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Spin Off on the Knife topic

JBL11183

JBL11183

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Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
437
I happen to be a knife guy and loved reading all the posts about what knives everyone carries and all the other info..It got me wondering, what do you guys do for sharpening, what tools and methods do you guys use...I am a nooB when it comes to it and Id love some suggestions
 
I was wondering the same thing. I've carried a replaceable blade Craftsman razor knife for so long I've not ever kept up with the sharpening techniques for a standard blade. I have one of these that was given to me but have never used it. Something similar at least...



3267507206_4bde625fb5.jpg
 
I have several items that I use to maintain my cutlery.

Truth be told, technique plays a huge role in getting a knife scary sharp.

Too many folks get wrapped up in the tools, and don't really understand the principles involved in creating or maintaining

an edge.
 
MadMonk said:
I have several items that I use to maintain my cutlery.

Truth be told, technique plays a huge role in getting a knife scary sharp.

Too many folks get wrapped up in the tools, and don't really understand the principles involved in creating or maintaining

an edge.
Click to expand...

Speaking of that, have you heard of the "scary sharp" technique using sandpaper for woodworking tools? I'm not much of a knife guy, or woodworker (yet) so I can't really comment on how well it works.
 
Yes, saw a video of that once. I think it is on youtube. Wes Carter (Supposedly Japanese trained, or at least trained in

Japanese techniques) is on Youtube, as well. He sharpens a knife with a brick and some newspaper.
 
My technique just isn't there yet. I just got a cheap tool that has a ceramic part and a carbon( i think ) part. One is to create the edge the other is to fine tune it...so far not really doing anything on my dull blades. i will try and find a pic so you guys can see what it is

Linky

this is the tool i am talking about...it seems like a good idea but I guess I am using it wrong...or it doesn't work
 
Get a $5 double sided sharpening stone from the Asian supermarket, some 600-1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, some mineral oil and put in some time practicing. Different types and compositions of your blades will require different angles. Many devices can get you a generic, sharp, and usable edge but very few devices are able to give you a proper and resilient edge.

The skill is priceless.
 
whats the best place to get a sharpening stone besides an asian supermarket? There aren't to many of those in my neck of the woods. Home depot? or a hardware store?
 
You may be able to get one at Home Depot but you can usually get them in your "mom and pop" hardware stores fairly easily. There are some online retailers, if you don't mind the shipping. Your simple stone shouldn't run more than a few dollars.

Of course, once you get a good technique down and a feel for different angles your cutting needs and types of metal call for, you can get fancy! There are tons of really great pastes out there as well as canvas, hide and suede strops, etc but they won't do you any good without a good base technique.

Oh, and I personally opt for just the "block" style, not the kind with the "convenient handle". I just don't see any need for a handle. I'm not convinced you're going to get good results waving the thing around in the air like a magic wand.
 
JBL11183 said:
whats the best place to get a sharpening stone besides an asian supermarket? There aren't to many of those in my neck of the woods. Home depot? or a hardware store?
Click to expand...

I know some high quality stones of various grits (some combination stones), and sharpening accessories can be found at Lee Valley, but probably at a fairly premium price. They have good tools of all sorts there, and they do mail order since they only have retail stores in Canada so far.
 
I've made a life long study of sharpening things, from chisel to planes irons, hand saws and knives. keep in mind the sharper something is the quicker it gets dull. For knives, you need to consider what it it is you're trying to cut. I find a medium- fine combination India stone is all that's needed to cut meat, skin game etc. It also stays flat. That's very important. If you're doing some serious whittling or wood carving, then you might want to go to a hard Arkansas stone (not cheap, mine cost about $100) and it's a struggle to keep flat . There's lots of fancy sharpening devices, jigs and what not out there, but you'll do yourself a favor if you just learn how to hold your knife at a 25 degree angle or so.

Doc.
 
I have this little stone that I picked up several decades ago in a gift shop in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I believe it is an Arkansas stone but I could be wrong. It will put an edge on a pocket knife sharp enough to shave hair off your arm but it takes patients. It is all about the technique. From what I remember use about a 40 20 degree angle between the blade and stone. Push and slide the the edge of the blade as if you were trying to cut or shave the stone not the other way around. Work both edges of the blade a few strokes at a time. You should use honing oil but saliva works in a pinch. Several strokes on a leather strap after honing will deburr the blade and improve its performance. I'm definitely no expert but I can put a serviceable edge on a pocket knife given time.

Edit: I found the scanned instruction sheet.

Stone.jpg
 
Go to www.cartercutlery.com

He is very well known by folks interested in Japanese methods. He sells all the stones, and instructional DVDs.

I can't prove anything about his background and training, but I do know some of Japanese Techniques, and he uses them

quite adeptly.
 
MadMonk said:
Go to www.cartercutlery.comHe is very well known by folks interested in Japanese methods. He sells all the stones, and instructional DVDs.I can't prove anything about his background and training, but I do know some of Japanese Techniques, and he uses themquite adeptly.
Click to expand...


I met Murray Carter at one of the knife shows in Eugene Oregon. By far his knives are the sharpest I have ever seen. If there is a scary sharp then his are by definition. I have been using a Spyderco Sharp Maker for years and it does a great job. It comes with a DVD to show how to use it and it is quite easy to master.
 
Japanese water stones are fun to play with and are quite effective for sharpening plane irons, but they're messy, impossible to keep flat and much more trouble than they're worth for a knife. You'd be better off working on your technique. No stone will make up for bad technique. Sharpening doesn't have to be that complicated. I can shave with my knives. There's really no reason to invest in that kind of set up if all you're doing is sharpening knives. The thing I've noticed about the internet is, if there's a hard way to do something, that's the place to find it.

Doc.
 
It also depends on what you are sharpening. Kitchen knives tend to be fairly thin and if you keep them sharp, they really only need a touch-up now and then. Almost any nice, flat sharpening stone will do for that.

Working knives may need more attention. If you need to work out nicks or other edge problems, you'll need to go at with a rough grit and then get progressively finer.

Axes and other large blades may even need rougher treatment to get them in shape. I sometimes use my axes to tear up a pallet and have hit a nail or two. It will nick the blade and that takes some pretty aggressive grinding to get the edge in shape.

Generally, you'll want to put a thin, fine edge on your kitchen knives. On an axe, you don't want a thin edge, it won't survive the chopping. You can alter the edge in this way by adjusting the angle at which you drag the knife across the stone. Lower for a thinner edge, higher for a thicker edge. I tend to sharpen my working knives with a middle edge, not too thin or the edge will chip, thin enough so that I can still easily peel fruit with them.

I have a set of stones I bought from Razor Edge (the guy that shaves with an axe). They work great and you can really get a dull blade into shape pretty quickly with them.

I also have a split 220/1200 grit wet stone I bought from Lee Valley. It's a little pricey, but it's a nice stone. I rarely use the 220 side. I also have a couple of smaller, hand-held stones that I use for quick touch-ups in the kitchen. I keep our kitchen knives pretty sharp and if they aren't gliding right through a tomato, my wife let's me know. It doesn't take more than a few swipes to return them to a fine edge.

If you have ceramic knives, they mostly have to be sharpened at the factory with special equipment.
 
Thanks Doc, I just looked it up on Wikipedia (linky)...interesting...I didn't know all that....


Edit: If we go back and forth a few more times, I can finally get over the 1000 post mark!
 
I have a 20 year old Arkansas Stone set that I inherited from my father. It has a course stone & a finishing stone as well as sharpening oil in the set. I also have simple a "wet" rock as it was called when I was a kid that my grandfather gave me. It has course on 1 side and fine on the other. You are supposed to spit on it instead of oil it, thus the "wet" part of the name. That sharpening stone is at least 40 yrs old and almost worn thru. The men in my family always carried a sharp knife. I remember my father using his knife to shave with at Deer camp.
 
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