Kryptonite
Plinker
There are many good ways to sharpen a knife. I choose tools for the job based on the steel type, profile, it's condition, my customer's intended use for the knife and the amount of time that I can invest. I may choose to manually sharpen on bench water stones, use the edge-guided Edge Pro Professional, the Sharpmaker for serrations or touch ups, mouse pad and sandpaper, leather strops with Bark River compounds.
I even use belt sanders - Yikes! Yes, in the proper hands belt sanders put a razor edge on knives without ruining the profile or the temper of the steel, and without removing more material than necessary to get the job done right. My sander was designed and built specifically for knife sharpening. The belt moves at under 900 feet/minute and the steel doesn't even get warm. It still takes a light touch and an eye for geometry to use this tool effectively. My customers are delighted with the results. I do work gun and knife shows, but I was not at the Indianapolis 1500.
Please don't fear the belt sander as an effective sharpening system. It's not the tool, it's the sharpener that matters. At a show, ask the other vendors about the sharpener you want to hire - they will know the quality of his work.
I even use belt sanders - Yikes! Yes, in the proper hands belt sanders put a razor edge on knives without ruining the profile or the temper of the steel, and without removing more material than necessary to get the job done right. My sander was designed and built specifically for knife sharpening. The belt moves at under 900 feet/minute and the steel doesn't even get warm. It still takes a light touch and an eye for geometry to use this tool effectively. My customers are delighted with the results. I do work gun and knife shows, but I was not at the Indianapolis 1500.
Please don't fear the belt sander as an effective sharpening system. It's not the tool, it's the sharpener that matters. At a show, ask the other vendors about the sharpener you want to hire - they will know the quality of his work.
