Knife Sharpening

js · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Luna,

That was a very non-helpful post. Maintaining a constant angle with a stone is easily done with the finger as guide, or even with an actual little plastic angle guide.

That can't be done on a MOVING belt right? So how do you do it? By eye?

And I've spent a bit of time on BF and KF and I can't say that many people there use a belt sander for sharpening. A knife maker would necessarily need a good belt sander/grinder. Yes. But for somewhat different reasons, right? I mean, they NEED to remove a lot of metal after the tempering stage. "If you would make a blade that will win, forge thick and grind thin" as they say.

But look. I really, really (no---really) don't want this thread to degenerate into another js vs. Luna trainwreck, OK? So if you don't have any detailed practical instructions or links thereto, then I will just let you have your last word and not respond. Whatever. If a belt sander does it for you, great. At the moment, it's not my choice. But, I'm certainly willing to learn if someone is willing to teach.

Grox · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Jim,

Have a look at Mark Terrell's tutorial on belt sharpening: http://www.mtknives.com/beltsharpening.html

He doesn't use a guide.

I've seen a tutorial somewhere with guidance on how to mantain angles but I can't seem to find them at the moment. Maybe it was Chris Reeve? I can't remember.

Mr. Terrell's guide ought to be a start at least.

Luna · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

js said:
Luna,

That was a very non-helpful post.
...cut
But look. I really, really (no---really) don't want this thread to degenerate into another js vs. Luna trainwreck, OK? So if you don't have any detailed practical instructions or links thereto, then I will just let you have your last word and not respond. Whatever. If a belt sander does it for you, great. At the moment, it's not my choice. But, I'm certainly willing to learn if someone is willing to teach.

Now why in the world would my post elicit a response like this?

Just for my sanity, yes belt sanding is used for final sharpening, after HT.

Out of the first 10 posts I just looked at at bladeforums, 2 of them mentioned beltsanders for sharpening.

Luna · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Grox said:
I've seen a tutorial somewhere with guidance on how to mantain angles but I can't seem to find them at the moment.

For a novice, I find cutting the backbevel with bs and finishing with a sharpmaker about the easiest task. Why the BS? Because the SM is not aggressive enough to quickly cut the bevel so the majority of newbs will be accomplishing nothing when they think they are sharpening.

thk · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

I'm extremely happy with my Edge Pro Apex. My friends too since I occasionally will reprofile their knives for them. Usually only use it when I really need it. Then I just touch up occasionally on a Sharpmaker.

Josey · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Luna said:
Because the SM is not aggressive enough to quickly cut the bevel so the majority of newbs will be accomplishing nothing when they think they are sharpening.

The knowledge of how to sharpen is more important than the machine used to sharpen.

Luna · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Josey said:
The knowledge of how to sharpen is more important than the machine used to sharpen.

Absolutely! However, most people won't fathom the idea of spending hours perfecting a blade freehand as some of use do (god knows how many weeks I've spent sharpening knives).

mcmc · Oct 4, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Do any of you folks use a sharpening steel (made for kitchen knives) on any of your folders?

I am still not sure why you use a downward slicing stroke on the sharpening steel, if you are just re-aligning the blade edge - wouldn't it make more sense to pull up (motion from spine to edge)?

I am a total knife newbie, but am trying to figure out the best way to keep my knives sharp w/o losing a lot of metal (not even sure if this is a real issue!) =) I have a sharpmaker, an RSK, a mini-grip, and a Buck 119...am thinking about getting a strop too, but not sure where to get a decent + affordable one (nor how to get he boron silicate or i forget what people use on the strop).

thanks!

js · Oct 5, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Grox said:
Jim,

Have a look at Mark Terrell's tutorial on belt sharpening: http://www.mtknives.com/beltsharpening.html

He doesn't use a guide.

I've seen a tutorial somewhere with guidance on how to mantain angles but I can't seem to find them at the moment. Maybe it was Chris Reeve? I can't remember.

Mr. Terrell's guide ought to be a start at least.

Excellent. Thanks for the link. Yes. I just looked it over quickly and it looks as if it will be helpful. I certainly would like to be able to be proficient at using a belt sander as a sharpener

js · Oct 5, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Luna said:
Now why in the world would my post elicit a response like this?

Just for my sanity, yes belt sanding is used for final sharpening, after HT.

Out of the first 10 posts I just looked at at bladeforums, 2 of them mentioned beltsanders for sharpening.

I don't know, Luna. Something about our writing styles seems to get in the way of cordial back and forth posting.

Sorry if I read the tone of your posts wrong. The main thing is that I wanted something like the link Grox posted. Something to give me a step by step approach to using a belt sander to sharpen knives.

Re-reading the posts now, my response does seem to be a little off kilter. I'll use the fact that I've just switched over to the graveyard shift as an excuse.

But, in any case, the BS suggestion really doesn't tally with my first post at all. It takes up a lot of space and is thus neither convenient, nor portable--two of the criteria I listed in the first post of this thread.

Although, you are correct: if the only reason to get an Apex EP were for its ability to re-profile, it wouldn't make sense when a $35 BS would do the trick. But, here again, I really have no place to set up, store, and use a BS at my apartment. Not a good place, anyway. So even just for the occasional re-profiling job, it would be a pain.

And, that's also why I would get the diamond sticks with the SM--they are agressive and make re-profiling easier. Or so I've been told by LEDmodMan.

Anyway, sorry for being pissy with you.

Luna · Oct 5, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

js said:
And, that's also why I would get the diamond sticks with the SM--they are agressive and make re-profiling easier. Or so I've been told by LEDmodMan.

The diamond sticks aren't cheap ($60-$80) and they still take a while to reprofile and longevity isn't the greatest with diamond 'stones' (the grit tears from the substrate). You also have to be very careful to not round the tip. The cheaper all SM reprofiling route is to wrap 80 grit paper on the stones. Still too cumbersome.

I've gone thru most of the gadgets and the Apex/Pro is at the top of the list but you have to deal with setup and all the other hassle plus the stones have to be flattened, etc.

So if you take good care of your tools, then you won't have to reprofile often and the SM is great. If you have a wife then you will have to reprofile often regardless of the constant badgering you give her to leave the good knives alone

In this case you will realize that the best solution is the fastest without compromising the edge.
Since reprofiling doesn't require a perfectly consistant angle (just as long as it is less than the final angle and a burr/point is produced) you can reprofile without jigs and not pay a penalty. However you would be amazed at how perfect an angle you can hold a knife on a beltsander especially when using a grit that is coarse enought to only require a single swipe to bring the edge back into condition for sharpmaker use. Using this technique (belt +SM+UF or strop or even belt + paperwheels) will give you an edge that can top hairs but seldom is that type of edge optimal for use (push cutting only).

I recommend trying a little belt sander plus it has many other uses.

js · Oct 6, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Thanks, Luna! I apreciate the suggestions. And yes, I do have a wife. And she has a mother and sister. And they have the habit of leaving my good knives POINT DOWN in the steel silverware drainer basket! LOL! They did that one time JUST after I had sharpened them, and put a noticeable dent in the edge. Crazy.

glockboy · Oct 6, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

JS
Try this http://www.texasknife.com/store/s-pages/TKS_MainframeStore.htm
I used this for all the knives, you can re edge any knives.
It's not cheap but worth it,tools and knives.

Luna · Oct 6, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

glockboy said:
JS
Try this http://www.texasknife.com/store/s-pages/TKS_MainframeStore.htm
I used this for all the knives, you can re edge any knives.
It's not cheap but worth it,tools and kinves.

Bad link, which was it.

glockboy · Oct 6, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

click
http://www.texasknife.com/store/s-pages/TKS_MainframeStore.htm
and click on
Belt Sanding Equipment

Wolfen · Oct 19, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Check out this link. the Hsarpmaker and Edgepro as well as other methods are discussed.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=26036

js · Oct 19, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

Wolfen,

NICE LINK! Thank you so much! Great stuff and good discussions of the Apex and Spyderco. Just the link I had in mind.

PolishSumgai · Oct 24, 2006

Re: Please help: Spyderco Sharpmaker or EdgePro Apex?

1. Buy this book: Sharpening Made Easy

2. Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker - don't need any extra rods/sticks.

3. Paper Sharpening Wheels

I have been sharpening knives for 50+ years and the 3 listed items will be all you need to sharpen just about everything you own.

liteMANIAC · Dec 18, 2006

Water Stone for sharpening knives

Hi all,

I go to culinary school and have a bunch of knives. However they seem dull. I tried those pull through sharpeners but they dont seem to be doing a good job. I am considering getting sharpening stones but dont know anyting about them and where to begin. I went to my local store and they were sellign for 130$!! What should I be looking for? Size, grit, water or oil stone and where to get one? Thanks for any advice.

Patrick

highorder · Dec 18, 2006

Re: Water Stone for sharpening knives

unless you have the time and inclination to take up the art of micromachining (sharpening) I reccomend using a sharpening service for kitcken blades. around here, I can get all 3 of my kitchen knives done for $20.00 whilst I wait.

otherwise, I have several natural and synthetic stones, as well as DMT diamond hones that work wonders!

http://www.dmtsharp.com/

http://www.ind.nortonabrasives.com/Lineart/ShowLineArt.asp?catID=175

Knife Sharpening

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