Sharpening knives

[spreston1911]

Anyone have any good literature or tools of the trade for sharpening knives?

Wet stone? hand sharpener?

[nemo]

I bought the razor sharp edge making system last week. Easy, fast and produces a great edge. I'm a armature sharpener and am impressed with the results I'm getting.

http://www.sharpeningwheels.com/new/

[son of liberty]

Any method can be used to produce an edge that will throw hair and cut paper. I am a fan of Automotive sand paper, as a replacement for stones. You can use spray glue and a piece of glass or a flat tile from home depot and stick the sand paper to the flat surface and use much like one would a stone, wet or dry. You can lay the sandpaper on an old mouse pad or and use this to form a convex edge , I like the forgiving nature of it. Work various grit 400, 800, 1000, 1200 , 1500, 2000, That right there will make end edge a mirror and so sharp, you can stop any where in there if your happy with the edge.

I always finish with leather, I run one side of the leather loaded with green sharpening compound, the other natural , a few strokes on either side.

[Kadnine]

This is pretty good basic tutorial:

[youtube]oC2Vcyzo3wg[/youtube]

I've used all of these products since I was a Cub Scout, helping my dad sharpen his oboe reed knives, and they all work. I'm a huge fan of Arkansas soft stones. Takes awhile to get the hang of them, but there's a zen-like quality to using them. Almost like meditation. And once you get good at it, the results are samurai-awesome. And I like wet/dry auto sandpaper on a piece of sheet glass to true up a traditional whet stone that's become hollowed out from years of sharpening. Just stick the sandpaper down flat to the glass with some water, sprinkle water on top, and lightly swish the stone across the glass in a figure eight pattern to bring it back to flat.

But for really fine sharpening (I'm certainly no master) it's best to hire a professional, or get a pro to recommend the high-end gear. I used to go to Heimerdinger Cutlery every year or two to have my kitchen blades re-edged. They're excellent. And low-end sharpening systems for my cheap knives. Bed Bath and Beyond has a few general purpose sharpeners that work okay, but only if you finish them off with a leather strop, or the de-burring rod in your butcher's block.

Not really a fan of diamond stones, but I know of others who've had great results. Finally, you'll have to ask someone more knowledgeable than me about serrated edge sharpening. I don't have a clue! So I don't buy serrated knives much anymore!

- Keith

[ UPDATE: And by "hire a pro" I mean someone like Son of Liberty;-) ]

[Netto]

I sharpened my folder last night at work using the concrete floor in my closet, then finished it with the bottom of my coffee cup... The uncoated ceramic ring on the bottom.

Sharp enough to cut paper.

[guncrank1]

Worksharptool.com

Consumer grade sharpeners from Darex Inc.
Seen ad in newest Buckmasters magizine

I use Darex commerical grade drill sharpener at work and a Drill doctor at the shop.

[ssracer]

I use a lansky system. Love it

[KYgundude]

I use Smiths small copy of the Spyderco Sharpmaker. 20 bucks at Cabelas

[guncrank1]

I use Smiths small copy of the Spyderco Sharpmaker. 20 bucks at Cabelas

Have one, bought at Lowes


Sent Cranky Style from IPhone via Tapatalk
A gun smith
502-231-1118

[JCKnife]

I got a lansky system also and it works fine but I really wanted to learn more about sharpening with stones and also convex edges; someone on another board suggested sandpaper on top of a cushioned mat for a good convex edge. I started looking around Youtube and came up with this fellow:

http://www.youtube.com/user/virtuovice

He has TONS of videos on sharpening with Japanese water stones and paddle strops. I've got a few stones of my own now and have made some paddle strops out of scrap lumber and leather.

I'm not saying this guy is the end-all be-all of knife sharpening, but I find his voice and videos kinda hypnotic. Plus I enjoy sharpening knives as kind of a zen experience. And the blades do end up VERY sharp. It's fun.

[Toecutter1978]

I have a Work Sharp knife sharpener. Quick, easy and electric powered.
http://www.worksharptools.com/knife/sha ... pener.html