A small number of posts on this blog have been about knife sharpening; probably nowhere near as much as should be on here considering how knife-heavy our content is, but nonetheless we do have a couple articles:
- What’s the Best Way to Sharpen Stainless Steel Knives?
- How to Use a Japanese Water Stone (Whetstone) to Sharpen a Knife
As well as reviews of the Hapstone Pro & the Smith’s PP1 sharpeners.
Thomas has used many tools to sharpen before – Japanese waterstones, manual systems like the Spyderco Sharpmaker (which we have in Canada but didn’t get a chance to review before we left), sandpaper, DMT stones, and belt grinders. He’s tested the Smith’s PP1, and the Lansky Blademedic for reviews, though he doesn’t ever prefer to use them over other techniques. We actually just got a second hand Worksharp here in the UK as well, so now that’s also a part of his long list of items he’s used to sharpen.
His favourites, I’ll let outline himself:
My favourite sharpening method is using a mechanized platform like a belt grinder or the Worksharp system. I’m just comfortable free-handing steel removal at an aggressive rate and thus, speed and efficiency are my primary concerns. That said, I do quite often use a water stone, which is mostly about the feel rather than the actual performance benefit. As for the belts used, to be specific, I use Trizact belts to set the primary grind, and then go up to a leather belt with a green compound (literally a leather belt that goes on my belt grinder – not a hand strop).
As for me – of course, I use Thomas to sharpen knives ;)
King 1000/6000 Japanese Whetstones Sharpening Stones – Amazon
Cheap Set of Sharpening Stones – Amazon
What about you? Do you sharpen your own knives?
Have you tried sharpening before? Do you have a preferred technique? If you don’t sharpen your knives yourself, where do you get them sharpened? If you do sharpen them yourself, what technique do you use most often?
Do you sharpen different knives with different tools? Let me know in the comments down below!
Further comments: On sharpening folders with serrations and serrated kitchen knives.
If one is lucky, he finally attains an age when glasses are required and actual sunlight to be able to sharpen knives. Eventually, a person might have to deal with serrations. There are series of options. Yes, you can use a Spyderco stick, a small diameter file, a specialty tool which is essentially a round file with a decreasing diameter or the edge of a stone. What would you do if you had a pile of used TSA confiscated knives or had to deal periodically with the banged up serrated kitchen knives?
Here is what I do. Two Spyderco Enduras came in. One had a broken tip (guy must have thought the knife was screwdriver!) and one was advertised as “dull”. They were cleaned with a flattened que tip and vinegar. Then a coating of lubricant spray. The destroyed tip was reformed with a Harbor Freight belt sander (cheap enough, but should have purchased a two inch grinder). Then I ran each serration against the end or edge of the moving belt sander paper. The non serrated portions of the blades were run through a worksharp. Why? It was the most efficient way for me to get the projects done in a hurry and with the right angle. The knives were going to be reserve spares and probably only carried and never used. There would be no need to filet fish, shave hairs off an arm, or chop up sheets of paper.
Definitely a quick and dirty way to get a solid utility edge on serrations. You definitely don’t need to spend 30 minutes individually sharpening each serration unless you need to for a specific purpose (or you have the time to kill).
I’m using cheap carborundum for course, Makita dressing stone (1200 grit – Manufactured by King Japanese Whetstone ) for medium/fine grind, and local sandstone (don’t if it works on premium steels) for polishing, after that I strop it in leather loaded with chromium oxide and added it a little Vaseline because the green compound is kinda dry as a brick. Not so perfect line up but works well for me.
and if it works well for you mate, then stick with it. ;)
My preferred method is manual/hand sharpening using local whet stone, I have three different grits. I sharpen the knifes whenever I feel it dull so I don’t have to remove too many steel out of the knives.
Last treatment would be stropping on leather with some drops of paste.
Sounds similar to what I do, what kind of paste do you use on your strop? I use green compound but I know some of you have used the diamond paste stuff- how does it work out?
Hey Thomas, which green compound do you use? I use the one developed by Lee Valley , I assume you know the retailer from your time in Canada
Haha, I use the same ;) Lee Valley is the bomb, they used to make a badass “Peasant” knife- look into it if they still have it.
Good article, but no mention of KME? I’ve been using it and have been putting mirror edges on everything for about 2 years and haven’t looked back.
Looks like a solid system, reminds me of the Gritomatic I own, never used it though (didn’t even know it existed) so thats why its not on the list! Thanks for the recommendation!
I mostly use a set of Arkansas stones that I have had for about thirty years. The flat rectangular kind. I sharpen freehand and finish on a leather strop. I have diamond stones for my super steel knives. When I know I’m going to the woods I carry a small Arkansas stone. I have used very fine sandpaper laid on glass, or wrapped on a dowel on occasion. In a pinch, the bottom of a coffee mug (the rough unglazed bottom rim) or a rock will give an acceptable edge.
The first knives I sharpened where on the back of a coffee mug! Definitely an acceptable edge, especially when sharpening relatively soft carbon steel knives.
I used to have a hobby/business sharpening knives.
I’d start with a 1″ belt sander for course grinding. Then move on to a fine India oil stone.
I finished with a very fine porcelain rod.
These days I have knife spa Sundays to keep the sharp, well, sharp.
If their a bit dull, I start with an Ultimate Edge 600 grit diamond rod. Then I move on to
a ruby stone porcelain rod, and finish with a homemade strop: Tripoli on one side, and plain on the other. Because I keep my pocket knives so sharp, I haven’t had to grind them in years.
aye, I have blades I haven’t sharpened in years due to regular stropping keeping them keen. Maintenance is always superior to repair is what they say!
Stropping with diamond paste ,
Diamond paste is one of the few things I haven’t tried, how long does it last and do you think its worth the price?
The only sharpening approach I don’t use is “free hand”. I have gone through everything from a regular grinder to the Worksharp to the Spyderco system to the inexpensive hand held or supported cheapies. I have even done many hatchets/axes/shovels/hoe/spades. I am sitting in my office, reached down, and looked – it is a cheap Friskars sharpener on the volume box. This week, in sharpening some TSA confiscated knives, one of them required further work on a WorkSharp going to 600 grit. And, yes, when I first got the Spyderco System, I did what another writer did, lined up as many knives as I could find and ran them through. Remember, you don’t sharpen a serrated blade like a regular blade, but you can use the same rods on the Spyderco System, just using the edge of the rods.
Any reason you don’t use freehand? I tried the Spyderco but the available rods weren’t fine enough for the way I like to get my chefs knives sharp.
1. Spyderco does offer finer grit rods than those that come with the basic system. I have a set.
2. Why not freehand? I know my limitations. I even have a couple of the discontinued Buck guides for stone sharpening by hand. The Worksharp has aftermarket grit belts, including a 1000 grit. I have some 2000 and 3000 grit sandpaper that I might use gingerly. I also don’t sharpen sushi knives.
Thanks for replying, I’ve never had an issue getting my knives razor sharp free hand, but free hand seems to be hit and miss, good friend of mine can’t sharpen free hand either, he’s tried and tried and finally just asked me to sharpen his knives.
Really wish I could snap up boxes of TSA confiscated knives, sadly the UK is not ideal when it comes to our border control and “transparency”. :(
I love free handing because it allows me to set the exact angle i want- very useful when you want to have a lean primary grind to an almost zero edge and then finish up with a micro convex bevel. I frequently do this on stones too though.
I use a Smith’s diamond sharpener (or even a regular file) to remove quantities of metal in preparation to sharpening. Then a ceramic rod to smooth things up, followed by an antique Sheffield sharpening steel (smooth, no grooves), and finished with a leather/linen strop.
Mostly, I work one side until I get a continuous burr, then I work the other side until I get a burr and even things out, then the rest is just polishing.
I used to use oil stones and water stones, but haven’t in decades, and I’m happier with the results now.
I used to sharpen box-fulls of knives (hunting, fishing, and kitchen) for a group of Texas hunters when they would come to Colorado for their annual hunting trip. They came back to me year after year to have me sharpen their knives, so I guess they were happy with the results and price. I also sharpened a local chef’s knife and he was amazed that his knife once again cut food! (Honestly, I have NEVER seen a duller knife than his was.) Unfortunately I moved away from that place and haven’t done much sharpening for other people since then.
I don’t do many things really well, but sharpening knives is the exception.
The best testament to your skill is that people kept coming back Kent, have you tried advertising or simply knocking on your neighbours doors?
I haven’t really pushed the issue since I moved here, and that’s probably a mistake. I enjoy sharpening while I relax, and I enjoy making money, too.
(And right now I’m having a difficult time typing because I sliced my finger painfully while sharpening my machete day before yesterday- it can happen to anyone. LOL.)
I can’t count the number of times my knives have shared their affection for me ;) definitely happens to anyone!
I have been impressed with the efficiency (speed and effectiveness) of the Spyderco Sharpmaker tool/system. Yes, it looks awkward and problematic, BUT it works great. [Swipe, swipe, swipe: Straight down; left side– then swipe swipe swipe, right side — then over again left side, then right side, for as much as i think is needed – – first with the steeper angle set-up and then secondly with the broader angle for finish] The surprising thing is that you can do every single knife in your house and all at one time, QUICKLY. All you have to do is just get them out and ready. I line them all up. I start with my little tiny 3/4 inch pen knife and 2 inch pipe knife and short pocket knives all line up in progression with the kitchen work knives, stake knives, and progressively larger and longer bread, butcher, carving, and clever knives, etc. You can even do your scissors, from tiny to large. For being such a stupid looking sharpening set-up, it sure works well.
Aye, the sharpmaker is a damn good system. My only quibble is the lack of adjustable angles (beyond the inbuilt 2). I like freehanding because with my paring knives for example, I take them to ridiculously acute edges- almost zero edge. But with my bushcraft blades, I like to add a slight convex on the edge.
Good comment mate, thanks for dropping by!
I use Japanese waterstones, 1000, 4000 and 8000 grit, then finish with leather strop and honing compund, then just plain leather strop, mostly I sharpen my Japanese chefs knives, then more sporadically my pocket and fixed blade sports knives
I do that too with my kitchen blades, there is something so relaxing about setting up and going through a bunch of stones using the same, progressive movements.