Knife sharpening for dummies?

[Backon4]

Is there a simple way to sharpen knives? Do the accu edge and other hand held sharpeners work? Does the blade size or thickness make a difference with which sharpener you use?

[analog_kidd]

I bought a cheap sharpener from Walmart, the kind where you clamp the blade and use a stone on a guide rod. The first time I used it I hated it. Seems like it didn't get the blade sharp at all, and just made my blade look uneven.

I couldn't stand how dull my knife was, so Ipulled out the sharpener again last weekend, adn really gave it a college try. Looks to me like the two angles provided by the sharpener did not match the angle of my blade. so, I really went at the blade with the course stone, and made my knife blade a new angle. Now it is seriously sharp.

For the money I paid for it, I'm pleased with the results.

[Will Carry]

Gatco: Sharpeners

This is the kind of set up I have used for 20 years. It will give your knife a sharp strong clean edge and it requires little skill.

[Major Kong]

Amazon.com: Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener 204MF: Sports & Outdoors

This is a pretty popular setup that comes with a DVD that teaches you how to use it. I got this one a little while back but haven't made the time to watch the DVD.

[DWARREN123]

I use a fine file to shape and a ceramic rod to sharpen

[Jonnin]

Its not hard to use a series of stones to do it right, it just takes *forever* to do it that way. Its more about patience than skill, but if your knife is of any value, this is the way to do it. If its just a work knife, cheap & fast & good enough work. The reason it takes forever though is that I put a razor edge on mine, a decent edge can be done is much less time, the finer stones polish the edge, not grind it, and they do this slowly.

Very thick blades will not work in the V shaped sharpeners as all you do is grind on the middle of the blade where it is stuck, not on the actual edge. If the edge of the blade is hitting the sharpening surface, it will work. I use one of these once in a while, it has 2 ceremaic bars in a V shape and you just drag the knife thru it. It does a poor job on the tip and any curved areas, but the main flat blade area is decent and it does it pretty fast. The most common victim here is my swiss army knife, which has a softish blade and dulls fast.

[Guest rockbottom12]

Knife sharpening for dummies = go to bass pro or smokey mountain knife works and pay the man there $1 to sharpen it.

This is what i use.

Smith's "Pocket Pal" Knife Sharpener - Knifecenter.com

[Tncobra]

Once I switched over to a diamond sharpener things got a lot faster and easier to sharpen.

Related note. I bought a diamond rod sharpener for my butcher knives. Why didn't I do this sooner. Three swipes and I'm sharp.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I use a double-sided diamond stone (one side coarse, other side fine) and a ceramic croc stick. It's all anyone needs to keep the blade super sharp. Just practice keeping the proper angle and life's good.

[DRM]

I bought one of these over 15 years ago, and it seems to still do the job just fine:

[kieefer]

Gatco: Sharpeners

This is the kind of set up I have used for 20 years. It will give your knife a sharp strong clean edge and it requires little skill.

+1

[Guest Broomhead]

I use a sharpening steel, like what butchers use. Mine looks just like this one:

http://www.jorvet.com/catalog/images/products/215_234_Pictures/J902.gif

Watch a few butchers on Youtube using theirs. I had a retired butcher show me how he always used it. First, you have to learn how to hold the knife the exact same way and angle every time. Then start out using firm pressure to get the desired edge set. Then, continue sharpening using ever lighter strokes every 20 or 30 strokes. Steels come in varying coarseness, the one I have is a medium grit. I bought it at Target, and at last look, they still sold it. It is a J.A. Henckels brand. After I am content with the edge on the steel, I switch to a diamond rod sharpener from Wal-Mart that looks like a pen with a blue aluminum outer sleeve and a gray diamond impregnated center rod. Just use several light to medium strokes, at the same angle as the steel, to polish the edge. I use this method once a month for upkeep. It works great.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I have several cheap stones and such accumulated over the years but am not skilled holding a consistent angle.

The Smith's three-stone set with the angle clamp guide works pretty well, but I have difficulty holding a consistent angle even using the clamp guide.

Smiths makes a cheap miniature ceramic X sharpener that often gives better results for me than the three-stone set, because it is so foolproof.

I got this sharpener at Academy Sports a few weeks ago for $10 or so--

4-in-1 Knife and Scissors Sharpener | Smith's - The Edge Experts

That Smith's 4-IN-1 KNIFE AND SCISSORS SHARPENER is firmly pressed against a table edge for use, and has three crossed sharpeners in carbide, steel, and ceramic.

It sharpens pretty quick and is about as effective and foolproof as I've tried. Tested it on several assorted pocket knives. Some pretty good steel and some cheapies. It was easy to get in the ballpark of razor sharp on all of them, though of course some cheap blades do not stay razor sharp very long. Which is not the fault of the sharpener.

[fullmetaljoe]

I use a Norton "economy bench stone," 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper, and a leather strop with Veritas green polishing compound. Just maintain a consistent (or close enough) angle, and use progressively finer abrasives. Getting an edge that can shave arm hairs is actually not all that tough.

Edited to add: A shortcut I've used before is to use the stone normally, but then use a cloth buffing wheel with polishing compound to polish the edge. It works fast.

Edited February 11, 2011 by fullmetaljoe

[USMCJG]

I bought one of these over 15 years ago, and it seems to still do the job just fine:

+1 for the Spyderco sharpener. I never had the skill or patience to get a knife really sharp until I got the Sharpmaker. Now I can get any of my knives razor sharp(literally) in just a few minutes.

[fullmetaljoe]

I've been working on my Becker BK11 today. You know it's getting sharp when you can see yourself with the bevel.

[aquaman67]

Knife sharpening for dummies = go to bass pro or smokey mountain knife works and pay the man there $1 to sharpen it.

This is what i use.

Smith's "Pocket Pal" Knife Sharpener - Knifecenter.com

I picked one of these up at the new Dick's Sporting Goods in Clarksville. I just wanted it for some older knives I really don't use much.

I must say I was surprised how well it worked. Surprised enough to use it on my Benchmades...

[Kickstart]

I've used this for at least 30 years Lansky Sharpeners the best of the best.

I like the stones better than the diamonds for longevity.

[Guest LittleBill]

+1 for the Spyderco Sharpmaker. With it I can consistently put a hair-shaving edge on my blades