Sharpening Help

Hitthespot

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I have a number of very nice knives. Although some cost hundreds of dollars I consider all of my knives useable. Obviously a knife that is used is going to need touched up from time to time.

Now I have an art that I'm sure most of you don't. I can take a fine knife with an edge that is 80% percent there and turn it into a butter knife in 3 minutes. I'm not uncoordinated, or stupid, but as soon as I get a knife next to a stone I know the only thing it's going to be able to cut next is melted butter. I have all the good stones, I've tried lansky (ruined a couple of knives on that system ) I also have the ceramic rods that go into the wood at angles. I know keeping the edge at the same angle on both sides is important and I've read a pleathura of material on sharpening knives. Nothing seems to work for me. Now my Randals are starting to get a little dull and need touched up. I am scared to death to get them next to a stone and I want my knive razor sharp.

Any advise from you experts would be appreciated. What am I doing WRONG.

Bill
 

Hitthespot

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George, I read your Technical page. ( by the way your knives are beautiful ) The knife sharpening portion read like most sharpening papers that I have read except for one statement. You said that there are a number of items available to hold the knife at the correct angle while sharpening for those who don't sharpen knives very often. I believe this is exactly what is happening to me. I know it's not the knives because others have brought my knives to a razor edge.

Where do I find these items that hold the knife at the correct angle while sharpening.

Thank You

Bill
 

houtex

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I own about a dozen knives and would always go to have them sharpened at a store or gun show when I realized that I should be doing them myself. The Spyderco sharpmaker has been great for me. It comes with a DVD and booklet to show you how, including proper angles and number of strokes to use. I was very intimidated at first but now sharpen with confidence. Still some knives seem like they come out just okay,others come out WAY more sharp than when new.
 

Anglepoise

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Hitthespot,

There is an excellent sharpening system out there call EdgePro.
A Google search will give you lots of info.
I have used this system for many years and have yet to find anything better.

Nothing wrong with free hand sharpening, but a guided system will not only sharpen very well,but will return your edges to the appearance when new.
 

jzmtl

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What I find useful is to cut a block of something to the angle you want (I did 15 with a piece of plastic card), place it on end of stone/sandpaper, then lean your knife against it at start of each stroke. This gives you a feeling of what the proper angle is and after a while you can do it without the guide.

George, I see you advise using edge trailing stroke instead of edge leading most other people suggest. What do you do about the resulting burr?
 
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jzmtl

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Honestly, I don't think you need to shell out for edge pro unless you have really shaky hands. You can do the samething with sharpmaker and it's a lot cheaper.

I have a sharpmaker, it works great. While on PE it's no better than sandpaper, on SE it's so much easier. Also the stone doesn't wear down so you don't have to get new sandpaper every other sharpening.
 

FlashSpyJ

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I have the Spyderco Triangle sharpening kit and it works really well! I like it very much! I also have a Fallkniven DC4 stone which is my favorite!
If you get the hang on how to sharpen your knife, this stone works like a charm! I get razor sharp edge on all knifes with this stone!

I got some advice how to sharpen a knife before i got that edge, and some practice... If your interested in knives and sharps edges you will get there by some practice! I have scratched some blades and got rather frustrated before I learned how to do it right. The important thing is to hold the same angle as the blade is sharpened. But if you go with the Spyderco traingle kit with the dvd im sure you will get the edge you want!

One thing you must remember is to be patience, you wont get a perfect edge if your not patience with it.

I sharpened my friends kitchen knife today, thought it wasnt sharp enough and wasnt careful enough and the knife got lose i my hand and almost removed a layer of skin from my pinky! :)
So remember to be very careful too!
 

mspeterson

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Is the Apex good enough or do you really need to purchase the Pro?

Bill
Most sharpening systems that I've tried are much harder to get good results with than free hand sharpening on a stone. The problem is that free hand sharpening is great for touching up a sharp edge, but can be tricky and very time consuming when the edge is lost and must be completely redefined. This is where jigs and the like shine, and the Edgepro is the best I've ever heard of. The key to sharpening is to realize that it is a process with multiple steps. None of these are difficult, but they are important. The trick is a "light firm touch" with proper technique, and Maintenance is key! Don't let them get dull to begin with, much easier that way.....

I have the Edgepro Apex and would recommend that model, it's more than sufficient for professional results. Make sure you order extra 120 grit stones, you will go through those fast. The Apex is rather easy to use , but requires a little touch to get the best results, and it will give great results time and time again. There are some good package deals available out there, PM me if your interested.

Hold off on the Randalls for now....:faint:....or try stropping first!!!;)
 

Joe Talmadge

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I had the same problem you did until I bought a Razor Edge system many years ago. It really made things sing for me. And once I got the hang of it on the Razor Edge, I found I could do everything else also, including freehand. I highly recommend it as the best learning tool there is, even though I rarely use it anymore. The mechanics are exactly as in freehand.

I've never been enamored of the Edge Pro. Not only do I find the setup a drag, including taping up the blades on good knives so the finish doesn't get too badly marred, but I can get knives kinda sharp but not super sharp on the Edge Pro (whereas I can get knives incredibly sharp using other methods). So, perhaps I"m doing something wrong, though I even went so far as to buy the video and still can't figure out what. So these days, I sometimes use my Edge Pro to thin an edge, but never finish the edge on it.

Joe
 
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Hitthespot

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I had the same problem you did until I bought a Razor Edge system many years ago. It really made things sing for me. And once I got the hang of it on the Razor Edge, I found I could do everything else also, including freehand. I highly recommend it as the best learning tool there is, even though I rarely use it anymore. The mechanics are exactly as in freehand.

I've never been enamored of the Edge Pro. Not only do I find the setup a drag, including taping up the edges on good knives so the finish doesn't get too badly marred, but I can get knives kinda sharp but not super sharp on the Edge Pro (whereas I can get knives incredibly sharp using other methods). So, perhaps I"m doing something wrong, though I even went so far as to buy the video and still can't figure out what. So these days, I sometimes use my Edge Pro to thin an edge, but never finish the edge on it.

Joe

You have peaked my interest on the Razor Edge. If this will help teach me how to then maybe this is a better product. The cost is better that's for sure. How about some more details about this product.

Thanks

Bill
 

george tichbourne

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By assistance I mean something like the Lansky system. It holds the sharpening stone at a fixed angle to the edge so there is not too much chance of getting the angle wrong.

There are also roller jigs for sharpening plane blades precisely.

The burr that is raised I usually take off with some polishing compound on a leather strop or on a pine board by stropping in the same motion as I sharpen the blade.
 

Kevin Tan

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Most common sharpening mistakes is they are hitting the bevels and not the edge. So get a sharpie and mark the edge. Try sharpening and look at the edge with a strong light. If the edge stays marked with sharpie, its not being sharpened. Best piece of equipment for me is a minimum 15x loupe ( magnifying eyepiece ) to see clearly whats happening to the edge.
 
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