knife sharpening

[Lloyd Smale]

now im going to admit im a idiot when it comes to sharpening knives so dont give an recomendation of a stone. I can make one dull on a stone in a few minutes!! Ive tried the lansky and it does a fair job. Ive got a power sharpener but it about only works on kitchen knives. My hunting knives are to thick. Ive tried the crossed v carbide sharpeners and am not impressed. Anyone know of a knife sharpener that really works?

[Themoose]

Lloyd,

Being and old geezer, I've tried many knife sharpeners over the years... I found the best I've ever used about three years ago... get a KME knife sharpener and you can easily sharpen any knife well.... I gave away my Lansky set after getting the KME... I recently purchased the base for it as well as a set of the diamond hones....

Look them up on the internet... they make a great product.

TheMoose

[winelover]

I've been using DMT's Aligner (Diamond Machine Technology) sharpener. Similar to Lansky's but uses diamond hones that don't wear out. Their web site is www.dmtsharp.com

Winelover

[44fanatic]

Ive been using a Smiths kit. Picked it up at Lowes for around $35 (I think). I also have a Lansky, but the Smiths seems easier to use.

http://smithsedge.com/products/product.asp?id=32&cid=4

[EMC45]

I have a Lansky (in the attic, never used) I also have the "V" type carbide handheld that carves away blade material (use this on yard equipment). I also have several India, Arkansas, and diamond "stones" in addition to the rod type that look like an ink pen with clip for field use. By far the hand held "stones" are the best for me. I can raise up a shaving sharp edge with short work. I also use my stones (selected ones) to maintain my edges on my straight razors as well.

[AnthonyB]

EMC45, want to get rid of that Lansky? I had one of the earlier versions with a machined lip in the blade attachment clip but lost it; the current version is a straight taper and doesn't work as well for me. Whatcha want for it in trade?
Tony

[405]

Just like the mouse trap there will forever be new knife sharpening systems.
One of the problems in my sharpening I discovered after many years of head knockin' trial and mostly error is- the thicker the blade the harder it is to sharpen.
I think the most important part of good sharpening is getting a correct and consistent edge angle first.... then the final edge can be had by most any means. To get that best, consistent angle some form of mechanical jig is almost a must. To do that both the Lansky and the Gatco seem to work for me. Even with these mechanical jig systems there is some learning, technique and skill involved. Once I've gotten the best angle on a blade the touch up is very easy with some form of natural or diamond stone. Then, after several touch ups during use and after some length of time that best angle will have to be re-done with the mechanical system. My heavily used pocket knife gets the Lansky about once a year and just the normal touch up diamond stone about once a month. The frequency of the process for different knives depends on type of blade, blade material and type of use.

[rollmyown]

Hi Lloyd,

I reckon most of the comercial sharpeners do a prety fair job. Some do it a bit better than others. All you need is to get your technique sorted and all will be good. I use a diamond sharpener, a natural stone, and polish whith a well worn steel.

[Firebricker]

I never could get one sharp till I bought a Spyderco sharpener. It will sharpen any knife I have as far as thick blades it gets my Bark River like a razor. Its a V setup you just hold the blade straight down. I tried every other kind of sharpener made with no luck till I got the Spyderco been using it abought 12 years. FB

[Hardcast416taylor]

I learned how to sharpen a knife on a stone over 50 years back. I quit making custom knives back in `03, all my knives were hand edged before leaving my bench. I`d find a friend that can sharpen a knife and do a swap trade with them like boolets for a sharpening. I tried many different kit sharpeners and either threw them away or just gave them away in favor of the way I sharpened being better. My son when he was in the Corp actually taught other marines how to sharpen blades.Robert

[dragonrider]

I use a "double sided diafold handheld sharpener by DMT with coarse side and fine side. Find it here.
http://www.dmtsharp.com/general/featured.htm#product4
A few licks and you have a shaving edge. I use it at work every day to sharpen my Stanley 99E razor knife, faster than changing blades.

[monadnock#5]

OK, first I googled the KME sharpener, and found a youtube video on the subject. Impressive. It's the Lansky system on steroids.

Then I found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLjFj...1&feature=fvwp

Obviously no good for deer camp or an abused blade, but for Mother's kitchen knives and that special hunting knife that never gets used for anything else but...

I checked out the Randall 23 while I was at it. WOW!!

[jsizemore]

Gatco diamond hone system with the addition of a ceramic finish hone. I like a sharp knife but I ain't worth a damn at it till I got this setup. The KME system looks like it would work and it was one of my choices but I got a gift card to Cabelas so Gatco was the pick.

[Razor]

Nearly wore out Aluminum Oxide belt on a belt sander to get the wire edge.
Cotton sewn buffing wheel to work the wire edge off.
2 minutes tops... and I can shave with it.

[steg]

The best knife sharpener is you, find someone who really knows how and ask them to show you their technique, keep your angles consistant and if the blade is too thick it must be thinned down in the edge area, Trying to sharpen something that is too thick is like trying to put a razor edge on a masonry chisel.
that buffing wheel trick is a good one, but you have to use a light touch, pressing too hard will work against you as the wheel re-expands after passing the edge, rounding off the edge your trying to put on.
You have to have good steel to take and keep an edge, I don't know from nothing about the numbers of the different grades, what I do is hold the blade close to my ear and pull my thumb ACROSS the edge if it's good steel it will sing to ya, if it isn't all youll get is a dull scraping sound, you can do it it's all in the angles.................steg

[ilcop22]

I own quite a few different sharpeners for all shapes and sizes. When it comes to honing knives, this is and always has been my favorite:



I believe in the KISS method - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Works for me!

[JJC]

I am a poor knife sharpener and the Lansky jig type worked well enough. I found the crock sticks work well and keep a small sharpener like the post above in my pack. Look into a convex edge. Bought my lady a Bark River knife and she loves it. Strop on leather and good to go. You can even use a hard piece of cardboard. The original edge went through two elk and a few antelope before needing resharpened. Spoke to the maker nice guy gave plenty of info on the knife.

[Artful]

The best knife sharpener is you, find someone who really knows how and ask them to show you their technique, keep your angles consistant and if the blade is too thick it must be thinned down in the edge area, Trying to sharpen something that is too thick is like trying to put a razor edge on a masonry chisel.
that buffing wheel trick is a good one, but you have to use a light touch, pressing too hard will work against you as the wheel re-expands after passing the edge, rounding off the edge your trying to put on.
You have to have good steel to take and keep an edge, I don't know from nothing about the numbers of the different grades, what I do is hold the blade close to my ear and pull my thumb ACROSS the edge if it's good steel it will sing to ya, if it isn't all youll get is a dull scraping sound, you can do it it's all in the angles.................steg

+1 = good advise - once you learn you can do it with a river rock.

[Lloyd Smale]

Bought the smiths kit at gander mountain yesterday. It seems to work much better then the lansky i had. Probably because of the diamond stone vs the regular stone.

[fourarmed]

If the edge angle is right, a good crock-stick does a great job. The thing I am using now is a pair of cardboard wheels that mount on a buffer. One has an abrasive surface that you coat with wax, the other you charge with rouge. You sharpen on the abrasive wheel until you get a wire edge, then polish off the wire edge on the other wheel. You can put a shaving edge on even cheap, thin stainless steel paring knives. I have used a lot of different sharpeners, but this is the fastest and most effective I have tried. On a very heavy knife with a blunt edge, you might need a more aggressive grinder to get the edge angle right first.