Sharpening Your Knives

[JBinDC]

I've got a Gatco(I think same as Lansky, or at least looks the same) 3 stone kit that I'd probably part with if you're interested in makin an offer...

I've gotten pretty good with a stone, so I don't use the kit so much anymore... Now all I use is one of these with some Ballistol:

http://www.amazon.com/Rothco-G-I-Sh...d=1373787023&sr=1-6&keywords=sharpening+stone

I'll echo whoever said earlier that the best way to learn how to use a stone is to get some junk knives - like at yard sales - and practice practice practice.

If ya do any fishing, that's a good time to sharpen yer blades...

PM me if yer interested in my 3 stone sharpening kit. --JB

 

[NickZac]

Old thread! Still, both then and now, I think most people will find a Spyderco SharpMaker and one or two horse strops mounted to a piece of wood with a little stopping paste to bring the best results.

With a strop and a little stropping paste, you can avoid ever having a dull knife by simply taking a few passes every couple of days of retone the edge...if the edge isn't given enough time to deform past what stropping can do, you save a ton of metal that would otherwise be taken off, plus the danger of a dull knife.

Also, you can sharpen anything on a SharpMaker and once you add a strop, you are able to do a lot more in terms of working ultra-fine edges. Most people can get stopping down pretty fast and get an edge to a point in which it cuts paper as clean as a new razor blade or running it over hairs 'pops' them even if the blade makes zero contact with the skin as it is so sharp that it cuts right through them.

It's also nice as you can maintain expensive scissors and tweezers and nail clippers in the event you like stuff from companies like Seki Edge or Rubis. I have a pair of general usage Rubis tweezers and small clippers that cost a fortune compared to most but they are unbelievably amazing and I figure I will get at least a good 5 decades of performance from them, so when the edges get a little dull I just touch them up.

 

[byf43]

I've got an old Buck 110, that the blade is so dull, a 2x4 is sharper.

I kid you not.
I've NEVER been able to keep an edge on that blade.

I think it's in the back of the safe, somewhere. ????

The Buck diamond 'pocket' sharpener works the best, for me.
I've used everything from an Arkansas stone, to ceramic sticks, to Lansky System.

My Dad could put an edge on a knife that would last forever.

Not me. It gets more dull, just looking at a Stone.

 

[kwjones]

There is something relaxing about sharpening a knife on a stone. You can hear and feel when you have the angle right. I was never able to explain it to my dad when he asked how I got a knife so sharp, I just knew it was right. I also have scars in just about every finger and both thumbs from swiping the blade a little too fast across the stone.

That said, I have the Lanskey 5 stone kit. It's pretty quick and easy, but not as satisfying. Would love to get a set of quality Japanese wet stones one day.

 

[NickZac]

I've got an old Buck 110, that the blade is so dull, a 2x4 is sharper.

I kid you not.
I've NEVER been able to keep an edge on that blade.

I think it's in the back of the safe, somewhere. ????

The Buck diamond 'pocket' sharpener works the best, for me.
I've used everything from an Arkansas stone, to ceramic sticks, to Lansky System.

My Dad could put an edge on a knife that would last forever.

Not me. It gets more dull, just looking at a Stone.

Stones are hard to use, as are most of the systems on the market. It's a skill that takes a while to develop, and one which can only be refined after a of failure. If you want something that is cheap, fast, and effective, get a SharpMaker...unless you get an EdgePro, it will be the last thing you ever need to buy and probably the only thing you use from here on (add a strop if you want to reach an edge sharp on par with a straight razor).

Buck 110s are made of 420HC which is a bear to sharpen and not very good at edge retention, but it is durable as all-hell hence a lot of the popularity. The best way to sharpen a 110 is to set an edge at a 20 degree angle on each side (standard 40 degree set), and then sharpen it with fine stones frequently before it begins to seriously dull. Allowing the edge to deform to the point in which the edge is more of a 'utility' edge instead of a 'razor' edge means you will have a hell of a lot of work. While the best sharpening solution on the market is arguably the Edge Pro, the Spyderco SharpMaker is the better solution for people not quite as anal about sharpening. Some of the Lansky systems are good too, but IMO the SharpMaker is significantly better and at a lower price-point. With that said, for sharpening 420 (and CPM-440V), a diamond stone is useful as it takes forever to sharpen using just a medium stone. 420HC is literally more frustrating to sharpen than many of the supersteels...I'd rather sharpen ZDP-189 with a hardness of 66-68 than a 420 or 440 with a hardness of 54-57... The 110 is also a good knife to strop...when done right, you can have it so the knife is only ever stropped and is razor sharp at all times. It just requires a few strops on a regular basis in which it resets the edge before it is allowed to deform past the point in which a strop is useful. Stropping on a 110 is also important as there is a good chance you are not getting results due to either over-sharpening or a need to finish the edge in a fashion a stone cannot and only a strop can.

The other nice thing about the SharpMaker is that it is the easiest system to use, by far (with the EdgePro being the exception). I own about 40 different sharpening systems and it's generally my go-to for anything from folders to fishing hooks to kitchen knives, to axe heads, to scissors...with the standard SharpMaker you can sharpen a 110, but if the knife is exceptionally dull, purchasing diamond rods to reset the edge will save a ton of time.

Be sure the edge reset is at 20 degrees on each side and absolutely no less...the steel is not well-suited to anything below that and the edge will quickly deform.

Many users think they cannot have a knife as sharp as it comes from the factory, but the truth is they can have one that is even sharper, and anyone can do it. A SharpMaker, a strop, some stropping paste, a few cheap 440A knives to destroy and practice with, and a little time to watch the SharpMaker video and experiment, and a little time to watch stropping videos, and you can have the knife sharper than it was the day it was brand new. Many makers use the SharpMaker or Pro-Line Edge Pro when you send them a knife to be refinished...and most advise the SharpMaker for maintenance because of how easy, effective, safe, and cost-friendly of a system it is.

 

[Ragtopman]

"Time spent sharpening a knife is never wasted" Old French saying

 

[byf43]

Thanks, NicZac!!!!!!!!!

Where do you suggest getting that SharpMaker????

I've never even heard of it, until this thread.

I'm not a big fan of clip blades (like the Buck 110). I got that knife back in the early '70s, for less than $15, with leather sheath/case.

I have a "Boker" folding knife that is about the same size as the 110, and I dearly love that knife!!! (It has a drop-point blade.)
Incredibly sharp, and easy to keep sharp!

 

[kalister1]

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-Angle-Sharpmaker-Sharpener-204MF/dp/B000Q9C4AE

Is this the one?

 

[NickZac]

Thanks, NicZac!!!!!!!!!

Where do you suggest getting that SharpMaker????

I've never even heard of it, until this thread.

I'm not a big fan of clip blades (like the Buck 110). I got that knife back in the early '70s, for less than $15, with leather sheath/case.

I have a "Boker" folding knife that is about the same size as the 110, and I dearly love that knife!!! (It has a drop-point blade.)
Incredibly sharp, and easy to keep sharp!

Probably Amazon, New Graham Knife, Knife Depot, or anywhere else...the link below is a good place.

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-Angle-Sharpmaker-Sharpener-204MF/dp/B000Q9C4AE

Is this the one?

Sure is! Once you get it, you will never use anything else as it is amazing.

 

[sgt23preston]

Sgt Preston here...

Years ago, there was a guy who showed up at the Baltimore Area Gun Shows...

He had a card table & demonstrated the Lansky 5 stone knife sharpening system...

He would ask if he could sharpen your knife for free...

My knife was made from good steel, but had been badly abused by me...

This guy sharpened my dull knife in under 10 minutes...

The edge of my old blade was instantly unbelievably very sharp...

Obviously I bought a system from him right there & then...

And my knives are easily sharpened by my own hands...

I highly recommend it...

Here is what I bought for $40.00...

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Deluxe-Lansky-Sharpening-System-P102C18.aspx

 

[kalister1]

Sgt Preston here...

Years ago, there was a guy who showed up at the Baltimore Area Gun Shows...

He had a card table & demonstrated the Lansky 5 stone knife sharpening system...

He would ask if he could sharpen your knife for free...

My knife was made from good steel, but had been badly abused by me...

This guy sharpened my dull knife in under 10 minutes...

The edge of my old blade was instantly unbelievably very sharp...

Obviously I bought a system from him right there & then...

And my knives are easily sharpened by my own hands...

I highly recommend it...

Here is what I bought for $40.00...

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Deluxe-Lansky-Sharpening-System-P102C18.aspx

That is what I use after the Crock Sticks will no longer sharpen the knife. The Lansky will fix a blade with a broken tip also.

 

[CZ Fanboy]

Spyderco Sharpmaker really does help. I can't keep my hands at the angle proper for sharpening knives!