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

[41mag]

My kitchen knives, for example, all but fall through potatoes.

....I'm at least part way there....I've got my fork tuned up so it pretty well falls thru the potatoes...

 

[LRHunter]

I Suck at sharpening knives at which I am most ashamed for not learning from my father. I watched him all the time, sharpen an Old Timer sharp finger knife with his own spit and a puck stone. The puck stone my father used had a dimple in it from what I remember. I now know why it had a dimple that was ever so perfect. The dimple was from the perfect angle at which he held the knife. My father had learned over many of years and hunting trips that the secret is the angle. Since I never inherited this skill, I had to search for something that will make it easier. My solution after many of months of searching was the KME Precision Sharpening system using diamond stones, Kangaroo leather strop stone and an abrasive solution spread on the kangaroo strop. This system works great, but it is not cheap. I think it is totally worth the money. I believe they now have the glass strop stone with solution which works better than the kangaroo strop. I just haven't needed the glass stones because the kangaroo strops work great. The key to the hole system is that it keeps the perfect angle. If you purchase this system I highly advise watching the training video as KME will teach you how to determine if your on the right angle with each blade. Awesome sharpening system. To my Father who has now long passed, I am sorry for not paying closer attention. What a shame to lose that skill. If you all have fathers that have skills, get them while they are still alive. Those skills are priceless

 

[SparksFly]

I use a rough waterstone, a $8 400 grit and 600 grit pocket sharpener, and then a good old fashioned sharpening rod. Before I sharpen any of my knives I grind a new edge on them so it is how I like. I am getting a leather strop though with some compound to put a bit of a better edge on them even though they already shave.

 

[The Heretic]

I've managed to produce adequate axe/adz/hoe/shovel/edges with simple file/grandpa's old scythe stone. I've used foot-pedal antique grindstone to good results but that was stolen long ago.

That takes me back.

My maternal grandfather was a full time farmer for 55+ years and growing up on the farm I remember him using a stone on his scythe, and having a foot pedal grindstone - watching him sharpen various tools with that too. I also remember him getting upset with my uncle for putting away a shovel covered in mud.

He may have thought at the time that I was just a snot nosed kid - and I was - that didn't pay attention, but I did, even though I didn't always act like it - his short lessons in how to do things, stuck. I learned a little from my elders - work ethic, integrity and so on.

I also wish I had that grindstone wheel/treadle, but at the time the farm equipment was sold at auction I did not have the money or even the time to come down here and pick up some of the stuff I now wish I had.

 

[Tully Mars]

I see them down here at the trade days from time to time. Most are over priced and either missing the stone or the stone is in bad shape. Should you find one that the stone needs dressing there are a couple of outfits that still do it along with cutting new stones. I had the stones for my grist mill dressed and it works as good as it did when it was made. We use it it for everything from cracking corn for deer/chicken/turkey feed to making corn meal and flour. It also works better for the mash I use for the still. I also have an old hammer mill that we rescued and restored and it now handles most of the corn cracking chores.

 

[Sharpener]

I've got an old friend that worked at a meat packing plant for many years. Everybody there had to have razor sharp knives at all times. He told me that it seemed like everyone had a little different way of sharpening their knives. The point he made with me was though-they all had sharp knives no matter what their preferred method was. There are plenty of ways to get a good edge and lots of good pointers and methods in this thread. Use the method that works for you and cut stuff.

 

[Jamie6.5]

People tend to revere the edge(s) on chef's knives and butcher's knives, but the truth is, meat and veggies are some of the easiest things to cut, and do the least damage to an edge when properly handled/used.
And they're nearly always used on plastic food prep surfaces that are very forgiving.

Want to see a sharp knife that needs to hold an edge in tough conditions?
Go for the bootmaker's knife. Especially the skiving knives that are used to trim off the excess leather along the sole, or trim an edge after it's been stitched. The cut has to be smooth, precise and can't be sawed or jagged when it's finished.
And the user can't be bothered to stop and strop every 2nd or 3rd pair.

So next time you're around a high-end bootmaker's, go in and talk to them about the knives they use and how they sharpen them.

 

[dejure]

As has, probably, been said already, there is a lot of good info on the Net. Things you'll learn include, for example, obvious things like dealing with the thickness of the knife as the edge raises.

More specifically, as beginners in the sharpening world (I have managed the beginner status for over fifty years) we neglect this critical detail. It's critical because, as more and more material is removed from the knife, the edge gets wider and wider. Eventually, you end up with more of an ax than a knife.

How much of a difference this can make in the performance of a knife can be seen using my Spyderco Techno, which has a back edge about 3/16" thick. You could pry manhole covers with this thing. The down side is, if you just drag the edge through cardboard, it's like cutting warm butter, but if you go at a ninety or otherwise bury the back edge through the cardboard, the drag is way beyond obvious. You start to question how sharp the knife is.

For these reasons, people re-profile the edges of their knives after enough has been taken off them, to keep the cutting edge thin.

This is one of the reasons many of us are not wanting to use sharpening methods that move a lot of material too quickly.

 

[mrblond]

I like this guys set up. Its like my edge pro but it holds the blade much better.

 

[dejure]

Cool. He made his own Edge Pro, essentially, and saved around $150.00 (they start around $200.00).