Hey guys, for those of you that sharpen your own knives- can anyone recommend a good sharpener? The three metals I’ll be working with (for now) are 14C28N, VG-10, and 154CM. The knife that’s losing its edge is still sharp enough to be useful, but I’d like to touch it up, and then be able to touch the others up when needed.
What are the odds of me completely jacking up one of my knives doing this? Should I get some practice time in on some cheap kitchen knives around the house etc. first?
I’ve used many, but this works. It doesn’t hurt that the company is from Massachusetts either.
http://www.knifeworks.com/dmtdeluxealignerkit3diamondwhetstone1serratedsharpener.aspx
spyderco tri-angle sharpmaker.
+1
Great product.
What blade shapes are you working with?
Will you be able to sharpen them with a flat bench stone or will you need a rod?
Personally, I only buy blades that can be sharpened with a flat stone.
I prefer diamond hones since they cut quickly and consistently.
I have gotten by for a long time with a Course and Fine diamond hone. You can get higher grits (extra fine, super fine, etc), but with a little time on the stones you will be able to get any blade shaving sharp with those two stones.
A good way to learn is by using a Lansky kit, but you certainly don’t need to start there. I would tell you to talk to guys that know how to really sharpen, but it’s getting harder and harder to find men that can actually sharpen their own knives anymore. Damn shame.
I use a Japanese wet stone from wood workers warehouse. It was 28$ I have 6000 to 9000 grit model the edge it will put on your blade is ungodley.
Most of my sharpening is from wood working but I’ve done a knife or two. I’ve tried the worksharp 3000 and it is great for restoring a chisel or knife edge from beat to hell to usably sharp very fast. But I still like finishing the edge on a 4000 then 8000 grit waterstone. If I’m feeling really froggy I’ve got some 16K grit sandpaper from LeeValley glued to plate glass for a few last passes before stropping. The edge from that is incredible. Shaves hair better than any factory sharpened razor I’ve seen.
I’ve got an Apex that’s absolutely tits. I keep it in my work box for touching up mine and my coworkers knives. I’ve only got to 1000 grit but they offer polishing tapes as well. To be honest, I find my work knives to work best at no greater than 600 grit. Too much further and they lose their edge faster and don’t cut as well. It’s not cheap but once you learn how to set it up it takes any guess work out of the equation and you get a great edge fast. I’ve got a CRKT with a sheepsfoot and I regularly shave with it to demonstrate what the setup will do.
I’ve used the Lansky kits for years. They work good and aren’t that expensive. Much easier to get a consistant edge than with a stone.
Thanks for all the replies, guys. My blade shapes, right now, are a Spyderco Leaf FFG, a modified drop point I think (Kershaw Leek), and a hollow-ground modified sheepsfoot.
I’ve been wondering about this as well. I recently stopped carrying a knife with a serrated edge and picked up a couple of Benchmade Griptilians. Now I’m looking for something to use to keep them sharp. I looked at the Lansky kits and they aren’t that expensive, but I would like to get proficient at sharpening them with a regular stone. I’m just not sure which direction to go in with stones. And I’m not looking to be able to shave with them. I’m just after a good working edge that won’t dull too fast.
+1, I wish I’d bought the Sharpmaker first and stopped there.
+1 with agreement here. The Apex Edge Pro sharpener truly is tits. Best way for putting a new, consistent bevel on an old knife. Plus it’s really good at regular maintenance sharpening too.
I’ve re-beveled a couple of CPM-S30V and 154CM blades with it no problems.
Would it probably be a good idea to buy an inexpensive sharpening stone/rod and work some with cheap knives to see if I’m even going to be good enough to get my knives satisfactorily sharp?
No, that logic is ass backwards. Getting something like a Sharpmaker will allow you to sharpen with less skill than you would need with just a stone.
Exactly what I do as well. Large diamond bench stones (Coarse/Fine and Fine/Extra Fine). I found a small Swiss Army diamond stone that is great for touch-ups in the field.
I would start with a cheaper knife to practice on. After you sharpen it many times your hands will get a feel for the proper angle and you can quickly sharpen your knives with no guide. As F2S says, a man ought to be able to sharpen his own knife without a bunch of guides. Not that hard, just have to do it often enough to have the feel for it.
When I was a young man I worked some in the woods. Got real good at using and maintaining axes and chainsaws. I could free hand sharpen a doiul-bit axe to a razor edge (almost) and throw it into a stump target accurately from 20 ft. I could sharpen a chainsaw fast by hand and no guides (both teeth and rakers) than with a guide. I started with simple guide tools but soon got the feel of it and could do it faster by feel and eye. When I was away from it for several years it was awkward getting back to it but the more often you sharpen them the sooner you get the feel.
I would not go cheap on the stone. I finally upgraded to large bench diamond stones for about $35 apiece. Cheaper than some natural stones ut not cheap either. And I would not go too cheap on the practice knife as you want decent steel. But a decent carbon steel blade does not cost a lot. A Case pocket or sheath knife is plenty good. Or a Swede/Finish puukko knife. Any of them can be had for $35 or less, especially used. A Swiss Army knife is also good for practice. I would just stay away from cheap Made In China knives. I wouldn’t be practicing on a Cris Reeve or some custom knife that costs $250 or more, or on a knife with special harder than normal steel. Use something you feel free to practice on and won;t e timid about making mistakes.
Japanese wet stones. Keep them stored in water.
Let me chime in as the fourth on this.
It makes sharpening knives to a great working edge EASY and fast.
Sharpening knives with a traditional stone is all about being able to hold a knife at x degrees as you move it horizontally on a stone…and then holding the exact same angle time and time again. It’s so incredibly much easier to hold your knife vertically repeatedly. It can also be used as a regular stone if you become so inclined later.
For someone that’s invested in a knife and wants to sharpen it at home with a minimum investment and a tiny learning curve, I don’t think there should even be a debate about it.
The Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker works very well and is stupid easy to use.
Should you be able to use the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup etc…? Sure. But I view it like learning to drive a manual transmission. It’s something you need to learn to do, but when you’re just starting there are more important things to concentrate on…like actually succeeding in getting a sharp knife with a consistent and bur free edge.
ETA:And I DO know how to use regular stones and all the fancy crap…but when I sharpen my knives guess what I use? The quick and incredibly effective Sharpmaker.
I didn’t know the Sharpmaker just requires you to hold the knife vertically- that changes everything! I guess I’ll start reading up on when to use which materials to sharpen. Does the Sharpmaker come with paperwork discussing things like that?