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Thread: Sharpened everything but my wits-

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Bert2368's Avatar
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    Sharpened everything but my wits-

    I am a sharpening addict/tool nerd, been trying to make pieces of steel cut better since about 1968. I use some of those sharp pieces of steel to turn recently deceased animals into tasty food, so I put this post here in "hunting accessories".

    This is not something I have any financial interest in. I did not get anything in return for reviewing this item. I am NOT posting this in the commercial sector, as it includes an Amazon (off site) link. Moderators, please remove or relocate this as you may see fit.

    A couple of years back, someone here was offering "novaculite" sharpening stones (more or less in the raw, it turned out). The provider did mention it would "take some work" to turn this substance into a usable bench stone, which was a bit of an understatement.

    There was much gnashing of teeth, wailing and rending of garments when the few who actually got the goods opened the package to discover "I got a ROCK", as Charlie Brown used to say.

    One member who gamely went ahead and did the work required to produce a flat surface for sharpening attached his newly acquired (totally naturally shaped) rock to a rope behind his vehicle with a weight on top and let the highway do the flattening as he drove. Ingenoious use of materials to hand there, he may have been farm raised? Perhaps it ran up the local highway taxes a bit, couldn't have done the pavement any favors.

    Glad I didn't send that person my hard earned money for a pet rock But I'm a slow learner, and occasionally still found myself believing I might some day, just possibly, get something good in the line of a natural sharpening stone for way cheap.

    I finally have, I think. I just got this slab of Chinese rock for about $25.00 (I got free shipping, Amazon Prime). It arrived usefully flat and, perhaps, is the functional equivalent of a decent chunk of novaculite. Don't have a clue what mineral it is, but it WORKS.

    NOT a good choice as your first (or your only!) sharpening stone if you've just started. But it sure did improve on the edge my 5,000 grit water stone gives me. I have a (too small, too expensive) piece of hard black Arkansas stone, this stone was cheaper and works at LEAST as well, plus the size is much handier for anything larger than a paring knife.

    This is a (Claimed) 10,000 grit natural stone, 9" X 2" X 1". Kind of pretty, looks like green jade with dark veins. I have used it on wood chisels and some kitchen and hunting knives so far, I'm happy with the results. It even comes with a couple of silicon rubber nonskid pads/edge protectors which are useful if you don't already have a suitable sharpening stone holder.

    Here's where I got it:

    https://www.amazon.com/Decdeal-Sharp...yo_pop_d_pd_t2

    Hope some of you may find this useful.

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    Last edited by Bert2368; 09-11-2018 at 01:22 PM.
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

  2. #2
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    I have always used stones in the past. Can make a blade shave but it takes time.

    As I get older and ,,well with less time on my hands, I opted for the Ken Onion belt sharpener a couple years ago..I can do all the kitchen knives as well as the hunting knives in less than an hour. I still appreciate a good stone but it can't get much easier.

    My apologies for the drift.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
    labradigger1's Avatar
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    I second the Ken onion. I use stones very well even down to straight razor hones but just can’t beat the Ken onion. One of the better $130 bucks I have ever spent.
    Life is so much better with dogs!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Bert2368's Avatar
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    If I wanted to take the quick, easy way, would I be on a site dedicated to hand making projectiles?
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
    labradigger1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bert2368 View Post
    If I wanted to take the quick, easy way, would I be on a site dedicated to hand making projectiles?
    Pardon me.
    Life is so much better with dogs!

  6. #6
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    Like you have been on a 45 year quest to produce the ultimate edge. Shaving edges have never been a problem but to date I have found this to be the ultimate sharpening system. Not cheap but the best rarely is https://wickededgeusa.com/

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Bert2368's Avatar
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    Holy (expletive). 1/8th of a micron cubic Boron nitride spray on honing compound?
    relatives.

    And I was so happy to find a cheap piece of a smoother grained yet friable rock!

    I DID look at the Ken Onion system when it was on sale at Menards recently. But you had to buy supplies (belts), plus it needed electricity. And I already had all these OTHER pieces of fancy rock...
    Last edited by Bert2368; 09-11-2018 at 01:39 PM.
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

  8. #8
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by labradigger1 View Post
    I second the Ken onion. I use stones very well even down to straight razor hones but just can’t beat the Ken onion. One of the better $130 bucks I have ever spent.
    I got the regular Work Sharp, I use it to get the knives edge back to the degree it needs to be after many stone sharpenings. The only issue is you have to be careful or you will round off the tip.
    "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."
    ~Pericles~

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    I started with carborundum stones and quickly went to diamond stones & sticks. I also use ceramic. I sharpen the mower blades with a file but have been known to use a 4" belt sander. I've tried an Arkansas stone but didn't like it. I do use wet/dry sandpaper as well. I use a lite oil on the paper wrapped over a flat surface. Wet/dry goes as fine as 12,000 grit I've never used more than 5,000-7,000 grit. BTW I've found myself places that needed sharper knives and didn't have any means of sharpening. I figured if you can use a ceramic stick to sharpen a knife, why not use the base of a ceramic coffee mug. They definitely aren't the best but if you flip a few over you'll find the coarseness you want.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy

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    I use a combination of 3 stones and a razor strop Click image for larger version. 

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    The oil stone (right) is just a plain Norton India stone. Next is an old wet stone I got from my grandfather when he passed. The small stone was from my other grandfather. The strop was from a friend that never used it.
    I'm self taught at sharpening so I most likely dont have the best techniques, but have got good results in the past.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by NyFirefighter357 View Post
    I started with carborundum stones and quickly went to diamond stones & sticks. I also use ceramic. I sharpen the mower blades with a file but have been known to use a 4" belt sander. I've tried an Arkansas stone but didn't like it. I do use wet/dry sandpaper as well. I use a lite oil on the paper wrapped over a flat surface. Wet/dry goes as fine as 12,000 grit I've never used more than 5,000-7,000 grit. BTW I've found myself places that needed sharper knives and didn't have any means of sharpening. I figured if you can use a ceramic stick to sharpen a knife, why not use the base of a ceramic coffee mug. They definitely aren't the best but if you flip a few over you'll find the coarseness you want.
    Top edge of a truck/car window will put an edge back on a knife as long as it's not too far gone.
    "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."
    ~Pericles~

  12. #12
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    I got one of those sharpening stones that you sit on and peddle like an old sewing machine, has a round stone with a water jacket at the bottom, does that count as a good sharpener
    if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead

  13. #13
    Boolit Master


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    Thanks, Bert, I ordered one.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master Bert2368's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NyFirefighter357 View Post
    BTW I've found myself places that needed sharper knives and didn't have any means of sharpening. I figured if you can use a ceramic stick to sharpen a knife, why not use the base of a ceramic coffee mug. They definitely aren't the best but if you flip a few over you'll find the coarseness you want.
    When I was cooking at a hotel while I went to school, a new cook showed up for work his first day with a brand new (dull) knife. Next day, it was at least usefully sharp. He told me that he had sharpened it on the edge of the porcelain sink in his apartment's bathroom... Took him quite a while, but it worked.
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

  15. #15
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    Got in a new AG Russell knife, and wanted to keep a good edge on it. I looked at a video in their website on sharpening. About 40 years ago I bought a complete set of their hard and soft Arkansas stones at their shop in Springdale, Arkansas, and had been using them ever since. But, upon viewing what AG uses now, I changed my mind. Instead of 8 inch Arkansas stones, he now uses ceramic crock sticks in a wooden holder, and swears by them. The ceramic crock sticks do good enough for me, and get it done in a very short time.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master Bert2368's Avatar
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    I was curious to find out what the stone actually was, a little time with Google gave me this:

    Apparently, there are two minerals called "jade" and frequently of a green color- nephrite and jadite, about the only thing they have in common is containing Silicon.

    My piece is 20cm X 5cm X 2.5cm, giving a volume of 250cc. It weighs 790 grams, so the stone has a density of 3.16g/cc.

    From this site: https://www.ajsgem.com/articles/jade...-nephrite.html

    Jadeite has a density of 3.30-3.38 while nephrite is less dense at 2.90-3.03.
    My sample is not quite as dense as the number given for jadeite, but is too dense to be in the range given for nephrite. So no definite answer there-

    My hunch would be that if it is either of these, it's probably jadeite. Because A: That's the mineral found in China, B: Nephrite comes from Burma, is rarer, hence more expensive- and C: Nephrite crystal structure wouldn't make a good sharpenjng stone. Nephrite is tough, fibrous, hard to cut and work- and would not generate a slurry of sharp particles. The individual crystals of jadeite are harder than those of nephrite, but the overall structure is more friable and would work for sharpening.

    I just sharpened a spoke shave blade with the new stone, after flattening the blade back and getting the bevel to apex with the coarser stones. Sharp enough to make shavings you can see light through, the surface of cuts it leaves won't need sanding.

    Oh, and if you're in CA, it seems Jade Cove in Big Sur has the sharpening stone variety laying about.

    https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/t...en-stone.8508/
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy
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    I can still sharpen a knife on stones. Self taught as a child. However those Ken Onion are okay but I've got a better option. It's quite a bit more expensive but I use my variable speed 72" belt grinder. I can go from butter knife dull to scary sharp in a few minutes!

  18. #18
    Boolit Master Bert2368's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Biggin View Post
    I use my variable speed 72" belt grinder. I can go from butter knife dull to scary sharp in a few minutes!
    How much metal do you take off using a belt sander for routine sharpening? Or do you have something other than a standard abrasive belt for the machine which is less aggressive?

    I tend to use powered equipment only to reprofile a blade or repair major dammage such as losing big chips from an edge, snapping a tip off or such. I used to be able to do things like free hand grind a 135 degree twist drill into a working "fish tail", I do know how to use grinders and sanders- But I like the control of doing sharpening by hand. Plus, it takes me longer to make mistakes...

    The Henckles 8" chef knife shown in my original post was bought new in 1984. It has been used in several restaurants, prepped thousands of pounds of meats and vegetables (mmm, creole! jambalaya!), then became the "go to" knife in my kitchen- And I make most of my food from scratch. That knife was sharpened or steeled at least a couple of times a week, often daily for the first 5 years. I probably touched up the edge at least every other week for the next 27 years, since it's now sharpened to a narrower angle than Henckels recomends for their (kind of soft, Rc 55or so?) steel.

    If I had used powered equipment, I don't think there would be as much left of the blade. As it is, I guess this pair will last longer than I will.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    THIS guy is an even bigger knife nerd than me. With a much larger budget too.

    http://www.zknives.com/knives/index.shtml
    Last edited by Bert2368; 09-12-2018 at 09:47 AM.
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    I start out with a 120grit belt at low speed from there depending on how sharp I want it I move up to a 220 or 400. Then use a leather strop with some green polishing compound. Most important step is to keep the blade cool!.Full disclosure, my grinder is made for knife making and I was shown how by an ABS Mastersmith.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by Biggin View Post
    I can still sharpen a knife on stones. Self taught as a child. However those Ken Onion are okay but I've got a better option. It's quite a bit more expensive but I use my variable speed 72" belt grinder. I can go from butter knife dull to scary sharp in a few minutes!
    In my 30 years in the kitchens of resaurants my wife and I owned, I started using a Sabatier 10" Chef with a carbon steel blade. then on to a Messermeister 8" chef knife. I kept my knives on a magnetic strip. When I took a knife down, I hit a steel once on each side. After using, I wiped the knife down and steeled it once again on each side before returning it to the knife rack. I could go a year without "sharpening". Carbon steel will take a sharper edge but rusts if you stare at it. German Messermeister and Wushof knives are a very good compromise between sharp edge and hardness.

    Knifemerchant.com

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