I need help

[Ruffinogold]

In a nutshell , I pretty much suck at sharpening knives , I do . My old sharpfinger , way back in the day , I had good luck sharpening on a certain rock in the stream near my place , if that tells you anything . Dont know why that rock worked but anything Ive tried since then is just Meh ... I suck at getting a knife really sharp . I mean , I can get them sharp enough for tasks but compared to others knives , I suck . Ive only once got a knife to shave and that was pure luck

Anyway , if anyone has tips or tricks or good vides etc .. Id appreciate the hell out of it

[Citizen B]

In a nutshell , I pretty much suck at sharpening knives , I do . My old sharpfinger , way back in the day , I had good luck sharpening on a certain rock in the stream near my place , if that tells you anything . Dont know why that rock worked but anything Ive tried since then is just Meh ... I suck at getting a knife really sharp . I mean , I can get them sharp enough for tasks but compared to others knives , I suck . Ive only once got a knife to shave and that was pure luck

Anyway , if anyone has tips or tricks or good vides etc .. Id appreciate the hell out of it

I will never buy a stainless knife again unless it's a pipe knife. You don't want the blade on a pipe knife to be too sharp. Any other knife---the whole point of it is to be sharp. Who ever cared about a stain on a knife? If it cuts, who cares? Regular steel and regular maintancence, by which I mean whenever the mood hits, is the only way to keep a sharp blade. YMMV and I am willing to learn.

[sisyphus]

the sharpeners you clamp your blade in, pick your stones, and get a perfect angle seem like the way to me
some of them are pretty pricey, some under $100
the D2 knife I carry is so sharp and so hard I figure it'll be a while before I need one

[ncrobb]

Angle is key. Too step and it’ll never shave. Too shallow and the edge will roll. Don’t forget to stop it. A piece of leather glued to a wooden block works great.

[Citizen B]

Angle is key. Too step and it’ll never shave. Too shallow and the edge will roll. Don’t forget to stop it. A piece of leather glued to a wooden block works great.

I'm trying to picture this. Can you recommend some dimensions. I use a grindstone that is about 1" x 3" more or less. I would think that leather would need to be a bit longer but I don't really know.

[sisyphus]

this is the cheap version of what I mentioned

[Ruffinogold]

this is the cheap version of what I mentioned

Ok , holy shit Im getting that . Thank you !!! Do you think theres a better one within a reasonable price difference ? I would so drill through the base and bolt that thing down or at least clamp it like the guy mentioned

I love that you can change the angle

[ncrobb]

Angle is key. Too step and it’ll never shave. Too shallow and the edge will roll. Don’t forget to stop it. A piece of leather glued to a wooden block works great.

I'm trying to picture this. Can you recommend some dimensions. I use a grindstone that is about 1" x 3" more or less. I would think that leather would need to be a bit longer but I don't really know.

I’ve always thought of those small stones as a camping/backpack accessory. I use a three sided Arkansas stone that has course, medium and fine stones fixed to a three sided block. The block rests in a wooden cradle that sits on the bench/table/counter. I use a little honing oil to help keep the stones clean and it makes a nice slurry. After you have sharpened the blade there will be a fine burr that runs the length of the cutting edge. That is what the strop is for. It removes this burr and polishes the edge. In full disclosure when I make a knife I set the bevel and sharpen it on the grinder with a used 60 micron belt. I have no idea of the angle. I guess I’ve done it so much it’s just a “feel”. Same with sharpening on a stone. I guess you could search the web for angle suggestions.

Just off memory I’d say the Arkansas stones are 2-1/2” or 3” wide and 10” long. My strop block is wider and the same length or close to it.

[sisyphus]

Do you think theres a better one within a reasonable price difference ? I would so drill through the base and bolt that thing down or at least clamp it like the guy mentioned

I love that you can change the angle

I think the others start around $200 iirc

[Riff89]

In a nutshell , I pretty much suck at sharpening knives , I do . My old sharpfinger , way back in the day , I had good luck sharpening on a certain rock in the stream near my place , if that tells you anything . Dont know why that rock worked but anything Ive tried since then is just Meh ... I suck at getting a knife really sharp . I mean , I can get them sharp enough for tasks but compared to others knives , I suck . Ive only once got a knife to shave and that was pure luck

Anyway , if anyone has tips or tricks or good vides etc .. Id appreciate the hell out of it

I will never buy a stainless knife again unless it's a pipe knife. You don't want the blade on a pipe knife to be too sharp. Any other knife---the whole point of it is to be sharp. Who ever cared about a stain on a knife? If it cuts, who cares? Regular steel and regular maintancence, by which I mean whenever the mood hits, is the only way to keep a sharp blade. YMMV and I am willing to learn.

Amen!! I’m not a fan of stainless steel at all, I’m a carbon fan and I feel that a knife blade with some staining just proves that you use it like you should. My opinel and case are the best knives I’ve ever owned. To keep this on topic I use a traditional whetstone for my blades and if I’m satisfied with the factory edge when I get the knife I try my best to set it up on the stone and find the original angle of the edge it’s really hard for me to describe but if you fiddle with it you’ll understand what I’m saying. I also keep a basic pull through sharpener in my work truck in case of emergency it works but it leaves you with a meh edge. If I want my knives surgically sharp I have a friend who will sharpen them using wet sanding using grits into the high thousands. Ymmv I say just f**k around with all the methods you can on cheap knives until you get what your after.