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Suppressors Sharpening tools and techniques?

D

dreamlander

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 8, 2009
193
2
40
North Dakota, USA
#1
I was wondering what everyone uses for tools and techniques when sharpening their knives. I usually just use a steel, but my buddy has one of those sharpeners that helps keep the same angle on the edge as you sharpen with stones. It works well but is too time consuming for application while skinning or deboning.
What works well for you?
 
#2
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

Edge Pro. If you are having to resharpen all the time in the time field you might need a knife with better steel.
 
#3
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

The only time I need to sharpen in the field in while deboning. Cutting through a lot of meat and tendon, hitting bone occasionally. I usually sharpen with a steel after each deer. Is that too often? I can't really blame it on the knife steel as it is a Wuesthof and I think has good steel. If there is a problem it is probably with my sharpening.
 
#5
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

Dreamlander,

People usually are impatient when it comes to sharpening their edged tools and often take shortcuts (like belt sanders to chisels
frown.gif
) rather than taking the time needed to sharpen. A steel is good for a quick dressing but appropriate stone sequence is best. If you need the discipline of the fixed angle system like Lansky (there's another but I've been hoisting Tennessee whiskey this afternoon and memory fails...) then use it. But many is the razor honed by hand.

If it's already pretty sharp the super fine Arkansas or India stones will bring it back to shaving sharp quick. Little knicks require going back down the coarseness scale a little as appropriate.

And, as Victor mentioned, don't forget the importance of stropping; knock that little burr off the edge of the blade for a final touch with a couple swipes across clean leather or the palm of your hand. Do that last carefully of course.

When you can shave the hair off the back of your hand, it's done!

Sounds like your blade is fine to me, unless you cooked it with a belt sander???
 
#6
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker for quick maintenance and the Edge Pro from time to time for big sharpening chores. Setup for the Sharpmaker is very fast, but it takes longer to put the edge on, which is why I like it for touch ups.

I don't rest unless my knives are hair-popping sharp, which means that if I run it just over my arm, it will grab the protruding hairs.

There are other tricks like using a leather strop with lapping compound, but what I have found is that going all the way up to the 3,000 grit polishing tape on the EdgePro is plenty good.

This is a good forum to learn about sharpening. Both kits come with DVD's on sharpening. The other thing to remember is metallurgy provides a limit on how sharp you can get a knife. A knife with good metal and a good temper should get very sharp and stay that way for a while. As noted above, a belt sander will kill the temper on a knife. Don't go that route. Hand-sharpening is the best route to protecting your knife.

One more thought... if this is too much gear, I would just by the EdgePro Apex.
 
#7
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

I looked at the Edgepro and I see one in my future. Pretty spendy but worth it in the fact that it should last for life (hopefully at age 24 I have a lot left).

And NO, my knives have never seen a belt sander. LOL People actually try that? wow
 
#8
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

A lot custom knife makers will sharpen on a belt sander. It's not the type of belt sander you are thinking of that you get in stores. They either use a 1x30" or 2x72" belt. As with anything, it's a skill you have to learn how to perfect. It's way faster then using your more common wetstone.
 
#9
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

I use wet/dry sandpaper backed by an old mouse pad and finish it off with a leather strop loaded with compound. I have less than $50 tied up in my sharpening supplies
smile.gif


convex edges ROCK!!
 
#10
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

As noted above, the Edge Pro is the real deal. I have a set of Norton waterstones, 220, 1000, 4000, 8000. It is slow and a pain in the arse. The wetstone method, IMO, requires a level of skill and practice. Doing it all over again I would have just gotten the Edge Pro from the beginning.

In the kitchen I bought expensive handmade Japanese knives. They are harder to sharpen and have a sharper angle, but the steel is harder than German steel so they don't dull as quickly. They work great, but learn from my wife: she was drying a knife and it cut right through the towel and sliced the face of her thumb off. Some Japanese steel knives make the phrase "razor sharp" literal.
 
#11
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Luvman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I use wet/dry sandpaper backed by an old mouse pad and finish it off with a leather strop loaded with compound. I have less than $50 tied up in my sharpening supplies
smile.gif


convex edges ROCK!! </div></div>

+1
 
#12
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cartman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
In the kitchen I bought expensive handmade Japanese knives. They are harder to sharpen and have a sharper angle, but the steel is harder than German steel so they don't dull as quickly. They work great, but learn from my wife: she was drying a knife and it cut right through the towel and sliced the face of her thumb off. Some Japanese steel knives make the phrase "razor sharp" literal.</div></div>

The bulk of my sharpening is on kitchen knives. I have VG-10, SG-2, and Japanese Blue Steel. The Blue Steel will take a sharper edge because of the smaller carbides, but it is not corrosion resistant like the VG-10 and SG-2. As a result, my Japanese Blue Steel knives mostly just sit and wait for when I need to make some really precise cuts.
 
#15
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

For pocket, hunting, and most kitchen knives my Lansky Deluxe works well. If you're on a budget, you can't beat it for under $35. You get 5 different grades of stone, and it puts consistent edges on your knives.
 
#17
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

I sharpen at home with an Edge Pro and touch up with a steel in the field. I use quality knives with good steel and carry more than one. For caping and fine work, I use a Havel Piranta Z folding scalpel with extra blades.
 
#18
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

My uncle just bought the Razors Edge. It is a good system (the best I have found) if you want a razor edge. The problem is you have to sharpen it a lot because like any razor the go dull fast.

Stainless blades take longer to get an edge but keep it longer. Carbon blades will rust but they are very easy to sharpen. A stropp is nice if your in the field you can use your belt (or your chinks) you can also use a car window roll it down and use the top it works well in a hurry.
D2 steel is a great mix and will hold an edge for a long time. My best example is my hunting knives I had built for myself. (not a joke) I cleaned 7 deer (mule deer0 and 2 elk with my first one only washing it before I had to touch it up. I went through several more and a few hogs. Then I took it back to the maker and had him resharpen it. I have 3 of his knives all D2 steel and they are awesome. He uses a hungry edge and he uses a a belt sander but its nor what you think. It is 3 or so foot long and spins very slow. He holds the knife perfect. Then he uses a steel set up that I have never seen and its great. A hungry edge doesn't feel really sharp but it is.

My advice would be to sharpen your knife by hand with a coarse stone. It will get dull really dull and you will think you messed it up but you have only just begun. Making circles at first works good. The key is to keep your hand the same every time. this will give you muscle memory. A knife can be sharpened in several different angles. Yes there is a perfect angle that can be found on any machine and yes it is the best. But do you have that machine in the woods or even on your trip at all. I may travel hours to hunt and never bring a machine you may be by the house and its no big deal. But anyway Your knife will in about a week be sharp (same angle everyday) and with a stone you will be able anywhere anytime, and sharp enough to shave arm hair. Dont let anyone else sharpen it or put it on a machine your angle and theirs will be off. I have sharpened several knives by hand and favor it on a hunting/field knife. The only exception is My butcher knives I now use the razor edge because I have several and when I hit a bone or the board to much I drop it and get another. I use dexter russel for this.
 
#19
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

At home I use either an old fashioned whet stone, or the Spyderco holder that keeps ceramic triangles in a V shape. In the field, usually a small two grit whet stone, or in a pinch, the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup, the edge of window glass on a vehicle also work.
 
#21
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

It is a good point that it is not possible to use gadgets like the EdgePro in the field. A good steel or even a leather strop can get most blades back into shape after they get dull in the field. Most of the time, this is due to the blade coming out of alignment as opposed to actual dulling... sharpening should occur fairly rarely and only after a steel or a strop doesn't work.
 
#22
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ishikawa</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Another bump for EdgePro...fantastic system! </div></div>

+1 on the EdgePro. Been using one for over ten years. Very EZ to get a wicked sharp edge.

Mouse pad and wet dry sand paper for the convex grind Fallknivens.
 
#23
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

In the field I touch up the blade with a lansky ceramic rod tool in the "v" style. Just have to make sure the "v" matches the same degrees angle as the knife blade. Just a few swipes will restore a good edge. It's cheap, light, and easy to carry. I always have one in my pack.
 
#25
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

For owners or future owners of the EdgePro, I just added to my set with a 1,000 grit stone as well as the glass blank with 6,000 grit sharpening tape. In the past, I have used the steel blanks with the 3,000 grit blanks as the final step. After the 6,000 grit tape with the new glass blanks, I made my SG-2 Shun Chef's knife is as sharp as it has ever been. My arm looks like it has mange from just a couple of passes 1/8" over my skin. The hairs saw the blade and just ran the other direction.

I highly recommend the 6,000 grit tape and glass blank combo if you get the chance.
 
#27
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

Edge Pro,

You will be very happy you got one.

I tried the Lansky route and although it will sharpen a knife, all it really did was make my Edge Pro $35 more expensive. The Edge Pro is so much easier, faster, and effective.
 
#28
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

I have been using the basic 2 stone kit with my Edgepro Apex. I have always wondered about the higher grits. So do you go from the 320 to the 1000 and up grits? Or do you work your way up?
 
#29
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

Numerically lower grits are more abrasive and remove material faster. Use the 200 or 320 to remove the material initially and then progress to each numerically higher grit until you reach the edge you are happy with or run out of grits. Just like sanding wood.
 
#30
Re: Sharpening tools and techniques?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bacarrat</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have been using the basic 2 stone kit with my Edgepro Apex. I have always wondered about the higher grits. So do you go from the 320 to the 1000 and up grits? Or do you work your way up? </div></div>

EDC Emerson CQC7, 320, 600.

Kitchen knives, 320,600,1000 and polish with 2000 tape. If I were to get the 6000 tape, would skip the 3000.

As I move up in grit, make less passes, less pressure, doesn't take much with the fine grits/tape.

Touch up with ceramic rod between stone sharpening.
 
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