Knife sharpening


Thomas Snyder

Thomas Snyder

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Dec 29, 2010
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Shelburn,IN
Hi,
I have been trying to sharpen my knives but can't get them "Shaving sharp"
I have a honing stone and a natural ore stone I found in the front yard when we moved in.
I sharpen them at the sane angle every time,but can't get them Really sharp.
any suggestions?
 
I have the same problem. after reading a number of posts on this forum I'm thinking that my problem is the type or hardness of the steel, but not sure.
 
I was gonna ask what knife you are trying. (or knives)

starting with a carbon steel folder / blade or even a swiss army knife would help get it down.... as I boy I learned with an old case knife and a whetstone....

but...if you got a 'supersteel' I'm of no help - got rid of mine after I couldn't sharpen it worth a darn!
 
I recommend shaving with a razor, cutting with a knife.

Sometimes you need to stop at a good enough edge, put the knife down, do something else and then come back later to do the fine finishing. I have found that when I run into a difficult to sharpen knife it works best if I don't fight it.

You might also considering going to a convex edge, some knives sharpen better as a convex.
 
I had a similar problem, whereby I could get paper-slicing sharpness, but not shaving sharp; that was before I discovered the strop.
 
solocanoe said:
I was gonna ask what knife you are trying. (or knives)

starting with a carbon steel folder / blade or even a swiss army knife would help get it down.... as I boy I learned with an old case knife and a whetstone....

but...if you got a 'supersteel' I'm of no help - got rid of mine after I couldn't sharpen it worth a darn!
Click to expand...

I think this is some of the best advice on the subject, as it is extremely difficult to articulate a proper method considering that there are so many variables at play.

I only learned to get my knives shaving sharp through constant repetition and practice, and simple carbon steels that aren't too hard are great for practicing as they sharpen easier and let you know quickly if your technique is working or not. I'd get some Old Hickory knives or a Green Rivers and practice on those; cheap as dirt and the steel will get razor sharp without much trouble.
 
I could never consistently put on a shaving sharp edge until I cheated and bought a 1x42 belt sander, 120-600 grit belts and finish with a leather belt and green compound. In the field I can get close though with a diamond or ceramic rod
 
I learned just like someone mentioned earlier, from years of sharpening... My grandfather taught me the basics when I was young, and from there its just a lot of practice... Here is what I do,,, Sharpen one side until you raise an even burr along the edge, then sharpen the other side till you move that burr back... Then from this point do exactly the same thing to both sides... I do 10 stokes on one side, 10 on the other, 5 on one, 5 on the other, 2 on one, 2 on the other, then 1 stroke one side, 1 stroke the other, back and forth to 40 strokes (20 each side) alternating each time... Then the same 10, 5, 2, 1 on the next grit, then the next grit if you have one all the way down to the strop... Razor sharp every time as long as you can hold a consistent angle... It just takes lots of practice, keep it up... And carbon steels are much easier to sharpen as mentioned previously... The new, harder steels usually take diamond stones... I have oil stone, water stones, diamond stones and sandpaper with a granite plate... the oil and water stones take forever on my O1 enzo trapper, so I pretty much use diamond all the time now...
 
I think you can only do so much with so much. You may want to expand on the sharpening media, or maybe you need to refresh/restore your present hone, or both.
Do you know what kind of hone you're working with?
 
My dad taught me how to sharpen knives when I was a little kid. Back then, he had a very fine wet stone that we used. A knife wasn't sharp unless you could shave the hair off of your arm with it with very little pressure. I've never been able to find a stone like my dad has, but I have a small diamond stone and a ceramic sharpener that I use on all my knives. The diamond stone will get things pretty sharp if you use really light pressure. I use it first if my knives are really dull. Then I switch to the ceramic stone which usually gets it shaving sharp. It does take practice though.
 
I get asked it a lot as I cook for a living, it's a 'feel thing' best I can say, it'll sound stupid but it's a very zen thing.... andI'm still learning as I experiment with grinds ...which is kinda the fun part. I still don't use a power tool either(least for sharpening), probably gonna change that shortly. Best thing for me was practicing on knives when I was a kid that were freebies. No good skill is immediate.
 
Tommy Snyder said:
I have heard of people using Leather Strops,where do I get one?
Click to expand...


Just make one from an old leather belt, for flexible, or some scrap leather glued to a flat piece of board for a more rigid version.
Load it with some rubbing compound if you have an aturomotive supply near by.
 
I like the Hone-&-Stones. I'll use the fine then super fine, move to my denim or khaki pants leg then a chef steel. I only use the medium when the edge is super dull.

I say it's not a science but rather an art that needs to be honed to perfection. Couldn't resist the pun!
 
Tommy Snyder said:
I have a honing stone and a natural Ore rock.
my knifes are made of almost every material out there
Click to expand...

I understand. Do you know how many different kinds of honing stones there are?

Me either, but they are not all created equal.

It could be so hard, fine and slow cutting that it becomes near impossible to restore a very dull edge-or so coarse that it would be difficult to move up to shaving edge.

How do you use the N O R, and what shape is it?
 
Convex edge

Tommy Snyder said:
Convex edge
Click to expand...

Bark River knives are a personal favorite of mine, I own about 30 of them. Three or four Scagels and two Black Jacks... They are all convex ground.

I believe that a convex edge is superior to any other grind.

Here is a great tutorial for sharpening a convex edge. I suggest you read it twice, completely and then try your hand at it. Lose the stones for a convex edge.

http://knol.google.com/k/sharpening-convex-edged-knives#

Good luck to you...

My regards, Double Ott
 
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Tommy Snyder said:
Hi,
I have been trying to sharpen my knives but can't get them "Shaving sharp"
I have a honing stone and a natural ore stone I found in the front yard when we moved in.
I sharpen them at the sane angle every time,but can't get them Really sharp.
any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I went to where Machine27 mentioned myself and saved the tutorial. Give it a try. Also, if you're stuck using a so so knife that leans toward 440 stainless, carry a small very fine file with the tang rounded off and just use it when needed to lightly file the blade as needed until you find the "right" knife worth keeping. If it's a cheapo at least you can cut with it and save the day.
 
Concex grind sharpening.

Hi Tommy... Thought your sharpening dilemma last night and remembered a video series on sharpening convex knives. Derrick at Knives Ship Free had a series done and put them up on his site. They are an excellent series of ten videos on his site.

While reading can be helpful, I also like to see someone actually do it. It helped me when I was getting started with a convex grind.

Here's the link:
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/pages.php?pID=4&CDpath=0

Hope this helps you out & good luck...

Double Ott
 
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Have you tried a honing guide like a Lansky? Edge Pro and Wicked Edge are really good but pricey. Good luck and keep trying
 
would it be better to just sharpen it like flat?
and I got this honing stone from a friend,it is dark brown.
and I can attach a magnet to the Ore rock.
 
Convex?

Tommy Snyder said:
Convex edge
Click to expand...

Tommy, If you truely have a convexed edge knife to sharpen, you have to forget about all the methods for sharpening a V grind blade.The Lansky, Pro Edge, Wicked Edge, Spyderco Sharpmaker etc. and all the stones you have will not sharpen a convex edge...

Unless you want to completely re-profile the edge...converting the convex edge to a V grind.

If you do have a V ground edge, I suggest you try the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Not to expensive, easy to use, works well for me on my collection of Chicago Cutlery and Old Hickory knives.

I've been sharpening both convex and V ground blades for 40+ years...take some advice from an older knife owner.

Regards, Double Ott
 
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