Knife Sharpening Practice

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    I've been poking around for knife sharpening tips/tricks etc etc here and youtube. Most of the places have recommendations but no reason to the recommendations. That or they don't give an explanation of what to look for. For example: Repeat this step until it's nice and sharp before you move on to the next step.

    What is "nice and sharp"? In attempt to prevent building bad habits to then break i'm looking for good productive info on how to sharpen typical pocket/hunting knives. I'm tempted to buy a couple and just go to town until i figure it out then use a good knife.
     

    fred55

    Senior
    Aug 24, 2016
    1,772
    Spotsylvania Co. VA
    Set the sharpening stone on a flat surface. Oil the stone. With the blade facing away from you angle the blade slightly and pull it towards you sliding from handle to tip. Do this until you see a slight feathering of the cutting edge. Turn the knife over and do the same motion until the feathering is gone. At this point the knife should be sharp enough. Hold a piece of paper in one hand and slice it with the knife in the other hand. You will be good to go. Never push the blade into the stone. fred55
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    Set the sharpening stone on a flat surface. Oil the stone. With the blade facing away from you angle the blade slightly and pull it towards you sliding from handle to tip. Do this until you see a slight feathering of the cutting edge. Turn the knife over and do the same motion until the feathering is gone. At this point the knife should be sharp enough. Hold a piece of paper in one hand and slice it with the knife in the other hand. You will be good to go. Never push the blade into the stone. fred55

    Fair enough, why never push the blade into the stone? I see a lot of knife sharpening tools that are built on this premis. Lansky sharpening "sticks", i guess we'll call them, for example follows this. I've can get them sharp enough to cleanly cut cardboard w/o much effort but i have yet to be able to get one sharp enough to cut hair off my arm for example.
     

    babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    16,016
    Glenelg
    some stone kits come with a proper angle piece of plastic you put on your blade until you get that feel. I used t oscratc hthe faces of my blades when I was younger , like my Cub Scout one, because I had no idea about proper angling...
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    some stone kits come with a proper angle piece of plastic you put on your blade until you get that feel. I used t oscratc hthe faces of my blades when I was younger , like my Cub Scout one, because I had no idea about proper angling...

    Been there done that! haha if 20degrees is sharp.. 10 degrees is sharper! and while it is mechanically... it's not very realistic.

    i might take this approach, buy a couple $20-30 knifes and have a go. I like the idea of the angled plastic guides. training wheels for knife sharpening.
     

    Silverlax

    Active Member
    Nov 13, 2014
    518
    Eastern Shore
    Fair enough, why never push the blade into the stone? I see a lot of knife sharpening tools that are built on this premis. Lansky sharpening "sticks", i guess we'll call them, for example follows this. I've can get them sharp enough to cleanly cut cardboard w/o much effort but i have yet to be able to get one sharp enough to cut hair off my arm for example.

    Everything has to do with angle. I love the lansky for ease of use, portability, and cost. Some of the kits cost about $30. I have made knives for a number of years and still like this type. You can push the edge into the stone, that is how I use mine.

    Sharpening free hand is difficult if you don't know how to hold an angle. My advice is to use a sharpie on the edge. Literally run the sharpie down the bevel so when you use the stone you will see what angle actually hits the edge (because it will remove the marker). Change the angle as necessary to hit the bevel and edge. My lansky gets all my knives shaving sharp easy.

    Until you get the hang of it and know which stones to use as a starting point, use a rough one and get your initial angle down and run up the grits.
     

    babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    16,016
    Glenelg
    true

    Been there done that! haha if 20degrees is sharp.. 10 degrees is sharper! and while it is mechanically... it's not very realistic.

    i might take this approach, buy a couple $20-30 knifes and have a go. I like the idea of the angled plastic guides. training wheels for knife sharpening.

    I no longer use and do a roughly 16 degree angle. :) Exactly about training wheels hahaha it came with my Arkansas I purchased.
     

    babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    16,016
    Glenelg
    The fid has the guy pushing one way and then towards him, each time from bevel to spine/edge, not pulling away from spine to bevel. I think spine to bevel/edge can leave feathered edges and not smooth sharp edge. Sort of like how that rod in the vid is actually used to saw tooth the edge some. Then back to the stone after a little while.


    I am no knife expert, but do use my stone to sharpen old knifes I have received from family members as gifts. They can cut paper easily as well as the few hairs on my arm I have :P
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Bladeforums and even a few threads here have a lot of information. Edgework is one of those things that is simple in theory, but can be complex to acheive. You want an edge angle appropriate for the task and steel, that compliments the blade shape and grind. You want a consistent "relief" angle, this helps guide cut material away, and backs up the edge. This typically is a flat angle between 25-50 degrees(12.5-25 per side) The actual fine cutting edge can simply be a flat continuation of this bevel angle, or it can be a slightly more obtuse(5-10 degrees wider) "micro-bevel" that is easier to achieve, and a little more durable. There are also systems to give a convex edge, while sharpening while failing to hold a precise angle usually gives a crappy uneven edge, some intentionally roll the knife a few degrees on a stone, or more commonly use a soft pad under flexible abrasive or a sharpening belt, this gives a rounded angle with a uniform radius and edge angle, and can be very sharp and durable because of the thickness immediately behind the fine edge. There are a lot off abrasives to choose from, generally harder abrasives cut faster, especially with harder and more wear resistant steel, diamond is the hardest, and cuts fastest, but is expensive, and usually brazed to a metal backing. Silicon carbide is a very hard abrasive second to diamond, but cheaper, aluminum oxide cuts slower, but is more prevelent in a wider variety of shapes and grit, there are also natural stones(usually Novaculite) that have a mix of particle sizes, and can cut pretty well, and leave a finish a little smoother than an equivalent synthetic stone. The binder in synthetic stones also varies, softer binders can shed worn abrasive, and expose sharp fresh particles to cut faster, but are also easier to damage, and wear out quick. With most stones you will use water or oil to help flush out metal ground off of the blade, some stones require on or the other, but I usually use water given the choice being cheaper, and cleaner.

    A perfect edge angle would look like a perfect smooth and uniform wedge under a microscope, but that isn't really needed, and near impossible to achieve with available tools, there will always be some tiny scratches from the abrasives, and an extremely fine burr extending off the edge, steel that has been pulled away from the edge during sharpening. The grit size and hardness you use when sharpening will change the depth of the scratches, and the size/shape of the burr. There is also steeling and stropping, in which edge deformations are pulled back into alignment mechanically, without actually grinding away material, this is a vital skill because you can often times strop a medicre edge back to sharp without causing any additional wear from sharpening. Profiling is usually the first step before sharpening, using a coarse and hard grit to rapidly grind the edge to a desired angle, or grind out damage before actually refining the edge through sharpening. You do edge work, profiling, sharpening or stropping for a couple reasons, to repair a rolled(metal deformed but still attatched), chipped(edge metal broken off) or dulled(edge metal worn through abrasion) edge. You may also want to clean up an uneven factory edge, or change to a different angle or bevel type that better suits your needs, and your steel.

    Holding a precise and repeatable angle while grinding the edge sharpens quickly, gives a uniform edge, and removes the least ammount of steel from the blade, more than anything else this is the difference between a good edge, or frustration. A wet benchstone is what most think of when sharpening, but it is difficult to hold the angle. I still often touch up blades on japanese waterstones, but it took decades of work, and a lot of botched sharpening jobs to learn the skill, you can place your finger on the spine, or use a clap-on angle guide to help, but hand sharpening on a benchstone is tough, tedious, and takes a long time. There are Jig systems, edge pro, Wicked edge, Lansky, and a few others, they have a clamp or platform to hols the blade, and a stone in a fixture that is held at a precise angle. It takes most of the guesswork out of sharpening, and can give repeatable angles, there is still skill needed, but you can concentrate on correct strokes, and building a uniform burr instead of hoping you don't F-up an edge you have spent an hour on with a benchstone. The Sharpmaker and a few clones use ceramic rods placed in a base at an angle, the blade is simply drawn down aggainst it while holding the blade straight. This is easier than a bench stone, and the narrow rods can work better for serrated and recurve blades, but IMO they are slower and a bit more tedious than a Jig system. There are also powered belt sharpeners big and small, they can sharpen or destroy a blade in seconds, you can get a good edge fast with some practice, but generally you are limited to a convex edge. You generally sharpen with the edge trailing, this prevents the blade from gouging a stone, and builds the burr, an indication you have fully sharpened to the edge, but on jig or rod systems with the stone locked to the correct angle, you can lead with the edge, builds a smaller burr, and takes less time refining and stropping. Carbide cutters, chef's mate electric sharpeners and many gimmicky little "quick" sharpeners either don't work well, or will damage a blade. Personally I use several tools and methods, an Edge pro for most profiling and sharpening, water stones for touching up a couple small or delicate knives, and a 1X30 belt grinder for large utility knives, and stropping/polishing with leather, and a leather bench strop for final finishing.

    With any system, use a coarse stone, generally 80-220 grit to remove heavy damage, or profile the blade, this takes metal off fast, and you need to make sure to use light even pressure with strokes covering the full edge tip to riccaso/choil, overlapping a bit if the blade is too long to hit the complete edge in 1 stroke. Once you can feel the large burr flap extending from the entire edge, switch sides until the burr flips over to the other side, or you have uniform scratch marks across the full edge bevel if regrinding to a different angle. Move onto sharpening, or if the edge is just dull, and not damaged, start here. Use a sharpie to mark the edge so you can see if you are grinding the correct angle, hitting the edge is too steep, hitting the top of the edge bevel means you are too shallow, should be able to clean the mark off with a single pass on the stone if you are at the correct angle. Start around 220 grit, sharpen till you build a burr and have uniform scratch marks across the bevel, then flip to the other side, and do the same, then move on to the next stone, you can leave the edge as rough or as polished as you want, most go up to at least 600 grit, but you can go up into 3K or grit measured in microns for a polished bevel angle. With each progressively finer stone you want a uniform edge, and burr that has flipped from both sides. If you want to leave a compound bevel, a slightly wider "micro bevel", you can raise the jig, re position rods, or hold the knife about 5-10 degrees steeper, and take a couple very light passes on each side, this will thin that burr almost completely off, and leave a very sharp fine edge.

    The final step is to refine the burr, and smooth or polish the edge. Most use a leather strop, but you can use balsa, cardboard, cork, glass, steel or a few other tough materials with or without polishing pastes and compounds. This helps pull that fine burr off, and leave the edge uniform and straight. It is what makes the difference between a edge that cuts paper, or an edge that splits hairs. You pull the blade with the edge trailing on the strop material, use moderate pressure, and alternate between sides, you can also slide the edge against a block of wood with gentle pressure to help remove excess burr as it is thinned with stropping. Once the burr is gone, the edge is as polished as you want, and the blade can slice a piece of paper without catching or dragging on any small imperfections, you are done. I usually touch up good steel with a strop a few times before it is dull enough to need to sharpen with a stone again.
     

    fred55

    Senior
    Aug 24, 2016
    1,772
    Spotsylvania Co. VA
    Regarding drawing with blade away from you, alucard0822 has it correct

    "You generally sharpen with the edge trailing, this prevents the blade from gouging a stone, and builds the burr, an indication you have fully sharpened to the edge"

    fred55
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,919
    Messages
    7,258,819
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom