Knife sharpening

Greg Cozad

Member
Messages
23
I can sharpen my lathe tools. I can sharpen chisels, mower blades, axes, and such, but I cannot sharpen knives (kitchen, pocket, etc.) . Anyone have any suggestions on a knife sharpening system that I might be able to get to work?!!!
 
A good whetstone and proper technique has always worked for me. Hold the blade at about a 20deg angle to the stone, pull the sharp side along the stone and alternate sides.

Thing is, I quit carrying a pocket knife decades ago because I cut myself as much as anything else! :D
 
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My dad has a knife sharpener that's 2 rods at opposing angles, forming a V where they meet. Not sure where he got it or what the rods are made of but they look to have some fine diamond coating. I raid their kitchen drawer every chance I get to sharpen my pocket knife. It works great.
 
Thanks all! I had been considering Lansky but hadn't come across anyone who used it.

Bill, you make it sound so easy!!!! Trust me, I've tried. I grew up with my grandparents on hog farm. My grandfather kept a whetstone and scalpel in the barn for when it came "cuttin' time". A little spit and a few swipes and that thing was sharp enough to shave with. For the life of me I could never get the hang of sharping a knife. I have finally came to the realization I need help!!!!
 
I've been using my lansky since 1994. I use on my pocket knife all the way up to my chef knives. Been real happy with the system. If you decide to get one Greg, I feel you will not be disappointed :thumb:

Tom
 
For Kitchen knives, I never use anything except a good round Sharpening Steel, (like the ones you see used in the butcher shops). Pocket knives.....I just use a piece of fine sandpaper (don't remember the grit, but it's nearly black) on something flat close to the edge so the knife body can hang over the edge. I never could use a "Stone" worth a flip, but all our knives will shave with the above methods.
 
I was raised by an old school whetstone and butcher's steel master, so the kitchen and pocket knives I grew up around were sharper than nearly any I've seen since. Because of my upbringing, my idea of sharp is pretty extreme. ;) I've been to people's houses and had them show me their "sharp" knives,

I think I have pretty much every sharpening system there is. :eek: I started out with Arkansas oilstones, but I've had mixed success with them myself. (Lack of skill.) Until recently though, that's what I would use to restore a messed up edge on a knife. Once a knife has the proper profile, just a few swipes with a steel (diamond is my preference) and it's usually fine for me. For the past 15 years or so, I've bought good kitchen knives that already had good edges, so I've not used the stones on any of my kitchen stuff in a long time, just the steels.

A few years ago I picked up a starter Lansky kit with three stones. I've only played with it a bit, but I like the way it works. It's a great way to maintain a consistent angle. It's also compact and easy to store. If I used it much, I'd add the extra fine stone, and perhaps the polishing stone too.

Now I have a Tormek, so if I needed to fix a messed-up edge, I think that'd be what I'd use. I haven't done it yet, but I intend to try the Tormek honing wheel on some of my kitchen knives just to see how it does.
 
As mentioned on another forum, I use the Razor Sharp system. Basically, two cardboard wheels mounted on an old grinder motor. One has a grit covered with hard wax for sharpening. The other wheel is charged with a white honing rouge. Works great. Other than that, I do like plain ole Arkansas stones, a little light oil and some elbow grease.
 
I believe this is what you are looking for:

knifeguy.jpg
 
the hand sharpeners that have either 2 round steel wheels or two opposing angled pieces of carbide, plus a steel or the two sticks that doug mentioned which are ceramic will sharpen most anything to shaving status.. i use the 2 wheel style for knives and my braodheads which need to be sharp to do what they are intended to do. just the angled carbide pieces or steel wheel style will get you so you can slice tomatoes without squissun them.
 
If your going to go the 'lansky' route, keep your eyes open for something just like it, but with nice wide diamond plates.

I started with a lansky, and I loved the concept, but the stones were just a bit narrow.

I can't remember the brand name right now, but I found a set very similar to lansky (heck, it might be lansky for all I know) but the wider diamond blades do a great job.

The trick, as always, is to get a nice burr to make sure your are building a wire edge.

After I go through the grits in the kit, I've got an old belt where the back was kind if rough. I glued it to a hardwood stick and then charged it with some green buffing compound. I then strop the edge with that.

In fact, I keep a strop in the kitchen and use that on my kitchen knives to keep them nice and sharp between sharpenings.

Works for me!
 
I'm old school, I just use a wet stone, I have one in the kitchen, I keep our knives sharp enough to shave with.

We recently went over to some friends house, my wife was helping out cooking dinner, and she asked the hostess for a "Sharp" knife....... The hostess said "that IS a sharp knife"........ :eek:

My wife asked the hostess if she had a wet stone (Japanese home) and they did, I got called into sharpening duty, firs thing I did was soak the stone, then I went outside, in their carport and flattened the stone, and went to work sharpening the knife. When I had it sharp enough to shave the hair on my arm, I thought I was done.......... nope........ I ended up having to sharpen ALL the knives in the house :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Serves me right I guess.

I was a bit worried the Host would be put out, but he had no problem at all, he said he told his wife YEARS ago that the knives were dull, she told him to get out of her kitchen :D

This Lansky system does look interesting, but for me, a good wet stone, and I'm in business.

:wave:
 
I use crock sticks. These are ceramic sticks stuck in a board at an angle. You clean up the knife blades on a india stone or arkansas stone and or any old hone stone and then strop them on the sticks until shaving sharp. You can clean the sticks with comet cleaner when they get loaded up with metal.
 
I'm old school, I just use a wet stone, I have one in the kitchen, I keep our knives sharp enough to shave with.

We recently went over to some friends house, my wife was helping out cooking dinner, and she asked the hostess for a "Sharp" knife....... The hostess said "that IS a sharp knife"........ :eek:

My wife asked the hostess if she had a wet stone (Japanese home) and they did, I got called into sharpening duty, firs thing I did was soak the stone, then I went outside, in their carport and flattened the stone, and went to work sharpening the knife. When I had it sharp enough to shave the hair on my arm, I thought I was done.......... nope........ I ended up having to sharpen ALL the knives in the house :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Serves me right I guess.

I was a bit worried the Host would be put out, but he had no problem at all, he said he told his wife YEARS ago that the knives were dull, she told him to get out of her kitchen :D

This Lansky system does look interesting, but for me, a good wet stone, and I'm in business.

:wave:

I can do a basic sharpening with a stone on a knife. Went to my bosses house one time and while they were prepping for a dinner part I got hornswaggled into sharpening a knife. Managed to do that and the rest of them relatively ok. At least I didn't make them duller.

I've done a bit of reading on sharpening and doing it on a stone is one of those things that just takes practice and time. The biggest things I think are getting the angle right and make sure you get the burr.

The 'sharpening steels' that come with most knife sets are not meant to sharpen, but to 'hone' the fine edge back to straight. Most of the other "run it through a few times" devices give you an edge of sorts, but not a seriously smooth razor sharp edge. They cut good, but thats because they have a lot of 'micro-serrations' on the edge. Sort of like the 'Ginsu' knives, if you are old enough to remember the commerials.

If I know I'm going to cut a tomato, I'll use a leather strop on my knife a few strokes and it goes through the skin like butter. But even a dull serrated knive can cut a tomato, because the serrations will rip the skin, giving the knife a path. A dull knife has troubles getting through the skin. But a really, truly sharp knife almost falls through the tomato with a slight back and forth motion.

The guided tools like the lansky types do a good job of making sure you can get the angle right and can get a burr quickly. They sure do make it easy.

Just another couple of pennies....
 
Brent, I like your idea of a leather strop mounted on a piece of wood. You may have helped me decide what to make for my dad for Christmas. That's one thing he doesn't have in his arsenal. ;)
 
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