Knife sharpening, a subject for discussion.

[wecsoger]

Something we can all ruminate and chew our cud on. And comment on.

And this is one of those "religious" subjects that everyone has an opinion on, 9mm vs. 45ACP, pre/post '64, revolver vs. semi, etc.

I don't use honing oil, I've got a little sealed bottle of kerosene. Wife doesn't like the smell so I do it all on the back porch. I've looked at the Lansky diamond hones and still need to buy a set. They're supposed to be water only.

I've got one of the Lansky five stone sets, for what it's worth still made in the U.S.A. Augmented with a support stand that I've built using a 1" by 5" steel base. This Lansky set is perfect for small blades. but gets unwieldy past 5" - 6" or so. Then you have to get into only doing part of the knife at a time. I've been meaning to fabricate a fixture so I can use the Lansky stones on longer blades.

I use the Lansky so I can get a repeatable bevel. I know folks say they can sharpen freehand and I'll just nod in polite agreement. We've got stationary drill presses because drilling a hole free hand is not accurate enough. Milling machines and metal lathes because a drill press is not accurate enough. 'Nuff said.

These comments are for knives only. Axes, machetes, tomahawks, ulus, are different critters. I've got the Lasky "Puck" for them.

My current technique:
Lock the knife into the holder.
Select whichever bevel I'm going to use. (Another religious issue!)
Put a drop or two of light oil on the stone I'm going to start with.
Run the stone back and forth along the length of the blade.
Repeat, no more than three times. (you want it even on both sides)
Flip the knife over, back and forth again.
Somewhere along here I can feel the 'wire edge' of the blade of the opposite side I'm stoning on.
When it's even all along I'll repeat the back and forth stoning one more time till I feel that wire edge flip over and even on the other side.
After that, I flip the knife again and very lightly take the same stone and push it /in/ to the knife edge to take that wire edge off. (do it lightly and you can feel it)
Depending on how the edge feels, I may do this one or more times, just as long as I do it evenly on both sides.
Assuming I started with a Medium stone, my next one is the Fine.
I will go up an angle (sharper, not flatter) and repeat the process.
After this, the Extra Fine stone, up and angle again, repeat.

Comments, criticisms, suggestions, better ideas?

[ollogger]

I use a lansky also but with one angle may very on different knives & uses
I use a stone on pocket knives, just wondering how durable is your edge with this proses?
dang sharp im sure



ollogger

[williamranks]

I bought a Work Sharp belt type sharpener a couple years ago. They were cheaper then than they are now.
It puts on a curved, or convex, edge on for more strength and less drag using a 220 grit belt for shaping and a 6000 grit for polishing and honing.
Down side is learning how to use it. Do not apply pressure or the belt will grab the blade also it will not sharpen close to the hilt. I had to do a 1/4" back-cut on all my blades near the back end.
The edge lasts forever and I haven't needed to use it again since the first time, too bad I couldn't have rented it for one day.
All I've had to do is a light touch up with my go to tool, it's the ceramic core from a sodium parking lot light bulb.
Just pick one up, 400 or higher wattage, break away the outer glass and cut out the ceramic tube that actually produces the light. All it takes is a light strop on the tube to be back to shaving hair. It's an old electrician trick.

[BigSky56]

I use scandi type knives, mora & ahti, the bevel is built on the blade you dont have to use a jig to get them sharp. At the shop I use a smiths bench diamond stone and in my day pack I carry a smith fine & med diamond sharpener. How to sharpen scandi grind knives http://www.ragweedforge.com/scanshrp.html. danny

[Lastmohecken]

I have several different stones, some are Arkansas oil stones, etc and I have some diamond hones, and a few other odd ball items. On my Case, Great Eastern's, and others with basically 1095 steel I find the Arkansas Oil Stones work pretty good, others like my Doziers, Queens, etc with D2 steel, or some of the other harder tougher steels I use the diamond hones, mostly. And sometimes I will take a knife up to A.G. Russel's knife store and sharpen them on his bigger hones, and ceramic sticks.

And sometimes if I get lazy, I will take a pocket full of knives to the local gunshow where I pay a knife sharpener to sharpen them for me. I have been meaning to purchase one of those belt machines or wheels to sharpen my knives on.

There's so many ways to sharpen a knife. Some people always cut into the stone or hone, others always drag away from the edge, I have found that both methods will produce a shaving edge and when one way isn't working for me, I switch off and I guess it has something to do with the wire edge, so sometimes it works to switch, and sometimes I end up finishing up with stropping the blade on the side of my leather boot top.

Bob Dozier told me he always hits his knife a few strokes with the blade going into the diamond hone, on his personal EDC knife every morning. He does not want a real shaving edge, believing that a more coarse edge serves his purposes better and the edge holds up better. He may be right, although I do like a shaving hair splitting edge on my knives most of the time.

I don't use a guide to maintain the bevel, it's by eye and feel and some of my knives are beveled differently then others, depending on the thickness of the blade, factory bevel, etc.

[Sixgun]

My Leatherman comes out of my pocket 20-30 times a day and nothing annoys me more than a knife that is less than very sharp, not razor sharp, but sharp enough to easily cut through things that are made to be cut through.

I use a Lansky to "set the edge" about very six months using a 17-20 degree angle. Once a week or so, depending on use, I use Kabar oil and a fine stone and do it the way I was taught in Boy Scouts...........firm, even pressure, in a slow circular motion. A half dozen turns on one side and a half dozen on the other and I'm good-to-go in my endeavors for the week or if need be, to open up an adversary like a can of beans. ----6

It's equally important to keep your stones clean as the pores fill up with metal. Every six months or so, I'll spray the stone with 2+2 carb cleaner and blow it off with compressed air.

[Blaine]

Sharpening Life became easy with the new Diamond sharpeners.....For me it's a two, or three step process. For a dull knife, I'll use the Coarse side of my Smith to get a nice bevel until I can't "see" the edge in the light. Then I'll turn the Smith over to the Fine side and using a bigger angle, gently finish the edge with gentle, one-way strokes. If I want a razor edge, I'll finish off with a couple, or three strokes on a piece of crock stick. All by eye, nothing fancy.

[Catshooter]

Oh yes, this is a very religious subject!

I too use the Lansky system. I steered away from the diamond set, didn't think they'd be any better than the standard set. Right up until I used one that is. Oh my. Well worth the extra dough. Wecsoger, the diamond set comes with a bottle of oil, just FYI.

I use 20 degrees for all knives including my wife's kitchen knives.

I touch most of our working knives up about every four to six weeks. Unless something bad has happened I just use the extra fine diamond. For my pocket knife I use that and the sapphire for final sharpening.

This gives me no wire edge to wrassle off.


Cat

[octagon]

As a Luthier (one who makes or repairs stringed instruments) I have a great many knives (German violin knives) and chisels that are in constant use. I love to sharpen stuff, and yet I get paid to fix and make stuff-not to sharpen. Every minute I spend sharpening is money lost as I see it, so some years ago I switched to diamond stones for the majority of sharpening chores, yet I love my Japanese water stones for fine work - they are crucial for a superior keen edge I at times require. I have an entire cabinet full of Arkansas stones etc... which seldom see any use outside my occasional use on axes, which I collect. I also collect knives and usually carry at least two. I also sharpen plane blades as well.

A tip I found useful years ago (for free hand sharpening) is to stand while working at arms length at a bench, this helps to keep a more constant bevel, I have never used guides, even when hollow grinding blades, a method I prefer on chisels and planes, as it shortens touch up time a great deal.
After truing a plane blade, I can make a shaving you can read through, and a properly set up plane is a joy to work with.

In the kitchen, I use ceramic sticks for touch up on all knives, I like the long ones about a foot long,
and clean them with dish detergent occasionally, for like Six said, they load up quickly, and work
much quicker when clean.

On the rare day my guitar load is light, I like to sharpen and oil knives and other tools all day!

[piller]

I have the Lansky, the WorkSharp, and use the WartHog V-Sharp the most. I can sharpen by freehand on a stone, and I like to use a steel to get the final shaving sharp edge.
Tycer and RKrodle can both make a knife sharp enough to cut an animal very well. I have seen their blades, and they both keep them sharp enough to shave with.

Yes, there are several different techniques, but the only wrong way is the one which does not take the type of steel into account. A good high carbon steel can handle more blade angles than can most stainless. Stainless usually needs a thicker edge, or a slightly curved edge such as the Work Sharp sharpener puts on a blade. HOWEVER, it is still up to the user to find the edge angle and profile that fits their needs and the type of steel in the blade. Once you find the right angle and profile for you, it makes your knife a very, very useful tool, and that is what sharpening them yourself is all about. Kind of like reloading finds what your firearm does best with.

[Mescalero]

A Luthier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would have never guessed.
I guess we will just continue to surprise each other.

[92&94]

I have a few oil stones that I use with WD-40 - basically kerosine that smells ok. Coarse one is an aluminum oxide stone, the other two are Arkansas stones.

If I'm in a hurry, like with a stainless kitchen knife that will soon be dull again, I either use just the coarse stone or hit it with the bench grinder, then buff the bevel with a hand cranked felt wheel and some compound. Edge doesn't last as long, but it is very sharp in under a minute.

[octagon]

92&94, you might be surprised that with a medium diamond stone you can sharpen even the dullest knife in under a minute with an edge that will last nicely even with hard use. I was a long time in coming around to diamonds, but now I rarely use any others, they are well worth the expense if only in time saved compared to stones.

[piller]

Just as Octagon does, I use diamond stones quite a lot. They make an edge on a knife in a hurry, and due to the toothy edge, they cut well. They don't leave a smooth edge, but they leave a working edge that lasts.

[92&94]

I've used loose diamond on copper plates now and then, and Nickel bonded diamond when I had it. If time were a huge factor - like for pro sharpening - that's what I would do. The buffing set up is just making use of what is already here

[Tycer]

Many stones, strops, pastes etc. Different steels and different types of blades take different stones and strokes for best performance. That said, I use the Lansky for speed on my EDC and kitchen.

[6pt-sika]

I have a Lansky setup a friend gave me for Christmas about 15-20 years ago , I used it some but never liked the thing . I also have a Buck angle guide you clamp on the blade and don't care for it either .

I have a Buck stone I bought when I was 14 that I've been using for 39 years as well as a few I've picked up used .

With the "wet rocks" I sharpen hunting knives , butcher knives , pocket knives , hatchets and meat cleavers . I do also use the tongue out of a old pair of Docksiders as well . But generally you can shave the hair on your arm with them all cleavers and hatchets included .

Oh I put whatever gun oil I have on the stones and every once and awhile I boil them to get the stuff off them .

[Griff]

Gosh, am I feeling "low-tech"! I have a triangular set of three stones and a can of 3-in-1 oil. And sharpen by hand... not tools or nuttin'. I've skinned as many as 3 deer in a day... an only changed knives once at the end of the 3rd deer. Sharp enough for my uses.

[hfcable]

A Luthier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would have never guessed.
I guess we will just continue to surprise each other.

My response as well.......what a neat job, must require exquisite talent!

[octagon]

Lutherie is an art I learned the old fashioned way, an apprenticeship through a world renowned master of the craft. It is very satisfying work, and a chance for me to breathe life into damaged, sometimes mangled or long neglected instruments. I can fix anything with strings on it, and offer great discounts for veterans, and kids under 17. I find too that I am an excellent boss, usually closing the shop during much of deer season, and anytime the birds are flying!

[BobM]

I usually use a Spyderco Sharpmaker. A couple years ago I sat in on a sharpening lesson from a knife maker who emphasized the importance of stropping to maintain a good edge.

[Mescalero]

I found one of those little planes in an estate sale.
I cleaned it up and made a few shavings with it, just to see it work.
It is for decoration now.
Maybe you can provide some instruction during the dove hunt.
Should be in September?

[Bronco]

I have found I have a knack for sharpening my knives with just the stones..leather..jewlers paste and my hands,

When I can shave with them..I figure they are sharp enough..

What ever you do to get that shave..... works.

[92&94]

I found one of those little planes in an estate sale.
I cleaned it up and made a few shavings with it, just to see it work.
It is for decoration now.
Maybe you can provide some instruction during the dove hunt.
Should be in September?

There's a shop in Mesa that makes planes, and sells those little ones (I don't think he makes those though, too inexpensive compared to his other stuff). Neat place, though I recall the owner has a funny idea of hardening steel - O-1 hardened but not tempered! Kinda brittle Maybe he's seen the light by now, I was in there probably 15 years ago.

[octagon]

Bronco I use the strop in the repair shop, not so much in the kitchen. I made mine 4" wide and 20" long on a piece of hardwood and use a fine jewelers rouge. A good strop is a great way to round a superior keen edge if proper bevel angles are not consistent, over enthusiastic use of a strop is an enemy to truly keen edges.

Mescalero the BBQ Doves are calling you...The middle part of September has at least a CHANCE of some cooler weather. Opening day is nearly always a scorcher.

[Mescalero]

So I was right..................... it is in September.

[horsesoldier03]

I have an Arkansas Stone that I will occasionaly break out. Most of my knife sharpening is done on a Butchers Steel. My wife loves for me to use it on the kitchen knifes. I typically pick them up at estate sales and farm auctions.