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Posted: 5/26/2012 1:07:29 PM EDT
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Hey all, I apologize up front as I'm sure this has been asked a million times but I didn't want to search through a million threads. Anyhow, I'm very interested in learning how to sharpen my own blades. Would anybody out there who sharpens be able to point a noob in the right direction on sharpeners, devices, and/or styles of sharpening that yield the best edge? Of course any pics of the stuff you use would be great.
Thanks, Bravo |
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The type of sharpening system kinda depends on the type of knife, grind you are wanting to sharpen. For instance, on my folders that have just a full flat grind, I use a gatco sharpening system. It has a guide that keeps the same degree of angle while sharpening. On the other hand, when I am sharpening my bushcraft blades that have a scandi grind, I have a set of Japanese wet stones for sharpening. A lot of people will tell you what system THEY prefer, which is all good. The just of it though is what works good for one individual may not work good for another. It's all in how comfortable you are with the chosen system.
Some to look in to though to help make a choice are Gatco diamond hone system Lansky system Spyderco sharpmaker system Wet stones There are several electric sharpeners that you can change the grit of the band on that you could check out as well. One thing I encourage you to do is give yourself time to learn the system that you choose. You won't be able to make razor sharp edges right from the start. Just give yourself time and you'll become very pleased with you ability to create sharp edges. |
| I'm old school, I use stones, and strop on a belt. For a working knife, you are going to want to hold the spine higher in relation to the stone, than for a light use slicing knife or a straight razor. You do want to be consistent with that angle though. Get one of those two sided stones, and also a fine grit stone for your finish. For my fine grit, I'm using a piece of a stone that was used to grind threads. One thing I like to do sometimes is to color the edge with a marker, so that I can see where I'm removing metal. Unless you need to do some serious metal removing, you probably won't spend much time on the coarsest grit, and not a whole lot on the medium either. I just keep on top of things, and touch them up with the fine grit every once in a while. Once I've gotten a pretty good edge, I strop it on the back of a leather belt, for the final polishing and taking care of burrs. I just sharpened up my Benchmade 813 last night using this method, and then shaved with it, and that's not the first knife that I've shaved with either after sharpening freehand on stones. I have maybe $10 into sharpening stuff, it's not as expensive as some make it out to be. You don't even necessarily need to use oil, I just use water. |
| Started on wet stones myself and now use the DMT diamond "stones." I'd much rather use a stone than some type of system, but that's personal preference. I actually enjoy sitting down and working up a nice edge on a knife. Once you get some practice doing it and have established a good edge on a knife, it doesn't take much to touch them up. |
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Quoted:
I am very new at this and looking for a "system" myself. I have a really dumb question.....What do they mean by blade angles 17 deg. 30 deg, etc??? and how do you know what your knife has so you can use the right angle on the "system"?? Thanks, Ben A knife that is 15 degrees on each side is 30 degrees inclusive. To find out what to use, take a Sharpie and mark the cutting edge from one end to the other. As you sharpen you can see where you're actually making contact. As for the system. I just started myself and I've had great success with the DMT Aligner. Much faster and better results (for me) than with the Sharpmaker. |
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It's not as much of what brand you use but how use them . I use DMT Stones as they cut very fast And I like the satisfaction of doing things free hand. There are some great links on Bladefourm I will try to remember To look them up when I get home It's a pain to do on my cellphone. Once you work through the proper grits with the right technique it's the stropping with jewelers rouge that will give it a razor's edge.
If you only have a couple knives and aren't really trying to learn anything the Sharpmaker Is very easy to use But has limited angles If you're trying to do Hunting knives Kitchen knives Fillet knives. It kinda sucks. Systems like wicked edge work great but they require a lot of money up front but they don't require any skill. I'll try to work on those links when I get home |
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Quoted:
Wow - broad topic... everybody has their favorite tools and methods... and tools and methods are largely dictated by the specifics of the sharpening task at hand... I use fixed angle stones (gatco) only rarely - to either "set" an angle or sharpen a really dull knife. Most of the time I find myself using a rod (ceramic or steel) to improve an "ok" edge or using a 2 sided strop to bring back a very sharp edge to knife that has only lost a little of it's sharpness... as a general rule, I try not to let a knife get too dull between sharpenings - that way it is easy to bring the edge back to serious sharpness.
Hey all, I apologize up front as I'm sure this has been asked a million times but I didn't want to search through a million threads. Anyhow, I'm very interested in learning how to sharpen my own blades. Would anybody out there who sharpens be able to point a noob in the right direction on sharpeners, devices, and/or styles of sharpening that yield the best edge? Of course any pics of the stuff you use would be great. Thanks, Bravo I think that the best approach for you is to invest in a good sharpening book (one example) and read it cover to cover... By the time you finish the book you will have a good idea what tools you need and which tools you don't need... Good luck... - R - |
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The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening .
This is all you need to know about how to sharpen stuff. The author is shown on the cover shaving with a double-bit logging axe. He knows his stuff. |
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