How do you sharpen your knife?

[DCP]

How do you sharpen your knife?

Stone
Sharping kit
Pocket sharpener

So just how do you sharpen your knife?

[white eagle]

use to sharpen just by using a stone
now I use a sharpening kit
the angle is always consistent and
I use multiple grits of stone (course to fine)
works slick as snot

[Ickisrulz]

Smith's CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener
http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-CCKS-2-Step-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00032S02K/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1450531319&sr=8-16&keywords=knife+sharpener

[dragon813gt]

Gatco sharpening kit. I'm horrible w/ a stone. Once the blade is at the set angle a touchup takes a few minutes at most.

[bedbugbilly]

The only knife I really carry anymore is a Boker "sowbelly" - 3 blade folding. The steel is good and holds a sharp edge. I usually touch the edge up using a buffing wheel and red rouge - renews the edge to where you can easily cut hair on your arm off. I also have a slow turning wet wheel sharpener . . . i believe it a DeWalt that I got at Lowes a few years back. It has a wide slow moving wheel that runs through a water reservoir in the bottom to keep the wheel wet - plus it is reversible as far as rotation. I've used that a couple of times on the Boker and then done a final polish on the blade with the buffing wheel/red rouge.

[DeadWoodDan]

My buddy and I have used Gatco for yrs; it works BUT he recently purchased a Work Sharp knife sharpener. They use sanding belts and he said will not go back to Gatco. This takes less time and he believes places a better edge on them.

Good luck

[Rick Hodges]

I use a lansky kit with multiple stones to establish the basic edge. Will touch up with a pocket diamond hone or an medium arkansas stone and put the finish on an edge with leather strop and abrasive compound.

[Thumbcocker]

Stones and leather with metal polish on it. Gets them scary sharp.

[dragon813gt]

Smith's CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener


I cringe if I see someone using a sharpener like this. They put a massive burr on the edge and take off a lot of metal. If used routinely they will kill a blade in short order.

[Fishman]

I may be branded a heretic, but I have really gotten to like the "work sharp" knife sharpener. It's basically a little belt sander with three different grit belts. Cabelas has them on sale this weekend for $59 I think, normally $79. I originally got it for the wife and her extensive kitchen knife collection but quickly adopted it myself. I can touch up 20 or 30 knives for her in 10-15 minutes, which is a huge time savngs.

As background, I'm capable of putting a great edge on a knife with a stone, but I generally have used one of the types with several grits and a jig to adjust the angle. With the work sharp, one can maintain an edge with 2 or 3 quick swipes and on to the next knife. Puts a light burr on the edge and it's a great edge to work with. I cut up several deer a year maybe a hog or two, and filet a LOT of fish, so my knives have to perform. If the work sharp broke today, I would replace it with another as soon as possible.

Couple other things:

If you wanted a razor edge, you'd want to strop after using the work sharp. I generally just use the medium grit because I like the edge it produces better.

If you have a severely abused knife, the coarse grit belt and this machine is the quickest way I've found to rejuvenate it while maintaining an accurate bevel for the edge. I fixed one friend's knives that was sharpened at something like a 50 degree angle and now it slices up deer no problem.

Yes I am a work sharp fanboy, but I don't care.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

India and hard Arkansas stones, all I have ever used.

[dale2242]

I was taught to sharpen a knife properly by a butcher friend.
I use 3 different stones, coarse to very fine, and finish the edge with a very fine steel.
You can refresh the edge with the steel between sharpening's with the steel.
I am not as good at it as my buddy was, but I can get a good edge on them....dale

[duckey]

Med DMT Stone with water followed by a steel to debur

[runfiverun]

I learned on the Arkansas stones and pretty much sucked at it.
I long ago bought the Lansky and learned to use it, I just bought a new one a couple of weeks ago.
I also have a powered sharpener [spinning buffing wheel] and use it to put the final edge on some of my knives.
I have over the years found that all knives do not want the same angle or edge on them to work efficiently for their intended use.
for rougher use and tough cutting items a 25* angle is better than a 20* angle which most of the powered units use as they are set for kitchen knives that cut veggies and meat.

I don't try to shave with them but check their sharpness by touching the blade to my thumbnail if it instantly grabs and digs in a little it's plenty sharp.
if it drags and scrapes you need to work on it.

[nekshot]

been raised among old men and working as a kid in a butcher shop taught me how to sharpen things that will shave your arm hair.I use some stones and kero and a leather strope. In recent years I started thinking I was losing my touch on new knives the kids would bring home and finally realised its the metal. Alot of good metal nowadays but you must pay for it. The Swiss Army pocket knife never ceases to amaze me to the quality of good metal in them.

[country gent]

I use stones if needed followed buy a piece of gopper with fine diamond and then a leather strop. dge is razor sharp and holds a long time, when dull a few passes on the copper block then the strop is all thats normally needed.

[brtelec]

At work I need a sharp, durable, rough edge. My work knife gets touched up every day or so on a cresent wrench handle. It is amazing how quick it is and how sharp it is. I cut a lot of poly rope and the edge that method delivers is perfect. Good knives get the Lansky diamond hone kit. Kitchen knives, I use a steel.

[tja6435]

The window in my truck

[AK Caster]

Edge Pro

[Wasalmonslayer]

I was taught by a butcher who I helped for a couple years how to use a stone and a steel. Been doing it that way for 20yrs.
I just recently got a work sharp as a gift and WOW is all I have to say!
I could train my cat to sharpen a knife with this it is super easy and when you are done you can shave your arm and the dissect each hair. This is a product of modern invention kinda like the microwave. In the time it takes to do a couple knives with stones you can have a drawer full done with the work sharp.
Don't be afraid to try it out you will not regret it.

Wasalmonslayer

Ps. I will sell you all my stones if you want them :)

[upr45]

Grizzly buffing wheels(on a 6" grinder), 1 with grit, 1 with white rouge. Used to use Lansky, but the grizzly wheels put a mirror like surface on knife edge.

[dagger dog]

Working 20 years as a farrier I would wear out a couple hoof knives a year sharpening 2-3 times a day freehand and that's how I sharpen most of my working and pocket knives.

My wife's(she's a certified chef ) culinary knives get whet stoned (Sears) and cut back with a 1" belt sander to maintain a straight working edge, she has gone through a couple sets of Henckel's.


I have a large amount of stones, steels, crock sticks, diamond strops, Arkansas novaculite stones etc and like to freehand on a water whet stone and a rouge, and leather barbers strop.

[C.F.Plinker]

Kitchen knives and pocket knives get tuned up with a fine diamond steel. If that won't do it I get out the 1x3 belt sander and work through the belts up to 600 grit finishing with a leather belt and green compound.

The straight razors get 50 laps on the leather strop after every shave and 30 laps on a balsa strop with CrOx followed by FeOx after every 50 shaves.

Plane blades and chisels get sharpened with wet/dry sandpaper on glass. I use a jig to hold the blades at the correct angle.

Drill bits are sharpened either with an old Black and Decker bit sharpener or free hand on a grinder with a 120 grit wheel.

Woodturning gouges start with the 120 grit wheel and are finished with red rouge on a cotton wheel.

Axes and lawn mower blades just get sharpened with a mill file.

I do have both pocket and bench stones available but the above is what I generally wind up doing. I've been tempted to try the Work Sharp but I had the 1x3 belt sander and got a good variety of belts (including the leather belt) for less than the cost of the regular Work Shop. The sander has the advantage that I can use both hands to hold the blade and by choosing where on the belt to sharpen get a convex, flat, or concave grind.

[Ickisrulz]

I cringe if I see someone using a sharpener like this. They put a massive burr on the edge and take off a lot of metal. If used routinely they will kill a blade in short order.

Seems to work well for me. Maybe I am using it wrong?

[dragon813gt]

Seems to work well for me. Maybe I am using it wrong?

After seeing pictures of the edge under a microscope I stopped using them. I used to use it on the job. They literally tear the edge.

[mold maker]

Old school here with an Arkansas stone and leather. On most new steel it doesn't matter, cause the air will dull it.

[hollywood63]

Spyderco Kit

[Wild Bill 7]

The razors edge sharpening system. Have been in the meat business for 43 plus years and it really amazed me that most cutters had no clue how to keep or sharpen a knife. I knew maybe 3 people that could sharpen a knife. Proper edge and proper steeling is the way to keep them sharp. Steeling is very important andis the way to keep the edge where it is supposed to be. Also a big myth is oil is needed on your stones. Two stones you need are one that will put an edge on your knife and a fine stone to refine the edge and a good steel. A friend shared the Razor's Edge Book with me and wow what I learned by trial and error they had it refined down to the guide to help put the propper edge on a knife. When a man can shave his face with an double edged ax that is the system I had to have.

[Love Life]

I used to accumulate knives...a bunch of them. I have 4 large bench stones, a leather honing block, and a strop. I have other stuff that I use when needed.

[duke76]

paper wheels on a buffer one with grit and one with white rouge

[gwpercle]

Whet stone when needed , but usually a butchers sharpening steel , I actually get my best edge with the steel and It's fast to use. My brother is a butcher , I saw how quickly he could sharpen a knife to a razor sharp edge and got him to show me the basic's, a little practice and I've been using that method for decades .
I've tried other "systems" but nothing beats a steeling, I keep coming back to it. Inexpensive and quick, not many people left who can use one, another dying art , modern systems will force the steel into oblivion. I guess it's too hard to learn.

[pretzelxx]

I send it back to Benchmade. Lol I'm getting a new blade installed. It's been abused and almost broken, the tip is destroyed and the clip is bent out of shape. It needs some factory love.

[dragon813gt]

I send it back to Benchmade. Lol I'm getting a new blade installed. It's been abused and almost broken, the tip is destroyed and the clip is bent out of shape. It needs some factory love.

I have two MiniGrips I need to send back. One is made of D2 and I broke the tip off prying bullets out of a post. Completely my fault but the blade is extremely handy at work since it now works as a screwdriver.

Second one is made of N680 and I have not been happy w/ it. It's not even a year old yet. Every time I look at it there is another nick in it. It doesn't hold an edge all that well. I don't have these issues w/ the full size Grip w/ N680 so maybe it's just this particular blade.

Thanks for reminding me I need to send them back.

[sthwestvictoria]

This is a great thread.

one important question is what do you want the edge to do? There is a reason a butcher uses a steel and a barber uses a strop - two different types of edge are created.

i like the top of the car window idea. Another expedient sharpening stone is the unglazed portion on the underside of a coffee mug - useful when visiting relatives who throw their knives in a drawer!

[Hogtamer]

Iron has been sharpening iron a long time....Proverbs 27:17

[montana_charlie]

Also a big myth is oil is needed on your stones.
People will put soapstone (or chalk) on a file before using it on aluminum or brass because those soft metals will clog up the teeth on a good file.

How do you keep metal particles from clogging up the 'texture' of your stones?

[country gent]

I actully perfer water or a very light kerosene based oil on stones. The ground copper block gets what the diamond uses for carrier whether water or light oil. I use the glass ( actually a small granite plate) and sand paper for chiesls and plane blades with a little water. I start with 400 grit dry then wet with water and work thru grits to around 8oo grit or so dry and then with water. Scrapers get the same. Its amazing a hand honed properly sharpened scraper or plane will cut a better finish faster than most sand papers. Learning to sharpen a edge takes practice and the more you do the better you get.

[MT Gianni]

Stone and leather strop.

[Jeff Michel]

Norton three face stone. Nothing better if you practice using it.

[Big Boomer]

I break all the rules ... by using the grade of waterproof "sandpaper" that is supposed to be used for preparing automobile bodies for paint (waterproof P2000 [J104-2000-52]), then polish with FLEXBAC POLISHING PAPER (carborundum - 4/0 C135E) and finish with a long piece of leather that eliminates any apparent "edge". Just a sharp meeting of planes - not flat, but gradually rounded from back of blade to edge. You can sharpen a knife this way and then polish it to the place where it doesn't appear to have had a "stone" used. Both the sandpaper and carborundum are placed against the most solid, perfectly flat surface available. Big Boomer

[1911sw45]

I give them to a friend to sharpen. I tried stones, and all the other stuff too. Even with a jig. I really suck at it. So I just let my friend sharpen them.

[Bazoo]

I like to use sharpening stones. Arkansas stones and carborundum. A diamond stone is nice for a quick touchup when you dont want to break out the oil.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

A fine diamond stone and a leather strop usually is sufficient to restore a good edge on good knife. A drop or two of lubricating oil on the hinges also keeps the knife running in good shape. If cared for a good knife can last a very long time and be a trusted companion. Different size jobs require different sized knives so a few good ones can cover most needs. LLS

[MaryB]

I second the EdgePro system www.edgeproinc.com 1,000 grit hone for my kitchen knives, 2,000 for my pocket knives that I want sharp enough to do surgery with if needed!

[rockrat]

Use to use the stones/oil but just use a carbide sharpener now. I only carry a small buck knife nowadays, not what I use to carry

[bangerjim]

400-600-1000 grit diamond sharpening flats. Works great for all knives. Surgical edge left - in my book. For my Swedish carving tools, I finish with a leather strop.

[Mal Paso]

I bought a 4 1/2 oz can of Norton Sharpening Stone Oil for honing gun parts with an India Stone. Use it every time I sharpen knives on a diamond "stone" and it's still almost full. Keeps abraded particles from sticking and floats them away. Even more important with ceramic stones that will plug up. Water works, this is a little better.

[M-Tecs]

The Norton oil is just food grade mineral oil. Much cheaper on Amazon food grade mineral oil.

[725]

Depends on the stage of the blade. New blades with a steep factory edge get a little time on the belt grinder to shallow out the profile. Care taken not to remove temper. Once the basic shape comes around, a stone with oil, or even fine grit wet sand paper to bring it to a fine edge. Depending on intended use, I might even follow up with a polish from a fiber wheel with various grades of polishing compound. Some even get a strop with a leather belt with belt dressing. Hard utility blades get a steeper edge for durability and fine cigar cutting knives get a shallow "V" for extra sharp use.

[edler7]

Another WorkSharp fan here. I have the Ken Onion model that has a guide that is adjustable from 15 to 30 degrees, and 5 or 6 belt grits. It's fast, accurate and repeatable. Once I get the profile down with a coarse belt ( a one time operation), it takes 4-5 passes with a fine belt to bring the edge back to shaving sharp. It also produces a convex edge rather than a bevel. Follow up with a few licks on a strop and you quit loaning your knife to people because most of them don't respect a really sharp blade and fewer know how to use it safely.

My 30 year collection of Arkansas stones sits and gathers dust. Now, if I could just get my wife to quit throwing (literally) the kitchen knives in a drawer and the dishwasher. I have a set I keep in a block that I use, but she doesn't like them because they are "too sharp"[smilie=b:

I bought my son one for his birthday.

[retread]

I may be branded a heretic, but I have really gotten to like the "work sharp" knife sharpener. It's basically a little belt sander with three different grit belts. Cabelas has them on sale this weekend for $59 I think, normally $79. I originally got it for the wife and her extensive kitchen knife collection but quickly adopted it myself. I can touch up 20 or 30 knives for her in 10-15 minutes, which is a huge time savngs.

As background, I'm capable of putting a great edge on a knife with a stone, but I generally have used one of the types with several grits and a jig to adjust the angle. With the work sharp, one can maintain an edge with 2 or 3 quick swipes and on to the next knife. Puts a light burr on the edge and it's a great edge to work with. I cut up several deer a year maybe a hog or two, and filet a LOT of fish, so my knives have to perform. If the work sharp broke today, I would replace it with another as soon as possible.

Couple other things:

If you wanted a razor edge, you'd want to strop after using the work sharp. I generally just use the medium grit because I like the edge it produces better.

If you have a severely abused knife, the coarse grit belt and this machine is the quickest way I've found to rejuvenate it while maintaining an accurate bevel for the edge. I fixed one friend's knives that was sharpened at something like a 50 degree angle and now it slices up deer no problem.

Yes I am a work sharp fanboy, but I don't care.

Looked it upon Cabelas site and they were regularly $149 on sale for $129, unless I am looking at the wrong one.

[edler7]

Looked it upon Cabelas site and they were regularly $149 on sale for $129, unless I am looking at the wrong one.

That sounds like the Ken Onion model. I saw the regular model for $79 the other day at Northern Tool.

[Gofaaast]

I use a three way stone initially. I then use a ceramic steel followed by a traditional steel. I keep two traditional steels that get prepped differently. One with fine emry cloth, the other with 200 grit. I maintain my ceramic steel by cleaning it with Ajax or bar keepers friend wetted to a paste and applied with a wash cloth, once it gets discolored grey from steel rubbing off and filling the pores. I worked on the line in the packing house a couple years and was really able to hone my knife skills. I thought I was decent when I started, since I had hunted, fished, and trapped for several years and always prided myself on keeping a sharp knife, and found out I was not near a good as I could be. I improved probably 75% the first year. Keeping a sharp knife took 80% of the strain off your hands.

[ol skool]

Norton 64 combination, Arkansas stones, piece of leather with polishing compound.

[tomme boy]

Been using wet/dry sandpaper up to 2500 grit lately. Keep a little water on it. Then a old leather belt roughed up and white buffing compound to finish.

[Fishman]

Looked it upon Cabelas site and they were regularly $149 on sale for $129, unless I am looking at the wrong one.

It was the "basic" model and I saw it in our local ad which the wife already tossed. It my have been one of the "door busters" which are only at the local store. The basic model is just fine although the extra guides with the fancy one are nice if you need them.

Now why would she throw the ad away before it even started. Hmmmm.

[JSnover]

I learned to use stones as a kid, never saw a need for any of the new gadgets out there but I understand some of them work pretty well. My grandfather was a barber in a small town, I think he could put a razor edge on a stick of butter.

[JSnover]

This is a great thread.

one important question is what do you want the edge to do? There is a reason a butcher uses a steel and a barber uses a strop - two different types of edge are created.

i like the top of the car window idea. Another expedient sharpening stone is the unglazed portion on the underside of a coffee mug - useful when visiting relatives who throw their knives in a drawer!
This is a good point. I sharpen axes and hatchets with a file and they are sharp, just not in the same way as a pocket knife or a straight razor.
I haven't heard of the car window method but a man who'd spent time in a German prison camp in WWII told me how they sharpened razor blades using the inside of a glass jar.

[JSnover]

After seeing pictures of the edge under a microscope I stopped using them. I used to use it on the job. They literally tear the edge.
I suspected as much and never trusted those pull-through types for that reason.

[Motard]

Steel is for my kitchen knifes. Few quick pass and those are ready to use. For my pocket and belt knifes I learned to use only stones from chilhood. I have some arkansans (very good), some indians, a lansky kit, and some tipical Italian's Pietra Cote: http://www.naturalstoneinfo.com/download/bgcamcom.pietra_cote.pdf This are natural stones coming from sedimentation of billions of microorganism skeleton (octopus) in a clay's bed during Jurassic era. Wile sharpening with whater the skeletons (that becomes silicas by pressure and time) make the gross metal removing but then they mix with whater and clay making a wheat mousse that refine the blades without the needing of changing the stone grane (hope I make myseld undestood). This stones where known and used by Roman's army for maintaing they's swords and untill few year ago where still in use in agricoltural (nowdays You can find a lot of "pure pietra cote" syntetic and made in china but there are also the thrue ones).
For shure there are known and mined stones coming from similar geological condition in other's parts of the world but I feel fine to use the Cote. And my blades are scary-sharp too. Never thrusted any electric sharpener

[Artful]

Stone{s} then Ceramic Sticks then Steel I can go sharper but seldom see the need as I don't shave with my knives I use a Razor when I feel like shaving.

[str8shot426]

Porter cable 3x24 belt sander.

[skeettx]

Since mine are already stone sharp I use the Case ceramic moon stick for freshening
Mike

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Case-XX-1970s-12-Ceramic-Moon-Stick-4-Pocket-Sharpener-Never-Been-Used-/281888293671?hash=item41a1da0327:g:VLIAAOSwYHxWHDX Y

[sthwestvictoria]

This is an intersting read about what makes up a knife edge with various types of blade steels and methods - stones, strops, machines, steels, seen under an electron microscope:
https://12361-presscdn-0-73-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/knifeshexps.pdf

Does anyone use the paper wheel sharpening kits for a bench grinder?
http://www.cuttingedgeknives.com.au/product_details.php?page=1&pID=18595
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaVptsJFvoE&feature=youtu.be

[TXGunNut]

Learned to sharpen a knife on Arkansas stones but use a different method these days. If the knife has been used hard I'll start out with a diamond stone with a bit of water, then move onto a ceramic rod crock stick and then if I want to really impress the tourists I'll strop it on the back of a heavy old leather pants belt but that I've sweated thru many times. Scary sharp after a 20-30 strops on that old belt. My favorite hunting and kitchen knives these days start out as kits from Track of the Wolf. I use Russell Green River blades and TOW brass rivets to hold any of a variety of hardwoods or other materials. Attaching and shaping the handles personalizes the knife, a few I give away. There are probably better steels out there but I really like the way these Green River blades take and hold an edge. I like to take them hunting when it's my turn to cook, I'll put one in a sheath when I'm just hunting. The rest of the year they are proudly displayed (and used) in my kitchen. These old knives look like something my great-grandparents might have used, as a result I have a nice set of Cold Steel kitchen knives that see little use. The Green River blade is not stainless so it gains a nice patina over the years. They need to be hand washed & dried but so does much of my best cookware. It's worth it.

[Tim357]

Pendzon what the blade is like. Initial sharpening on a bench stone, thereafter on a Spyderco sharpmaker. Kitchen knives get either a steel or a ceramic steel for touch ups. I really like the Spyderco.

[Doggonekid]

My favorite is also a Lanski. The kit I have has 5 stones, a clamp to hold the knife blade and a clamp to hold the knife clamp to the table. The angle is the key for me. I will depend on what kind of knife your are sharpening. This kit helps you keep the same angle on the blade as you graduate to a finer and finer stone until you can shave a bald spot on your arm.

[TXGunNut]

Angle is the key, any stroke on a stone, ceramic stick, steel or strop at a different angle is a wasted stroke or will actually hurt the edge. All my knives are sharpened at the same angle so with some knives it takes awhile to get with the program, lol.

[bikerbeans]

I hand my skinning knife and a Natty Light to my best friend and he works his magic on it with an old Lanski set.

BB

[Echo]

I have a diamond hone for smoothing up my edges.

[EMC45]

If it's dull from work or abuse it gets a few laps on the Diamond block or diamond stick. After that it is on to the Ark stone. I have a few different "grits" of natural stone that will put a very fine edge on a pocket or kitchen knife. I also hone my straight razors on my Ark stones and they do just fine. I have "dressed" (lapped) all my stones with a diamond block though for uniformity. I also "broke" all the sharp edges on them so they are softer. My criteria for a carry/pocket/work knife is if it will pop hair hair off the arm. Not necessarily plow hair off in rolls, but if it will pop hairs when applied to the arm it is good then. I also drag the edge across my thumbnail to check for snags, drags or burrs. If so, then it gets a few more passes on the Ark fine stone and then it is ready.

[Treetop]

I'm another one of those who stink at sharpening knives using stones, so over the years I have tried almost every knife sharpening "crutch" that's come on the scene.

I have now settled on two different systems:

1) Edge Pro for smaller blades (4" or less)

2) Ken Onion Work Sharp for the longer kitchen knives.

These two systems finally give me the edge that I have always desired...

[Jeff82]

The best sharpener I've found is the one made by Spyderco.

[snuffy]

73 posts, nobody has mentioned the Wicked Edge sharpening system. It's like a lansky or Gatco in that it holds the blade firmly in a clamp while the diamond hones are held at the same angle while being sharpened. While it is not inexpensive, it is also not cheaply made. The basic kit has 3 double sided hones the are 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 grit. I opted for the leather hones that use a diamond paste to produce a finer smoother edge like for a straight razor. They are 3.5 and 5Mu.

The angles are adjustable from 15 to 30 degrees. Pick your angle according to the job the knife will be doing. A little checking on line will give guidelines on the best blade angle to use. A lot depends on the steel, how hard it is will dictate how sharp it can be made, a very hard blade used under a lot of pressure will chip easily.

https://www.wickededgeusa.com/

[dragon813gt]

73 posts, nobody has mentioned the Wicked Edge sharpening system.

Very cost prohibitive. $300 to $750 is not something most people will buy. The reviews are all good and it does put a wicked edge on a blade. But that's a lot of money for a sharpener.

[rking22]

I've used stones and then stropping for a final edge for the past 45+ years. Something about the process is relaxing to me. I do like the ceramic stick for a quick touchup and use a steel for the kitchen knives. Only good steel allowed in my house, mostly carbon steels like 1095 and D2 but ATS34 and the like are good steels too. Now that stuff (ATS34) is what taught me to love the ceramic/diamond :)
Where I work I can reset an edge on a large flat stone from a machine grinder, without that I would have to look into something more aggressive.
I am going to a straight razor so now I will probably learn "sharp" at a whole nuther level!

[MaryB]

Here is a handy hint for hand sharpening on a stone. Mark your blade with black magic marker along the bevel. You can see it come off and judge your angle that way.

[snuffy]

Here is a handy hint for hand sharpening on a stone. Mark your blade with black magic marker along the bevel. You can see it come off and judge your angle that way.

Mary, that's exactly how I find out what angle a knife has been sharpened to if I haven't sharpened it before. I also take a long look at the edge with a 20X magnifier to see if there's any deep nicks that may have to be addressed.

If some klutz has tried to hand sharpen on some sort of stone, then the edge will have a rounded or convex profile. Sorry guys and gals, unless you're a robot, you can't hand hold a knife to an exact angle while honing on a stone. It will rock to produce a rounded angle. A guide is the only way to establish and hold a blade angle.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by snuffy http://castboolits.gunloads.com/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=3477319#post3477319)

73 posts, nobody has mentioned the Wicked Edge sharpening system.--


Very cost prohibitive. $300 to $750 is not something most people will buy. The reviews are all good and it does put a wicked edge on a blade. But that's a lot of money for a sharpener.



Dragon81, yes but, if you spent a lot of money on a knife, you want it to last. Proper sharpening with the wicked edge system removes very little of the blade metal. If on the other hand a person shops for knives at the bargain isle at wally world, then get one of those drag through sharpeners. They DO work, but they take a lot of the blade off to make an edge, because the gnarled edge is so fragile, you have to continually repeat the process. You will in short order have a narrow toothpick for a blade. That's okay, by that time the rest of the knife is ready to fall apart anyway.:cry:

One reason the wicked edge sharpening system is so costly is they use only Monocrystalline diamonds on their hones. Much more expensive than the polycrystalline diamonds that you see on the cheap hones like come with the Gatco and lansky diamond sharpeners. They look like polka dots, the interrupted surface helps to trap filings from the blades.

The monocrystalline diamonds are formed to the grit size specified then adhered to a nickle backing plate that is extremely flat. AND thick enough that it will NOT bend from pressure. Polycrystalline diamonds are fractured to be smaller IE ground down to size and screened to a grit size. They are weak by nature of having been broken. The hones made that way just don't last very long.

The Gatco sharpener system that I used to use, at first had carborundum stones. They quickly became plugged up even though I used the supplied honing oil. Their grit size also became smaller through use. So I bit the boolit, sprung for the diamond hones. Much better, but they started to loose their effectiveness quickly. I replaced them once, then recently went with the wicked edge system.

[Blackwater]

I've accumulated a variety of stones and stuff over the years. When I get a new knife and want to set the angle of the edge, I use my Lansky with all 5 stones. Need to get the fine and extra fine diamond stones for it for some of the knives I've got.

Otherwise, with regular bench stones, one tip I have found helps me, and that might help some here, is to lock my arm and wrist into the right "L" shape to get the angle desired on the edge, and then to swing it using the shoulder as the hinge point, and using upper body rotation to maintain the right angle consistently. Sure has helped me. Take the wrist out of it and you'll wind up getting a much more consistent angle on your edge, and won't round the bevel due to the variations in using your wrist too much. Works with all grits of stones, too, and I just use that technique to get a real razor edge. Anybody else got tips? I've worked all my life it seems, toward getting better at sharpening, and this is what I've found helps me the most, but I'm sure somebody here has a better technique, and I'd appreciate hearing it.

Some folks just seem to have a knack for sharpening, and the rest of us have to work at it.

[JSnover]

If some klutz has tried to hand sharpen on some sort of stone, then the edge will have a rounded or convex profile. Sorry guys and gals, unless you're a robot, you can't hand hold a knife to an exact angle while honing on a stone. It will rock to produce a rounded angle. A guide is the only way to establish and hold a blade angle.

And yet, some of us manage…
I bought a Case folder 35 years ago, carry it virtually every day, used it for various jobs on four continents and have never used anything but a stone. It is not hard to put a sharp edge on a knife. Do it right and don't abuse it, you won't have to sharpen it very often.

[Motard]

I agree. my edgesvmay not be perfect if inspected with a magnifier. but are sharps

Sent from my C6903 using Forum Fiend v1.3.3.

[mold maker]

The only complaint I ever had, about the edge I produced, was from a fellow who tried the edge with his thumb. Split it right to the bone.
My sharpening may not have been perfect, but it satisfied a lot of guys and gals where I worked.

[MaryB]

I warn people to NOT pick up my kitchen knives of they are not comfortable with extreme sharp. I have some ratty Chicago Cutlery knives they can use that I salvaged from a box of junk I got from my dad's shop after he died(it was all electrical stuff to wire, I knew I was going to be building a garage soon so I took it) that were buried in the bottom under spools of wire. My guess is he told mom he misplaced them and bought her new knives so he wouldn't have to sharpen them yet again.

[MtGun44]

I know how to properly sharpen with any of the methods, but the Lansky
kit is my method of choice most of the time. Saves wear on the knife, very
quick once the angle is set. Highly recommended.

[DCP]

Wow

Lots and Lots of useful information here
Thanks to all

[wch]

I use a diamond stone, coarse and fine sides.

[twc1964]

I guess im old fashioned but i just use a medium and fine stone and knock the burrs off with a few swipes on a steel. Maybe one day il get a lansky or one of those new electric belt type sharpeners.