advantages do the wheels have compared to stones and a strop?
 
speed is one advantage. it doesnt take me long to put an edge on a knife with the wheels and i hardly have a knife that i cant get shaving sharp unless its cheap steel. most of the time i can get by with just touching up the edge on the buffing wheel which only takes a few seconds compared to hand stropping. when i put a convex edge on using my belt sander i finish it off with the buffing wheel. i never thought of this before until now but the wheels have another advantage over hand stropping. my hands constantly hurt and the last thing i want to do is hand strop an edge until its sharp. i can get the same results in seconds compared to minutes.
 
Can you compare the results from the wheels to what comes off a leather belt on a small belt sander? I've only had one experience with the wheels, and was not impressed. It was at a show several years ago in N.C.
 
to the OP;

all i need are a small pocket stone and a loaded strop. with some practice, that's all you will need too

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this was sharpened right after having been thrown blade-first into my pal's lawn. he thought it was a good idea, and i didn't realize what his intentions were until too late...oh well its just a beater.
 
the edge from the wheels is highly polished and takes only a few passes on each side. i dont use a leather strop anymore so i cant compare the results. i did sharpen a straight razor for a friend who used it to shave with and he said it worked better than an electric shaver or disposable razor. i had a friend use one of my knives to dry shave his head in a small area and he liked the results better than with anything else. i used to sharpen by hand until i bought the wheels. hand sharpening is something everyone should learn to do but to me the wheels are much faster and easier.
 
richard j said:
the edge from the wheels is highly polished and takes only a few passes on each side. i dont use a leather strop anymore so i cant compare the results. i did sharpen a straight razor for a friend who used it to shave with and he said it worked better than an electric shaver or disposable razor. i had a friend use one of my knives to dry shave his head in a small area and he liked the results better than with anything else. i used to sharpen by hand until i bought the wheels. hand sharpening is something everyone should learn to do but to me the wheels are much faster and easier.
Click to expand...

Do you have a postal scale and thread to measure sharpness with?
 
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