[ol bumpy]

What you fella's use to keep those blades honed? I am physically uncapable of properly using a whet rock. Tried a Lansky, Galco, and some other similar brand, but was never satisfied with how they worked, or the final edge. Then I discovered this thing several years ago. Have not used another sharpening system since....

http://208.84.114.241/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SimmonsSharks.com&Product_Code=SA100-2&Category_Code=Sharpeners

It will have any non-serrated blade shaving sharp in 2 or 3 minutes....Pocket knives, filet knives, broadheads....It's a fine little gadget.

 

[Beladran]

god I have more things to sharpen knives than I do firearms in my house.. If I am making a knife or if one is super neglected, I have a series of diamond stones ranging from xtra course to medium that I use to get any grinding/filing marks/dents out and set my primary edge. Then I start with wet stones and and work up to my extra fine stone which is in like the 5k grit area I think. I put my stones away and go to the high speed buffing wheel fine buffing compound and start buffing untill its back to mirror smooth. After thats done I get my extra fine stone out and put the secondary edge on which is normally at 15degrees then a quick pass at the buffing wheel. I dont normally use any sort of jig, I think its muscle memory now. If the knife is super special to me I have some Japanese water stones I can add to the mix. Granted this process takes about an hour when its done you have one heck of an edge. If I got a knife that just needs a little attention the extra fine stone comes out and 5 min later done. For my kitchen knife I will usually go to a sodium rod or a leather strap.

 

[dphillips]

Gotta answer!

I free hand sharpen everything. I try to make the Lansky systems do it my way and that does not work too well.

In my shop for a new knife or extremely dull I start with a worn out 400 grit belt, then to a cork belt loaded with rouge (green chrome buffing compound). From there it is to the bench to a ceramic stick, and final step is stropping on a piece of leather glued to a piece of Corian ( I added "rubber feet" to it to raise it off the bench). The strop is also loaded with green chrome rouge. The stropping is done in the reverse direction of normal sharpening, and the purpose is to remove the wire edge and polish the edge a bit.

Normal sharpening at home is done on a 2 X 8" (I think) diamond bench stone. It is double sided with 250 and 600 grit. After that I pick up at the ceramic stick then strop as above.

At work I use a DMT Duafold (2-sided Diafold), then ceramic and strop.

Have you noticed that I like a strop. If I need the edge a little courser after the strop I go back to the 600 grit and hit 1 or 2 times per side just to get some "bite".

Donavon

 

[dphillips]

What you fella's use to keep those blades honed? I am physically uncapable of properly using a whet rock. Tried a Lansky, Galco, and some other similar brand, but was never satisfied with how they worked, or the final edge. Then I discovered this thing several years ago. Have not used another sharpening system since....

http://208.84.114.241/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SimmonsSharks.com&Product_Code=SA100-2&Category_Code=Sharpeners

It will have any non-serrated blade shaving sharp in 2 or 3 minutes....Pocket knives, filet knives, broadheads....It's a fine little gadget.

Just looked at the link. I have not seen that one before. Pretty neat.

 

[ol bumpy]

I envy you guys ability to sharpen free-handed....My grandpa spent countless hours with me trying to teach me how to do it when I was a kid, but I just never could pick it up. Can't get consistent with it....

And he was a huge fan of a leather strop too, dphillips. He had an old barber strop, and every year he'd tune our skinning knives up with it before deer season opened. And they would hold an edge forever, it seemed.....I still have that old strop here at my house, hanging up in my gun room. Never try to use it, just a piece of family history.

 

[dphillips]

that is something neat to hang on too. I have been thinking about buying a new strop. I looked for old ones but most of them were not taken care of to be used. They are kept for the same reason you have yours, which there is nothing wrong with that. Is the one you have just leather or is it leather and canvas?

 

[e.martin]

I use a 320 belt on the grinder then 4and600 the I go to work with 400 again with sandpaper rapped around leather 800 and 1000 the same then just leather works for all the knives I make. I can use a wet stone but like this much more and alot cheaper that stones

 

[ol bumpy]

that is something neat to hang on too. I have been thinking about buying a new strop. I looked for old ones but most of them were not taken care of to be used. They are kept for the same reason you have yours, which there is nothing wrong with that. Is the one you have just leather or is it leather and canvas?

It's just leather.....Probably around 12-15" long, and about 2-3" wide, with a big steel ring at the top. My dad acquired it when my grandpa died, and it sat in his gun cabinet for about 15 years. By the time I discovered it, it had some mildew on it, and the leather was dried and cracking. I cleaned it up, and put some saddle soap on it. That may have messed it up for future sharpening purposes. Just a little piece of history now....

 

[Beladran]

yal ever played with the jap water stones? I get my rouges mixed up I have a big brick of white, green, red, and black. I think i listed those from fine to course?

 

[msredneck]

I can tell you knife guy's are gonna have to set up a "sharpening service" at the meet and greet

I promise I'll only bring 15 or 20 dull ones with me.!

Great Posts guys!...Gotta get back at work...C'Ya

 

[slabsides45]

I have the Spyderco setup, but will admit I struggle with getting a great edge. Wish I was gonna make the meet n' geet!

 

[dhollis51]

Who in the Jackson are will sharpen my knives? I have a few that I need done. I will pay. I just can't get them sharp.

 

[e.martin]

i'm in brandon pm me

 

[3spop]

My grandfather and father both use an old whetstone and a piece of leather. When they get thru with them, they'll scare the hair off your arm.

 

[sand_man]

I use different sharpeners on different knives. One may do good on a stone and another won't. I use a stone, steel, ceramic and a piece of very hard metal that is good at knocking burrs off.