How to practice getting knives sharp.

[Mosinguy]

I've been looking around to getting a custom knife made for me. Nothing too special just a 1095 blade. What can I do to practice getting knives sharp? My Smith sharpening systems suck bad. How can I get a good feel for the needed angle?

I'm thinking a relatively cheap stone that's kinda long and wide and then a plain leather strip on a piece of wood. But the angle thing seems to be most inportant. I'm so bad at sharpening knives I don't even sharpen anymore since I just make them dull.


EDIT: I might get a Sharpmaker for Christmas but I don't want to have to rely on a sharpening system. I want to have the skill to be able to sharpen something if all I have access to is a regular old stone.

 

[x10]

go to walmart, buy a couple knives,
go here
Razor Edge Systems

get a good kit

burn up a couple knives learning and your good to go

 

[Mosinguy]

go to walmart, buy a couple knives,
go here
Razor Edge Systems

get a good kit

burn up a couple knives learning and your good to go

That "clamping" type action on my Smith's system doesn't do much to make my knives sharp.

 

[PointFiveO]

The guys at the chop in do some nasty voodoo with sandpaper, if you can get them to teach you you'll be dry shaving with pocket change.

 

[Gabriel]

The guys at the chop in do some nasty voodoo with sandpaper, if you can get them to teach you you'll be dry shaving with pocket change.

There's something I'd love to learn.

 

[jbombelli]

Just get a couple of cheaper knives, and a set of stones. Early on mark the edge bevels with a sharpie. Push the knife as though you're shaving the top of the stone off. Give a few passes back and forth and look at the ink. If it's all gone, on both sides, your angle should be good. If only part of it is gone, you'll see how you need to adjust your angle based on what's still there.

I too don't like systems. I like stones. It takes some time to get the feel for it, but once you do, you'll be good to go.

 

[buckstopshere]

Get the sharpmaker. I love mine and I couldn't get a knife sharp for nothing. Now, I can get them razor, hair shaving sharp no problem.

The sharpmaker will train you on the right angle. I can use stones now on my hawk and junglas and get them both sharp no problem. The sharpmaker really helps learn the angles.

 

[PointFiveO]

Here is what I'm talking about, Mosin. I would try this before anything else for a few reasons:
1) Cheap. You aren't buying stones, guides, machines. If this is not up your alley, you won't be out much and you can try another process without being sad that you went this route.
2) Effective. From what I've seen you get perfect razor edges using this system.
3) Room for error. As stated in the article, the softness of the mousepad/strop holding your paper helps remove human error; you must have a perfect angle on a stone. It may even help you practice keeping steady if you wish to move to a stone later.

Sharpening Knives Using Sandpaper And Mousepad

Downfall: It takes a while to get good results. You can do it quickly with practice and the correct transition of grits from what I understand, but the machines and contraptions with set angles really do speed things up. But it sounds to me you are more interested in skill and you are focused on a single knife or a few knives, so I'm thinking this is a process you'd like. Another thing is that you are getting a convex edge rather than the flat V shaped edge you'd get from a stone. There are advantages to each, so you may want to research what you want out of your edge before you choose your process.

People will tell you there are different ways to attain your edge, but I think most people will agree that a strop finish gives you the sharpest final edge.

I'm still learning as well, but I've come to the conclusion that this is what I'll be practicing in the very near future to serve my own sharpening purposes. I've seen the results and while I've seen knifes just as sharp from machines and stones, I must say that the price tag of sandpaper and the lure of learning another skill is great. I was going with stones, but the fact is I am a fan of stropping and stropping a stone-ground edge just rounds it to convex anyway.... So why not just start out convex?

 

[jmdavis984]

I had to practice for quite a while on my Lansky clamp-on system (like the Smith's, but better quality and more stone grits available). I took a few cheap (free) junk knives of unknown steel, and simply worked them until I could see the steps clearly. I learned two things in the process:
1. The bur is important. If you don't have a bur on the opposite side from your work, you're not done on that side yet.
2. A strop takes a knife from being really sharp to being CRAZY sharp. They aren't "absolutely necessary" for a very sharp knife, but they do add a level of sharpness. I haven't used a strop for maintenance yet, but fro what I hear giving a knife a good stropping after every use can extend the life of your edge, allowing you to spend more time cutting and less time sharpening.

 

[old man Bill]

The sandpaper method is called Scary Sharp, do a Google on it and you'll see. It's real simple but the Spyderco is best all around. I have 3 of them and the oldest one is over 45 years old. They cost $19.99 back then.
Bill