Freehand Sharpening

[vikingdog]

This direct quote from Sharpeningsupplies.com sums it up. They have everything you could ask for in sharpening equipment and the prices look reasonable. Nice find cbnutt.


"The three most common types of sharpening stones are oil stones, water stones, and diamond stones. Each of these stones has its own advantages that can help users achieve their sharpening goals.

Oil stones
Oil stones are the traditional Western stones that many people grew up using. These stones are made from one of three materials (Novaculite, Aluminum Oxide, or Silicon Carbide) and use oil for swarf (metal filing) removal.

The first oil stones are natural stones made from Novaculite. These natural stones are quarried in Arkansas and processed to make what we call Arkansas Stones. These stones are separated into different grades related to the density and the finish a stone produces on a blade. The coarsest of them are called Washita. The finer grades are called Soft Arkansas, Hard Arkansas, and Hard Translucent Arkansas. These natural oil stones can produce a polished edge, but tend to cut more slowly than man-made stones.


The next fastest cutting oil stone is called the India stone. The India stone is made of Aluminum Oxide (corundum). These stones can cut fast, and can also produce a fine edge on tools and knives. The grading system for these stones is generally labeled fine, medium, and coarse. These stones are often brown or orange in color.

The fastest cutting oil stones are made of Silicon Carbide (carborundum). The silicon carbide stones made by Norton are called Crystolon stones. These stones are also labeled fine, medium, and coarse. They are usually gray in color. While these stones will not produce an edge as fine as the India or natural stones, the fast cutting makes them ideal for initial coarse sharpening.

The good overall performance and the modest price are the oil stone’s greatest assets. A set of India or Crystolon stones are the least expensive stones to purchase. These stones are also relatively hard, so the stones rarely require flattening.

The main disadvantage of the oil stone is its slower cutting rate. Of the three main stone types, the oil stone is the slowest. The fact that oil is used to remove the swarf is also messier to clean up than water.

Water Stones
Water stones are relatively new to the Western world, but have gathered a large following due to their many advantages. Like the oil stones, the water stones are available in both natural and synthetic materials. However, due to availability, only synthetic stones will be discussed.

Synthetic water stones are generally made of Aluminum Oxide. This is the same abrasive material used in the India stones. However, the difference between the two is the binder that holds the abrasives in the water stone together. Water stones are softer than India stones, which promotes faster cutting because the old abrasive material breaks away and is replaced with fresh sharp material.

Fast cutting is clearly an advantage of the water stone. The other obvious advantage is the use of water rather than oil to remove the swarf from the stone. However, the water stone is not perfect. The softness that promotes fast cutting also wears the stone down more quickly. This tends to wear the stone unevenly, which requires flattening to bring the stone back into shape.

Diamond Stones
Diamond stones contain small diamonds attached to the face of a metal plate. These small industrial diamonds are much harder than any of the other sharpening stones. However, not all diamond stones perform the same function, nor are they always created equal.

There are two main types of diamond stone styles. The more common style contains holes in the diamond surface to capture the swarf. These stones cut very fast and are very simple to use. The next type is the continuous diamond surface. These stones are preferred when you are sharpening tools with points that might get caught in the recesses of the non-continuous diamond surface. Both types of diamond stones are available in mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline diamonds. The mono-crystalline diamonds are more desirable as they will last longer.

The two greatest advantages of the diamond stone are the very fast cutting that the diamonds provide and the flatness that is retained by the diamond stone. In fact, coarse diamond stones are often used to flatten oil or water stones. The main disadvantage of the diamond stone is its initial cost. While these stones are the most expensive, they will also last a long time, so the long-term cost can be comparable to other stones.

There are good reasons why there are different types of sharpening stones available. There is not one type of stone that is best for everyone. Selecting the right one starts by finding the stone with the best combination of advantages for your particular sharpening needs."

[FRJ]

That's some good information, Mike. Thanks for that post.
Here are some pictures of some of my stones.

[vikingdog]

Great post Joe. I love the old stones with the original boxes, not to mention the knives. You've got some high class pieces there. The Belgian stone is supposed to be about the finest grade. As a matter of fact I think I'm going to start collecting nice stones now. What is the brand name of the carborundum razor hone in the bottom picture? It looks familiar.

So from what I read last night India stone and corundum are both made from Aluminuim Oxide. There may be different binders used to make the stones and that's the difference. My corundum stone is just a cheap Chinese flea market stone but I'll post photos of all of mine, probably on Saturday.

[Froggyedge]

Interesting and important thread with great info and nice pics!

Keeping the edge sharp for me is an essential part of the enjoyment of carrying and using a knife.
Cutting, slicing and whittling with a sharp knife feels great. Struggling with a dull edge is just frustrating and makes me grumpy.

I have searched my files to find some pics as illustrations and I have taken a few new ones and I think I'll divide this post into two parts.

Part one
The Really Dull Knife

As I've said earlier, there are many roads leading to the Rome of sharp edges. As long as you get there, your choice of road is not really important.
This is how I do it, but I do not in any way claim my way to be The Right Way.

As many of you know I'm a Norwegian and I grew up using a Tollekniv, which is our variety of the traditional Nordic fixed blades, just as the Swedes have their Slidkniv and the Finns their Puukko.
These knives are basically very similar and usually have a Scandinavian grind, or Scandi grind for short.
A Scandi grind produces a quite thin all-round edge, corresponding with our fixed blades traditionally being carried daily as all-round tools for whittling, farm work, working in the woods, making repairs, camp chores, preparing meals, eating, hunting, fishing... Once established, the edge is quite easily maintained.

Growing up with the Scandi grind probably explains why I generally prefer my blades with a quite thin edge profile.

For years I mostly used Arkansas stones or a combination of Carborundum stones and Arkansas stones.
The last years I have been drifting towards the combination of diamonds and ceramic.

In July we spent some time combining vacation with house watching for my better half's father and stepmother. Before they went on vacation to Spain, I was asked if I could possibly sharpen some of the kitchen knives and a few other knives in the house.
Let's use this as a "case study".

These are the straight edged knives I found in the kitchen drawers.

Nothing fancy, but mostly good quality utility knives with decent steel. For some reason Finnish Fiskars seems to be the preferred brand of the house.
Most of these knives have seen years of use without ever being sharpened and they were all very dull.
When sharpening very dull knives or blades with damaged edges, I start out with a diamond stone.
I had brought a stone with four grades of "grit" and the knives all screamed for the coarse treatment first.
Sunny days and I put on some sunglasses and went to work outdoors.

The bowl with water is for removing metal fragments from the diamonds, with I do frequently during the sharpening process.
Among the non-kitchen knives I sharpened was an old Sami knife (Leukku). The dark patina of the blade made it a good candidate for some pics, which I thought might come in handy some day.
I started by reprofiling the old and very dull blade, establishing a new edge with a thinner edge profile. Firm pressure initially, then gradually lighter.

Here you can see the new edge forming. Still quite rough, but getting smoother as I moved on to finer grades of diamonds.

Quite a few knives and metal residue was building up in the bowl as I worked.

With such a diamond stone and some skills you can get a decent working edge on most knives, and some times that is all you really need.
I like my edges to be a bit more refined for that shaving sharpness and moved on to a ceramic rod.
But I'll leave that for a part two. (If you're interested in reading more, that is...)

[vikingdog]

Bring on Part 2 Froggy! Nice work as always, thank you.

[Froggyedge]

Thanks!
Part two is still an unfinished draft, but hopefully not for very long...

[cbnutt]

how about some tips on cleaning the stones ? ive herd mabe some comet or simualar cleaner and a toothbrush or something, and rinse off with water.

[Froggyedge]

Diamond whetstones are extremely easy to clean. Just a few seconds under running tap water!
On Arkansas stones I used honing oil for many years. I cleaned them after use with a drop of dishwashing soap, a toothbrush and tap water.
No matter which type of stones you prefer, keeping them clean is important!

[coffeecup]

Being the cheap-and-lazy type, most of my stones come from auctions (where an old oil-soaked stone will often sell for less than a buck, because after all--who wants to clean them?).

Cleanup is easy. Put the stone in a pan or bowl (I use a cheap plastic shoe box from Wally-world). Put on rubber gloves. Spray the stone down with the cheapest oven cleaner you can find. Take the foam-covered stone and put it in a ziplock bag.

Let the stone sit over night. Put your gloves back on, open the bag in your sink, then scrub the stone with a wire brush. Oil and dirt are gone, and you can see what you actually have.

the dried soaked-in oil will come out this way, and the surfaces of the stone will be clean. If I need to dress the stone to flatten it out, I rub it on the side of a cinder block.

[vikingdog]

Great tip coffecup! Thank you.

[Froggyedge]

Part two
Shaving Sharp

In Part one I started out with some really dull knives, established new edges with a coarse diamond stone and then refined the edges with finer grades of diamonds.
Checking the edges, I now found them to be in the area "about shaving sharp", having what I regard as decent working edges.
But I like to take my edges one step further and for that I frequently use ceramic rods (sticks).

These are reasonably priced, quite effective and easy to use once you get the hang if it.
I use mine for all kinds of knives, from Chef's knives to small pocket knives. The big one is used mainly in the kitchen, the medium sized takes care of most fixed blades and pocket knives at home and the short one is used mainly for quick touch ups in the field.

When using a ceramic rod freehand, I definitely do not try to mimic the frantic whackety-whackety stuff that chef's always do when steeling. I'm rising the spine of the blade a hair higher than when using the diamond stone and move the edge controlled and carefully along the rod from base to tip. You can hold the rod still and move the knife or you can hold the knife still and move the rod. The important thing is maintaining the angle through the stroke so that the cutting edge is constantly touching the rod.

Just as when using the diamond stones, I start out applying some pressure and then gradually reducing it. For the last few strokes I apply minimal pressure.

(You don't need a tree! I just tried to keep from moving while the photographer focused.)

I asked my better half about the kitchen knives and she told me that one of them she could clearly remember from back when she was a child. It was hopelessly dull even back then and it has never been sharpened since.
Here it is:

An old and inexpensive kitchen knife, but made in Eskilstuna, Sweden with Swedish steel. And those are good knives.
After establishing a new edge with the diamond stone and refining it using a ceramic rod, the knife was sharp for the first time since it left the factory many years ago, and probably sharper now than ever.

- Care for a leg shaving?
She just grinned and nodded. (Not the first time I've asked her)
Worked just fine!
To get your knife shaving sharp you need a decent steel, but you don't need an expensive top-shelf super steel. This fixed blade from Steel Warrior is certainly no expensive knife, but it will take a shaving sharp edge.

How about stropping?
Certainly a good idea for obtaining those hair-popping edges. But in my experience not really necessary.
Here's a little trick that I have used for years:
When you have finished your edge on a ceramic rod, a hard Arkansas, a fine grit Japanese Waterstone or whatever you are using, sit down and flex those thigh muscles. Then lay your blade on your thigh, rise the spine a little and move your blade towards the spine.
(If you forget and move it edge first, please call 911 immediately and don't sue me!)

Of course you can not sharpen your knives on your pants, but you may take your edge that final minor step from shaving sharp to hair-popping sharp. This is not about steel removal, but taking care of some micro-burr that may still remain.
Try it and see for yourself!

Old and well used McCoy, but shaving sharp.

But do I really need my knife to be hair-popping sharp?
Probably not!
I guess the vast majority of knife owners live meaningful and happy lives without ever shaving with their knives, or even wanting to do so. This is my road to shaving sharp, but I will not tell any of you to go there if you don't feel the need to.
The good old Ka-Bars were sometimes used to dig for mines. For knives used very roughly, shaving sharp is pointless and even stupid.

Personally I like to keep my edges pretty sharp.
I purchased this EKA from a Swedish gentleman at a fair earlier this month. Nice model for hiking, but it was a bit scratched up from sharpening and very dull.
No problem. After some sharpening and care it makes those thin shavings that I like and is ready for new adventures.

Vikingdog wrote:

I find it to be relaxing and rewarding to sharpen my knives by hand.

I feel the same way.
Touch up your edge frequently, before it goes really dull, and you will not have to bring out those coarse stones for a long time. You will always have a sharp edge that is fun and easy to use, and it is no hard work at all!
A few weeks ago we spent a day by the fjord. A lazy Summer day just enjoying the nice weather. I used my pocket knife several times during the day. Among other things I whittled a couple of primitive wooden knives for eating, as we had brought forks only
My knife was still plenty sharp at the end of the day, but I enjoyed giving the edge a little touch-up while looking at the sunset.

Happy sharpening!

[vikingdog]

Thank you Froggy! And thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread. It's a great source of information on stones and sharpening, exactly what I was looking for!

[FRJ]

Excellent post, Frode. Very good job. A lot of important information.

Also, I liked coffecup's idea for cleaning stones.

[coffeecup]

Not mine, strictly speaking--credit should go to my "Grandpa" (actually my mother's uncle's father-in-law, but if you grew up in a small town you'll understand). He used to boil his stones in lye solution; oven cleaner is just easier to find and safer. It does the same thing.

I could never master his trick of rubbing two out-of-flat stones together to dress them, so I've always used concrete blocks or pavement. He laughed at me about this til he tried it, then said he could still learn new tricks from someone 80+ years his junior.

[Froggyedge]

Thanks for the kind words!
It's a great thread and a good source of information about free hand sharpening. I enjoyed working with my contribution and I'm very happy if any of all the experienced contributors and readers can find some tips of value in my ramblings!

I think it's also an important thread. How to put at least a decent working edge on your knife freehand was common knowledge not that long ago. I'm not too worried about the AAPKers, but what percentage of the general population have such knowledge and skills today?
I don't know the answer, but I believe it's a sad one...

[kayaker]

Great thread folks !
A lot of good and usefull info. And I agree Froggy, there are a lot of "fine arts" that are not being passed along to our younger generation
( or even to our contemporaries for that matter ! ) Knowing how to sharpen a knife( and even whittle a knife to eat with !) should be a rite of passage for our teens , along w/ basic survival skills in the outdoors. We can only do our part to pass this knowledge along, and thanks to you all that's what we do ! That's what I like about these forums.Keep up the good work !!
Kayaker

[carvin don]

Sharp tools are fer sissies, push harder!

Just funnin', just funnin'

LOTS of great information here on hand sharpening, folks, thanks for sharin' The only other thing I might add, is to sharpen, if possible, with a GOOD light source. A dull edge will reflect light, and those lil' nicks and rounded edges will stick out like a neon light when exposed to direct light. A GOOD light source can be very helpful.

I myself, use power to sharpen mostly...since I like to whittle more and sharpen less...for anyone interested, here is a link to a similar thread we had a couple years back on sharpening ... http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... rpening+d2 ...

[Froggyedge]

I agree, Don.
A good light source, and keeping an eye on what's going on with your edge as you work, is very important! As I was experimenting and learning in the beginning I frequently failed to do so. When making a new bevel I sometimes stopped after a while thinking "this ought to be enough!" Often it was not. The new bevel of virgin steel had not yet reached down to the cutting edge and I did not get a good result. Inspecting your edge as you work is a vital part of the process!

Thanks for linking to the old thread! You say some important things there and posted some good pictures!

[granerdm]

this my first time responding to a post and my typing and spelling sucks but here we go.I believe FRJ is right on I have a box full of stones some I use with oil some I use water.It just seems that some stones just won't work on some blades.having the right light and being able to see the cutting edge going over the stone is most important.also keeping the stones clean from past sharpenings.I might be doing something wrong but I use me rougher stones to freshen up my finers stones.it might sound sick but i'm all broke down and have a hard time getting around and I buy 1 or 2 knives aday.so I have a sharpening station next to my bed.I wake up in the middle of night can't go back to sleep so I sharpen old knives.I don't like those diamond sharpeners at all.anyway the more you sharpen the better you get.

[vikingdog]

Welcome and thank you for the post granerdm How many different kinds of stones do you own? Do you have one that you favor over the others? You'll have to post some pictures of your knives.

[Froggyedge]

Granerdm!
I guess I've sharpened a few knives myself at night when I could not sleep.
Just wondering; don't you like any kind of diamond stones at all?
For many years I did not use them either. My main reason for using them now is that the surface of a diamond stone always will remain flat and even.

[Just Plain Dave]

I've never had a really good stone and was never successful with the stones I did use.

For something really dull, I let my friend do the initial work.

I have two pocket size steels: One Klein Tools #44151 and an old Sheffield. I generally use one of these followed by a ceramic stick. I have a nice Gray Lansky with a wooden handle and some white sticks from a set of Crock Sticks.

Last thing I do is strop on my pants.

Sharp enough for me is cleanly slicing paper. And any knife in my pocket will do so!

[vikingdog]

I just received a used Russell barlow with a beautiful edges on the blades, some of the best I've seen. He said he did it with the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I think it's worth looking into if this knife is any indication of what it can do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_lxv6fCU3M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVTj3r3Gtd8

http://www.thespydercostore.com/Spyderc ... /204mf.htm

[ChrisM]

I use stones as many people here have done but have a little twist to it. Instead of using a rod i use the top edge of my car window. It really puts that "razor" edge on it. It it also very a convenient way to keep that edge on your knife when you are work and don't have access to your stones. i have been called crazy but it works.

[peshikthe]

i use a smiths diamond hone that stores in the handle and has a corse and fine side it is a great tool for sharpening 15.00 bucks wallly world.i drag my middle finger across lightly on the hone and if i want a super fine edge i use a smooth/fine arkansas stone.