Freehand Sharpening

[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.

[FRJ]

Mike, you rascal, I saw that Russell Barlow in another thread. What a beauty. I don't have one.

I'm hopin someday..................

[vikingdog]

It's a beauty Joe. I'll keep my eye out for one for you. That Spyderco system looks pretty good. It gets rave reviews everywhere I've checked.

[FRJ]

Thanks Mike, for some reason I can't bring up you tube on my PC. Rarely can I get something to show.
I'm not what you would call savvy in this field either. Ya recon I need some special magnet in this thing!!!

[vikingdog]

Hey Joe, I just sent you two YouTube links in an e-mail. Maybe it will work from there? Or just cut and past them in your browser...

[FRJ]

I thought I would bring Mikes old thread up to include some stones I got last Sunday.
I love old stones and I have blathered far too much about them, but wanted to show these off and ask about one in particular. I'm just guessing, but the odd shaped one seem like it could be a Belgium water stone.
Anyone have any thoughts on this stone? It's about 7" X 21/2" X 1".
The other two are very nice white and black Arkansas stones. About 8" X 2" X 1".

A girl was selling all her fathers carpentry tools. (UGH!!) The stones were about all that was left.

[carrmillus]

There are bits and pieces of info scattered throughout the various forums about freehand sharpening. Any chance of getting some of you Old School guys like me to post your thoughts, techinques, various kind of stones etc. here? Any information about freehand sharpening would be appreciated.

I've always sharpened my knives on a stone but had mixed results. I'm trying to refine my skills with what I learn here. I picked up a good sized carborundum stone at the flea market last week and it seems to do a pretty good job.

mike, i've always used a stone, i have fine, medium , and coarse, and it is something that takes a lot of practice. i have my grandfather's soft arkansas stone which he gave me right before he died in 1953.he showed me how to use it, and after he did, i was always able to sharpen almost anything. by the way, that stone now is about 7/8" thick on the ends, and about 3/8' thick in the center, but it's a treasure, and it still works better than anything i've ever tried.

[vikingdog]

"I love old stones and I have blathered far too much about them." No way Joe, I like them too! Thanks for reviving this thread, I'd like to see that blue stone, have you tried it out yet?

Thanks for the post Tommy, I've been using a Spyderco Edgemaker and it does a really nice job without scratching the blades. I still like stones and look for them at the flea market.

I just received a Viking whetstone as a gift from Billswfl. It's a beautiful stone that is hung from a leather cord. Thank you Bill! Check it out:

From Ragnar's website: http://www.ragweedforge.com/SharpeningCatalog.html

"In Viking times small whetstones were often worn as pendants. These are reproductions of whetstone pendants found in a Viking Age ship wreck at Kalåstad, Norway. Similar pendants have been found in York, Birka, and Gotland. They are cut from Jasper, and seem somewhere between the hard black and translucent Arkansas stones. That means they are super fine. They are suitable for the final edge and polish, rather than removing nicks and general sharpening."

The photo is from Ragnar's site too.

[Just Plain Dave]

I have been getting EXCELLENT results with the bulb out of some sort of highway light that I got hold of. Seems to be quartz or some such. I gave a hokey little lockback a guy where I pick up freight had a pretty good edge in just a few minutes.

[vikingdog]

Willie was using them too. Ceramic rods out of highway lamps. I've heard they work very well.

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

Vikingdog and other members,Thank you so much for this educational info and sharpening lessons. This has been most helpful!

Rocky

[TripleF]

Vikingdog and other members,Thank you so much for this educational info and sharpening lessons. This has been most helpful!

Rocky

Here! Here! +1

[buck16]

JP Dave I keep one in my pocket all the time. I use it to keep whatever I'm carrying tune up.

[FRJ]

[quote="vikingdog"]"I love old stones and I have blathered far too much about them." No way Joe, I like them too! Thanks for reviving this thread, I'd like to see that blue stone, have you tried it out yet?

Mike, yes, I did use that blue stone. You can see the scratches on it. I think someone tried to sharpen a scribe or something similar. There were a lot more scratches on it before I sharpened a couple of my larger kitchen knives on it.
Actually the stone is yellow and blue, as you can see, and from what I read about Belgium stones the yellow is a bit finer than the blue. This may be considered a second rate stone as the two colors are mixed.
Thanks for your comments, Mike. Nice thread.

EDIT: I also wanted to comment on those nice stones you showed, Mike. They are beautiful.
I'll bet Muscrat Man could make some nice handles with them.

[vikingdog]

Does a slurry form when you put water on the stone Joe? I've been reading about the Belgian stones, or Ardennes coticule and they contain garnet. Here's a clip from a site,
http://uk.ardennes-coticule.com/index.asp?id=385

"In honing tools, the wire edge produced from grinding is removed and the cutting edge is polished. While doing this on the water soaked Blue Whetstones something unusual happens. When the cutting edge is drawn across the smooth surface of the stone the fine crystals of garnet are released with particles of stone to produce, in combination with the water a very fine slurry. The garnet crystals cut lightly into the metal taking very fine shavings. The hardness of the garnet allows for a very quick removal of metal, but the roundness allows for a very exact polish of the honed edge. This combination of speed and fineness is world-wide unique. The „Blue Whetstone“ creates a finely honed edge with which makes it is easy to cut through wood fibres."

They are expensive stones, especially the yellow.

[FRJ]

Yes, Mike, a slurry did form as I sharpened. I didn't use the stone a lot. I said I sharpened a few knives, but I really just touched them up and it happened rather quickly. I'm looking forward to really putting it to work.
I can't believe I scored such a great and fine stone....... for $1.00!