Knife Sharpening

[rizeye]

here is the best and easiest way to get a knife razor sharp. and believe me i've bought about ewvery gadget out there

http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

another system is a shapening wheel. i also have this and it does work very well but is a little more difficult to master.

http://www.dunnknives.com/services/sharpening.php

[slough foot]

I used a 120 GRIT 3 INCH WIDE BELT. It was not selected, simply left over from a wood working project. I like the width and flexibility of the belt. I think this method is easy and effective, not necessarily the best. I will probably stick with it because it's easy for me to sharpen all my knives at once.

[rizeye]

how sharp can you get a knife using 120 grit paper? when you look at whett stones, especially hard arkansas, the are almost shiny smooth. if a knife can't shave hair off my are, it's not sharp.

[alra195]

I cringe at the very thought of high speed abrasives being applied to quality steel. Yes, I grant you that learning to sharpen a knife using the appropriate stones takes time and practice. But I consider it a skill worth honing (pun intended). Using belt sanders and grinding wheels might work. It might even get your knives and tools sharp enough to make you happy but I encourage you to work at acquiring the skills to use stones to sharpen with. You'll be much happier with the end result and your knives and other tools will be happier as well.

Nothing ruins a knife faster than heating it up on a sander or grinding wheel. Would you use your fly rod as a walking stick? Might work, but I bet you won't like how it casts after you do so? Invest in good stones, learn or have someone knowledgeable show you how to use and care for them properly, get or make a leather strop and impregnate it with a good polishing compound and practice sharpening. Before you know it you'll be carrying razor sharp knives and be the envy of your friends and neighbors.

[bugman]

i usually use a flat diamond rock.... if i have to sharpen a knife & happened to leave the stone at home, i roll down the car window half way & use the edge of the window to sharpen with....

[dleo6446]

i have a nice large collection of various types of knives and I love my Lansky, but here is another one that I use for most of my day to day "carrying" knives. Being a gadget freak, this one really caught my eye and it does a pretty good job too

[flybinder]

dleo:
Now, THAT is "my kind of gadget, sharpener", even if it only works "so-so"!! ha!! Can't help it, when it comes to gadgets, I'm a sucker! (just, ask the bride, her eyes get sore, from so much "rolling them skywards" when I bring home my "latest find, in gadgetry"!)
THAT, is just too cool! Thanks for posting it!

[Lake Erie High Ball]

I would not use a belt sander to sharpen a knife or a grinder. The reason being is that using anything high speed to sharpen a knife causes a blade to heat up (even if it dose not seem like much heat) changes the temper of the blade. 8 times out of ten at the tip and may cause the blade to break when it should not.

I prefer my Arkansas stone to anything else, just a preference I know. I too have used the bottom of a ceramic cup for a quick touch up and love the Lansky system but only use it on knifes I get in dire need of a good sharpening.

I would like to be bold and make a suggestion. Get the knife professionally sharpened,
Then get a ceramic rod to touch up or what I use is a leather strop on a flat board with the white risen. It keeps my knife like a razor. A good blade will stay sharp a long time even with use between sharpening.

Out of curiosity what kind of knifes to you guys own? I have many but use an Old Timer for a pocket knife and a Gerber clip knife (made in the USA) daily.

Respectfully,
Sean

[Clay]

I belong to a couple different blade forums. I collect folders, or pocket knives. This is the sharpener that I see most often recomended on various blade forums: http://www.thebladeshop.com/index.as...FQGzGgodozvfOQ

If you are looking for a serious sharpening system this is it:

http://www.edgeproinc.com/

Rick

[Windknot]

I am admittedly old school, but with a twist.

For serious sharpening, I rely on stones, both medium & fine. To install a proper bevel, any of the mechanical aids will help you maintain the angle you choose. Once that bevel is established, I'm strictly a stone guy. It has become quite easy for me to feel the bevel and maintain it. I admit that that fact makes the next part easy for me.

My contribution to the discussion is that most knives aren't really dull, they simply suffer from an edge that has "rolled over." If you feel the edge lightly catch your skin when you ease your thumb sideways over the edge, but nothing when you repeat from the other side of the blade, the edge has simply rolled.

I use a flat piece of steel (mine is by Gerber, ~ 4"x1", pouched with a miserable artificial stone) and just align the edge by making cutting strokes from butt to tip with each side of the blade. For most knives very little pressure is desirable. Also very few strokes are required.

Our kitchen knives take maybe 10 strokes, once a month. I use the flat steel perhaps 20 or more times before going to stones - maybe more with better quality knives. Test with a newspaper page.
Don