Sharpening

[Kev117]

Any recommendations on sharpening techniques and systems would be appreciated. No matter what I try I can't seem to get a super sharp edge.

Like "so razor sharp you can shave with it" edge.

Thanks

[Lotsdragon]

it just takes practice Kev, it takes a lot of time and patients to get it right but you will get it. I been doing it for over 45 years and the only real thing I can tell you is practice. Alot of it has to do with the kind of steel you are trying to sharpen, for me the easiest and most reliable has always been buck fixed blades. Something about that stainless steel is just good to me. Good luck and practice practice practice.

[Insulation Tim]

Everything that you've ever wanted to know about sharpening is in this treatise that can be found HERE

Personally, I use the Edge Pro sharpening system to put the initial razor sharp edge to a blade INFO HERE and the Spyderco Sharpmaker HERE to maintain the edge (which is key to a great blade).

[ampaterry]

I have, over the years, tried numerous systems, both commercial and hand made. I still have several, including a beautiful hard Arkansas stone which I hand inletted into a fitted oak box with brass furniture to hold the lid in place. Following that, I would remove my leather belt, hook the buckle to a chair, and strop the blade on the inside surface of it until I could shave with it.
I currently use the Spyderco Triangle system that Tim posted about, and find it to be the best and fastest I have ever used.
Good GRIEF it is $85 now????
Glad I bought mine years ago when it was cheaper and I had an income!

But one thing is sure.
ANY of these systems CAN put a razer edge on a blade.
You just need to work at it until you have the edge you are after. The most important thing is to work toward the ANGLE on your blade - somewhere between 15 and 20 degrees should do it - and work toward that angle from beginning to end. There is a tendency when you first start sharpening a blade to go for a steeper angle, thus getting an edge more quickly. Fight that urge, stick with the 15 to 20 degree angle, and you will be shaving with it.

What kind of knives do you own, Kev? My favorite ones include a Schrade, Spyderco, and several cheap ones that I just enjoy the looks of, like my Butterfly and my three bladed shredder.

[topper]

I use a tri-stone that was made back in the 1930's. It has three different grades of stones and does a fine job of sharpening. Some of the newer "made in china" blades are made of a hard stainless steel and it takes a bit of work to get a keen edge. I set the blade at about a 10* angle and draw slowly toward me and then flip over and push it away. Do this until the edge is getting very sharp and then finish on a very smooth arkansas stone and then strop with a leather belt. That should produce a very sharp edge.

[Roadkil]

I always had a hard time with sharpening my knives until I found this little system. http://www.knivesplus.com/lansky-kni...ning-kits.html

Sharp edge everytime.

[sweetokole]

Saw tons of sharpening systems at the Shot Show... as far as mechanical system ala lansky etc. this one impressed me... www.v-sharp.com

I've been sharpening knives for 40+ years the old fashion way... so mechanical ones don't turn me on... but it's not so easy teaching
my kids and friends... they don't have the patience to practice and learn. This V-sharp thing is fast and will do so many size blades and they come out really as sharp as I can do the old way.

[old semperfi]

you did not really say but there are metals out there that you cant put a razor edge on.im wondering if you are talking about all knives or just one in particular.you can talk to ten people and get ten different ways to sharpen a knife and all of them will be right maybe.......i have wet stones,oil stones,diamond stones,and have used them all correctly at one time or another.i always finish up with ceramic sticks and leather.i can only tell you to keep trying and hopefully youll find a formula that will work for you old semperfi

[Zane71464]

Practice, practice and then some. The method/set-up Tim mentioned is like what I use. I never was to awefully good doing it without guids. One thing I do though when I buy a new knife, I use it til dull and then use my set-up and start honeing away til I get "my" right angle on the edge, that way when it needs shapened again, all I have to do is hit it a few licks and it's right back to were it will shave your arm.

[45nut]

Good advice all. I'm with the old fashioned practice crowd, as I have never been one for the knife sharpening gadgets, with one exception. Most people need something to help with the initial edge and these work pretty good.

After I get the initial angle set with one of these, then I use a hard Arkansas stone with oil and I can shave with it. I keep one of these in my hunting back pack and several in my survival / SHTF / first aid back pack.

I have diamond hones, ceramic sticks, a 3 stone set up with coarse, medium and fine stones and any and all work with practice

[carver]

I have never tried any of the helpers. My dad was a barber and he had me sharpening his straight razors when I was 14. I have never had a problem putting an edge on a blade. I would recomend that you try one, or two, of the helpers, then learn to do it by hand. In a survival situation you probably won't have any helpers.

[jacksonco]

The Spyderco Sharpmaker can be found on E-bay for around $55-$60. It is an excellent sharpener system.

[DARIN]

I will tell you this....do it by hand. No offense to the folks with the sharpening machines. A person with knowledge and experience can get a face shaving edge on a blade with a concrete block and cardboard...LOL Really though, many experts state that only one stone is needed along with a finisher/polisher such as leather. I use 2 to 3 stones according to the knife and its use. I use a medium Arkansas stone for starters and then move to the translucent or the Black surgical stone. Once I have obtained the correct edge and angle I hit the leather strap. This is only if there`s no need for a major rework. I completely stay away from ceramics, glass, or many other synthetics.
Practice ALOT!! Learn the art of angles. Different blades have different thickness, material types, etc.,etc. so you will really need to do the research in order to find out what some others are doing.
I will be happy to answer any questions pertaining to a perticular knife, stone,etc.. feel free to send me a message or an email and I will gladly help you to the best of my abilties. I can also give you a few links to some of my pals that have videos on the subject.
Be careful and good luck to ya!
Oh yeah!....Remember that steels are ONLY for correcting the edge. Or in other words..to roll the edge back up.

[The_Rifleman]

It really depends on the knife. Some knives have an edge that are more like an axe, you can't get them as sharp as a straight razor because of the entirely different kind of edge.

But I have been sharpening knives since before I was a boy scout and it is all in the angle. Some knives are harder because of the curved blade make the angle hard to follow. Some people can't get the hang of it, for those people I would suggest get a straight blade. You only need to concentrate on one angle the whole blade length.

Think shaving the stone ever so thinly.

Also, I have changed the method that I was taught. Now I use circular motions. I started doing that when I decided to put an edge on some bayonets, it was taking so long that I decided to change methods to get more grinding time per minute. I do that with every blade now, works wonderfully, takes less than half the time and I am getting a longer life from the edge.

[old semperfi]

i will tell you one of my tricks,but only one.take your regular wet stone,not oil stone and get it wet.take kitchen clenser and powder stone lightly.run blade 10 strokes on one side holding at proper angle(depends on blade)then 10 strokes on opposite side always as if you are cutting away from yourself.make sure to re wet and powder both times.then wash off all powder and sharpen normally.i think you will find a quicker and sharper edgwe to start with old semperfi

[accident]

I have about 400-500 knives and with sharpening for the less-experienced I'd reccomend the Lansky system.I'ts cheap (not the diamond stones),and it will help you practice that all too important angle.With enough practice you can then use the oilstones.Also depends on the type blade (hollow ground is quicker to sharpen),and the Rockwell hardness of the knife.Practice practice.Lastly strop with the back of an old belt to finish.This last step is important. Joe

[patrol]

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW64B0MZVOE
can't go wrong with a Lansky system.

[patrol]

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW64B0MZVOE
try again sorry

[patrol]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW64B0MZVOE

[patrol]

there finally...again, Lansky

[johnlives4christ]

one trick i use is to vary the pressure applied to the blade. when starting i use a little bit of pressure, then as i get closer to finishing i ease up until i am using almost no pressure at all when im finishing.

then i strop on a piece of leather.

[199er]

I've had a knife or knives from my cub scout/boy scout days to present, so I guess that puts me in the 'practicing group' when it comes to knife sharpening.

I've never tried any 'sharpening kits' when sharpening a knife or broadhead. My dad taught me to use a course stone (to remove blade nicks or reset the blade bevel angle) and a medium stone (to 'smooth' out the work of the course stone and/or put a 'generally' sharp edge on the blade), and then a hard stone to 'finish' the blade to a 'razor' edge & then strop the blade with a piece of leather to remove any fine metal burrs and polish the finished blade.

Over the years I've added a 3"x 1" fine grade EZE LAP diamond sharpener to do quick 'touch up' resharpening. I've found it to be a very useful and handy tool especially when skinning tough skinned animals with a lot of fat just under the skin such as black bear or wild/feral hogs (animal fat quickly dulls a knife).

Here are some info/techniques that have worked for me that you may find helpful;

......all blade edges are not the same angle so to resharpen your knife to a 'razors edge' with a resharpening kit you should know at what degree of angle your blade is beveled
(10, 20, etc). This is usually listed in the instructions that come with the knife.

......the hard part of resharpening any knife is being able to hold the knife at the proper angle throughout the resharpening process.......working the knife on the stone at the wrong angle repeatedly is where we 'go wrong' and end up changing the angle of the blade bevel or 'flattening' the blade edge. To overcome this takes some practice but I've found if you take a black Sharpie non-permanent marker and color in just the bevel on both sides of the knife from the tip to the hilt this will give you a 'guide' to follow when sharpening and provide you instant feedback when you get off angle. This technique allows you to catch a sharpening mistake before a blade is mis-beveled and enables you to aquire the 'old school' sharpening skills without the usual migraines.

.......Don't use the course stone at all unless you have to reset the bevel of the blade or remove nicks out of it. So if there is no need to use the course stone there is no need to be 'agressive and apply gorilla pressure' when you use the medium and fine stones. You want to apply only enough pressure on the medium stone to where you can feel the stone lightly 'grinding/working' the bevel and blade edge; if you apply too much pressure you will change the bevel and or flatten the blade edge; don't forget to use and reuse your Sharpie as you deem necessary to mark the blade bevel & edge when using the stones........When you use the fine stone use it with very slight pressure, all you want to do is to 'gently polish' the bevel and blade. This step is what obtains your 'razor edge' unless you apply too much pressure and change the bevel, so go 'gently here. Lastly, strop both sides of the finished blade with leather. Three or four passes on each side of the blade will remove any fine metal burrs.

......If you keep the grinding angle fairly correct then usually no more than 15 to 20 strokes on the medium stone with both sides of the blade are necessary to bring a general sharpness back. Then the same number of strokes on the fine stone plus stropping each side of the blade 3-4 times will easily return a knife dulled from skinning & dressing a deer back to a razor edge.

.......I always begin my sharpening stroke at the hilt of the blade, pushing the blade away from me, and ending the stroke at the tip of the blade. I turn the blade over and repeat the stroke by pulling the blade to me. This is certainly not the only way to do it but it's the way that works for me. You may find another way that is best for you but.

.......The angle you hold the blade is a key element in knife sharpening as is the amount of pressure you apply to your strokes and insuring you use an equal number of strokes on each side of the blade.

Hope you find this info useful and good luck to you.

[denny 714]

DMT Diamond Stones,...Course,..Fine,..Extra Fine,..3 Micron diamond,...then the leather paddle...!!! I always get Razor results.!

Denny G.

[DGG!]

Kev-

Let me first say you never want a "razor edge" unless you are sharpening a "razor". A razor's edge has very small angles and if a knife is sharpened to these angles usually the edge will quickly wear away to dullness in my experience. What you want is a sharp edge for the tool being used for the job at hand. An axe and a scapel can both have sharp edges but obviously they are not the same sharp edges. Does this make any sense?

I'll toss out three sharpeners that I really like. These systems help you because they eliminate the problem of trying to keep a certain angle on the edge freehand. Freehand sharpening can be done with lots of time and practice.

1. Do you know what it was that Spyderco sold when they were in their corporate infancy. Wrong - it wasn't a knife. They went to all the gun shows selling their Sharpmaker system. Only after sharpening thousands of crappy knives did they realize they could make a better one and their knife business took off.

Their Sharpmaker is easy and fast to use. It does a very good job and it folds up into a small easy to store container. I have other more expensive sharpening stones and systems but find the Sharpmaker the one I reach for for everyday sharpening.

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-A...1754513&sr=8-1

2. For travel, hunting, the kitchen knife drawer, etc., where you need a quick resharpening, here is a $2.00 gem made by Gerber knives. Again it is a small package that does a great job on resharpening an already sharpened knife blade. It should be in every tackle box, does a great quick sharpening on filet knives.

http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Blades-...754665&sr=1-16

3. When I first sharpen a very good knife I use my "Edge Pro Apex". In my opinion it would be almost impossible for a sharpener to put a sharp edge on a knife better than with this sharpener will. It holds the exact edge angles and the stones are excellent. After using the stones you use the abrasive tapes to polish the edge. But I think you really have to be into expensive knives to afford such a sharpener. But use this once and you will quickly learn what a sharp knife can do.

http://www.edgeproinc.com/productsapex.html

[jacksonco]

Use the Spyderco Sharp Maker and I am very pleased with the results. You can get scarey sharp without too much effort. As some person mentioned earlier it is easier to maintain an edge than it is to let it go to the point of having to reshape the blade.