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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Knife sharpening (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/1/2015 1:26:24 AM EDT
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So I have neglected my knives something fierce and they are all in desperate need of a sharpen. The problem is, I have never had anything better than cheap-o's till I got my Benchmade Barrage a year ago, so I would usually just replace them.
What can I look in to to get the edge back on my BM, as well as bring my lower end stuff back to a useable state? I have done a bit of research and was looking at the Spyderco Sharpmaker and it seems to get good reviews but am wondering what the hive has to say about them. |
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I like to steer people to the book that showed me how to do it right: the Razor's Edge Book of Sharpening. $12.95 or so on Amazon.
The cover shows the author shaving with a logging axe. So you may wish to concede that he knows what he's talking about. It's a bit dated (written over 20 years ago) so some of the products are not current but his techniques are still effective. |
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I like to steer people to the book that showed me how to do it right: the Razor's Edge Book of Sharpening. $12.95 or so on Amazon. The cover shows the author shaving with a logging axe. So you may wish to concede that he knows what he's talking about. It's a bit dated (written over 20 years ago) so some of the products are not current but his techniques are still effective. Wouldn't an axe that is sharp enough to shave with be problematic when using? I would think that it would have a tendency to get stuck and chip on the edge... And any ol' person can put a sharp edge on a piece of steel with a little bit of practice. The hard part is putting the RIGHT edge on the tool for the job, and if this book is opening with putting a shaving edge on an axe, it would most definitely make me question its veracity. I would suggest watching some Youtube videos, get a set of nice sharpening stones, and keep your blades honed to reduce the amount of sharpening you have to do. I use a Tormek which is likely overkill for most people. Heck, I do a lot of woodworking and it is overkill for me too, but easy and effective and comes with great instructions for any manner of blade. |
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I like the Lansky kits. My first one was this one: http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Professional-Sharpening-System-Serrated/dp/B001KN3OKO/ which works good but it only works on shorter knives and they have to have a flat spine that you can clamp on to.
I wanted to try the Spyderdo Sharpmaker but I was at Academy last weekend and found the Lansky 4 rod box sharpener (http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-4-rod-Crock-Sharpener-LCD5D/dp/B000B8FW0E) which looks like the spyderco. I brought it home and was easily able to sharpen up my kitchen knives that were too big for the first kit. |
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I have a Sharpmaker. It's nice for making a sharp knife sharper, and keeping it that way. The stones are not agressive enough to make a dull knife sharp, especially a knife that still has a factory edge, which is likely ground at a slightly different angle. I bought an inexpensive tri-stone sharpening set at Cabelas that came with a litle 20* wedge to help you maintain the correct blade angle. I use this to get my dull knives sharp, then use the Sharpmaker to touch up my sharp knives.
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Spyderco Sharpmaker does a pretty good job. I've had one for 20+ years and it's still going strong. You can definitely put a good, working sharp edge on a knife with it. If you are planning to go beyond touching up a slightly dull blade, then buy the coarse diamond stones for much faster material removal.
I'm just about to try out a new sharpening system, the KME Sharpener. It's similar to the Edge Pro Apex sharpener, but seems to have some improved features and is availalbe at a slightly lower price point. |
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Most any sharpener like the Lansky, Gatco (my favorite) or most any of the clamp-type sharpeners take the human element out of it and insures a true, sharp edge.
Sharpening a knife by hand is almost impossible to get a true, even edge with, unless you've spent years developing the skill of locking your arm, wrist, and hand to maintain an exact angle with every stroke. Few people have that level of skill. I've had people claim that they can maintain an edge angle, but looked at under magnification you can see how the edge angle is not anywhere near uniform. That's why a clamp device that maintains the exact angle is the fastest and easiest way to get a sharp, uniform edge every time. Most of the stones used in these kits will quickly wear into a dished-out uneven shape, so I recommend buying the diamond "stones". These stay perfectly flat and the diamonds cut faster and don't clog up like regular stones. |
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That's why a clamp device that maintains the exact angle is the fastest and easiest way to get a sharp, uniform edge every time. Most of the stones used in these kits will quickly wear into a dished-out uneven shape, so I recommend buying the diamond "stones". These stay perfectly flat and the diamonds cut faster and don't clog up like regular stones. I use a big diamond stone to clean and flatten out my stones regularly. Just a few drops of honing oil on it and rub the stones on it to clean off the steel buildup and keep it true |
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I use the WorkSharp. 5 minutes and I can put the edge back on a couple pocket knives. Even my machete only took about 5 minutes to go from extremely dull (factory edge had a few blunt spots) to sharp enough I could shave some arm hair with it. I had to slow down on the Machete because I didn't want to overheat the sharpener. There are plenty of good tools that work, but the WorkSharp works fast. If your hobby is sharpening knives, it's probably not for you. If you like having a sharp knife and don't want to spend a lot of time getting there, it's great. |
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So I'm thinking the diamond Lanksy kit had moved to the top of my list. I'm looking at the delux version with the extra course, course, medium, and fine stones. Are there any others that I might want to consider adding to that? Also, how about the strop? I use the Lansky on my Barrage. It's swage grind makes it kind of tricky. What I do is place the guide by the thumb stud where the blade is flat, then rotate so the guide holes are towards the center. Mine ends up aligning with the top of the 'Osbourne boomerang'. I use 22* out to the start of the belly and 30* for the belly to the tip. |
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Wicked Edge and nothing else. Quoted:
Wicked Edge and nothing else. Unfortunately way out of my price range. Quoted:
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So I'm thinking the diamond Lanksy kit had moved to the top of my list. I'm looking at the delux version with the extra course, course, medium, and fine stones. Are there any others that I might want to consider adding to that? Also, how about the strop? I use the Lansky on my Barrage. It's swage grind makes it kind of tricky. What I do is place the guide by the thumb stud where the blade is flat, then rotate so the guide holes are towards the center. Mine ends up aligning with the top of the 'Osbourne boomerang'. I use 22* out to the start of the belly and 30* for the belly to the tip. Very good to know, thanks! |
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I like to steer people to the book that showed me how to do it right: the Razor's Edge Book of Sharpening. $12.95 or so on Amazon. The cover shows the author shaving with a logging axe. So you may wish to concede that he knows what he's talking about. It's a bit dated (written over 20 years ago) so some of the products are not current but his techniques are still effective. Second on buying a book that's been vetted through time (in any situation). Bonus points if you read it before you buy anything else. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered a book with something I wanted and realized post-book that I wanted something else. There's a lot of techniques you can copy but if you understand sharpening (not implying I do) you will better sift through the bullshit or the N/A. Avoid the temptation to create a different bevel than the one the blade already has. It is a large amount of work for anything hand powered. -Nortons really do have more response and you can "feel" what you're doing. You can also dink 'em because they're soft but this also means you can reflatten them. -DMT works fine and doesn't need your love. |
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Unfortunately something like that is not feasable since I live in an apartment. Quoted:
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WorkSharp Pro. I can put a shaving edge on everything from a pocket knife to a machete, usually in under 5 minutes. Unfortunately something like that is not feasable since I live in an apartment. The worksharp really isn't that big. It's pretty much hand held, but you put it on a table for stability. |
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Agree, its a nice small package, no bigger than a standard size drill.
Was able to fondle one today at Gander and will say, the ken onion edition will be my first "machine" sharpener. Other than the noise, I say get one. I have been a Lansky fanboy for longer than I can remember, but Im tired of the lengthy process to fix damaged edges.. So its time to try something new, but knowing my OCD ass I will still finish blades with my lanksy. |
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Have had a Lansky, it is gone.
Have had stones, MY GOD! Have a Spyderco Sharpmaker, what could be more easier? Love it. Have a Worksharp, good unit, just watch out when getting near the tip. Be careful or you will round the tip of your blade. Have an Edge Pro. Sharpen, polish, maintain, re-profile, keeps them SHARP!!!!! If you are low on funds, Sharpmaker is the way to go! |
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Read up on what you are actually trying to accomplish with sharpening, it's probably not what you think.
I use a lansky system (mostly because I can't yet afford a wicked edge). If you go slow and make sure to make every repetition of stone + blade (don't let the guide wobble, don't let the rod bounce around, keep the guide sides parallel to each other), a lansky type guided system provides me with the best results out of all the systems I've tried. I've tried the angled ceramic rods, hated it for anything besides an edge touch-up when I don't have a strop. (spyderco sharp maker type thing) I've tried free-hand. I can get a reasonably sharp blade that way, but I can't get a perfect edge, can't polish the grind (because I'm not willing to invest in a variety of stones for a method I don't care for). If you use some of the "super steels" that have a high wear resistance, you might want to use diamond stones (you can get them for lansky, don't know about the other guided systems, except the wicked edge, which you can get pretty much anything for, but it costs a ton). Haven't used the worksharp. Curious, but also don't want to spend the $ right now when I have a system that works or me. Gets good reviews though. |
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Unfortunately something like that is not feasable since I live in an apartment. Quoted:
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WorkSharp Pro. I can put a shaving edge on everything from a pocket knife to a machete, usually in under 5 minutes. Unfortunately something like that is not feasable since I live in an apartment. They're not large devices. |
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You can always go and get sandpaper and a flat piece of something. Even a hardcover book. Probably start in the 4-600 grit range and then go to 800, 1000, etc. If you want to strop, just look around for an old leather belt... Or you can strop with newspaper.
Personally I like dual sided stones. But stones also take maintenance to keep them squared. I've been doing well with an old EZ-lap diamond plate for bigger jobs like axes and larger knives. Just start from the basics like understanding the bevel and go from there. |
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No. Quite the opposite. A sharp axe is a safe axe. Quoted:
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Wouldn't an axe that is sharp enough to shave with be problematic when using? I would think that it would have a tendency to get stuck and chip on the edge... No. Quite the opposite. A sharp axe is a safe axe. This... It's much harder to chip a convex grind(chopping tools) than a hollow(straight razor). Short of bad tempering or hitting and unknown object in the wood. |
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This... It's much harder to chip a convex grind(chopping tools) than a hollow(straight razor). Short of bad tempering or hitting and unknown object in the wood. Quoted:
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Wouldn't an axe that is sharp enough to shave with be problematic when using? I would think that it would have a tendency to get stuck and chip on the edge... No. Quite the opposite. A sharp axe is a safe axe. This... It's much harder to chip a convex grind(chopping tools) than a hollow(straight razor). Short of bad tempering or hitting and unknown object in the wood. Not to mention, a sharp axe will bite rather than glance. Learn how to be accurate. Powerful hits don't mean anything if you can't make it come down where you want it. |
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Sure if you like destroying your knives |
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Looking into some free hand sharpening with Arkansas or Japanese natural stones. Some of these stones have unbelievable prices on them !!! Depends on the steels you want to sharpen. Waterstones do a little better on high end steels but require maintenance. Arkansas stones don't do so great on more wear resistant steels. D2 convinced me to upgrade to diamonds. No way I can go back especially since I've added M4, S90, S110V, Elmax and M390 to my stable |
| Read a book, watch Youtube or search the net for info and learn the fundamentals of knife sharpening. If you can understand the basics you will be able to sharpen on any system. I own a Wicked Edge, Sharpmaker, Lansky, paper wheels, and various bench stones and strops. All of my systems can make a knife hair splitting sharp. |
| I've got an Edge Pro Pro kit and had it for years now. Used to use a Lansky and used water stones but I wanted something that was better. The investment was worth it as I have quite a bit of knives and scissors that I want to keep very sharp. So easy to set up and use. |
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Depends on the steels you want to sharpen. Waterstones do a little better on high end steels but require maintenance. Arkansas stones don't do so great on more wear resistant steels. D2 convinced me to upgrade to diamonds. No way I can go back especially since I've added M4, S90, S110V, Elmax and M390 to my stable Quoted:
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Looking into some free hand sharpening with Arkansas or Japanese natural stones. Some of these stones have unbelievable prices on them !!! Depends on the steels you want to sharpen. Waterstones do a little better on high end steels but require maintenance. Arkansas stones don't do so great on more wear resistant steels. D2 convinced me to upgrade to diamonds. No way I can go back especially since I've added M4, S90, S110V, Elmax and M390 to my stable My blades I have currently are S30, S35VN on down. Ordered 2 Japanese natural stones, one medium and another ultra fine. This ought to be fun !!!! |
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I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker with the diamond stones (in place of the brown medium stones) and the white ceramic stones.
The diamond stones are useful for reprofiling blades or getting a dull blade functionally sharp. I then finish with the ceramic stones and a leather strop. I had a Lansky kit, the stones don't clean as easily as the Spyderco's, and the Lansky Edge Pro put some gouges on my blades above the edge. Never again. I tried the more expensive Work Sharp sharpener. IMO a serious design flaw is that contraption that is supposed to keep your edge at a certain angle wobbles. I don't think that the version with the angled inserts does that, but I didn't bother. I just read up on Sharpmaker techniques and continue to use that. |
| Myself and a few of the guys I work with like to sharpen knives as a hobby and have tried the Sharpmaker, Japanese water stones, glass, hand strop. While all these do work and take some time to get an edge someone jokingly mentioned the HF 1x30 belt sander. I waited for a coupon and got the 1x30 for ~$30 and promptly placed an order with Lee Valley for some 20 and 9µ, 500 and 1200 grit, grinding belts. The real magic happens with the leather belt, rough side out using some chromium oxide. My Benchmade that I could get sharp on the Sharpmaker turned out stupid sharp on the 1x30. The learning curve was short and almost sharpens too quickly taking the joy of sitting down to sharpen a knife and relax. |
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Wouldn't an axe that is sharp enough to shave with be problematic when using? I would think that it would have a tendency to get stuck and chip on the edge... And any ol' person can put a sharp edge on a piece of steel with a little bit of practice. The hard part is putting the RIGHT edge on the tool for the job, and if this book is opening with putting a shaving edge on an axe, it would most definitely make me question its veracity. I would suggest watching some Youtube videos, get a set of nice sharpening stones, and keep your blades honed to reduce the amount of sharpening you have to do. I use a Tormek which is likely overkill for most people. Heck, I do a lot of woodworking and it is overkill for me too, but easy and effective and comes with great instructions for any manner of blade. Quoted:
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I like to steer people to the book that showed me how to do it right: the Razor's Edge Book of Sharpening. $12.95 or so on Amazon. The cover shows the author shaving with a logging axe. So you may wish to concede that he knows what he's talking about. It's a bit dated (written over 20 years ago) so some of the products are not current but his techniques are still effective. Wouldn't an axe that is sharp enough to shave with be problematic when using? I would think that it would have a tendency to get stuck and chip on the edge... And any ol' person can put a sharp edge on a piece of steel with a little bit of practice. The hard part is putting the RIGHT edge on the tool for the job, and if this book is opening with putting a shaving edge on an axe, it would most definitely make me question its veracity. I would suggest watching some Youtube videos, get a set of nice sharpening stones, and keep your blades honed to reduce the amount of sharpening you have to do. I use a Tormek which is likely overkill for most people. Heck, I do a lot of woodworking and it is overkill for me too, but easy and effective and comes with great instructions for any manner of blade. You have Obviously never used a sharp axe... I can shave with mine they do not chip or get stuck and throw large chunks. You can fall a tree in no time. Those competition axes you see on tv do you think they are not shaving sharp ? Trust me yes at take the right edge but that edge can also be clean and sharp as a razor. Edited for the grammar police |
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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Knife sharpening (Page 1 of 2)
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