Knife Sharpening Talk

[EZM]

Originally Posted by JBE

Ya, I know you were just learning also, as am I. I bought this sharpener after seeing your post. I had to really work at it to get a burr on the edge. I would think a courser stone for profiling would really help. I wonder how long these will last although I did order replacements for it.

If you truly need to return a dull knife to sharpness, getting a burr is a must. I hate to admit it, but I used to "avoid" the coarse stones or coarse belts because of all the "experts" telling me you are taking too much metal off the blade - but the reality is, if a knife is dull, or it needs a reconditioning where a medium and fine are not delivering the results you want (in a sharp blade) you have to pull a burr.

Sometimes working a knife a few passes or a few seconds on coarse is all it takes, and then, from there, you go through the progression of medium and fine and final strop and you are no worse for wear on the blade really, but the result is night and day.

Profiling is somewhere where, if you are using a clamp on blade and flat stone is lots of work and steps as you have to change the angle in a few steps - this is where a flexible belt shines. You can actually see the spring tensioner and belt curving and the bevel profiling as you go on one pass and the first pass. Way faster, easier and better results. The trick here is the pressure you put on the blade - which, admittedly, is a feel and experience thing - but even a guy like me finally got the hang of it.

But yes, a burr is critical on a dull knife. Sometimes a sharp knife can just get a little medium coarse and some fine tuning - but that means you are on the steel, or on the stone as you are using your knife regularly - make a dozen cuts, touch up the blade with a steel or fine stone, and other dozen cuts, a couple more touch ups. Just watch any butcher - that's how these guys roll - and their knives are sharp as a razor.

Unfortunately, that's not true for most of us, so it's time for a burr every few months when you sit down at the workbench and go through the dozen knives you want to touch up - that's more typical for most of us I think.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by JBE

Ya, I know you were just learning also, as am I. I bought this sharpener after seeing your post. I had to really work at it to get a burr on the edge. I would think a courser stone for profiling would really help. I wonder how long these will last although I did order replacements for it.

I hope you know I was being self-deprecating in that I know nothing. Watching videos has been my friend so far. It takes more patience than I thought to get a really dull knife sharp again.

[averagejoe]

Sharpening a few kitchen knives so I figured I would grab a picture of the flashlight trick for seeing a burr. It was quite hard to get it focused and the exposure right with the light reflections.

I was pointing the flashlight at the spine towards the edge. You can see a very faint bright line on the edge of a knife. That is a really fine burr that was very hard to feel. One of the little tricks to help keep from over sharpening and making a huge burr especially on the finer grits.

A silicone mat is also handy to keep all of the swarf, liquids, and abrasives off of the surface you are using, very important if you are sharpening on the kitchen table or counters and you are already on thin ice with the significant other then this might just keep you out of the dog house

[sns2]

Boys, I just made this knife dull as a butter knife on ceramic coffee cup. Then I matched the angle and went to work on the Worksharp Precision Adjust. This thing is Screaming Sharp. $65 + the time to learn what I'm looking for = a very cool sense of satisfaction. I cannot overstate how happy I am with this little rig. As has been said, nothing is greater than the sum of its parts, so I'm not at all saying this is a high end sharpening system, but it has allowed me to really have confidence that I can do justice to a hunting blade, and I also really find sharpening knives rewarding. Peaceful actually.

Comments were made in the other thread that the Grohmann stainless was hard to put an edge on, even though no one seemed to know what it actually is. Without diamond stones there was no way in hell I was gonna be able to put a really good edge on that blade. It's hard stuff whatever it is. For most guys (i.e. useless like myself), I bet free-hand on an old Arkansas stone may yield a lot of frustration. It certainly would have for me.

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[catnthehat]

Grohmann's stainless is 4110 apparently , they harden it to 56-58 Rockwell.
Cat

[badbrass]

Originally Posted by sns2

Boys, I just made this knife dull as a butter knife on ceramic coffee cup. Then I matched the angle and went to work on the Worksharp Precision Adjust. This thing is Screaming Sharp. $65 + the time to learn what I'm looking for = a very cool sense of satisfaction. I cannot overstate how happy I am with this little rig. As has been said, nothing is greater than the sum of its parts, so I'm not at all saying this is a high end sharpening system, but it has allowed me to really have confidence that I can do justice to a hunting blade, and I also really find sharpening knives rewarding. Peaceful actually.

Comments were made in the other thread that the Grohmann stainless was hard to put an edge on, even though no one seemed to know what it actually is. Without diamond stones there was no way in hell I was gonna be able to put a really good edge on that blade. It's hard stuff whatever it is. For most guys (i.e. useless like myself), I bet free-hand on an old Arkansas stone may yield a lot of frustration. It certainly would have for me.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

I was just going to ask you how the sharping thing was going on the new unit!!!
Glad you feel good about it. As with me I also have redone a few house hold knives with the lansky
and also feel real good about the sharpness. But I do think I will have to go with the Diamond stones if I were to sharpen my Magacut knife. Thanks!

[sns2]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Grohmann's stainless is 4110 apparently , they harden it to 56-58 Rockwell.
Cat

Still a far cry from the difficulty of the modern steels. Should be fun figuring it all out.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by badbrass

I was just going to ask you how the sharping thing was going on the new unit!!!
Glad you feel good about it. As with me I also have redone a few house hold knives with the lansky
and also feel real good about the sharpness. But I do think I will have to go with the Diamond stones if I were to sharpen my Magacut knife. Thanks!

I have practiced on some knives that will likely just end up in the junk drawer in the garage. Knives I’ve ruined in the past. Then I moved to knives that were still usable, but just dull. Those ones all have screaming edges now. I sharpen, quickly dull, then sharpen again. It’s giving me practice.

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by sns2

Boys, I just made this knife dull as a butter knife on ceramic coffee cup. Then I matched the angle and went to work on the Worksharp Precision Adjust. This thing is Screaming Sharp. $65 + the time to learn what I'm looking for = a very cool sense of satisfaction. I cannot overstate how happy I am with this little rig. As has been said, nothing is greater than the sum of its parts, so I'm not at all saying this is a high end sharpening system, but it has allowed me to really have confidence that I can do justice to a hunting blade, and I also really find sharpening knives rewarding. Peaceful actually.

Comments were made in the other thread that the Grohmann stainless was hard to put an edge on, even though no one seemed to know what it actually is. Without diamond stones there was no way in hell I was gonna be able to put a really good edge on that blade. It's hard stuff whatever it is. For most guys (i.e. useless like myself), I bet free-hand on an old Arkansas stone may yield a lot of frustration. It certainly would have for me.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Glad you are enjoying the new unit and getting great results from it. Whatever method a person uses it is always a joy to be able to take something from dull to sharp.

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Grohmann's stainless is 4110 apparently , they harden it to 56-58 Rockwell.
Cat

Buck does their 420HC steel at ~58 as well. Seems to be the sweet spot for holding a decent edge and being easy to sharpen.

[Mike_W]

I have a Wicked Edge System 100-1000 grit plus micron stops it is one of the originals and yes a pricey investment to start but I have had mine for over 10 years. Also have a full set of Global kitchen knives and a prize possession Bob Kramer Henkel's. For my hunting knives I use D2 Steel which has a RW hardness of around 62.
It is known that if you use one of my knives they are very sharp. I also carry a Work Sharp Guided field Sharpener in my pack incase, but mostly only ever need a quick hone and strop when done and cleaned up.

IMO a hard steel is superior in the field with D2 @ 62 RW you never need to stop and sharpen. I bought a Grohman and hated it as it dulled super easy couldn't even get through one elk without needing some touch ups I would rather spend an extra 30 seconds sharpening a knife then touching one up constantly.

All said that Work Sharp deal looks pretty decent for the price for sure!

[obsessed1]

Had the opportunity to use one of those work sharps last week. Great product for the price. They work well. Took 1/2 to get a shaving edge on one d2 and two 440 folders.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

I have a Wicked Edge System 100-1000 grit plus micron stops it is one of the originals and yes a pricey investment to start but I have had mine for over 10 years. Also have a full set of Global kitchen knives and a prize possession Bob Kramer Henkel's. For my hunting knives I use D2 Steel which has a RW hardness of around 62.
It is known that if you use one of my knives they are very sharp. I also carry a Work Sharp Guided field Sharpener in my pack incase, but mostly only ever need a quick hone and strop when done and cleaned up.

IMO a hard steel is superior in the field with D2 @ 62 RW you never need to stop and sharpen. I bought a Grohman and hated it as it dulled super easy couldn't even get through one elk without needing some touch ups I would rather spend an extra 30 seconds sharpening a knife then touching one up constantly.

All said that Work Sharp deal looks pretty decent for the price for sure!

Do you ever have issues with D2 discolouring in the field?

[obsessed1]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Do you ever have issues with D2 discolouring in the field?

I have never had any issues with my D2 blades discolouring. But im never days between the ability to clean a dirty knife

[Maxwell78]

Originally Posted by obsessed1

I have never had any issues with my D2 blades discolouring. But im never days between the ability to clean a dirty knife

They will stain if they are not cleaned and dried after use. When i store my D2's over the summer, i put a very fine coating of canola oil on them

[sns2]

D2 does stain.

[fishnguy]

Great thread. First time reading through some (most?) of it.

That Worksharp is a great little sharpening system value wise. A guy really doesn’t need more than that. A guy may want, lol, but doesn’t need. Wicked Edge is… wicked and simply quite great. Don’t think there is anything better. But pricy, for the “ballers” even. They used to be cheaper or less expensive.

Originally Posted by Mike_W

I have a Wicked Edge System 100-1000 grit plus micron stops it is one of the originals and yes a pricey investment to start but I have had mine for over 10 years. Also have a full set of Global kitchen knives and a prize possession Bob Kramer Henkel's. For my hunting knives I use D2 Steel which has a RW hardness of around 62.
It is known that if you use one of my knives they are very sharp. I also carry a Work Sharp Guided field Sharpener in my pack incase, but mostly only ever need a quick hone and strop when done and cleaned up.

IMO a hard steel is superior in the field with D2 @ 62 RW you never need to stop and sharpen. I bought a Grohman and hated it as it dulled super easy couldn't even get through one elk without needing some touch ups I would rather spend an extra 30 seconds sharpening a knife then touching one up constantly.

All said that Work Sharp deal looks pretty decent for the price for sure!

This is a great post for two reason, for me. One is the Grohmann knives. In my humble opinion, the only thing(s) going for them is/are that they are Canadian made, they (well, Russell, really) “pioneered” the shape of the Canadian belt knife (as far as I know), and, hence, they have history attached to them and, perhaps, a lot of sentimental value for many owners. Other than that… well, they aren’t very good. Maybe decades ago they were; today - not so much. They have been using a couple of these mediocre steels for ages and are far behind in that department. I will leave it at that.

The second reason is I am surprised that this was the first post that I saw that mentioned the Worksharp field sharpener. It is another great little piece from the same company. I don’t use it often, but (usually) have it kicking around in the vehicle. It is pretty great, easy to use, and will get you an edge you want (without “pull through” type sharpeners and other undesirables) away from home. Or at home.

I am currently visiting some relatives in Calgary and they happened to have some knives (well, all their knives) that were pretty dull and really not fun to use. While a few of the knives are made from garbage steel, two are excellent knives, but were about the same as the garbage ones as far as the cutting was concerned. Since we are leaving tomorrow, I figured I would bring them back to (more or less) fine use. I took the Worksharp field sharpener and went to work. I haven’t tried very hard, mainly because the edges need quite a bit of work due to abuse, but I got them to shave (at least the chef knife; I am sure the other one shaves too, but I haven’t tried). Maybe hard to see since my arms are not the hairiest spot on my body, lol, but:



You (maybe?) can see that the edge is still not perfect, but it shaved all the hair out with one “slide” (I didn’t go crazy, so just a touch):



I would go different way about it if I were at home and was more interested/invested, but that’ll do for a couple of days (I know they will kill the knives in a very short order the way I saw them treating their cutlery).



I sharpened all of their knives, aside from serrated blades, and shortly explained how to properly use them. Doubt that will sink in though.

On a side note, it is quite funny how (some) people have a few garbage knives -> hate them because they are dull -> buy “fancy” stuff -> (maybe) don’t hate them because they know how much they paid for them, but are still disappointed, at the very least. My sister-in-law, while I was talking to her about how to properly handle the knives (use, clean, store, etc), and some very basic info on steel, what happens to it when they treat it like they do, etc, took out a very fine Shun honing rod from the drawer and said: “We have this”. Lol. They’ve never used it either.

[Homesteader]

Sheesh you guys make me feel like a hobo using an old two sided stone from my dad. Put a drop of gun oil on every now and then. Knives skin good, or so I thought lol

So much info on here I’ll have to reread it a couple times.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Homesteader

Sheesh you guys make me feel like a hobo using an old two sided stone from my dad. Put a drop of gun oil on every now and then. Knives skin good, or so I thought lol

So much info on here I’ll have to reread it a couple times.

I used to do much the same with my Japanese water stone, and that was fine for older carbon steel blades. But the fact is, most of the new steels used are so hard that a stone won't touch them. Hence, diamond and ceramic stones now (Lansky system) and a leather strap with green compound to finish.

Sharp.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Do you ever have issues with D2 discolouring in the field?

Yes you can have issues, I try and clean them as soon as possible usually within a couple hours but don't want to leave them wet or full of blood for too long. Or you will be have issues.

[Edmonton resident]

Originally Posted by sns2

Boys, I just made this knife dull as a butter knife on ceramic coffee cup. Then I matched the angle and went to work on the Worksharp Precision Adjust. This thing is Screaming Sharp. $65 + the time to learn what I'm looking for = a very cool sense of satisfaction. I cannot overstate how happy I am with this little rig. As has been said, nothing is greater than the sum of its parts, so I'm not at all saying this is a high end sharpening system, but it has allowed me to really have confidence that I can do justice to a hunting blade, and I also really find sharpening knives rewarding. Peaceful actually.

Comments were made in the other thread that the Grohmann stainless was hard to put an edge on, even though no one seemed to know what it actually is. Without diamond stones there was no way in hell I was gonna be able to put a really good edge on that blade. It's hard stuff whatever it is. For most guys (i.e. useless like myself), I bet free-hand on an old Arkansas stone may yield a lot of frustration. It certainly would have for me.

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I Picked one Works sharp Precision Adjust up last year took my old lansky sharpening kit drilled holes threw them to fit the rod and I have been happy every since with its performance .

[sns2]

Hey guys. There is a nice knife store on Whyte Ave that offers knife sharpening classes. It is $100, two hours long, they provide the stones, and you bring your knives you want to learn on. After the class, they give you a $50 store credit.

If you are like me, and want to learn freehand knife sharpening from someone who knows a thing or two, they have one opening left for this tomorrow evening.

https://knifewear.com/pages/edmonton

[icecold]

If you are in calgary https://www.kentofinglewood.com/prod...pening-classes
Knifewear here might also do the same course here. Same ownership between the companies. There's also an axe sharpening one. Would suggest setting a just in budget before walking in lol

[C&C Outdoors]

Originally Posted by sns2

Boys, I just made this knife dull as a butter knife on ceramic coffee cup. Then I matched the angle and went to work on the Worksharp Precision Adjust. This thing is Screaming Sharp. $65 + the time to learn what I'm looking for = a very cool sense of satisfaction. I cannot overstate how happy I am with this little rig. As has been said, nothing is greater than the sum of its parts, so I'm not at all saying this is a high end sharpening system, but it has allowed me to really have confidence that I can do justice to a hunting blade, and I also really find sharpening knives rewarding. Peaceful actually.

Comments were made in the other thread that the Grohmann stainless was hard to put an edge on, even though no one seemed to know what it actually is. Without diamond stones there was no way in hell I was gonna be able to put a really good edge on that blade. It's hard stuff whatever it is. For most guys (i.e. useless like myself), I bet free-hand on an old Arkansas stone may yield a lot of frustration. It certainly would have for me.

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I was eyeing up that same sharpening system a few weeks ago.
Glad to hear it's working out very well for you and thank you for feedback and bit of a review on it.
Very reasonable price on it too

[spurly]

Has anyone picked up the upgrade kit for the precision adjust sharpener? And is it worth the price?

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by spurly

Has anyone picked up the upgrade kit for the precision adjust sharpener? And is it worth the price?

Not really worth it. The diamond plates are low quality and sourcing the upgraded replacements in Canada is not possible last time I checked.

Get an aftermarket 4" or 6" stone holder so you can use Edge Pro or KME stones. These stones will allow you to sharpen faster, are much more usable, last a lot longer and you can get many different types from natural, to synthetic, to diamond or CBN etc.

Here are some examples of the possible upgrades you can get. https://www.gritomatic.com/collections/area-work-sharp but you can look on Kijiji or Etsy for people in Canada that 3d print and sell the upgrades. Gritomatic also has the largest stock of 4" and 6" stones you will find.

Pauls Finest is in Canada and has 6" Edge Pro stones mounted on blanks for sharpening systems. The coloured ones are aluminum oxide (120 is silicon carbide) and will handle most everything except for the higher tiers of super steels. https://www.paulsfinest.com/collecti...pening-systems 120 and 220 stones wear the fastest but 400 and up you can expect to sharpen hundreds of knives before wearing them out.

[spurly]

Cool. Thanks.

[badbrass]

I see the knife sharpener that sns2 got is on sale at Cabalas again for $65.00

[Boatbuilder]

I've been making knives for 25 years or so and used the lanky for most of those years. Did me well. A few years ago I invested in a Russian made sharpener called Tsprof. It has been a great investment for me as it saves me a lot of time sharpening knives and does a more accurate job as well.
The price is what keeps most guys that just want to keep their few hunting knives Sharp from buying it. I build quite a few knives every year and feel its been a great investment for me.
Jim

[averagejoe]

Had to sharpen the new North Arms Lynx in MagnaCut. It had really uneven bevels that required a fair bit of work. Left side looked to be half of the right side.





Threw it on the Tsprof Blitz Pro and found that both sides were actually 18.5° so the right side of the blade likely got a bit more attention which shrunk the left side bevel.



The paper that comes with the knife says they sharpen at 15° so I set the angle and away I went. Started with a 220 grit Edge Pro aluminum oxide stone because people have said it is really easy to sharpen compared to other super steels and I would agree with that. I was able to remove a decent amount of metal with the 220 stone but it was a bit slower than I liked with the amount of profiling I had to do so I switched to Venev resin bonded diamond stones.




When you have different edge bevels like that you want to do most of the work on the smaller bevel first. This will set your angle and shrink the larger bevel to match. Once you get close to having even bevels flip it over and get the angle set on the side that was larger then flip over if needed and keep sharpening to even the bevels. Once that is done just sharpen as normal.

Started with the 100 for profiling then proceeded through the 280, 500, 700, and finished with the 1200. It deburred very easily using edge leading strokes on the 1200 stone. Just did a very light pass, flipped, and repeated about 10 times. Hit it with a couple light passes on a leather strop and it was done. Lightly dragging the edge through a piece of wood left nothing in the cut so the burr was completely removed.

If you had an already sharp knife, or one that did not need a lot of work I believe you should easily be able to sharpen Magnacut on aluminum oxide stones it will just take a bit longer than with diamonds but it would be easy to do.