Sharpening revisited

I have not been a very good sharpener. A decent utility edge is the best I could manage. Various stones and sharpening aids didn't help much. The best solution until now was the little Smiths pull through sharpeners. They work pretty well on softer steels but not very well on S30v or tool steels or 4034.
About two weeks Ago I received my Spyderco sharpening system. I started off on some old Case carbon steel pocket knives, about 40 years old. In less than 15 minutes they were hair shaving sharp. I next tried my Queen which had been giving fits to get a sharp edge. This one took about 20 minutes using both medium and fine stones. Near razor sharp!
Next I tried it on my Victorinox kitchen knives. I was able to slice a watermelon in half with two slices.
The biggest surprise was SWAKs. They will take a scary sharp edge, though I don't know how long they'll hold it.
Finally I tried it with my T6 linemans knife. I had completely given up on it. The Spyderco gave it a workable edge in about 20 minutes. I have a hunch the optional diamond stones might be needed for a really sharp edge but they are way more expensive than the knife was.
The sharpener is very easy to use. If you can hold the blade straight up (180 degrees) then you can use this sharpener.
Very highly recommended!

The only time you make the edge sharper is when the stone touches the edge. If you don't use a guide, you round the bevel to the point that only a fraction of the strokes actually do any sharpening, and that angle becomes gradually steeper.

The Spyderco works better than a plain stone because you can hold a vertical angle more consistently than a constant but oblique angle. Still, it is only a matter of time before it becomes ineffective.

The other "trick" is to sharpen perpendicular to the edge, so that the micro-serrations create a saw like edge rather than parallel grooves which tend to break off and dull the knife.

The best semi-manual sharpener I've used is the Edge-Pro system. The blade is held flat on a fixed guide while a stone with a guide rod is moved back and forth over the top. The cutting angle is set by adjusting the height of the stone guide. The blade can be moved lengthwise and turned so that the side-to-side angle of the sharpening is reasonably perpendicular to the edge, even if the edge is curved.

Once you establish a good bevel, it takes only half a dozen strokes on each side with each grade stone to produce an extremely sharp edge with mirror finish. The instructions tell you how to use a marking pen like machinist's dye to make sure the stone is set to the right angle.

Diamond stones don't work well with steel. Steel at that level is rather "gummy" and plucks the diamonds from their matrix. Water stones and ceramic stones cut better, cleaner, and last longer.

I can say with experience that S30V and VG-10 steels are very difficult to sharpen by hand, but the Edge-Pro makes a quick job of it. For once, it takes less time to sharpen kitchen knives (usually 440 stainless) than it does to dull them.

Neumann, thanks for your response. Can you explain in more detail why it eventually becomes INEFFECTIVE?
I guess there is always something that works better, if you can afford it. The Edge Pro system is about four times the cost of the Spyderco. Maybe it's worth it to a professional.

FWIW I've been using a Sharpmaker for years for everyday touchup. Always good results. For those instances where I need to reprofile a blade or attend to one that is extremely dull I use my Wicked Edge sharpening system. For routine sharpening and touchup the Sharpmaker is just about the best bang for your buck there is.

Well, I'll chime in here. I have a 5 stone Lansky sharpener that has got to be 25 years old and I can put some razor efges on knives with it. The kit is still around $30 bucks for the basic set.

I tried, (and failed), with several different sharpeners. The only one I've ever been any good with are the old ceramic croc sticks. 3-4 passes and I've got a nice, keen edge. Could I shave with it? Never tried, always figured that's what Gillette and Schick were in business for.

I'm with Caj. The 5-stone Lansky is all I've used for many years with great success. My grandfather taught me how to sharpen using standard stones and a little oil, but that was 60 years ago and knives were made from steels different than we typically find today. That method works well on some knives, but the Lansky does a better job for my uses.
Dave
SWCA #2778

CAJUNLAWYER said:

Well, I'll chime in here. I have a 5 stone Lansky sharpener that has got to be 25 years old and I can put some razor efges on knives with it. The kit is still around $30 bucks for the basic set.

Click to expand...

Me too............

My 3-stone Smith's system (similar to the Lansky) works pretty well, but I find it a bit fiddly to use, so I only set it up when I am going to work on a number of knives. I have a few other stones, but for quickly touching up an edge, I like the EZE-Lap diamond hone. It is cheap, easy to carry, and really does a nice job on my Moras.

Still, I have never used a knife to shave arm hair, so I guess I have a lot to learn.

After many given away sharpeners I am a fan of the Lansky. When I get done on the Lansky I do a finishing touch on croc sticks. Then the arm hair starts to fly.

I have always used files, bench stones, and strops to keep all my edged tools sharp. The only jig I use is for small drill bits. I guess I'm just old fashioned and don't go in for them fancy doohickeys. I just re-profiled the edge on my EDC SAK soldier. I started on the carbide stone for the heavy cutting, then transitioned to the Arkansas soft, hard, and black, then hit the final polish on the strop. It's sharp enough to shave with, and not arm hair, the fine carbide stone get my axes arm hair sharp, this is face shaving sharp.

The downside of the large bench stones is they can get a bit messy and good ones are not cheap, it really hurts when you break one.

Could we see some pics of the 3 stone Smiths and the Lansky.


thanks

I use a couple different things to sharpen with. I'm good at free hand sharping so the first set up I use is Japanese water stones. These stones can give you a scary razor edge. I also use a couple of diamond hones for touch ups.and I also have a small belt sander I use for really messed up edges to the cutting tools with no edge at all. I sharpen anything from small pocket knives to swords. Cause beside S&W pistols I enjoy collecting and using swords

My Lansky is even older than Caj's and still going strong. Over the years I've added a diamond stone to re-profile hard Queen blades and a super slick ruby stone that puts a frightening final edge on a blade. (I believe I bought my Lansky in the early 70's and it's still going strong.)

Ed

crsides said:

Could we see some pics of the 3 stone Smiths and the Lansky.


thanks

Click to expand...

Go to Amazon. They have pics of all.

Here's a Lansky from my local big knife store.

Ed

For most of my life I was a terrible knife sharpener and was always jealous of the ability my Dad had to quickly sharpen any knife free-hand on an Arkansas stone.

I went out and purchased no less than 7 or 8 knife sharpeners, sharpening systems, devises, steels, ceramics, etc. and found that some work on big knives, some work on small knives, some work on serrated knives but none work as good or as easy as my Dad could do with just his hands.

After my dad passed 3 1/2 years ago I bought a hard, extra hard and super hard set of 3 Arkansas Stones that are 5/8" thick x 2" wide and 10" long. They were not cheap but I wanted a quality set.

It took me some time on knives that I deemed Guinea Pigs but after a while I began to get the hang of it. Long story short, I now can sharpen up pretty much any type and shape of knife in a few minutes that is shaving - razor sharp. I also sharpen scissors, scalpels (for use around the shop - not surgery), chisels, wood plane blades, screw driver bits, etc. with ease. I also bought a strop from the local Barber Shop and that completes the perfect sharpening job. I am now quite proud of this achievement and have become the neighborhood kitchen knife sharpener.

I can also sharpen up Seers in a few minutes and even keep the proper angles. In fact I just finished setting the seer angle and hooks on my Series 70 Gold Cup after 40+ years and tens of thousands of rounds. For that I used a 1/4" X 1/4" X 4" Extra hard Arkansas Stone.

Yea it takes a lot more practice and work at it until the skill kicks in, but once you've mastered it, you no longer have to set up systems, worry about using different sharpeners on different knives and with a few Arkansas Stones and some Honing Oil you can easily restore edges in minutes. The Arkansas Stones I bought get used quite often on Guns too.

On another sharpening note...........

I also went through about 4 tools (like the Drill Dr.) Jigs, etc. to sharpen HSS Drill Bits and again got mixed and inconsistent results. I have a massive collection of very expensive Drill Bits (Fractional, Number and Letter sets) and I use them almost daily. Different types of Bits have all different angles and sharpening methods. I finally watched video after video on Youtube on how to sharpen drill bits free-hand on a Grinding Wheel and after weeks of practice with older Bits have mastered that too. No Jigs, tools or systems anymore and I can restore a Drill Bit back to like new in minutes. I found that filing a 59º line on the grinder plate and blackening it was a perfect way to keep the angle consistent. Like anything else, practice makes perfect and persistence helps too. Oh, before attempting this make sure your Grinding Wheel has been trued and cleaned with a Diamond tool otherwise you will be peeing in the wind!

I would not suggest it for a "good" knife, but for a hacker or working tool, you can get a decent edge using a brick as a sharpening stone. Try it.

I do it totally different. I wrap my knives up and take them across town to my favorite knife sharpening service. They all come back razor sharp. I tried doing it myself using various methods but was a total failure. The guy will sharpen scissors, saw blades, hair razors, most anything that's supposed to have a sharp edge.

RonJ said:

I have not been a very good sharpener. A decent utility edge is the best I could manage. Various stones and sharpening aids didn't help much. The best solution until now was the little Smiths pull through sharpeners. They work pretty well on softer steels but not very well on S30v or tool steels or 4034.
About two weeks Ago I received my Spyderco sharpening system. I started off on some old Case carbon steel pocket knives, about 40 years old. In less than 15 minutes they were hair shaving sharp. I next tried my Queen which had been giving fits to get a sharp edge. This one took about 20 minutes using both medium and fine stones. Near razor sharp!
Next I tried it on my Victorinox kitchen knives. I was able to slice a watermelon in half with two slices.
The biggest surprise was SWAKs. They will take a scary sharp edge, though I don't know how long they'll hold it.
Finally I tried it with my T6 linemans knife. I had completely given up on it. The Spyderco gave it a workable edge in about 20 minutes. I have a hunch the optional diamond stones might be needed for a really sharp edge but they are way more expensive than the knife was.
The sharpener is very easy to use. If you can hold the blade straight up (180 degrees) then you can use this sharpener.
Very highly recommended!

Click to expand...

Ron, one thing you'll want to do if you're using the Spyderco or other "crock stick" type sharpeners--make sure the surface the sharpener is sitting on is level. A couple of degrees off can make a difference.