Knife Sharpening
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racerx2oo3
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Re: Sharpening systems
Well having just gone down this road, I can say that I think that using a traditional benchstone approach is going to be the most satisfying in the end. It does take some time to learn how best to use the stones, but once you do, you can pretty much sharpen anything with them.
I'm a total cheapskate when it come to things like this. But what I ended up with was a Japanese 800 grit water stone that my wife bought me for christmas. This stone really does a great job on setting up the edge. I then picked up a very cheap ($6) Arkasas stone that I use to really finely sharpen the edge. This stone is very small, and knowing what I know now, I would probably go with a bigger one, however this does the job, it just takes a little more work. The final step and what now seems to me to be the most important in getting a really razor sharp edge is stopping the blade. Knive strops can be pretty expensive, they don't need to be. I went to Wal-mart, and picked up a nice wide ladies belt (rhinestone buckle optional). This belt had a 100% leather liner. I cut a good sized section and screwed it tauntly to a 2x4. I picked up a can a Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound and applied a small amount to the leather and stropped the blade almost flat on the leather. The result is an edge that you can shave with. My el cheapo Smith and Wesson Extreme Ops knife will shave the hairs off my arm. My swiss army knife that I've had for 8 years and never sharpened, is so sharp now that the hairs literally jump off.
The best part is that once you learn the techniques involved you can pretty much use them on any knife.
Well having just gone down this road, I can say that I think that using a traditional benchstone approach is going to be the most satisfying in the end. It does take some time to learn how best to use the stones, but once you do, you can pretty much sharpen anything with them.
I'm a total cheapskate when it come to things like this. But what I ended up with was a Japanese 800 grit water stone that my wife bought me for christmas. This stone really does a great job on setting up the edge. I then picked up a very cheap ($6) Arkasas stone that I use to really finely sharpen the edge. This stone is very small, and knowing what I know now, I would probably go with a bigger one, however this does the job, it just takes a little more work. The final step and what now seems to me to be the most important in getting a really razor sharp edge is stopping the blade. Knive strops can be pretty expensive, they don't need to be. I went to Wal-mart, and picked up a nice wide ladies belt (rhinestone buckle optional). This belt had a 100% leather liner. I cut a good sized section and screwed it tauntly to a 2x4. I picked up a can a Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound and applied a small amount to the leather and stropped the blade almost flat on the leather. The result is an edge that you can shave with. My el cheapo Smith and Wesson Extreme Ops knife will shave the hairs off my arm. My swiss army knife that I've had for 8 years and never sharpened, is so sharp now that the hairs literally jump off.
The best part is that once you learn the techniques involved you can pretty much use them on any knife.
Re: Sharpening systems
I gotta admit that I done about the same too
What I did was that I used my weider weight lifting belt, it's wide and the liner is leather too. I used a mixture of oil and diamond power (my dad's, used for polishing jewellery and watches). Turtle Wax is something new. It is those turtle wax used for buffing out light scratches on automobile paintwork?
racerx2oo3 said:
I gotta admit that I done about the same too
What I did was that I used my weider weight lifting belt, it's wide and the liner is leather too. I used a mixture of oil and diamond power (my dad's, used for polishing jewellery and watches). Turtle Wax is something new. It is those turtle wax used for buffing out light scratches on automobile paintwork?
Re: Sharpening systems
I have an EdgePro "Pro", though the Apex is cheaper. Here are a few of my observations.
Pros:
Relatively easy to use.
Infinite angle adjustments.
Reproducable results.
Cons:
Setup, unless you have a place you can leave it. Makes doing simple touch-ups kind of cumbersome.
Requires water (might not necessarily be a con to some folks)
Makes a little bit of a mess.
I find it's really great for our kitchen knives. For smaller pocket knives I have not yet perfected it, though I do get them sharp. Also, many smaller pocket knives have some interesting grinds, thumbstuds, and make it more challenging to lay properly on the blade rest/support. I prefer a bench stone for my smaller knives. Since I use my knives (not saying you guys don't) I don't care if I scratch the blades .... gives them character.
I have never used a Sharpmaker, but will probably get one simply for the ease of setting it up and less mess for simple touch-ups. However, if you eventually go this route (two different systems) note that the angles will probably not be interchangeable. In other words, you probably won't be able to go back and forth between an EdgrPro and Sharpmaker without making some minor adjustments to compensate for the small differences in angle between the two units.
If you have more time than money, go for a bench stone. Something like the Norton 175 anniversary fine/coarse 8" India oil stone for around $12.00 at Smokey Mountain Knife Works. With a bench stone you could shim one end until you get the desired angle and start in. Practice with cheap knives until you get good, doesn't take all that long really.
I have an EdgePro "Pro", though the Apex is cheaper. Here are a few of my observations.
Pros:
Relatively easy to use.
Infinite angle adjustments.
Reproducable results.
Cons:
Setup, unless you have a place you can leave it. Makes doing simple touch-ups kind of cumbersome.
Requires water (might not necessarily be a con to some folks)
Makes a little bit of a mess.
I find it's really great for our kitchen knives. For smaller pocket knives I have not yet perfected it, though I do get them sharp. Also, many smaller pocket knives have some interesting grinds, thumbstuds, and make it more challenging to lay properly on the blade rest/support. I prefer a bench stone for my smaller knives. Since I use my knives (not saying you guys don't) I don't care if I scratch the blades .... gives them character.
I have never used a Sharpmaker, but will probably get one simply for the ease of setting it up and less mess for simple touch-ups. However, if you eventually go this route (two different systems) note that the angles will probably not be interchangeable. In other words, you probably won't be able to go back and forth between an EdgrPro and Sharpmaker without making some minor adjustments to compensate for the small differences in angle between the two units.
If you have more time than money, go for a bench stone. Something like the Norton 175 anniversary fine/coarse 8" India oil stone for around $12.00 at Smokey Mountain Knife Works. With a bench stone you could shim one end until you get the desired angle and start in. Practice with cheap knives until you get good, doesn't take all that long really.
Last edited:
racerx2oo3
Newly Enlightened
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Re: Sharpening systems
Yeah, it's the rubbing compound. They make two different varieties. One is more of a buffer and one (the Rubbing compound variety) is more abrasive and works great for getting a final edge on a blade.
I can pretty much shave with either of my EDC knifes and niether one is anything special to start with.
Racer X
SJACKAL said:
Yeah, it's the rubbing compound. They make two different varieties. One is more of a buffer and one (the Rubbing compound variety) is more abrasive and works great for getting a final edge on a blade.
I can pretty much shave with either of my EDC knifes and niether one is anything special to start with.
Racer X
Knife Sharpening Techniques
I thought I would start a thread where we can share our thoughts and techniques on how we sharpen our knives it seems many members enjoy and use both lights and Knives.
I use a Steel Lapping Plate and Diamond Paste to put the edges on my knives, and chisels. My lapping plate is a perfectly flat steel plate mounted to a hard maple block. I then put on various grits of diamond dust paste to achieve the desired result on the edge up to 20,000 grit for the polish. I have to admit on my more costy blades and chisels I use a honing guide to keep my angle rather than just eyeballing it.
I am really looking forward to how some of you sharpen a serated edge. I have neve done it.
I thought I would start a thread where we can share our thoughts and techniques on how we sharpen our knives it seems many members enjoy and use both lights and Knives.
I use a Steel Lapping Plate and Diamond Paste to put the edges on my knives, and chisels. My lapping plate is a perfectly flat steel plate mounted to a hard maple block. I then put on various grits of diamond dust paste to achieve the desired result on the edge up to 20,000 grit for the polish. I have to admit on my more costy blades and chisels I use a honing guide to keep my angle rather than just eyeballing it.
I am really looking forward to how some of you sharpen a serated edge. I have neve done it.
Re: Knife Sharpening Techniques
There are several other threads on sharpening that have been posted within the past few months, but most deal with various systems (Apex, Lansky, and the like). Free handing with stones, strops, and/or lapping isn't discussed very often, though.
I generally use a Lansky system since I have pretty poor muscle memory, well for sharpening anyway. I do use a few different stones and DMT and Lansky diamond laps, and from time to time use a lapping setup I made from a piece of heavy plastic panel and various grits of sanding sheets. This is a setup I use mostly for chisel ground edges that I want topolish and not use a water stone.
Anyhow, I just try to come up with a consistant angle and that works for me, but I still fid that using a rig helps me a lot.
There are several other threads on sharpening that have been posted within the past few months, but most deal with various systems (Apex, Lansky, and the like). Free handing with stones, strops, and/or lapping isn't discussed very often, though.
I generally use a Lansky system since I have pretty poor muscle memory, well for sharpening anyway. I do use a few different stones and DMT and Lansky diamond laps, and from time to time use a lapping setup I made from a piece of heavy plastic panel and various grits of sanding sheets. This is a setup I use mostly for chisel ground edges that I want topolish and not use a water stone.
Anyhow, I just try to come up with a consistant angle and that works for me, but I still fid that using a rig helps me a lot.
Echo63
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Knife Sharpening Techniques
i currently own a smiths sharpening thing
a lansky setup (similar to the smiths one)
a spyderco sharpmaker
a diamond stone and a long diamond steel
and 2x lansky/crock stick systems
the small crock stick system lives in my BOB
the sharpmaker lives on my desk for quick touch ups
and the lansky is used for heavy reprofiling, removing chips etc
i currently own a smiths sharpening thing
a lansky setup (similar to the smiths one)
a spyderco sharpmaker
a diamond stone and a long diamond steel
and 2x lansky/crock stick systems
the small crock stick system lives in my BOB
the sharpmaker lives on my desk for quick touch ups
and the lansky is used for heavy reprofiling, removing chips etc
Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
I am getting the inevitable "What do you want for Christmas?" questions. One of the things I'd like to have is a sharpening system for my various knives.
I do okay by hand with stones, the blades I've worked on may not be "shavin sharp" but will slice paper almost effortlessly. However, I know I can probably do better with a "system".
I've been doing some research, and am aware of various systems like the Lansky, and the Spyderco sharpmaker, and have read the threads discussing the pro's and con's of many, to the point of overload. From the standpoint of practicality, I've decided, that a sharpening system is probably better than no system, and it's not something I'm likely to buy for myself any time soon.
So I want to look at it from the standpoint of a potential gift-giver.
- What systems are commonly availible in retail? My relatives aren't likely to go on-line. Wal-Mart, Dunham's, Sports Authority, Sportsman's Warehouse, and Gander Mountain, are in my area. I've been keeping an eye out, but haven't seen anything, and stores often "gear up" for hunting season, and may have items on the shelf I wasn't seeing previously.
- Are any of them under $50, I don't like asking for things that are too expensive.
- Also, has anyone seen a mini-steel, or a ceramic touch-up rod at these stores? If the full-blown system isn't availible, or someone's looking for more "stocking stuffer" size things, these would be good.
I am getting the inevitable "What do you want for Christmas?" questions. One of the things I'd like to have is a sharpening system for my various knives.
I do okay by hand with stones, the blades I've worked on may not be "shavin sharp" but will slice paper almost effortlessly. However, I know I can probably do better with a "system".
I've been doing some research, and am aware of various systems like the Lansky, and the Spyderco sharpmaker, and have read the threads discussing the pro's and con's of many, to the point of overload. From the standpoint of practicality, I've decided, that a sharpening system is probably better than no system, and it's not something I'm likely to buy for myself any time soon.
So I want to look at it from the standpoint of a potential gift-giver.
- What systems are commonly availible in retail? My relatives aren't likely to go on-line. Wal-Mart, Dunham's, Sports Authority, Sportsman's Warehouse, and Gander Mountain, are in my area. I've been keeping an eye out, but haven't seen anything, and stores often "gear up" for hunting season, and may have items on the shelf I wasn't seeing previously.
- Are any of them under $50, I don't like asking for things that are too expensive.
- Also, has anyone seen a mini-steel, or a ceramic touch-up rod at these stores? If the full-blown system isn't availible, or someone's looking for more "stocking stuffer" size things, these would be good.
nethiker
Enlightened
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
Sounds like you are looking for the Spyderco Sharp Maker System. It's the one most recommended in this threat over at bladeforums.com and the price is about right.
Greg
Sounds like you are looking for the Spyderco Sharp Maker System. It's the one most recommended in this threat over at bladeforums.com and the price is about right.
Greg
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
The two best I have found for the normal user to jump right into are the Spyderco Sharpmaker rods, and the Lansky type system.
Of the two I would recomend personally the Lanskey for ease of use, and flexiblity to determine the edge bevel one wants for given tasks, IE: kitchen knives generally have a finer bevel, and field knives generally have a thicker bevel for harder use. If you get the Lansky, go the whole ten yards an dbuy the diamond hones set, with the finest stones also, plus you can buy a clamping system to hook it to a table if you do not want to free hand it.
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?ttl=Lansky%20Clamping%20Systems&srch=eqCATE%20CODEdatarq%3Dls%26eqWWWCAT_4datarq%3Dclamp
Gatco also makes a "Lansky" style sharpening system, which is I beleive cheaper. http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?ttl=GATCO%20Clamping%20Systems&srch=eqCATE%20CODEdatarq%3Dga%26eqWWWCAT_4datarq%3Dclamp
The Spyderco is great also, and easy to use.
My wife uses both, but prefers the Lansky on most knives. Another thing to do is invest and learn how to use a butchers steel or leather strop, your knives will love you for it.
The two best I have found for the normal user to jump right into are the Spyderco Sharpmaker rods, and the Lansky type system.
Of the two I would recomend personally the Lanskey for ease of use, and flexiblity to determine the edge bevel one wants for given tasks, IE: kitchen knives generally have a finer bevel, and field knives generally have a thicker bevel for harder use. If you get the Lansky, go the whole ten yards an dbuy the diamond hones set, with the finest stones also, plus you can buy a clamping system to hook it to a table if you do not want to free hand it.
http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?ttl=Lansky%20Clamping%20Systems&srch=eqCATE%20CODEdatarq%3Dls%26eqWWWCAT_4datarq%3Dclamp
Gatco also makes a "Lansky" style sharpening system, which is I beleive cheaper. http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?ttl=GATCO%20Clamping%20Systems&srch=eqCATE%20CODEdatarq%3Dga%26eqWWWCAT_4datarq%3Dclamp
The Spyderco is great also, and easy to use.
My wife uses both, but prefers the Lansky on most knives. Another thing to do is invest and learn how to use a butchers steel or leather strop, your knives will love you for it.
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
The Lansky kits are generally available in retail stores. IIRC, the basic kit should be under $50. And then you can also ask for some optional hones, like maybe some diamond ones (a coarse diamond hone would be nice for when you have to or want to reprofile a blade), or an extra fine hone, or ... you get the idea.
The Lansky kits are generally available in retail stores. IIRC, the basic kit should be under $50. And then you can also ask for some optional hones, like maybe some diamond ones (a coarse diamond hone would be nice for when you have to or want to reprofile a blade), or an extra fine hone, or ... you get the idea.
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
Crock sticks like are available at any of the Sporting Goods stores you mentioned, or from AGRUSSELL.com , and will do anything you need, if the knife has a fairly stiff blade ~6 in. or less. It will put a shaving sharp edge on the blade.
That will take care of 95% of the knives you're likely to want, and it is fast, easy, idiot proof and relatively inexpensive.
Crock sticks like are available at any of the Sporting Goods stores you mentioned, or from AGRUSSELL.com , and will do anything you need, if the knife has a fairly stiff blade ~6 in. or less. It will put a shaving sharp edge on the blade.
That will take care of 95% of the knives you're likely to want, and it is fast, easy, idiot proof and relatively inexpensive.
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
One of my primary blades is a Benchmade CQC-7 with a single-bevel chisel edge, are "crock sticks" the two ceramic rods in a "V" formation?
I don't think that would work for my single bevel knives... But if they're inexpensive, I've got plenty of traditional double ground blades that would benifit.
One of my primary blades is a Benchmade CQC-7 with a single-bevel chisel edge, are "crock sticks" the two ceramic rods in a "V" formation?
I don't think that would work for my single bevel knives... But if they're inexpensive, I've got plenty of traditional double ground blades that would benifit.
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
Yes, the "v" shape.
Not sure what a single-bevel blade is, but the sticks work well on most knives. For the straight scoop on what may or may not work best for the single bevel blades, go to knifeforums.com. The guys there are very knowledgeable and helpful. And they display photos of knives to make you drool.
AJ_Dual said:
Yes, the "v" shape.
Not sure what a single-bevel blade is, but the sticks work well on most knives. For the straight scoop on what may or may not work best for the single bevel blades, go to knifeforums.com. The guys there are very knowledgeable and helpful. And they display photos of knives to make you drool.
bindibadgi
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
The Spyderco Sharpmaker is one of those V-Type arrangements, but the sticks don't cross over near the bottom like other ones. That means it is perfect for single bevel blades, since you work on one side at a time anyway.
I would thoroughly recommend the Sharpmaker. I bought it along with the diamond and extra fine stones, but really, in hindsight, what comes in the standard box is all you need. You just need a little patience on a really dull blade; it can take some time. It does a fantastic job though!
The Spyderco Sharpmaker is one of those V-Type arrangements, but the sticks don't cross over near the bottom like other ones. That means it is perfect for single bevel blades, since you work on one side at a time anyway.
I would thoroughly recommend the Sharpmaker. I bought it along with the diamond and extra fine stones, but really, in hindsight, what comes in the standard box is all you need. You just need a little patience on a really dull blade; it can take some time. It does a fantastic job though!
Re: Shapening system - Gift Suggestion:
I've been seeing so much info about the Spyderco and the Lansky, I'll just ask for either.
From what I can pull out of the "info overload" from my earlier searching is that any pro's or con's for either is getting into nitpicking territory compared to not having a sharpening system, and it gives my relatives two options to find one.
A single bevel blade has a profile like a chisel, flat on one side, and angled on the other. Instead of a "V" shaped profile, think of the blade edge having an, well uh.. an "N" shaped profile, but with the left vertical stroke not there, obviously...
You sharpen only the single side of the blade, leaving the flat side alone, other than stropping to remove the wire edge.
I've been seeing so much info about the Spyderco and the Lansky, I'll just ask for either.
From what I can pull out of the "info overload" from my earlier searching is that any pro's or con's for either is getting into nitpicking territory compared to not having a sharpening system, and it gives my relatives two options to find one.
A single bevel blade has a profile like a chisel, flat on one side, and angled on the other. Instead of a "V" shaped profile, think of the blade edge having an, well uh.. an "N" shaped profile, but with the left vertical stroke not there, obviously...
You sharpen only the single side of the blade, leaving the flat side alone, other than stropping to remove the wire edge.
Solstice
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: Sharpening a Leatherman Micra scissors
I wonder the same thing since that's the reason I stopped carrying my 8 year old Micra 4 years ago.
I wonder the same thing since that's the reason I stopped carrying my 8 year old Micra 4 years ago.
was_jlh
Enlightened
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- Oct 15, 2002
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- 751
Re: Sharpening a Leatherman Micra scissors
Never tried it, but you may be able to do it on a Spyderco SharpMaker.
Never tried it, but you may be able to do it on a Spyderco SharpMaker.
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