What to use to sharpen knives

fabsroman · #1 02-24-2004, 08:34 AM

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 · #2 02-24-2004, 09:42 AM

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 · #3 02-24-2004, 06:06 PM

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 · #4 02-25-2004, 05:40 AM

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.

Rick R · #5 02-25-2004, 06:48 PM

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

buckhunter · #6 02-26-2004, 10:33 AM

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 · #7 02-28-2004, 05:50 AM

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 · #8 02-28-2004, 06:19 PM

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 · #9 02-29-2004, 02:55 PM

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 · #10 03-13-2004, 10:54 PM

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 · #11 04-02-2004, 05:51 PM

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 · #12 04-02-2004, 05:53 PM

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 · #13 04-02-2004, 05:55 PM

Quote:

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 · #14 04-02-2004, 06:24 PM

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 · #15 05-25-2004, 04:32 PM

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.