knife sharpeners

[foxhole]

I lack the skills to sharpen (I mean really put an edge on) my good knives with an old school stone/hone. Sure I can sharpen them but not razor like. I use a diamond hone/rod like a chief uses and I get ok results and I get by that way but I could sure listen to some good tips on How everyone else keeps their knives tip top.

[Outpost75]

Lansky sharpening system.

[CastingFool]

Sharpening a knife is akin to sanding wood. When sanding wood, you start with a coarse grit and eventually work your way to really fine grit, like maybe 220 grit. I normally use three different stones, from a coarse stone to a very fine india stone, and I do all my sharpening by hand. You're basically removing the scratches left behind by the previous stone. The india stone hardly takes anything off the knife edge, but really smooths out the edge. Sometimes, I use water, sometimes not. When using water the stone cuts faster, as the water washes off the stone. I find that the steel helps put a very fine edge, but sometimes not.

[Themoose]

Look up the KME system... anyone can put good edges on almost any knife... I've had one for about five years and everyone who has used it really likes it and most purchased their own... It is a little pricey, but will last.

[ultramag]

I just got one of these as a Christmas gift from my Mom & Dad and am very impressed with it so far.

http://www.worksharptools.com/knife/...sharpener.html

[shredder]

Another vote for the lansky. Once you have that tool, the results are predictable and repeatable. Razor's edge every time once you get your angle set.

[winelover]

This is a past thread on the subject at hand.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...best-sharpener

Winelover

[Sasquatch-1]

I also am very inept at sharpening knives. I did see a show on PBS once (I believe it was The Woodworker Shop or something like that). They used a pane of glass and glue finer grades of emery cloth Starting at like 160 and going down to 3000 to polish the edge. I tried it and was able to put a fair edge on my knifes but still was unable to shave hair with them.

[Hardcast416taylor]

This may sound like heresy to the purist about putting a workable edge on a knife, but my work crew used to use a square handled screwdriver to strop an usable edge onto a knife when cutting conveyer belting on construction jobs.Robert

[Firebricker]

I have been using the Spyderco Sharpmaker for about fifteen years with total satisfaction. It is the only sharpener that works for me I have a Lansky and I can sharpen with it but not like the Spyderco with it I can get knives shaving sharp. I do not think one is necessarily better than the other it is what has worked for me though. The Lansky costs less so it may be the one try first. FB

[HawkCreek]

Very fine grit automotive sandpaper, If I have a bad bad edge I'll go down to 600 grit but usually I'm around 1000 or 1500 ending with 2000 grit. Then I might strop it some on leather (with no compound). I can shave with most of my knives after this treatment. Youtube has tutorials, not hard to learn and easily repeatable.

[brtelec]

At work I use a crescent wrench handle to throw an edge on my working knives. My good knives I use a Lansky system.

[reloader28]

I have a Lansky and a Smith plus numerous other sharpeners of all shapes and sizes.
We picked up my brother a Gatco and it is actually better and heavier duty than the Lansky.

[hotbrew]

I agree with the Lansky system. I have a diamond hone for touch up as well

hotbrew

[Gelandangan]

I think Wicket edge is the best sharpeners, but for practicality and speed, personally I use the paper wheels from Razor Sharp Edgemaking.

Wicket edge lock the blade and the stone into a finite angle, coupled with the selection of abrasive and polish, you can get scary sharp result.

Paper wheels are dangerous because they operate at very high speed, OTOH, they will edge and sharpen ALL knives in an average household within 5 to 10 minutes.

[pull the trigger]

I used to have trouble and a guy told me to do the opposite of what I had been doing. So I turned the blade around for the final polish and instead of cutting into the stone I draw it backwards and you can clean the hair off all your arms with my knives. Please try it. It works with every cheap stone I haveever had. Also one stroke on each side at a time for the final polish.

[foxhole]

Update, I purchased a work sharp tool, the mini belt sander, here is what I found out.
PROS:
1. Easy to use
2. Razor sharp edge
3. Sharpened every knife in the house in ten minutes.
4. Wifey pleased
CONS:
1. No power no sharpy
2. Belts will need replacing eventually(20 knives and counting on original belts)

Overall pleased but this wont cut it when

[Any Cal.]

All the systems do basically the same thing. Once you learn the principles, you could use most anything. My personal preference is diamond stones from DMT, but a belt sander works faster. Things like sandpaper and Arkansas stones work best on carbon steels, the higher tech stuff is better for the newer, harder steels. The reason most people can't get an edge is because they don't get the edge before their patience wears thin, either because of the wrong stones, a lack of skill, or a lack of patience. The faster cutting methods help fix two of those issues.

[AlaskanGuy]

I stand on my earlier post....

Well, call me old fashioned, but in my line of work, i need razor sharp knives, wether it is filleting salmon for paying customers, or stripping and repairing commercial gill nets...

I do it the old way, using a stone when necessary, and a steel... It is much like casting boolits or anything else, it is a learned skill... Yes there are shortcuts out there and most of them will do fine and make sharp knives, but just like making good boolits, if you invest the time and learn how to use a stone and a steel, you will never need any of those shortcuts again... I want to encourage to learn this skill... It really comes in handy and you will use it for the rest of your life.... There is a shortcut to learning though, and that is to take a magic marker and draw it down the edge of your knife, actually cutting the tip of the marker... This leaves a small mark on the edge of your knife... With that mark, you can practice the way you hold the knife and the angle at which you hold the knife... The proof that you are doing correctly will be easily verified buy close examination..

Learn this, and it will serve you for the rest of your life. I use a sharpening stone that has a course grit on one side, and a very fine grit on the other... And the stone will last you for years... I have been using the same stone for about 8 years, and durring the season, i sharpen knives sometimes a dozen times a day..

AG

[Lunger]

I second the use of a cardboard wheel with rouge on a buffing or grinding wheel. just use caution. never, never, never point knife edge up against rotation of the wheel. it will cut into wheel and throw the blade in any which way in a hurry.