What method do you use to sharpen a knife?

What method do you most commonly use to sharpen your knives with?

  • Freehand

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Jig/Sharpmaker/Guided Apparattus

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Bench Grinder/Belt Sander/Paper Wheels

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other (please specify in post)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
I am a stropping fiend, by doing that often I seldom need to sharpen, when the need arises I use an old stone that my dad gave me when he was showing me how to sharpen. I have no idea what brand, but it might be an old Norton. For stropping paste I use the pink stuff from Home Depot.

That old stone is pretty fine and not that good for changing the edge geometry, which I always do on some knives especially Queen D2. That task I do on a DMT course diamond stone.

I just replaced an old strop that I have been using for around 25 years with one that Mr Blue (a member here) had made. I really like that new strop he made. He might have some for sale in the exchange forums.
 
I'm a knuckledragger when it comes to sharpening, and a lazy one at that. I use soft and hard Arkansas stones sometimes followed by a lame stropping on my jean leg or a color magazine.
 
Emery boards I picked up in the nail care isle of CVS. Color coded by grit. Buck & a quarter each. I find it easier to get a consistant angle than the mouse pad. I strop on my jeans. I can get them where they'll slice paper cleanly by I'm no sharpening guru. I can't get them to scare the hair off my arm from 3" away.

Frank
 
The majority of the people outside of this forum used a jig, usually a sharpmaker. The results so far are as I expected, the old fashioned way.

I myself normally use a small soft Arkansas stone, it seems finer than my hard Ark for some reason and I get a finer edge with it so that is the one I use. I have a decent collection of natural stones, from a viking whetstone made of Jasper, to both translucent and black Arkansas. I would like to get one of those Belgian Blue stones one day, I probably wouldn't get a lot of use out of it, but I would enjoy owning one. No matter how many different stones I try, I always come back to good old novaculite.

BTW: I don't hold anything against people using jigs, it is a sure way to get the sharpest edge possible, but I like to see old traditions stay alive and freehand sharpening seem to be a dying art these days with all the gimmicks around.
I am the only one I can think of, with the exception of my now deceased grandfather, that can sharpen a knife and the only one that really cares to learn:(.
 
Whetstones for me. I picked up an Arkansas stone, medium and fine grit, and it does the job alright. Need to get a finer grit to finish off my blades, but for the time being, it works fine.

There's just something classic about freehanding that you just don't see nowadays. Sharpmakers, Lanskys, electric sharpeners, they're really making it big these days. However, there's no way in Hell I'd carry around one of these things if the need arises. If I was stuck outdoors for some time, all I'd need is some river rocks and a little time.
 
I've owned 'em all, Sharpmaker, Lansky, Edgepro and in the end I'll always fall back on freehand with a large selection of bench hones/stones includin' diamond hones, all followed by a good Stroppin'.
 
I use the jig, but will usually put the finishing touches on the edge using ceramic sticks, a hard stone, or stropping, depending on what mood I'm in.
 
I prefer a convex edge, so I use various grits of sandpaper with a leather backing. I usually start out with 220 and move up all the way to 2000. After I get the edge I want I don't have to sharpen very much and maintain my knives with a loaded strop.
 
Ever since I got a Lansky about 15 years ago I've been using it to make some really nice edges on my knives. I used to use India stones before that which were dished to hell. They still worked, but my blades looked like hell.

I got a Delta 1x42 sander recently and I'm practicing with it a good deal before I take my nicer knives to it. I'm getting the hang of it ok and have been able to make some ferociously sharp edges, just not consistently right now.
 
The method I use depends on what I am doing.

I'm a geeky kind of guy and like to perform edge retention testing on my blades. To do that, I need to guarantee that the edge angles are all exactly the same. So when I am doing edge retention testing, I use a Sharpmaker. I often use it anyway because I have it and it is easy to use.

Aside from that, I often use a combination India stone that I bought back when Norton was an American company in stead of being owned by the French. I use Gunk Thread Cutting Fluid with it.

And when I sharpen blades with significant levels of Vanadium Carbide, D2, etc, I use a set of DMT diamond hones, because pretty much only diamond is harder than Vanadium Carbide.
 
Well I have a couple of stones that I use and I do it freehand. You just have to keep the angle of the blade and the knife consistent.
 
xbxb said:
Well I have a couple of stones that I use and I do it freehand.

You just have to keep the angle of the blade and the knife consistent.
Click to expand...

This pretty much speaks volumes on what I do as well.. OH and BTW, The emboldened and underlined cannot be emphasized enough, IMO. :thumbup:

I also dry strop on one of several of my good leather belts in the field while hunting and fishing as required. :)


Best,

Anthony
 
Never used a jig, never will. I learned free hand and that's the way I've always done it. I carry a cut down Eze-Lap modle L in my wallet so I can touch up anywhere. I use the back of my belt to strop it off at the finish.
 
I don't like to sit around and whittle hair, so I can get a 'Pop a few hairs' edge on lansky croc sticks, though I should probably upgrade to sharp maker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top