How do you sharpen your knife?

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Many interesting answers. However, I would be grateful for comments about the Lansky and to the related sharpening method

@ofbiro
I have a Lansky 3 stone sharpener . Whilst they are pretty good I personally don't think they are as gaad a learning to use a stone properly .
Bob

 

[JimP]

It was locked into place, I also use a Leatherman just to keep my fingers away from the edges. All I can think of is that somehow some sideways pressure was placed on the blade when I reached for the windpipe.

I'll still use one where the blade is out in the open where I can see it, but never again inside a body cavity.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

When I started this thread, I probably should have added “and at what angle”.

In my shop, most of my knife sharpening take place on the Ken Onion work sharp.

My workers use the company knives “Victorinox” 12”” blade “Blaze Orange handles. After skinning elephants are very dull, chipped etc. the Ken Onion makes short work of a dozen big knives.

@Tokoloshe Safaris
Depends on the knifes use.
My fillet knife is 17 degrees.
General use knives/ skinning 20 degrees
Hard use knives 25 degrees.
Vib

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob, I suspect that you purchased this ”Belt Sander-Chainsaw” of a Machine just to destroy .243 rifles —- in high volume…. Then as the belts wore down, you get some use out of it sharpening a few knives (that You made from .243 barrel steel).

@HankBuck
No mate a cut off grinder is great on 243 barrels less than 22". Longer barrels make great tomato stakes tho.
Bib

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

A cheap “Ken onion” option is the harbor freight 1” belt sander.. $49

You can get belts anywhere from 40 grit to 1000 grit at empire abrasives pretty cheap…

1 in. x 30 in. Belt Sander

Amazing deals on this 1In X 30In Belt Sander at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I prefer a paper wheel and polishing compound to put a scalpel edge on a blade.. but a 800 grit ceramic belt will do the same job pretty quickly and doesn’t risk removing a lot of material…

If I use the belt method, I just finish up with a leather strop block and a few strokes over jewelers compound … and get a wickedly sharp edge

If you don’t trust your eye to get the angles right or don’t have a steady hand.. you can get a sharpening jig to use in conjunction with a belt grinder/sander… a decent one is $25…

For less than $100 all in to buy the jig, belts, and sander… you can reliably put razor edges on hundreds upon hundreds of knives..

@mdwest
The Ken Onion has adjustable angles fro 15-30 degrees and a series of five belts depending how dull your knife is. I paid $129aud or about 80 bucks US.
Bob

 

[Art Lambart II]

Once you have sharpened your knife you should never have to sharpen it again, what you need to do is maintain the edge with a Strop or a hone. The only reason to resharpen a knife is to repair a damaged edge or to reprofile it for personal preference. The best example of this is an old-fashioned straight razor, straight razors are stropped before every use, but they are almost never resharpened. Sharpening a knife removes material from the blade and reshaping it in the process. A strop or a hone only removes the micro-bur from the blades edge created during the cutting process. The “Speedy Sharp” mentioned in several of the posts in this thread is a carbide steel hone and it works very well in that role.

I have a ken Onion sharpener and it's a great tool but because it uses flexible belts it puts a convex edge on everything it sharpens. The convex edge is the most durable of all the knife edges, but they are the hardest to maintain or repair in the field. The tool I use for most of my knife maintenance work is the “Work Sharp 20 degree Guided Field Sharpener”. It’s a great tool and as a bonus it has two built in broadhead wrenches under the removable diamond plates.

 

[BourbonTrail]

Straight razor, I use a 4000/8000 grit stone
Kitchen knives (Wüsthof), I use steel or the same as above
Axe, I use a two sided cheap stone and a bastard file

Everything else, the bottom of my coffee mug

 

[BourbonTrail]

Once you have sharpened your knife you should never have to sharpen it again, what you need to do is maintain the edge with a Strop or a hone. The only reason to resharpen a knife is to repair a damaged edge or to reprofile it for personal preference. The best example of this is an old-fashioned straight razor, straight razors are stropped before every use, but they are almost never resharpened. Sharpening a knife removes material from the blade and reshaping it in the process. A strop or a hone only removes the micro-bur from the blades edge created during the cutting process. The “Speedy Sharp” mentioned in several of the posts in this thread is a carbide steel hone and it works very well in that role.

I have a ken Onion sharpener and it's a great tool but because it uses flexible belts it puts a convex edge on everything it sharpens. The convex edge is the most durable of all the knife edges, but they are the hardest to maintain or repair in the field. The tool I use for most of my knife maintenance work is the “Work Sharp 20 degree Guided Field Sharpener”. It’s a great tool and as a bonus it has two built in broadhead wrenches under the removable diamond plates.

I sharpen my straight razor about every 2-5 years depending on use, and it’s only to correct edge wear from poor strop technique

 

[HankBuck]

I'm a COB. I use arkansas stones.

Arkansas Sharpening Stone

The Arkansas sharpening stone is popular with knife owners, chefs, craftsmen, sportsmen and butchers. Arkansas sharpening stones will sharpen all knives and tools and are the most popular sharpening stone worldwide. Choose from our wide selection of Arka

www.bestsharpeningstones.com

HOGPATROL: I’ve used Arkansas stones many times and just can’t get an edge on a dull knife with them - now I only use them to polish and already sharp edge…they seem too hard. I‘m better with ultra fine sythetic stones and rarely will use a Diamond type - because diamonds remove too much steel for me to use regularly. What type Arkansas have you found works well?

 

[HankBuck]

@HankBuck
No mate a cut off grinder is great on 243 barrels less than 22". Longer barrels make great tomato stakes tho.
Bib

Bob, I’ve figured out your “end game” regarding .243’s - you plan to buy, bad mouth, or destroy the Worlds supply and then put your hidden large “collection” of .243’s for Sale at an INFLATED Market price…..very devious but Smart !

 

[MS 9x56]

And lazy asses like me.

…but I tell you what, they do a hell of a job on birds of all shapes and sizes. Great for getting into tight spots.

Just jerking chains, nothing works as well as a sharp knife. I was fortunate that my Dad taught me the proper way to sharpen a knife shaving sharp.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob, I’ve figured out your “end game” regarding .243’s - you plan to buy, bad mouth, or destroy the Worlds supply and then put your hidden large “collection” of .243’s for Sale at an INFLATED Market price…..very devious but Smart !

@HankBuck
I would never, never inflict a 243 in anyone, not even the worst person u know.
Bob

 

[MS 9x56]

HOGPATROL: I’ve used Arkansas stones many times and just can’t get an edge on a dull knife with them - now I only use them to polish and already sharp edge…they seem too hard. I‘m better with ultra fine sythetic stones and rarely will use a Diamond type - because diamonds remove too much steel for me to use regularly. What type Arkansas have you found works well?

If you are letting a knife get that dull you are doing it wrong.

 

[HankBuck]

@HankBuck
I would never, never inflict a 243 in anyone, not even the worst person u know.
Bob

I suspect you have a cache of them hidden somewhere? At least a 100 or more = enough to sell when their prices increase and buy several 28 day Elephant and Lion Safaris —-with Open Bar included !

 

[HankBuck]

If you are letting a knife get that dull you are doing it wrong.

MS, it depends on the project - in a knife fight against a Lion or Hippo….rarely time for a ‘touch up’ sharpening….so it’s really dull afterwards and I’m a bit smashed up & tired — knife might not get cleaned or resharpened for awhile

 

[MS 9x56]

MS, it depends on the project - in a knife fight against a Lion or Hippo….rarely time for a ‘touch up’ sharpening….so it’s really dull afterwards and I’m a bit smashed up & tired — knife might not get cleaned or resharpened for awhile

There is always that.

 

[MS 9x56]

Thanks for making me fell good about myself this morning.
Havalons are great for filleting salmon!

A sharp knife makes any job easier. The worst thing you can do for a good quality steel knife is put it to a grinder or sanding belt. If not done lightly or properly you can take the temper out of the steel. Much better to use a courser stone by hand if the blade is damaged or very dull then work to a finer stone for finishing.

 

[MS 9x56]

MS, it depends on the project - in a knife fight against a Lion or Hippo….rarely time for a ‘touch up’ sharpening….so it’s really dull afterwards and I’m a bit smashed up & tired — knife might not get cleaned or resharpened for awhile

I think for those projects I would prefer to have a 470 NE. No knife required until you get back to the skinning shed.

 

[CharlesT]

An interesting discussion.

For a knife blank, or regrinding a bevel, I start with a 120 grit stone, then work up through 320, 600 and 1000. I strop hone with green compound.

Kitchen knives get the same treatment, but are maintained with a sharpening steel and steel hone.

All knives ground at a 20 degree bevel, with the exception of boning and filleting knives which are at 15 degrees. Yes at 15 they require more frequent honing, but, to my mind, it's well worth it. My knives don't see "heavy" use. For that work I use a hatchet or axe.

My preferred stones these days are DMT diamond. Less fuss than Japanese water stones and less messy than oil stones.

For dealing with 0.243, I generally use a Makita 5-1/2" angle grinder and a fairly inexpensive cutting wheel.

All the best

CT

 

[rookhawk]

I've tried it all. This is the way forward, they really work and are foolproof. Apologies that its inexpensive, I know we all like expensive gadgets with lots of moving parts.

Strop Bat

JRE-Industries, Inc.

Our main business is Leather Sheaths. We also have sharpening items and other accessories for your outdoor needs.

jreindustries.com