How do I sharpen my knife?

Georgezilla · Post by **Georgezilla** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:26 am

I recently purchased a higher end pocket knife (Benchmade 707). Up until this point I've only had two pocket knives and they were both wal-mart end cap specials so I never sharpened them.

So my question is the topic title: How do I sharpen my knife? The only equipment I have is a 3 sided honing/sharpening stone and a mount for it. Is said stone and oil all that I need, and if so can I just use gun oil? Or is there perhaps more equipment needed to do a good job? I would be very thankful for an explanation of the process.
I understand that this forum may not be the best resource for this subject -- if you might know of a more suited forum or perhaps a web tutorial I would be most appreciative if you posted a link. The reason I decided to ask here is because a lot of firearm connoisseurs also collect knives, so I figured it was worth a shot (Nice pun right

? )

Thanks!

Downeaster · Post by **Downeaster** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:09 am

Wow. Huge Subject. As many methods and opinions as there are people.

Some decisions to be made are:

What's the purpose of the knife? You'll want a different edge on a utility pocket knife than you will on a skinner for instance. A wider angle will give a more rugged edge for general use: A narrower angle will give a MUCH sharper but more delicate edge.

What sort of sharpening device will you use? 2-sided whetstones are available in a variety of finishes and are a good choice for general purpose sharpening.

Other choices are a diamond "stone", ceramic sticks or a water wheel.

I use some sort of lubricant. My theory is that the lubricant floats the removed material away and keeps the stone from clogging up. I generally use a light oil or WD-40 on my stones. Water will work in a pinch and some folks even prefer it.

A useful accessory is a holder that lets you set and maintain the proper angle. Somewhat useful for knives, critical for things like wood-turning chisels.

For my daily beater pocketknife, I sharpen it free-hand on a stone and touch it up with one of those hand-held ceramic sharpeners that have two ceramics in a "V" in a plastic handle. It won't sharpen an abused edge, but it's great for a quick touchup.

My hunter/skinner I do on a water wheel with an adjustable table that let's me set and maintain a precise angle. I hone it until I get a slight curl on the edge away from the stone and then strop it to remove the curl. It'll dry-shave your arm when it's right.

Right up until you hit a bone with it... :roll:

Georgezilla · Post by **Georgezilla** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:05 pm

I didn't get this blade with hunting in my mind. I just wanted a good EDC knife. Most of the time I cut little stuff with it i.e. zip ties, tape, plastic boxes, rope, plastic model sprues ect... So I suppose I'd want a fairly narrow edge. Is that possible to attain with just the sharpening stones?

Could you post a link of the water wheel and the vice you were mentioning?
Does one need an actual strop or could I use a leather belt?

Downeaster · Post by **Downeaster** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:22 pm

Yes, with a little practice, you can achieve and maintain a very nice general purpose edge with an ordinary "Arkansaw" double-sided stone and some 3-in-1 oil or WD40.

The water wheels are pretty spendy unless you're doing a LOT of sharpening but there's one here: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... okietest=1

Here is a diamond stone kit with a holding jig: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... _200332003

Several sorts of jigs are here: http://www.woodcraft.com/depts.aspx?dep ... Ggod03o9mw

toyfj40 · Post by **toyfj40** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:06 pm

more than you wanted to know...

http://www.WoodButcher.net/scary.shtml
http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_sharp
http://www.WoodWorkStuff.net/scary.html

on YouTube:
http://uk.YouTube.com/profile?user=WesA ... iew=videos

http://uk.YouTube.com/results?search_query=Scary+Sharp
http://uk.YouTube.com/watch?v=A_OZI_8k7h4
http://uk.YouTube.com/watch?v=uQEH-neQa9A
http://uk.YouTube.com/watch?v=7T1p3vfV-vI

Don't RUN with THAT!!! ...
-- toy

Georgezilla · Post by **Georgezilla** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:12 pm

Thank you both very much!

Toy, I had actually looked at a few of these videos on youtube. The problem was that I didn't know enough to spot what was BS and what was good advice. I had this same problem when I first got into shooting sports. Seems to be one of the draw backs of using the web to learn about something, you gotta know enough to know what good information is.

My next question is should I practice these techniques on one of my cheap blades or could I go straight to using them on the Benchmade?

And thank you for the advice Toy, but I do all my running with scissors

Downeaster · Post by **Downeaster** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:18 pm

Georgezilla wrote:Thank you both very much!

Toy, I had actually looked at a few of these videos on youtube. The problem was that I didn't know enough to spot what was BS and what was good advice. I had this same problem when I first got into shooting sports. Seems to be one of the draw backs of using the web to learn about something, you gotta know enough to know what good information is.

My next question is should I practice these techniques on one of my cheap blades or could I go straight to using them on the Benchmade?

Practice, definitely. While it's pretty hard to RUIN a new blade by sharpening it improperly, it is certainly possible to screw it up bad enough that it'll take hours to restore it!

toyfj40 · Post by **toyfj40** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:20 pm

Downeaster wrote:Practice, definitely.

+1 !!

SKnight · Post by **SKnight** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:37 pm

I can destroy an edge. Never got the freehand sharpening thing. I have Lansky and Gatco sharpeners that hold the blade in a fixture and maintains a precise angle. I can shave with my blades, but most have no idea how they got that way.

greener · Post by **greener** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:36 pm

As a long-time sucker for every cheap knife-sharpening widget I've seen, I can tell you that the double abrasive wheels and angled steel sets are only good for knives you don't want really sharp and have sharpened by some other method. They work almost as well as a good sharpening steel. I've also tried the new motorized 3-stage knife sharpeners and didn't like the results.

I've found the Smith knife sharpener http://www.knivesplus.com/smithsknifesh ... 50017.html to be pretty good for good run through the kitchen collection and a good start on my knives. The Lansky system looks to be identical to the Smith http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKC03.php They allow you to hold the constant 23° angle for most knives or the 17° angle for knives you want really sharp. Every now and then I will take a knife back to my tried and true carborundum stone, followed by an arkansas oil stone, followed by a 600 grit paper followed by a razor hone that has been used since about 1880.

The Smith/Lansky kits seem to to a pretty good job and quickly. They do aid you to keep a constant angle on the blade. You can to a bit more polishing with 600+grit paper and a razor hone and it will sharpen the knife a bit more. A few quick strokes with a steel every now and then will restore the edge.

I've never tried one of the Warthogs, but I've heard they do well

http://www.warthogsharp.com/

I'm glad I've never seen the water wheel, or I'd probably have me a $400 kit to sharpen swmbo's Shell Gas Station Knives.

stalkingbear · Post by **stalkingbear** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:21 am

I use crossed ceramic sticks. They're already set to the perfect angle and you can sharpen BOTH sides at same time. In fact-they're idiot proof-I know this because I used to mess up knife edges until I started using them. All you do is hold the knive vertical and 90 degrees to the sticks and bring the knife down & to you as if you were trying to cut a thin slice off the stick 1 time. Repeat on other side 1 time. Keep alternating until sharp.

SKnight · Post by **SKnight** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:55 pm

greener wrote:As a long-time sucker for every cheap knife-sharpening widget I've seen, I can tell you that the double abrasive wheels and angled steel sets are only good for knives you don't want really sharp and have sharpened by some other method. They work almost as well as a good sharpening steel. I've also tried the new motorized 3-stage knife sharpeners and didn't like the results.

I've found the Smith knife sharpener http://www.knivesplus.com/smithsknifesh ... 50017.html to be pretty good for good run through the kitchen collection and a good start on my knives. The Lansky system looks to be identical to the Smith http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKC03.php They allow you to hold the constant 23° angle for most knives or the 17° angle for knives you want really sharp. Every now and then I will take a knife back to my tried and true carborundum stone, followed by an arkansas oil stone, followed by a 600 grit paper followed by a razor hone that has been used since about 1880.

The Smith/Lansky kits seem to to a pretty good job and quickly. They do aid you to keep a constant angle on the blade. You can to a bit more polishing with 600+grit paper and a razor hone and it will sharpen the knife a bit more. A few quick strokes with a steel every now and then will restore the edge.

I've never tried one of the Warthogs, but I've heard they do well

http://www.warthogsharp.com/

I'm glad I've never seen the water wheel, or I'd probably have me a $400 kit to sharpen swmbo's Shell Gas Station Knives.

Go with this. Can't speak for the Smith but I've used a Lansky for years with shaving results. And I can ruin a knife by any conventional means.