gotta put an edge on some stuff.....

[41mag]

swarf

now THERE'S a fine word that goes sadly under utilized!!!

 

[Ura-Ki]

I went clear around the block and came back to an Arkansas oilstone for my knives, followed by a mounted stop rubbed thoroughly with red jewelers rouge.
For axes, mauls and machetes I use my belt sander with a worn belt.
But I wish I could get an emery belt that would fit.

Jamie, Have a look around , I made one from an old lapidary belt sander and it has enough adjustment to run a large range of belts in widths from 1/2 inch to 6 inch! Really handy for shaping a blade and roughing out an edge that can then be fine tuned with finer belts or chased with stones. I do a fair amount in Damascus Steel and this is the only way you can build an edge in order to get to the sharpening part, Damascus is super hard and will chew up most any stone in short order, so the belt is the only way to fly!

 

[Jamie6.5]

Jamie, Have a look around , I made one from an old lapidary belt sander and it has enough adjustment to run a large range of belts in widths from 1/2 inch to 6 inch! Really handy for shaping a blade and roughing out an edge that can then be fine tuned with finer belts or chased with stones. I do a fair amount in Damascus Steel and this is the only way you can build an edge in order to get to the sharpening part, Damascus is super hard and will chew up most any stone in short order, so the belt is the only way to fly!

I find that hacking/splitting tools don't really need to be that sharp. They need to bite, and the mass does the rest if I put the velocity on it.
But my knives, whether for the kitchen or the field need that fine edge. The hardest part for me was learning when to stop stropping.
All you really want to do with the strop is polish the tops of the microscopic "teeth" on the edge, that the stone leaves. I find that 6-10 smooth, even strokes per side, (at a different angle than I used on the stone) on the strop does the trick.

Someone at the Sportsman's show asked me once how sharp I thought my knives were, and handed me a ripe grape, and told me to cut him a thin slice.
I cut him a slice so thin you could read magazine print through it.
That was with my Gerber Gator (made pre-Fiskars).
He knew right then he wasn't gonna sell me one of his fancy machines.

Then I told him: "That was nuthin', you should see how sharp my filet knives are!"
And they are too. And not only are they that sharp, but they hold an edge really well. I regularly filet and portion a number of halibut, salmon and a few limits of rockfish every year with only a minor touch-up about mid season.
Just like dressing and skinning deer and/or elk. I'll get through at least two of each without a touch-up. One of my own and most of someone else's.

But then again I don't own any of the really el-cheapo knives either. Most of them are old school Gerber, Buck, Schrade and a Dexter-Russell or two. But even my old wooden handled Rapala filet knife holds the edge I put on it very well.
And all of them decades old and they're nowhere near worn out.

I'm convinced most people are waaay too aggressive with their sharpening methods.

ETA: Oh, and one other thing I do that no one else I know does. I clean my stones with a soft scrub brush, dish soap and hot water regularly. Metal gets embedded in the stone and must be removed or the stone loses its effectiveness. When the stone starts turning black, it's time to give it a good scrubbing.

 

[Mygrainman]

I've actually had good luck with those cheap diamond "stones" from harbor freight. I use the lansky a lot, especially for fine work with the ceramic stone(light blue)... Or the trusty old KABAR arkansas stone. I have an old leather belt that I use for stropping, and for some reason it works better than anything else I've tried. I just step on the buckle and stretch it tight and run the blades up and down till it splits hairs. No compound or anything.

Now when I can afford it... this is what I want. Made in Hood River OR Edge Pro Apex Model Sharpening System Kits | Edge Pro Inc.
I think you can send your knives into him to get sharpened too.

 

[Joe13]

One of my long time friends is an amature/hobbiest everything, including knife making. So if I mess something up or need someone with the skills and the machines then he is a mile away.

He modified the blade choil on the RAT3 I have to fit my xxl hand and it grips like a dream now.

 

[peternov01]

Worksharp Ken Onion Edition. Does well for me.

Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition Knife and Tool Sharpener

This.
I have one and it is really fast to put a new stronger edge on anything, even has guides if you want to use them and the cost is minimal.

 

[MasterChief]

 

[41mag]

anybody local got one of the Russian gizmos?
I'm rather drawn more now to the Hood River version.

It's hard to choose based on Ken Onion review; either the $29 pocket version or his $150 power belt invention have their own tempting features.

 

[bbbass]

There is no knife that I can't dull up by trying to sharpen it. LOL

But I can do a pretty good job of keeping an edge sharp with a steel as long as I don't let it get too dull.

Axes... a file. Lawn mower blade... the bench grinder.

I gave up my Lansky too. For kitchen knives I have some gizmo that you pull thru and also some butterfly ceramic gizmos. Keeps a nice working edge that cuts fingers real well.

 

[41mag]

Just got back from looking at the Cabela stock of sharpening gizmos.
Didn't care for the electric Onion belted designs, although the sizes were interesting; did use whichever one Onion praised listed above; did get a bit better edge with minimal effort.

Certainly appreciate forumites suggesting the wide range of suggestions to check out in near future.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I clean my stones with hot soapy water and 000 steel wool, I find the steel wool will dig out stubborn metal better then a brush, and it leaves the stone "sharper" for the next time I need it! I also let my stones air dry, never place them in an oven or near/On the wood stove. I also clean my strops with the 000 steel wool, and use a tiny bit of bear grease to treat it and keep it supple!

 

[Tully Mars]

Mauls, wedges, lawnmower blades and stuff like that I use one of my 4 1/2" grinders and an 80 grit tiger disc. I finish with a worn disc. Axes and knives I still do it the way and with some of the same stones that my Grandfather used to show me. Arkansas stones and a leather strop have worked pretty well for me for the past 40 odd years. More often than not while hunting I would just flip the bottom of my chaps back over my knee and use the backside to strop the knife I was using back to hair popping sharp.

 

[41mag]

...wait a minnit.....'bear grease' for real that you harvested, or traded for that bag of magic beans.....

 

[Ura-Ki]

Yup, real honest bear grease, grizzly to be specific! Been hunting them for years, and always save the grease for all kinds of uses! Boot dressing, rust prevention, bore lube, stock water proofing, ect....... bear grease is one of the best lubes and preservatives and is 100% natural and edible too!

 

[P7M13]

For the coarse toold, I use my bench grinder.
For everything else, Grandpa gave me a set of whetstones, and dad taught me to use them. It's a skill you have to maintain. I've added to the over the years. One of my favorite additions is the ceramic stick from a big halogen lamp, works better than any finishing steel.
I have Lansky sharpeners too, never use 'em,

 

[Vaultman]

EdgePro Apex. For pocket knives & kitchen knives. (not really for axes )
Edge Pro Apex Model Sharpening System Kits | Edge Pro Inc.

 

[best defense]

got the standard 53 kinds of stones/files/ceramics/powered thingies....

and granted a pocket knife needs a little different attention than a splitting maul....

Got fed up with the Lanski system; threw out a number of other stuff just outright too hoakie to even keep around another decade or 2 in the back drawer.......

mostly the fine sharp edge that needs touch up now & then;

I tend to prefer old style stones with different grit, yet the newer diamond 3"x 12" bench block seems to work.

And like others I've struggled for ~years~ to get to a decent edge with minimal effort;
don't care for the round pocket pucks; hate the notion another powered grindy thing is needed. "Kitchen Chef" works decent for the culinary stuff.

What's yore own best choice as "good enough" to put shaving edge on them Bowies & throwing hatches & gizzards & etc?

*************************************************************************
years ago I picked up a 3 sided sharpening system with coarse, medium and fine stones all mounted on a central shaft. The system has a hard plastic bottom shell that also acts as an oil reservoir for oil. You can rotate the stones and lock any one in a horizontal position for sharpening whatever you want. When not in use, the whole thing is covered by a top made of the same material as the bottom.

 

[dejure]

There are a thousand ways to get to Rome. The path you choose should be influenced by the results you expect.

Just tipping your hand only enough to change the angle of the grind one degree can set you back so far it seems you're worse off than when you started.

There are those who tout mussel memory. Some of the more ignorant ones even ridicule those who cannot get to an edge they are happy with. They do not understand some of us deal, regularly, with numerous angles for things like chisels, axes, kitchen knives, lawn mowers, cleavers, pocket knives, planer knives and so on. As such, even those otherwise expert at getting a fine edge on a straight razor cannot claim the ability to switch between angles needed for other edges.

In a pinch, the mussel memory approach may be the only option, such as when you're in the field. When it is, it is probable your experience will be hit and miss with regard to success. Keep in mind, just a bit of stropping on a leather shoe or belt may make a night and day difference. If not, try again and be mindful of the angle.

On line, you can find angle suggestions for different edges, as well as suggestions for finding those angles, like gauging them off a nickle. If nothing else, these things can help you get a feel for getting close to where you need to be.

As to systems for getting to Rome, don't dismiss the fancier systems. I went with the costly Edge Pro and, once I got over buyers remorse, wouldn't give it up. My kitchen knives, for example, all but fall through potatoes. Before, we had to do the rocking and pressing many, if not most of us are familiar with.

Once I got my knives (including my expensive Spyderco and other pocket knives) where I wanted them, keeping them up and going just required touch up. For that, I use Goodwill belt leather mounted on a wood strip and charged with chromium oxide. Other times, I flip a switch and buff the edge with jewelers rouge applied to my high speed buffers.

If you have a buffer, you can cut a circle out of medium density fiberboard (MDF), true it and mount it on your drill press, lathe or buffer, then charge it with the compound of your choice. Even McGuires Mag Polish works.

If you wanted a specialty sharpening-buffing surface, you could even shape it to your need (think, for example, carving knife shapes), then cover it with flocking you'd apply to a jewelry box. To that, you'd apply the buff compound that suited your needs.

Play, have fun. It can all be good.

 

[Member 5605]

Lansky. with diamond stones and angle guide.

Second is my Worx Sharp.

I sharpen the longer blades with the WorxSharp and smaller blades that I like razor sharp and polished on the Lansky like the Benchmade with 154CM steel.

 

[P7M13]

Just tipping your hand only enough to change the angle of the grind one degree can set you back so far it seems you're worse off than when you started.
x100. BTDT far too many times. Like @Joe13 and I said, you need to stay in practice. Dad taught me, and it was reinforced with sharpening drill bits thousands of times, and my knives a few scores of times. As far as I'm concerned, I'm horribly out of practice.

On line, you can find angle suggestions for different edges, as well as suggestions for finding those angles, like gauging them off a nickle. If nothing else, these things can help you get a feel for getting close to where you need to be.

LOL - working at a machine shop back in college, I got the bright idea to re-do the edges on a bunch of my knives. Took them to the tooling area and used their diamond grinders. Ruined a few of my knives, and crapped out the face of every diamond wheel I touched. The machinists banned me from that area for a month. Learned a lot by that mistake....


As to systems for getting to Rome, don't dismiss the fancier systems. I went with the costly Edge Pro and, once I got over buyers remorse, wouldn't give it up. My kitchen knives, for example, all but fall through potatoes. Before, we had to do the rocking and pressing many, if not most of us are familiar with.
Thanks....