A new member asked about sharpening knifes. I'm no expert but had to learn late in life. My best advice is to protect your edge & keep it clean. Box tape goop picks up all kinds of edge destroying nasty bits. NEVER, let anyone borrow or use your pocketknife NEVER " Carry a junk spare if you can't follow that rule. I'll post up some pics & tips of my tools & techniques. I'm posting this 7 min vid cause this fellow knows a few things about making your edge work. I'm a big fan of the pull, not push school of sharpening. Exception is only when using a knife steel to touch up a blade before using. Please post up your favorite sharpening tools & explain their usefulness. Me, I want it fast & inexpensive. I hope I can show you how it is done easily on the cheap. MikeinCt
NEW ! Knife Sharpening/Maintenace thread
- Thread starter mikeinct
- Start date
NETim
Curmudgeon-at-large
Ledd Slinger
Silver $$ Contributor
Good tips in the video. I use two grits of diamond stone, then a few quick light passes on porcelain and finally leather strop. I’ve always sharpened pushing the blade backwards away from me the same as the video. Always get excellent edge sharpness due to a more uniform edge geometry and the edge will also hold longer. See so may people pulling the knife edge towards them against the grit and I cringe.
Years ago I developed a liking for Japanese 'Damascus' steel kitchen knives. I have only 5 so far, but more are planned!
Then of course I needed the right gear to keep those blades sharp.
Bought a 1000/3000grit waterstone. Don't need anything finer (such as an 8000grit) for a kitchen knife.
Also bought a leather covered board (hard strop), that you cover with a fine diamond paste to get that final edge just right.
Wow...these things certainly are 'razor sharp', and are a joy to use.
If you like a good knife then maybe you might like one of these? A Santoku, a Gyuto, and a Petty will be a good start. Add in a Deba too.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/
Then of course I needed the right gear to keep those blades sharp.
Bought a 1000/3000grit waterstone. Don't need anything finer (such as an 8000grit) for a kitchen knife.
Also bought a leather covered board (hard strop), that you cover with a fine diamond paste to get that final edge just right.
Wow...these things certainly are 'razor sharp', and are a joy to use.
If you like a good knife then maybe you might like one of these? A Santoku, a Gyuto, and a Petty will be a good start. Add in a Deba too.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/
I'm liking the Hattori brand
Amazing that he's over 80 years old now. Beautiful knives.
Now I'm going to have some fun w/ you guys. A working condition 1909 treadle/pedal powered grinding wheel I acquired & repaired some years back. I use it to sharpen splitting wedges, mauls & axes I don't really love. This apx. 150
grit wheel helped me profile an old truck spring into a rather large knife. mikeinct
grit wheel helped me profile an old truck spring into a rather large knife. mikeinct
jimmymac
Jim McGregor
I use a Gatco diamond setup but don't like the fixture, so I use my old Lasky fixture instead with the Gatco stones. I'm in no hurry and my edges are as good as any and better than most. I sharpen knives for myself and several other people. No complaints.
I just re-read the original post... Usefulness:
Dummy proof
Ability to maintain a consistent angle
Different bevel angles for different purposes
Razor sharp finish
Small footprint
Lasts for years
Long lasting edges because of angle consistency
Downside:
Slow compared to some other methods.
I just re-read the original post... Usefulness:
Dummy proof
Ability to maintain a consistent angle
Different bevel angles for different purposes
Razor sharp finish
Small footprint
Lasts for years
Long lasting edges because of angle consistency
Downside:
Slow compared to some other methods.
Last edited:
To me, it is important to start out purchasing a knife with good steel in it. I personally like D2.
I bought a Ken Onion because I never could free hand sharpen a knife other than helping butcher hogs a time or two and sharpening Old Hickory knives with a brick. I quickly learned that the Ken Onion has three major faults - #1 It will ruin your knife in a split second #2 It always removes steel - it makes your blade disappear over time. #3 I was always ordering belts. So I immediately ditched it.
So I evolved into the Lansky 3 stone system. That system is affordable and works great. Now I use the Lansky with a technique I read about. I sharpen the blade with the 17 degree angle working down to the finest grit when I get the knife initially making sure the edge is uniform. Then I set it to 20 degrees and use the fine stone to put the final sharpening on it and then move to my grand dad's old strop to finish it off. After that first sharpening all I have to do is touch it up with the two angles and fine grit stone. Then almost every day I strop it a few times when I walk by.
And finally, I keep a 4" D2 pry bar with a chisel edge on one end for those jobs I used to be tempted to try with my knife.
I forgot to mention my work is mostly farming and maintenance, so my knife gets used for a variety of cutting jobs.
I bought a Ken Onion because I never could free hand sharpen a knife other than helping butcher hogs a time or two and sharpening Old Hickory knives with a brick. I quickly learned that the Ken Onion has three major faults - #1 It will ruin your knife in a split second #2 It always removes steel - it makes your blade disappear over time. #3 I was always ordering belts. So I immediately ditched it.
So I evolved into the Lansky 3 stone system. That system is affordable and works great. Now I use the Lansky with a technique I read about. I sharpen the blade with the 17 degree angle working down to the finest grit when I get the knife initially making sure the edge is uniform. Then I set it to 20 degrees and use the fine stone to put the final sharpening on it and then move to my grand dad's old strop to finish it off. After that first sharpening all I have to do is touch it up with the two angles and fine grit stone. Then almost every day I strop it a few times when I walk by.
And finally, I keep a 4" D2 pry bar with a chisel edge on one end for those jobs I used to be tempted to try with my knife.
I forgot to mention my work is mostly farming and maintenance, so my knife gets used for a variety of cutting jobs.
I use a Kalamazoo 1sm belt sharpening system. For a dull kitchen knife I use a worn Trizact A45 belt, which if new would be about 400 grit, but as worn is probably closer to 600 grit. Then I use an Trizact A20 belt, which is about 1200 grit and then finish with a leather belt and green compound rubbed on the belt. If my knives are not very dull, and I just want to touch them up, I use the A20 and leather belt.
For sharpness, I test the edge by seeing how well it cuts into my fingernail with slight pressure. I also see how well it shaves hair on my forearm with slight pressure.
I went with a belt sander after trying many different guided systems, Lansky, Razer Edge, etc. They were just too slow and didn't handle longer knives very well. I figured if I had to put the time in to learn a system, I rather do that for one that is quick. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, and have to really pay attention to my technique to get the tip sharp all the way to the end of the blade, but with a consistent motion I can get pretty darn sharp knives in very little time. Sharp enough if you brush against them you will get cut.
It took me a while to develop a consistent angle for both sides of the blade, particularly on the up sweep of the tip, but I seem to have a system that works well and is quick. I have heard people caution you can overheat the edge with a belt sander, but that has never been my case. I move the blade across the belt rather quickly and with minimal pressure. The edge doesn't even get warm, let alone hot enough to ruin an edge.
For sharpness, I test the edge by seeing how well it cuts into my fingernail with slight pressure. I also see how well it shaves hair on my forearm with slight pressure.
I went with a belt sander after trying many different guided systems, Lansky, Razer Edge, etc. They were just too slow and didn't handle longer knives very well. I figured if I had to put the time in to learn a system, I rather do that for one that is quick. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, and have to really pay attention to my technique to get the tip sharp all the way to the end of the blade, but with a consistent motion I can get pretty darn sharp knives in very little time. Sharp enough if you brush against them you will get cut.
It took me a while to develop a consistent angle for both sides of the blade, particularly on the up sweep of the tip, but I seem to have a system that works well and is quick. I have heard people caution you can overheat the edge with a belt sander, but that has never been my case. I move the blade across the belt rather quickly and with minimal pressure. The edge doesn't even get warm, let alone hot enough to ruin an edge.
My kitchen knives are dull when they won't cut thru tomato under their own weight.how do you gauge how sharp your knife is, asking for a friend
I'm on the Japanese knife wagon too, Mac work great for me, and they even Monogramed my name for free
Camp knives, I'm happy with a clean cut thru copy paper without any binding or catching, i value a durable edge that will cut Paracord cleanly and hold up to some light baton work. For sharp duties, the fish knife is keen for fillets, no baton duty for that one.
C'mon Steve, follow along. Class is in session.how do you gauge how sharp your knife is, asking for a friend
6MMsteve
Gold $$ Contributor
I use 600 800 1000 dmt's and leather strop with diamond suspension, and strop with alumina suspension, I'm getting better trying to get the edge a little longer on some knives, they shave easy... when I first started they pulled a tad shaving the arm, now they clean, I can get a plane blade scary sharp, haven't got there with the knives yet, I use D2 steel in my old Stanley bedrock hand planes
Good old Lansky for me
rjtfroggy
Gold $$ Contributor
I had one of those in original condition, it was my grandfathers. Working a full weekend at the fire house about 30 years ago my wife and mother-in-law thought they would do me a favor and sold it at a tag sale. They got a whole $30 for it. Wasn't I lucky?
Fortunately, they never found the ice saw that was used back when he cut ice blocks for his business, that I still have in hiding.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.