What to use to sharpen knives

[fabsroman]

I have two things to sharpen knives with. The first is a hand held piece that has a metal "V" in it that you run the blade through. The other is a stone set from Fosters, I believe it is. So far, I am not too impressed with either.

What do you guys think is the best thing out there for sharpening both big and small knives?

[Dom]

I use a, hmmm, forgot the name of it and had to go look it up, it's a Lansky. Anyway, it is a stone with a rod sticking out that fits in a metal doohickey, with different degrees on it. You clamp the knife blade in tight and run the stone on the edge, starting from the back to front. It's actually harder to explain than all this typing. Three stones, coarse, medium, & end with fine. Sorry for the poor explanation. This is the best I've found to give me a consistent sharp knife.

This system would be much more difficult for big knives, depending on what you call big, but anything over about 6" is going to be difficult on this jig, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[fabsroman]

Dom,

What you described is what I have been using. However, it only came with a medium and a fine stone and it takes forever to get a blade sharp. However, it did come with a triangle looking stone to sharpen serrations. I have no idea how that is supposed to work. It also came with some oil to put on the stone and I always use the oil when sharpening the knife.

[Dom]

Fabs, there should be three stones in your set, as you'll need the coarse one for starting unless your knife is already pretty sharp. I also use the oil. Here's a pic, and with mine I have a plastic holder for the bottom piece which I vice grip to the bench to I don't have to hold anything except the stone. If I remember correctly, I use 22 degree angle. Once I'm done with the stones, I then use a round steel rod on the edge to take the finest impurities out of the edge.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid104/pc974a1a7b28ab40cc507887c0cd167f0/f984e4b9.jpg

[Rick R]

Have to agree! Lansky is the way to go (that is if you don't work in a knife factory).

[buckhunter]

When I let my knives get real bad I use a oil stone. Never use a coarse but start with Med and go to fine. Then the final step is to use a old Barber's razor strap. Bet a lot of you guy never seen or heard of one of those. This usually will skin the hair off my arm. In the field I use a sharpening steel. The steel is only for touchup after cutting up somthing. Works for me.

[Hawkeye6]

Fabs:

I agree with buckhunter. Get yourself a good medium oilstone and learn to use that. Also a honing stone (really smmoth and hard stone) for the final sharpening and touch-up, although I do have a ceramic stick that I use for that quite a bit no

Hawkeye

[indyhntr]

A few years back I was at Bass Pro Shops in MO and they had a guy that did nothing but sharpen knives all day. He had a bench grinder set-up with two cardboard wheels on it, each wheel is about 7" in diameter and probably 3/4" thick. The wheel you start with is covered with valve grinding coupound and the other gets touched-up with a stick of jewlers rogue. You hold the knife perpendicular to the wheel and pass the blade lightly across the face of the wheel. Continue this procedure 5 strokes at a time alternating sides of the blade untill the edge of the blade "feathers" or starts to get a wire edge. At that point start in on the wheel with the rogue on it and repeat the procedure untill razor sharp. The set I bought cost me about $40, but since getting them I haven't found a knife yet that I couldn't shave with given enough time on the wheels. An average knife takes ten minutes to sharpen. Don't know if B.P.S. still sell these or not but would be worth a call to find out.

[gregarat]

I just cant get an edge to hold on, when I use mine. I get better results from crossed rods, or crossed carbide blade sharpener.

[fabsroman]

Bought another lasky made by Gatco and it has 5 different stones in it. Extra course, course, medium, fine, and serrated along with a guide with 6 different positions on it and great instructions.

I figured out what I was doing wrong with the other lasky I had, other than it being a POS. I was grinding the blade both for and aft, thereby destroying what I was doing in the first place. Now, my blades cut really well.

It is amazing how much technique really matters.

[DaMadman]

IF and that is a big if I let a blade get really out of shape I will use a oil stone on it, but 99 times out of a 100 anymore I use a good sharpening steel and I can normally shave with my knives

[GoodOlBoy]

If you have steady hands and a keen eye just by aluminum oxide ceramic sharpening sticks (Often called crock sticks), thats what I use.

GoodOlBoy

[DaMadman]

Originally posted by gregarat
I just cant get an edge to hold on, when I use mine. I get better results from crossed rods, or crossed carbide blade sharpener.

Not being able to hold an edge is probably not the sharpener it is probably the knife.

My dad has an old buck knife that will take whatever edge you put on it but the netal in the blade is almost like the metal in a file, it is real hard and even if you get it super sharp, after field dressing and skinning one deer it is dull to the point you can't cut tough meat with it.

I have seen a few knives in my day like that. Put an edge on them and cut one tough piece of meat and they are dull again.

On the other had I have sharpened other knoves to a razors edge and they stay that way for what seems like forever

[Rick R]

The "magic" is in the heat treat and tempering. Until about 1999, the industry standard was 440SS. But the differences between a Buck knife and say, oh, a Camillus knife was in the heat treating process. Of course, each manufacturer would claim to have the best process.

[noway]

Best thing out there to sharpen knives is your local custom knife maker.
I finally admitted to myself that I can't sharpen a knife for %$#$ and it was not worth the effort.

I bought a super sharp Spyderco ($80.) with a super hard metal and it does not need sharpening until the season is over. Cleaned two elk and a deer with it last year with no sharpening required.

Then after hunting season is over I take it to the local custom knife maker and he sharpens it to like new for $8.00.

[fabsroman]

I killed 12 deer and Lord knows how many geese and ducks last year. Something tells me that the Spyderco knife you have wouldn't even have lasted the entire season for me.

If I could find a custom knife maker around here, I would take my knives to him to get them sharpened at the end of the year. However, since my knives only cost around $30 or less, why not just chuck them and buy a new one every year. I just paid $24 for a buck knife. Paying $8 to get it sharpened would be 1/3 of what it cost me. Now, if it is a knife in the $75+ range, then I can understand paying $8 at the end of every year to get it sharpened.

[gregarat]

The knife that I was having problems with was eather Buck or Camillus. My guess is that it was 440A steel. Eather way, I find both Buck and Camillus difficult to get a razor edge with.
I now use VG10 or S30V steel. for my carry knifes. Exept for a Pushdagger that is made from 420. Of corse its "Cold Steel" knife so they claim that their heat prosses makes the steel more durable than 420. I dont care if that Pushdagger is made from Aluminum(I think 420 is basicly Aluminum anyhow). If it ever gets used it may be the best $30 I ever spent;) .

Noway,
What is the name of the Spyderco knife, you used for cleaning your Elk and Deer?

[noway]

Bill Moran drop point in vg-10.
I think you might be surprised by how long this little knife holds its edge. It was still cutting pretty well after two elk and a deer.
They are listed at $94.00 now.

I used to carry three of the less expensive knives but got tired of the weight and hassle. I couldn't even clean an entire elk without having to sharpen a knife. Cleaning an elk by yourself is enough of a chore without having to sharpen a knife in the process.

[model 70]

So what's the best angle to sharpen your knives with the Lansky system? I just bought one and don't know which hole to use.

[8X56MS]

I have an old wet oil bath three stone set. I bought it for my Wholesale Seafood business years back. We would run several tons of grouper, sword, tuna, snapper, and other fish through there each day. Each of my guys was responsible for keeping their own knives sharp.
With a few moment effort, I can get my knives razor sharp, and not mark up the blade in the process. In the field, I use a little ceramic stick, and a small steel.
Sharpening knives is certainly a learned skill, but anyone can learn it. Helps to have someone that knows what they are doing show you how.

[Viper1]

I use a coarse and medium oilstone, followed by a Soft Arkansas (medium stone), then Hard Arkansas (fine stone), finished by a Black Hard Arkansas (extra fine stone)

A good oil to use is 3 in 1 or hydraulic oil

The real trick is to not to roll your wrist while sharpening

When I'm done with the Black hard Arkansas stone my knife is razor sharp.

Viper1

[Evan03]

i just use a big diamond stone, its about 2"s wide and 6"s long.

seems to work for me, but did take me alot of time to get good edges that you can shave with. im actualy working a knive now that i broke the tip on, i used my grinder to grind the tip back and am now trying to get an edge on the entire cutting surface.

[MarkL]

Originally posted by model 70
So what's the best angle to sharpen your knives with the Lansky system? I just bought one and don't know which hole to use.

The safest thing to do is to match the bevel angle the knife already has. Use a course stone to establish a flat bevel all the way to the cutting edge, then use a medium stone to polish out the scratches from the course stone. Then increase the angle by one increment and use a fine stone to polish the cutting edge.

Take a black felt marker (e.g. a Sharpie) and blacken the bevel where the stone engages. Make a couple of strokes with your stone, then look closely to see where ink/metal has been removed. This will help you judge whether the angle is right, and whether your stone is engaging the entire width of the bevel or not.

In some cases, it might take a lot of grinding with a course stone (diamond is best) to establish a flat bevel at a given angle. After that, it should be relatively easy to resharpen as long as you use the same angle.

[rene65]

HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, HAD A KNIFE THAT I COULD NOT MAKE SHARP LIKE IT WAS WHEN NEW.I got a lansky 5 stone set and got it back to its original sharpness but it would not hold its edge. I found out that you must only push the stone towards the knife and lift it up on the return stroke and that the angle that you use will make a sharper edge or a longer lasting edge all depending what angle you use. ex: a17 degree angle will cut more than a 25 degree angle but will loose its edge faster.

[irish lager]

I use both a Lansky set and the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I find that the sharpmaker is much quicker and easier to use to maintain an edge on a knife but if it is severly dull the lansky will bring it back faster in my experience. I have extra corse - extra fine in the regular hones and all but the medium and corse dimond, along w/ both medium and fine serrated hones for the Lansky so it is easy to get the edge that you desire for any steel type. I have found that for sharpening serrations or odd shaped blades (hawkbills, reverse S, etc.) that the sharpmaker is much better suited. For the average pocket knife the lansky is a sound choice though and as long as you get the hones that you need to get the edge you desire it cant do you wrong.
J

[hobbles]

This is the best I have found in my 58 years, I can shave with em, I use the 15 angel and baby oil

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/hobbles/knifes.jpg

[fabsroman]

Okay, I have been using a Lansky set for a while now and have been pushing the stone on the balde from the hilt to the edge and only going that way. Is that the correct way to push the stone on the edge, or should I be going from tip to hilt?

I'll take a look at the Spyderco Sharpmaker and see what it is about. I always prefer quick & good to just good.

[rick savage]

the paper wheels have always worked great for me.

[hobbles]

Originally posted by fabsroman
Okay, I have been using a Lansky set for a while now and have been pushing the stone on the balde from the hilt to the edge and only going that way. Is that the correct way to push the stone on the edge, or should I be going from tip to hilt?

I'll take a look at the Spyderco Sharpmaker and see what it is about. I always prefer quick & good to just good.

I've always went both ways, up and down, It gets the job done, And I can shave with em, May not be the right way but it's my way. And yes,, it DOES hold an edge doin that way,,

[BILLY D.]

i use dmt diamond hones. they produce one about the size evan posted about. they also make one that folds up to go in your gear bag when you hunt or fish. all you need is water to make them work. i'm sure we all carry water when we hunt, don't we.

just whip out that designer bottle of genuine neu yawk city refiltered water and go to work.

they also make a great broadhead sharpener. it's trangular and sharpens two sides at a time. neatest thing since sliced bread. and no i am not a dmt sales representative.

i really like their products. give 'em a try.

[BILLY D.]

fabs

dmt also has a basic ojt lesson on sharpening classes at their site www.dmtsharp.com.

they also have sharpening advice for tools such as saws, routers gardening tools etc if your interested. i would think you have a built in gene fer knife sharpening. the italians and spanish produced some of the finest swords in the world at one time. their rapiers were second to none.

[TKO]

I use a diamond steel, it fits into a pack nicely.

[gun_nut2]

The best thing I have found is an old telephone protection fuse. These were made of ceramic and were about 3/8th inch in diameter and about 6 inches long. I gathered some of the blown ones up before I retired from the phone company. They put on a shaving edge with just a little work.

[Talon]

I use a scary sharp technique that woodworkers use to sharpen thier jack planes.

Google "Scary Sharp technique"

you need a plate of window glass, Some spray sticky and varying grits of wet/dry its easy to master

[gumpokc]

I agree with the other guys, Lansky's are great.
they have several sets out there, anywhere from 3-5 stones, in either real stone or diamond stones.

There is another thing my dad uses, but it takes practice.
it's a set of "wheels" for use on an electric bench grinder motor.
they are of two different types of cloth treated with jewelers rouge.
works fantastic but it take practice to do it right and sadly i just have not been able to get the hang of using them very well.