Would like to learn freehand sharpening; what do I need?

Bugs57 said:
Yeah maybe I need to give this another try. I am having a really hard time working around the curve of the blade as it extends into the tip. Appreciate the advice. Will give it another shot this weekend.
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I'm new to this as well and it took me spending a couple days off and on just continually practicing until I got it. Once I did, it just clicked. I would try for 30 minutes and if I wasn't getting good results, I walked away for an hour or so. I let my hand "rest" to forget the wrong motions and then came back to it and tried again. It finally clicked and it's become really easy now.

Trust me, I dulled the heck out of a few cheap blades getting it right. I wondered how can I sharpen this thing for 20 minutes and barely be able to cut through melted butter. How did my approx 20 degree angle produce a blunt flat "edge"? Very frustrating. Just keep at it and it will click eventually.
 
Here is a video I did using a very similar stone, might be helpful.

[video=youtube;8VPCvd5hUVQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPCvd5hUVQ[/video]
 
Tried sharpening my China made NRA knife again tonight and feel much better about this. Watched all the videos and re-read this thread. Actually was able to create a burr and refine the edge enough where I could cut paper. It ain't pretty but it's a whole lot sharper than the dull mess I was left with the previous night. Starting to be able to feel what I am doing with the blade. Still having a little difficulty transitioning from 1 side of the blade to the other. A lot more comfortable working with one side if that makes any sense. Will have to keep playing with the transition, finger placement and feel of both sides. Can't thank you guys enough for the encouragement and advice. That's enough for 1 night for me; I'll play around with this again tomorrow night.
 
Consider videotaping yourself if you can, you can watch what you're doing from a different angle... helps to see what you may be doing differently from one side to the other.

Sounds like you're on the right track! :thumbup:
 
Bugs57 said:
Still having a little difficulty transitioning from 1 side of the blade to the other. A lot more comfortable working with one side if that makes any sense. Will have to keep playing with the transition, finger placement and feel of both sides.
Click to expand...

Consider trying the ambidextrous method: Use one hand for one side, and the other hand for the other side. You'll be surprised how fast and easily your brain mirrors motions from one side of the body to the other. Plus, it's more consistent because your eye doesn't need to retrain to try to judge angle or height. You'll always be looking at the blade from the same "side". It will just be in a different hand.

Brian.
 
Bugs57 said:
Tried sharpening my China made NRA knife again tonight and feel much better about this. Watched all the videos and re-read this thread. Actually was able to create a burr and refine the edge enough where I could cut paper. It ain't pretty but it's a whole lot sharper than the dull mess I was left with the previous night. Starting to be able to feel what I am doing with the blade. Still having a little difficulty transitioning from 1 side of the blade to the other. A lot more comfortable working with one side if that makes any sense. Will have to keep playing with the transition, finger placement and feel of both sides. Can't thank you guys enough for the encouragement and advice. That's enough for 1 night for me; I'll play around with this again tomorrow night.
Click to expand...

Per Brian, many find it easier to swap hands and this is how I started out. I came to favor using the dominant hand both sides after having my hand in a cast for a few weeks.

It helps when watching some of these videos (Jason's video above) to watch at 1/2 speed and really study how other people steady the tool as they work.

Study your own hands and watch for unintended slop.
 
For my stones I use a Norton India stone for rough and profiling work. I progress to a set of DMT diamond stones 8". The 600 and the 1200. Finally, if it is a knife for the kitchen, I go to the Akansas black surgical stone. I also like to strop everything. Stropping is not sharpening unless you use some type of cutting agent with the strop. I don't and just polish.

For my straight razor, I use a coticule and strop. I have never had to reprofile the razor yet and hope I never do.

Practice, practice and practice. One can spend hours on one knife. You will eventually fall into a method that works for you. Angle is everything and one can easily cut a second angle and think the blade is very sharp but then find out it won't hold up. I have a cheap jewelry loop that is lighted to inspect my work.

Keeping natural stones and India stone from clogging up is a chore you need to keep up with. Lubrication while using them and cleaning after use makes this easier. Use whatever works for you. I use kerosene just because I have it around. I have also spit on Arkansas stones and just this morning, poured a drop of coffee straight from my cup, onto a,diamond stone. No,sugar or milk of course. Lol

Don't forget a sharpening hobby leads to all kinds of new wounds, at least for me. The best part is thinking, man, that was close.
 
I inherited a few sharpening stones and honing oil, along with his daggers and knives. He never got to teach me how to sharpen though. So I have a soft Arkansas, hard Arkansas, and a Surgical Black, all from the now closed Chesapeake knives and tool. So what order should I use these in? Soft, hard, surgical.
 
A progression with those Arkansas Stones would go:

Soft -> Hard -> Black.

Arkansas stones work well with softer steels. If you need something more coarse for steel removal, edge repair, or rebeveling, then Norton India or Crystolon stones or the equivalent would come before the soft Arkansas.

When I am working with simpler steels, I like to use a Norton coarse/fine combo, followed by soft and then hard Arkansas. I don't have the finer surgical black (wish I did but they have gotten rather expensive).
 
I was new to sharpening a month ago.. I had tried to pick it up a few times on my fathers old stones years ago and never had a bit of liuck... I highly recommend dmt stones and a spyderco ultra fine after u get the hang of them a little... can't go wrong with them... dmt coarse and extra fine is all u need for razor sharp edges and a very good begginner set... I also recommend learning about sharpening before trying it.. you can find a lot of good information on this forums and you tube... once u have a basic understanding it is pretty easy to get decently sharp edges depending on what stones u have... good luck!
 
not sure if this has been mentioned here or not, but at least for me...my eyes ain't the greatest, i probably should be wearing glasses
get a nice magnifying glass, weather old school type, or usb , jewelers loop, or bench mounted lighted one etc....
helps see that burr and edge better, i usually can feel them with my fingers but they help!!
 
I've found the following test to be fairly reliable when it comes to burrs that can't be seen, or felt with my fingers.
Test bite of edge on my thumbnail, from both sides, along the entire edge, at an angle slightly above sharpening angle.
If edge bites in on one side but not the other, I obviously have a burr on the side that bites.
When the bite is instant on both sides, I'm satisfied.... except for possibility of wire edge.

In general, very high carbide stainless is the only steel I have the above problems with. I have a 10x loupe, but it doesn't always answer my questions. Sometimes I wish for a microscope on bad sharpening days to really see what's going on.
 
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