Where to start with freehand sharpening

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mdsmith

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Jan 7, 2009
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Hey guys. I'm really interested in learning to freehand sharpen, especially putting on and maintaining a convex edge. So far, I've only ever had luck sharpening using a Spyderco sharpening system. I really don't want to spend a ton of money on expensive waterstones and things like that. I see that Knives Ship Free have a sharpening kit designed around the Otterbox 2000. It's basically the box, different grit sandpapers and a stop made to fit in the recessed lid of the box. Oh and you also get black and green compound. It looks really nice and I like the fact that it's a little self contained kit. Do you guys think this would be a decent kit to get? I won't be sharpening and really large knives. Mainly slip joints, Moras, and hopefully soon a Bark River Little Creek. Thanks for your time.
 
This is what I've been using for convexing. Mine is sized so that I can hold the 'hone' (sandpaper over leather, on wood) in one hand as shown, and 'strop' the knife with the other hand. Obviously, a larger version could be made if desired, for use on a bench. Convexing is about the easiest way to sharpen, as I see it. And the necessary tools & materials are dirt-cheap (block of wood, piece of simple leather, wet/dry sandpaper). I have & use similar strop blocks with different compounds also. Nice thing is, the 'stropping' technique is exactly the same throughout the full sequence. Very consistent method to train the hands.
 
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I took a stab at convexing a few weeks ago. I used 600 and 1200 wet and dry sand paper that I had from sharpening my ceramic kitchen knife and put them over my strop and went to town. Then I finished on the strop with black and white Bark River compound. Was easier than I expected. Sharpened my dad's carbon steel Mora and a carbon steel fishing knife.
 
All you really need is a phonebook and some sandpaper. Anything with a little bit of give will work as a backing. Go for firmer rather than softer.
 
Thanks guys. I've been reading and watching some videos, and someone said all you really need I the strop if you use both black and green BRKT compounds. Is this true? Is the black compound course enough to actually sharpen with? I though stropping was just to polish the edge, not really remove metal. Also, if I have slip joints with a regular bevel, can I just use the strip and coy pounds to keep them sharp instead of the sharp maker? Sorry fort the questions, but I really am a sharpening novice.
 
I'm no expert (been sharpening as a hobby for < 1 year), but if the edge is already convex and has no major damage the black compound is enough. Both the black and white compounds remove metal (pretty quickly too). If the edge isn't already convex you probably need sand paper. I mean, if you're going to take off a lot of metal. If you have, for example, a sharp V-edge with 15 degrees per side and want to make a "convex microbevel" (or whatever you'd call it) you could go straight to the compounds.

I hardly use the sharpmaker nowadays. Only for kitchen knives, since I keep it in the knife drawer there. For my pocket knives I use a strop with compound for touch-ups. I use white compound for light tough ups and black when there's a little damage or if I want to change the shape of the edge.
 
mdsmith said:
Thanks guys. I've been reading and watching some videos, and someone said all you really need I the strop if you use both black and green BRKT compounds. Is this true? Is the black compound course enough to actually sharpen with? I though stropping was just to polish the edge, not really remove metal. Also, if I have slip joints with a regular bevel, can I just use the strip and coy pounds to keep them sharp instead of the sharp maker? Sorry fort the questions, but I really am a sharpening novice.
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Actually, stropping can do both. Depends on how much TLC the edge really needs. If an edge is in very good/excellent condition, a bare leather strop can be used to re-align a thin edge, if it happens to be be folded or rolled to the side just a little bit. Bare leather can lightly polish some simpler steels, which implies it does remove a (tiny) bit of metal. Using more aggressive compounds with a strop can add some versatility to your sharpening routine. If there are some fairly heavy burrs on the edge, for instance, some relatively coarse compound can help to abrade the burrs away. A coarser compound can be used to maintain a somewhat toothier edge, if desired. It all comes down to tailoring the compound and the strop itself to do specifically what's needed on your particular edge.

Most light maintenance can usually be done with stropping only, assuming you have adequate compounds to handle it. But, if an edge gets chipped, dented or otherwise damaged during use, something more aggressive will almost always be needed. This is where the wet/dry sandpaper really excels, because of the wide range of grits available. With some experience, you can tailor a particular grit to the specific needs of the blade at that particular moment. Makes it very easy to do only what's needed, and not overkill the repair with a grit or stone selection that's too aggressive.
 
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In theory you could sharpen a blade with just a strop loaded with black compound, but it works very slowly so if doing more than a very light touch-up the tendency is to apply more pressure or get sloppy with technique. That will tend to round the edge.

However if you have a strop then just lay a piece of sandpaper over it and you can use whatever grit is most appropriate.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I guess I'm over thinking it. Basically I have a few Moras, one of which I'd like to convex, and I have some Case slipjoints the I use regularly. I'd like to put a convex micro bevel on these just for ease of maintaining. So with a strop and compounds (and maybe some sandpaper), I should be able to achieve this without needing stones. Is this correct?
 
My question is, can a convex edge be touched up in the field or out in the real world with whatever is at hand?

That's always been my reason to hesitate on convexing my knives. With a conventional edge, I can touch up on the bottom f a coffee mug, smooth stone from the creek, side of a brick building, or top edge of a car window. I've done all of them, and I always have a sharp knife. How much sharper will a convex blade get?

Carl.
 
Yes. It really is not different to sharpen the convex edge. You don't need a soft backing to put an edge on it. If you used a pocket stone, you would basically put a tiny v edge on the end of the convex bevel. Just find the angle at which the edge bites, and sharpen at that angle or a little shallower. You could even do a rolling motion on the stone to give a true arc to the bevel, but that is difficult and not necessary. The soft backing just allows you to easily create a nice arc.
 
jackknife said:
My question is, can a convex edge be touched up in the field or out in the real world with whatever is at hand?

That's always been my reason to hesitate on convexing my knives. With a conventional edge, I can touch up on the bottom f a coffee mug, smooth stone from the creek, side of a brick building, or top edge of a car window. I've done all of them, and I always have a sharp knife. How much sharper will a convex blade get?

Carl.
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Easily. Very much so.

The very cutting edge of a good, sharp convex is still essentially a V-bevel anyway (otherwise it'd be too thick & dull). So, they can be touched up like any other edge. Many manufacturers of convex blades usually finish them with a small V-microbevel anyway, and even recommend conventional methods for edge maintenance (stones or Sharpmaker, for example). Opinel and Fallkniven come to mind; both are convexed blades (Opinel is subtly so), but both brands recommend or even sell conventional 'stones' for maintaining them.

The real slicing advantages of a convex are in the smooth shoulders of the bevel behind the edge, which reduces binding in thicker & tougher material, but the edge itself is no different than any other. I see a certain distinct advantage in maintaining a convex, because it can be touched up using 'dedicated' convexing techniques (edge-trailing stroke), if/when it's convenient to do so, or by using the methods ordinarily used for V-bevels (edge-leading). Just that many more options.

In some respects, it could be argued that a convex is even easier to maintain than a V-bevel, by 'stropping' the edge on any slightly forgiving surface like leather, or a few layers of paper or fabric, or even on stones or hardwood, with almost any decent abrasive applied (river/stream silt, sandstone dust, etc.). This is how a lot of folks in other areas of the world do it, with dust/dirt/sand on wood. Essentially, all of convex sharpening comes down to 'stropping', albeit with varying degrees in abrasives, depending on how much work the edge needs. And whether intended or not, all freehand edges will end up with at least some slight convex in them anyway. That's an inevitable result of the variability in angle control that comes from freehand sharpening.

The ease of maintaining a convex, with very simple materials, is the main reason why it's my favorite sharpening method. :)
 
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Good question Carl. I hadn't thought of that. I just hear how much easier convex edges are to maintain. That, and the sharpest knife I've ever owned was a convex edge.
 
To convex or not to V :p - same apex bevel angle -> same sharpness. Convex edge geometry has performance advantageous over V edge - for same bevel height (vertically apex to shoulder) & thickness behind the edge.
 
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