sharpening method

[bigangrysob]

Need a better one than i have. Can hardly cut a worm when fishing. Gimmick crap. Anything that allows for a fine edge, by hand, carried in bug out bag or pocket, doesn't need maintenance itself. Ideas?

 

[Roneut]

Well, I have very little skill at sharpening so I use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-PP1-Pocket-Multifunction-Sharpener/dp/B000O8OTNC

Works just fine and very simple.

 

[Second Amendment]

I use a ceramic "V" sharpener. My SOG sharpens right up with just a couple of strokes.

 

[hvymax]

Well, I have very little skill at sharpening so I use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-PP1-Pocket-Multifunction-Sharpener/dp/B000O8OTNC

Works just fine and very simple.

I keep one in my toolbox and the ceramic puts a pretty good finish on my blades. I have the double sided diamond hone that stores in the handle as well for routine maintenance.

 

[bigangrysob]

I do have the ceramic fixed angle hand held from the WM fishing aisle ... seems to have a negative effect on my edges. Am i using it wrong? Too lil pressure...?

 

[hvymax]

I do have the ceramic fixed angle hand held from the WM fishing aisle ... seems to have a negative effect on my edges. Am i using it wrong? Too lil pressure...?

Ceramics don't really sharpen as much as they finish. I am not a fan of carbides but they do a great job straightening out dull abused blades before finishing. If you have no idea how to use stones/hones stick with the carbide/ceramics just go easy on the carbide.

 

[Second Amendment]

I do have the ceramic fixed angle hand held from the WM fishing aisle ... seems to have a negative effect on my edges. Am i using it wrong? Too lil pressure...?

It shouldn't have a negative effect. I have noticed in the use of many of the ceramic sharpeners that they don't work on certain alloys. I can get my folders to razor sharpness, but they don't seem to work on my machetes.

Maybe a more knowledgeable knife guy could chime in?

 

[hvymax]

It shouldn't have a negative effect. I have noticed in the use of many of the ceramic sharpeners that they don't work on certain alloys. I can get my folders to razor sharpness, but they don't seem to work on my machetes.

Maybe a more knowledgeable knife guy could chime in?

Machetes and cheap knives are made with "coarser" grain steels. They are only capable of taking so fine of an edge. Other steels are "finer" grained which also makes them harder and more brittle but allows them to take and hold a much finer edge.

 

[Streetgang]

I use the lansky system for most knives. It's easy and foolproof (me). Once I get the razor sharp edge I keep it that way using ceramic sticks. Light strokes on the ceramic work but the angles have to match, otherwise your pissing in the wind. I avoid the carbide "V" sharpeners because they tend to tear the metal instead of remove material to get a smooth edge.

 

[kstone803]

spyderco sharpmaker or worksharp. I have both and love them both but they have different purposes. Worksharp for kitchen and utility blades and sharpmaker for hunting/pocket knives.

 

[bigangrysob]

I better do some real research ..

 

[demmo]

spyderco sharpmarker

 

[trickg]

If you don't use a serrated knife, my advice is to sit down for several days with a bunch of random old knives from the kitchen or wherever, and really learn how to use a plain old whetstone or oil stone. Once you pick up the technique for putting a good edge on a knife, you may never go back. You don't even need oil either, you can use plain old spit. My grandpa used to keep his pocket knives super sharp using nothing more than a piece of fine sandstone he'd found (yep - you read that right - he found it) and spit.

I have a few things in my arsenal for sharpening. The main thing is a flat piece of Arkansas stone, (not even sure of the level of grit) but I also have a leather strip impregnated with Flitz polish that works as a strop, and I also have a ceramic rod that came with a V sharpener I'd picked up at one point. My friend who gave me the basics of using flat stones to sharpen got the other ceramic rod from that set, and those rods work great to polish a coarser utility edge.

That's my sharpening system.

 

[alucard0822]

My preffered method is a 1x30 belt sander, trizact belts to sharpen, leather with compound and raw to hone and strop, produces a slightly convex polished edge that is incredibly sharp within a couple minutes. Takes some skill and practice to get it just right, but the edge will be durable, and with good steel and using the knife as a knife, not a hatchet or hammer, it will hold the edge for a very long time, also very easy to touch up. For field sharpening, you can use a stone, I use a sanding block and paper from 120-1200 pulling away to repair chips or damage with the finest appropriate grit. You can touch up a sharp edge that has just rolled a little with nothing more than a piece of leather, cardboard, or wood, just restrop, and it is a razor again. You have all the utility of a full set of stones and a strop, but with only a few sheets of paper and a thin drywall block, and sandpaper generally works faster, and the rubber layer of the block has a little give to set a slight convex edge like my sander at home. I do own a few stones, but rarely use them for knives, usually for trigger work, truing surfaces on small engine carbs or flattening stamped parts instead.

 

[Mark75H]

spyderco sharpmaker

 

[gunrunner]

In the field I carry an otter box sharpening kit. Diamond plate, ceramic hone, sandpapers of various grits from 320-2000, leather strop pad two sided and bark river black and green compounds. I have reprofiled friends knives in camp with just this kit. Works very well. I think I got it at KSF.
At home, stones & strop. It's the only way. I refuse to rely on gadgets and things that might break or I can't have with me in the field. Not to mention that stone sharpening saves your knives. How you might ask? Removes less overall steel. With stones you don't need to preset your edge to match one of the closest jig settings. You just sharpen the edge line as needed from the start. If your reprofiling that's different. Before someone flames me on the different types of super jigs, I've purchased and tried almost everything there is to put an edge on a knife. Learning to free hand sharpen is the only way to go. There is a learning curve, yes admittedly. Some time will need to be spent developing feel and learning your stones and different steels. But...if your a knife guy, it's priceless experience.

 

[NickZac]

For most users, the versatility, low cost, and ease of use of the SharpMaker makes it the best system. Out of the box it can do everything from completely resetting a dull edge or finely hone a razor edge. It comes with two ceramic rods...medium and fine. They offer a diamond (rough) and extra fine (ultra-fine) for easier edge resetting and super sharp honing, but one can do a lot with just the two out of the box. That and a strop do wonders.

The SharpMaker will also sharpen anything from fishing hooks to scissors to tweezers to lawnmower blades...it's use of brass safety rods also prevent cutting yourself when sharpening, but since it is brass contact with a knife blade won't screw it up given brass is a lot softer than steel. It's a good system.

With any knife, the easiest way to make sure it cuts is not let it ever get dull. Every day or few days, take 5 or so passes on the fine rods of the SharpMaker or a horsehide strop, depending on what you've done with the knife since last usage. It removes less metal in the long run, and having a razor sharp blade is a whole lot safer than a dull knife.

 

[trickg]

We had one of the very first versions of the Sharpmaker - Dad picked it up at a gun show sometime in the early 1980s, and we used it quite a bit for a while, but eventually he went back to the traditional flat oil stones and whetstones.

I maintain that someone who has developed a good sharpening technique with the flat stones can match or beat the edge obtained from any of the angle sharpeners.

 

[TxAggie]

Well, I have very little skill at sharpening so I use this:

http://www.amazon.com/Smiths-PP1-Pocket-Multifunction-Sharpener/dp/B000O8OTNC

Works just fine and very simple.

Bass Pro has this model in the store if you don't want to ship it and you're close.

 

[NickZac]

We had one of the very first versions of the Sharpmaker - Dad picked it up at a gun show sometime in the early 1980s, and we used it quite a bit for a while, but eventually he went back to the traditional flat oil stones and whetstones.

I maintain that someone who has developed a good sharpening technique with the flat stones can match or beat the edge obtained from any of the angle sharpeners.

If someone is looking for a stupidly sharp edge (i.e.: move the blade over hairs and the hairs 'pop' vertically without the blade touching the skin), a follow-up of a strop is going to give the best results for most users IMHO. I use two strops to follow sharpening via stones/rods...a short strop with a light abrasive paste to remove a small bit of metal, and a long strop that is bare horsehide to finish the hone and remove any developing false edges. IMO a user cannot fully benefit from modern steels sporting crazy edge retention unless they strop because stropping is what will allow the true edge to perform longer. Stropping is also critical for steels more prone to chipping/microchipping. Ideally, one can use a strop on a frequent basis after the knife has been used a bit to bring the edge back to the correct angle to allow the edge to be stupid sharp...and since it's a stop, you aren't pulling metal off either.

But I agree with you 100% that someone skilled with a flat wet stone can make a ridiculously sharp edge...however, it's a difficult skill to master, it's easy to remove too much metal, it's easier to cut oneself, and with some the blades with hardness levels approaching 70, angled sharpeners are often much easier to use because more aggressive stones will be needed and manually sharpening something like ZDP-189 on a flat stone really wears the hands/fingers/wrist. It's partly why I do not like a folder with a hardness above 59. My larger fixed blades generally are sharpened with a large benchstone with a bit of honing oil before finishing with a strop..at hardness ranging from 55-58, they respond really well to a standard fine grit.

For the most anal of people, the EdgePro Apex and EdgePro Pro are probably the most serious sharpener systems made...it's what many of the makers themselves are using because it is so incredibly accurate, almost impossible to make accidental markings on the blade or handle, can reset an edge stupidly fast, and can deliver a stropped-level refined edge without using a strop. But given you are looking at $150-$300 for the Apex and $400-$1,000, it isn't practical for all that many people who arent complete knife freaks or people who work in the industry.