I suck at Knife Sharpening - Videos, classes, suggestions?

[Beendare]

Edge Pro is the best I've used. That thing puts a popping sharp edge on knives- almost foolproof and it can do micro bevels easily.

There are some cheap nock off imitations on Amazon and Ali Express that would work too.

 

[Bluefish]

If I were willing to spend that much, I'd get a Wicked Edge system. They're well known and trusted among knife nerds and professionals. I've used their flagship system and I'd have a hard time believing that there's anything better on the market.

+1 on a wicked edge. Then find the angle for each knife. It may take some time. But getting that right really helps. I had a kitchen knife that I never could get an edge on. Got the wicked edge and went 18 per side and suddenly that one problem knife was sharp.

 

[Jpsmith1]

It’s all about the burr/wire edge. It’s a necessary by product of sharpening an edge, because that is small pieces of steel that bend over the edge instead of break off.

And, yes, leaving the micro wire edge and not working to a polished edge means you left little tiny saw teeth/serrations that slice through skin and flesh.

Knives first “dull” when the fine edge of the blade actually gets bent over sideways, especially on bone. Using a “knife steel” like a chef/butcher will “stand” the edge back up and it’s cutting again. The steel doesn’t actually “sharpen” like an abrasive stone.

Yes.

100%

 

[dirtshooter]

You need a sharpie.

Honestly, a sharpie will revolutionize how you see bevels because you can actually see how you’re working it.

With any system, maintaining the angle is key.. if one stroke is 15° and the next is 25°, all you're doing is rounding the edge off.

Color the bevel edge with a sharpie and you can see by the ink removal how you're maintaining angle.

Once you have a consistent angle, you feel for the burr opposite the side you're working. Achieve a burr, flip and burr the other side and the edge is apexed.

It is SHARP now. It will shave hair. Might be a hair rough because the edge is quite crude but it's sharp.

Now, and only now do you move to a finer grit and refine and smooth out those bevels making an ever finer edge.

Happy to talk further. I'm a sharpening geek and I love it.

So you're saying don't flip back and forth between sides. Sharpen one side completely before moving to the next?

 

[prm]

I can get respectable results with a Lansky. I suck at sharpening so that says something.

 

[hereinaz]

So you're saying don't flip back and forth between sides. Sharpen one side completely before moving to the next?

Yes. The sharpie shows how even you are making the strokes.

Without a microscope, the wire edge is the only sure sign that you are done and ready for the next side.

 

[dirtshooter]

Yes. The sharpie shows how even you are making the strokes.

Without a microscope, the wire edge is the only sure sign that you are done and ready for the next side.

Man I have been doing it wrong this entire time by alternating sides 1 for 1 lol

 

[Jpsmith1]

So you're saying don't flip back and forth between sides. Sharpen one side completely before moving to the next?

Before I learned how important the burr edge is, I ingrained flipping the knife back and forth, almost to the point where it's unconscious. 50 strokes and flip, 40 and flip, and on and on...

I believe you CAN sharpen an edge in exactly the way I described, by working one side to a burr, then the other. In fact, knowing how the burr works, you absolutely can.

That said, I flip my knife back and forth as I work. It's habit. I'm not sure it's a habit that matters much.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Man I have been doing it wrong this entire time by alternating sides 1 for 1 lol

As I said earlier, I use a KME system.

The basic method is, I use a rapid "scrubbing" or "sawing" stroke when roughing the bevel in. Working the stone back and forth across edge while working it along the edge.

Once I have a burr edge that flips back and forth with a stroke or two of the stone, it's apexed. I take a few strokes on each side INTO the edge, cutting that burr off.

Now, I can move forward in my grit progression. Working finer and finer until I get the level.of refinement I want.

I use the same basic technique, scrubbing strokes then into the edge to cut the burr.

 

[MBounds69]

I have always struggled to produce and maintain consistency with my sharpening until I recently bought the Work Sharp Precision Pro. After a short learning curve my kitchen, hunting, pocket knives are scary sharp.