Sharpening Your Knife

Modern Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Modern Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Buck Conner1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2015
Messages
4,592
Reaction score
557
knife-sharpening15-850x414.jpg


Sharpening Your Knife

<div align="left">The most difficult knife care task is said to be sharpening a blade. Modern stainless steel is very hard and when sharpened properly, will hold a good edge for a very long time.​
When sharpening a knife, you must have a high quality sharpener that features a rough stock removal surface of diamond abrasive and a finishing surface of hard stone or ceramic abrasive. The diamond and ceramic materials will cut away the blade’s cutting surface easily as these materials are much harder than steel. A hard stone will also perform this task, but the stone is only slightly harder than the steel and this requires more effort on your part. Before you put your knife on the stone you should coat the stone with a little oil. The oil will float the metal and stone particles that are produced in the sharpening process, enabling you to wipe them off at the end of the process so that the pores in the stone do not get clogged.​
As you sharpen your knife on a stone, there are several factors to keep in mind: the angle of the blade, the pressure of each stroke, the number of strokes per side of the edge and sharpening the entire edge. A General rule of thumb is to sharpen hunting knives at 20 to 30 degrees and kitchen knives at 15 to 20 degrees. See above image.​
Once you have the proper angle, draw the knife across the stone toward the edge. Try to imagine that you are slicing a very thin piece off the stone. Draw the blade in a sweeping motion so that the entire edge comes in contact with the stone. Make sure to hone the tip of the knife too. Grind one edge along the stone edge-first until a burr is formed on the other side of the edge. You can feel the burr with your thumb, on the side of the edge opposite the stone. The presence of the burr means that the steel is thin enough at the top that it is folding over slightly, because the bevel you have just ground has reached the edge tip. If you stop before the burr is formed, then you have not ground all the way to the edge tip, and your knife will not be as sharp as it should be. The forming of the burr is critically important – it is the only way to know for sure that you have sharpened far enough on that side. Once the bur r is formed on one side, turn the kni fe over and repeat the process. Make sure and use the same number of strokes on each side to make a keen edge. After the knife has been sharpened, use progressively finer stones to hone the knife to razor sharpness.​
Crazy Crow Article​
</div>
 
For years I used nothing but a Shrade diamond steel. I still use it to hone an edge followed by a leather strop. Another sharpener that I've been using since I got it for Christmas is a Smith's sharpening steel with embedded diamonds and additional ceramic sticks. This puts a nice edge on a knife too but even the ceramic tends to leave it a little rough. The leather strop (an old 2" wide belt) makes it so it will pop off individual hairs off your arm.
 
Good topic for discussion 'Buck.   Blade sharpening is something I definitely need to improve on.  I've ruined a good blade or two by not sharpening correctly.  I enjoy watching Forged in Fire on TV.
 
I cheat now days! I am actually good at Free hand, but NOTHING like this Setup!!

This is my New KME Sharpening Setup, I can get a Knife SPOOKY sharp with this thing!!

BfLkhMal.jpg
 
I also have this Variable Speed Worksharp, Ken Onion Edition, Mounted to a Solid Tripod. it works really good to, But i prefer my new KME for my Folder Knives.

wHBFRE4.jpg
 
They make some SERIOUS Knife Sharpening Systems these days, Some get well upward of a 1,000 Bucks  :affraid:


Here are a Few of them


Wicked Edge Pro
iPDMde1.jpg




TS Prof,  Russian Model
7ww78Iz.jpg




And Hapstone, I REALLY contemplated one of these, They have a few differe models, but i ended up going with the KME above
1BGyStql.jpg
 
Idaholewis said:
I cheat now days! I am actually good at Free hand, but NOTHING like this Setup!!

This is my New KME Sharpening Setup, I can get a Knife SPOOKY sharp with this thing!!
I cheat with one of those too. :lol!:
 
<div align="left"> As a knife maker since 1966,  I've mostly used is my Lansky 4 stone sharpening system from the 70's (1979 to be precise). Before that it was a Carborundum stone and Kerosene. Most everyone here (who owns one of my knives) will tell you the Lansky system works!! Thanks for the tutorial.​
</div>
Stoney
 
I owe ya an Apology here Buck, I shouldn’t have added the Fancy Modern stuff. I can sharpen really well Free hand, as you posted above. I just got Lazy and Wanted to be More Precise, More so on my Higher end Knives. 

Sharpening by hand is Something not everyone possesses the Skill to do, or to do properly, i have seen some Really nice knives Ruined from improper Sharpening. I started out as a little boy, I got my Dad’s Sharpener out 1 time when i was a VERY young Kid (probably 7-8 Years old?) I started working on a Cheap Pocket Knife that i had recieved as gift, I remember following everything i had watched my Dad, and my Grandpa do. I got that little pocket Knife SPOOKY SHARP! I could easily shave hair with it, I couldn’t wait to Show it to my Dad when he got home from Work!! He opened the Knife, did his Test, Looked at my Mother and Said “This knife is identical to my own” I was a proud Kid! Then he took it away from me, I can remember this like it happened yesterday
 
When in the field I use a river rock or smooth stone for a fast touchup if needed, it works.
 
Idaholewis said:
I also have this Variable Speed Worksharp, Ken Onion Edition, Mounted to a Solid Tripod. it works really good to, But i prefer my new KME for my Folder Knives.
Idaholewis
Sorry buddy, but I've NEVER been a fan of those little "powered" sharpeners  :no:  That is not to say that they don't make a good little grinder??? but I've seen waaaay too many people destroy a good knife with one!! The general consensus seems to be that, the longer you hold the blade on that little grinding belt, the sharper it's gonna' get...WRONG that just burns the Hell out of a good blade. I've used a 4 stone Lansky sharpening system since the 70's, never failed me. In the 60's it was just a Carborundum stone, oil, and a leather strop. Ask anyone here who owns one of my knives if it was sharp when it showed up?  ;)
Just my $.02, thanks for listening.
Stoney
 
stoney1 said:
Just my $.02, thanks for listening.
Stoney
My knife had a slight "rolled" edge on one side Stoney, no problem once it was sharpened - like the knife.
 
stoney1 said:
Idaholewis said:
I also have this Variable Speed Worksharp, Ken Onion Edition, Mounted to a Solid Tripod. it works really good to, But i prefer my new KME for my Folder Knives.

Idaholewis
Sorry buddy, but I've NEVER been a fan of those little "powered" sharpeners  :no:  That is not to say that they don't make a good little grinder??? but I've seen waaaay too many people destroy a good knife with one!! The general consensus seems to be that, the longer you hold the blade on that little grinding belt, the sharper it's gonna' get...WRONG that just burns the Hell out of a good blade. I've used a 4 stone Lansky sharpening system since the 70's, never failed me. In the 60's it was just a Carborundum stone, oil, and a leather strop. Ask anyone here who owns one of my knives if it was sharp when it showed up?  ;)
Just my $.02, thanks for listening.
Stoney
Stoney1,  I absolutely agree! I would safely wager a LARGE bet that more knives have been Destroyed using power tools to try and sharpen than anything (i just seen an OLD Shrade Lockback at a Garage sale that had been on a Course Bench Grinder, The Knife was COMPLETELY Ruined) That being said, Some folks don’t have any business trying to change a Car Tire!!! The Worksharp above works STELLAR in experienced Hands. But in inexperienced Hands they are almost GAURANTEED to be a Disaster. I have been Sharpening Steel since i was a little Boy, I understand it extremely well. I use to Sharpen Long and Short Heels for Cock fighters, 100s and even Thousands of Dollars on the Line, and i did so using Power. Again, Depends on the Person behind the Tool
 
Stoney1,  I absolutely agree! I would safely wager a LARGE bet that more knives have been Destroyed using power tools to try and sharpen than anything (i just seen an OLD Shrade Lockback at a Garage sale that had been on a Course Bench Grinder, The Knife was COMPLETELY Ruined) That being said, Some folks don’t have any business trying to change a Car Tire!!! The Worksharp above works STELLAR in experienced Hands. But in inexperienced Hands they are almost GAURANTEED to be a Disaster. I have been Sharpening Steel since i was a little Boy, I understand it extremely well. I use to Sharpen Long and Short Heels for Cock fighters, 100s and even Thousands of Dollars on the Line, and i did so using Power. Again, Depends on the Person behind the Tool
Idaholewis
Thank you. As with ANYTHING, if you use have a little knowledge and use some common sense BEFORE you do something stupid it goes a loooong way to being successful!!!
I started making knives in 1966 and never liked those "machines" I remember my mom destroying a good knife  :oops:  with the new fangled rotary knife sharpener on the back of her new Electric can opener! :x
Thanks again.
Stoney
 
Buck Conner said:
stoney1 said:
Just my $.02, thanks for listening.
Stoney
My knife had a slight "rolled" edge on one side Stoney, no problem once it was sharpened - like the knife.
Sorry Buck
I was sure I tested your knife before it left my shop!?
Stoney
 
Stoney1,  You mention the Old Can opener/Knife Sharpener (Destroyer) that brought a Smile, I remember my Grandmother having 1 of them VILE Creations!! EVERY old Steak type knife in her Kitchen Drawer was Ruined From it, My Grandfather kept CLOSE track of the Few nicer Kitchen knives they had, Those were NOT allowed a trip through the Can Opener! Grandpa did those by Hand. Thanks for the Walk down memory lane :D
 
Idaholewis said:
Stoney1,  You mention the Old Can opener/Knife Sharpener (Destroyer) that brought a Smile, I remember my Grandmother having 1 of them VILE Creations!! EVERY old Steak type knife in her Kitchen Drawer was Ruined From it, My Grandfather kept CLOSE track of the Few nicer Kitchen knives they had, Those were NOT allowed a trip through the Can Opener! Grandpa did those by Hand. Thanks for the Walk down memory lane :D
Idaholewis
No problem. My pleasure. ;) Yeah... none of my knives EVER touch a motorized stone. It's, hand done or nothing. I have a customer dropping off one of my knives that he bought 4 years ago for it's first sharpening. It was a fancy Cowboy Bowie. He said it dressed 5 deer so far. Good steel. :D
Stoney
 
I have one of those Worksharp sharpeners but use it ONLY for the kitchen knives. My hunting knives do not go near that.  I've used a Lansky system very similar to the system Lewis uses but that is only on a new or very dull knife (like one a friend gives me to sharpen). I normally just have to hone my knife by hand on my Shrade steel and leather strop.
I one was watching my guide dress out a mulie buck I shot and I could see his knife wasn't too sharp. I handed him my Buck folding hunter and he was amazed how sharp it was. I believe his exact words were "this is serious sharp"...LOL
When we got back to camp I took about an hour and sharpened his and showed him how to keep it super sharp.
The most problems I see with keeping a sharp knife besides holding the correct angle is having a knife with cheap steel. I would get some people's knife close to being sharp and get what I call a "wire edge" where the very edge of the blade begins to break off and continuously folds back and forth as you hone it.
 
bronko22000
At the point of having a "wire edge" (burr) that's when the leather strop needs to come out
I use a 4 stone Lansky sharpening system. I've used it since the 70's or 80's, whenever they came out? My wife bought it for me as a Christmas gift. When I set up at a show I endorse Lansky. I don't get paid by them for it, but they did send me a Brandie New 5 stone system about a year ago, it's still in the box? I haven't been able to wear the original one out yet. I've never tried their new "Wicked Edge" system, I can't afford one. If you can't sharpen a knife with a good stone set, then there's NO reason to spend $800.00 for a "better" one. I DO touch up my knives on a Japanese Water Stone. I use it for all of my chef's knives and just plain kitchen knives. I used to be a chef and a culinary teacher, so a sharp knife is as important to me as the air you breathe.
Sorry to drone on but this is just my opinion. Thank you for your post.
God bless:
Stoney
 
Back
Top