Hey, just about all the links except 2 of the "Sharpening Links" don't work! - anybody have the original links? http://edcforums.com/showthread.php/48385-Sharpening-Links
I've got a caly 3 zpd on the way along with a sharpmaker, but everything I've read since buying the caly had got me pretty intimidated about sharpening the zdp (especially since ive never sharpened ANY knives before.) Can I just do a routine touchup (daily maybe) with the sharpmaker to avoid having to ever do a real sharpening on it?
Why not get a cheap knife to practice with until you're more comfortable trying it out on a blade that means a little more to you? What would be the difference of routine touchup and real sharpening (rhetorical)? Both are simply removing metal from the blade in a controlled manner at a specific angle. I would rather get the edge sharp with 'real sharpening' than keep a half dull knife constantly. Plus you might remove more metal from one side if you're just swiping it a few times on the Sharpmaker each day, if that's truly what you want to do, though, just get a strip of leather with a green/black compound and make a strop. I think this would be more effective. I was apprehensive about trying to sharpen my BM 940, especially since I only ever seemed to make knives more dull instead of sharpening the edge. I know it's great to keep a knife in mint condition for as long as you can, but this only gives you the aesthetic appeal that the object can give you, I honestly believe if you coddle a tool to keep it in perfect condition (unless you're just planning on reselling it) then you miss out on a lot of the satisfaction of ACTUALLY using the knife. This included sharpening, in my opinion. Now, I see that as as long as the knife is wicked sharp, the scratches on the blade from use really don't matter. What's the worse someone will say, "That knife is wicked sharp! Too bad it's so scratched up... otherwise it'd be useful!" ?? We're all dying, I wouldn't worry about keeping the knife in supreme shape.
I like'em sharp, so I don't mind the character... I don't abuse my blades by using them improperly ie prying, & I do keep'em clean when possibly.
Hi I use DMT diamond sharpening stones, since coarse to extra fine grit, then I strop a blade on leather with mirros polish steel compound. For me works great! cheers!
Lol! Sorry, I should have said "this guy". The pic is of Tom Krein. I do a little bit of freehand touching up on my ceramic rod. But I send my knives to Tom any time I need a real edge.
Edge Pro Apex. Pretty spendy at $220 or so. But dang it, it turned me from sharpening dimwit (I can't even use a Sharpmaker) into a sharpening genius. I love it. Check this out:
I use a lansky. It may take a while for you to sharpen it the first time. But if you keep the two jaws of the clamp that holds the blade parallel each time thereafter, you can return it to shaving sharp in about 3 minutes.
My grandfather taught me to sharpen freehand about forty years ago, on an ancient two-sided Norton india oilstone that his father gave him. Still use that old stone sometimes… But the one I use most often is a DMT DuoFold Fine/ExtraFine that lives in my bag. It's just for touch-ups, but it allows me to touch up often enough that I rarely have to break out the Big Guns. Those Big Guns are a set of DMT solid diamond plates in Coarse, Fine and Extra Fine. And for the heavy stuff, a 2"x48" Craftsman Belt Grinder. Gimme a while with those, and I can put a shaving edge on a tire iron. I like convex edges on some knives, though, and for that I use assorted grades of wet-or-dry sandpaper, a mousepad, and a leather strop with green chromium oxide paste. For backpacking, I carry a 3" ceramic stick. Weighs about a third as much as the DuoFold. I also have a Spyderco Sharpmaker, but I rarely use it. I just prefer doing it mano-a-mano, I guess!
After looking at the video on KF a while back I just use a belt sander and a leather strop. $30 HF belt sander, $30 worth of belts: 20 Micron, 9-Micron, and a few higher grits. I need a leather belt but for now an old 9 Micron with some green paste on it produces a good mirror shine. Then I just keep it touched up with a strop I made out of an old belt and a piece of pine + some green compound. If I can do it anybody can do it and you can easily in a few minutes get one sharp enough to push cut paper like butter and pop the hairs right off your arm.
True, but a belt grinder isn't very portable. IMHO there's something to be said for the ability to maintain your working edges where you're using 'em. Also, a belt grinder is one of those tools that a n00b has to approach with respect and caution. It's truly shocking how fast you can fark up a good blade on a belt grinder. So IMHO it's better to learn the basics on a more manual method until you understand what makes a good edge, THEN you'll have enough understanding to use a belt grinder to do the same thing faster and easier.
Here is a tutorial I wrote on the Lansky Sharpening System http://www.britishblades.com/forums/content.php?80-Lansky-Sharpening-System
GAH!!! Sheesh, you should put some sort of warning before showing photos like that. Made me feel ill just thinking about what that sharpener did to that poor blade... :green: :shocked: :rant: :faint: :doh: uke:
Older Dremel 1" x 30" Belt/disc sander I have mounted back side down, perfect for seeing the burr form. Then take it to the strop, I haven't received my new leather belt yet.
