Sharpening knives?

[displacedtexan]

Do you actually enjoy it?

I've come to realize that as I've gotten knives in better steels, I went from being neutral on the task, to actively disliking it.

I enjoy sharpening my chisels and chainsaws... But not my knives. A buddy loves it, and is good at it, so I have him do it.

 

[fngTony]

No , I hate it. I have to sharpen single bevel blades at work which is simpler , that I don’t mind. Knife edges I suck at. Tried a Gatco system once but found it limiting and tedious.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Ken Onion Worksharp…

 

[JREG19]

Ken Onion Worksharp…

I second this.

 

[Justin_Tree]

I was never very good and didn’t enjoy it but my work sharp was a game changer for me.

 

[randy66]

The work sharp is very nice indeed, I especially like it for my filet knives due to their flexibility.

 

[OregonSteeler]

Don't watch many of his vids anymore but this was worth it for me:

 

[7mm-08]

I'm a detail guy and while I can't say I like it, there is something satisfying after I spend an hour on a blade with a KME sharpener (I don't usually have to go through all my stones but I always go through my four different strops with different compounds). A mirror edge on a knife is pretty cool. I've counted and 1,000 strokes per knife is required to get them in that condition. I know, I know - you (the operative word here being YOU) don't need a mirror edge on a knife to do anything practical with it. My mental illness manifesting itself, I suppose.

 

[KD123]

Hate it-

 

[Poser]

If you just do quick and frequent maintenance, you don't have to spend much time actually re-sharpening knives.
I take the same approach with keeping snowboard edges tuned and just hit the edges with 3 different grains of diamond stone files for about 3-5 minutes after every single day out riding and I seldom have to actually remove any steel and re establish the edge. People who tune their skis once a year will often have to spend quite a bit of time, get frustrated and outsource the work.

 

[Nicaburns]

I’m a hobbyist knifemaker and I somewhat enjoy it. However, I would hate how most guys do it. Putting a mirror polished convex edge on with a belt sander takes just a few minutes. It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it but once you have it down, it is easy. The worksharp simulates the effect but it is a lot faster with a larger grinder.

 

[EdP]

I used stones and liked it until I got my first S30v knife and couldn't get it sharp. Someone suggested I try a diamond "stone" so I looked into them and bought one. SS with diamond grit electroplated on it. I also made a leather strop and treated it with 0.5 micron diamond slurry. Now I love sharpening knives because it is easy to get a knife shaving sharp with the diamond stone and strop.

 

[cbat]

I use a diamond hone from Moore Maker Knives and can sharpen one pretty quick.

 

[Maki35]

Yes, I enjoy it. I shapen everything from my EDC knife to hunting knives, and even our kitchen to steak knives. I take pride in it when I get them razor sharp.

 

[Undomesticated]

Yes. The "key" (besides knowing what the heck you are doing on a conceptual level) is to never let your knife get so dull you are sharpening for more than 10 minutes or so.

That also means having a sharpening medium that is appropriate for your steel. If you try sharpening Magnacut with a natural soft arkansas stone, you're gonna hate it. I like sharpening using non-diamond stones (AlOx and Ceramic with a leather strop) so I avoid the modern supersteels (that I believe are much overrated). If you have a stone that is hard enough for your steel and know what you are doing, it is hard to not find satisfaction in putting a razor edge on your knife as you sit around the campfire.

 

[roosiebull]

I like sharpening, but I assume the like for sharpening is a byproduct of my dislike for dull knives

I don’t really care for diamonds, they scratch the edge, they’re too grabby new, and not grabby enough after a fairly short “prime” my primary sharpening system is the Norton tri hone, then hard Arkansas, then strop. Those Norton stones remove material pretty quickly (even s90v and magnacut, and like) but cut smooth, and don’t change. I probably average 4-5 knives a week I sharpen as well as broadheads and such regularly, and don’t mind any of it, and like things sharp

 

[5MilesBack]

It's kind of like fletching arrows for me......I don't really like it, but it has to be done. I'd rather the knives just stay sharp all the time, but that would mean they aren't getting used. My Lansky with diamond hones makes short work on my S30V knives.

 

[Slick8]

I did these yesterday start to finish in 30 minutes. Half only needed touching up with a fine belt while half needed a little work on the medium then fine belts.

All will split frogs hair 4 ways.

What I'm working on and not very successful this year is field sharpening of the hunting knives, specifically the orange handled benchmark. I can get it decent with a ceramic but it just won't last.

I've been using a havalon for many years so I've lost the art in the field.

 

[LaHunter]

The orange handle knife looks like the Benchmade Steep Country with S30V steel. I have that exact knife. I can get mine shaving sharp with my Lansky Ceramic kit along with a plain leather strap for final stropping. I use the 25 degree angle on all my hunting knives and get them all shaving sharp and this angle seems to build a longer lasting edge. Last year me and another guy completely broke down my large 6 pt bull with my BM Steep Country and BM Saddle Mtn Skinner. Both knives would still shave after the work was done and they were cleaned up.

 

[Slick8]

It is a steep country. I bought it used here.

I've never got it really sharp, which is is now. Going to try it out on my last deer hunt after Christmas to see how it holds up / ease of touching up with ceramic.