All About Pocket Knives

Anyone who actually uses a pocket knife has to eventually sharpen it.

So the question is, how do you do it?

Myself, I do it the way my father taught me, I use a good sharpening stone.

A few drops of oil about a 20 degree angle and in no time it`s sharp.

Pictured below are a few of the many old sharpening stones I have. The small one is a hard Arkansas stone and the larger one is a Washita stone.
Both of these were sold by Buck knives. they work well and will last for many years.

I use a variety of stuff..

I've got huge old Norton "tri-hone" and a fancy schmancy Catco dealie that works like a hose. It's one of those rigs that has the guide to set the angle for you and keep it constant. Most of the guys at work bring me their knives to sharpen. LOL

I also use the element from a sodium light to touch up an edge. It's made from synthetic quartz. Works as good or better than a crock stick. I get 'em from the overhead street light guys when they change the bulbs. I bust the bulb and pull that filament. Been meaning to get me handful an offer 'em out to the crew, but haven't had time lately. When I get some I'll let everybody know and do what I can to spread some around. OR if ya can't wait to try one, catch the road lighting guys when they're changin out the bulbs on those big overhead street lights and ask 'em if they'll give ya a burned out bulb or three.

I used to have a large chunk of the ceramic nose cone from a SPARROW III air to air missile. That thing was GREAT to sharpen a knife. My old Buck has spent a lot of time on that thing. It disappeared about 20 years ago.

I usually use a diamond stone.

I have a Smith's tri-hone that I use most frequently to sharpen knives. I seldom use the coarse grit stone. The medium and fine stones see most all the action. I have recently bought a Smith's diamond hone with medium and fine grit sides. It is small, about four inches long. It does pretty well, but I like the old traditional Arkansas stones better, probably because that's what I'm used to.
I use a set of crock sticks to touch up between full sharpenings and also to finish off after I've sharpened with the stones or diamond sharpener. If I'm going for ultra sharp, I'll strop the blade on an old leather belt I keep for that purpose.

Phil

I've been using a Smith's diamond stone for about as long as they have been producing them.I normally use the fine grit but will occasionally use the coarse grit if the knife I am doing is really dull.I originally bought one to use on a custom knife I bought made of O1 that resisted virtually all attempts to re-sharpen with a normal stone.Found that it worked great on 440C as well.
Bought a Smith's folding tapered diamond stick for doing serrated knives and it works great!

My dad always used a Lansky he taught me and my brother how to use it with out marking
the blades but I just can't get it right so my brother sharpens my nicer carry knives.

I sharpen my work knives and I'm currently sporting a little cut thanks to carelessness

I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker. It gets'em sharp enough to shave arm hair, which is sharp enough for me. It is also idiot-proof, which lines up perfectly with my intellect.

Unk

Here is a relic grandpa used to use.

Hand crank water stone!






M.B.

Wow! That is a cool old water stone!

My grandpa had a foot pedal powered grinding stone. You sat on the little seat and worked the pedals with your feet as you sharpened your knife, or hoe or axe or whatever else you needed to sharpen.................... Sure wish I had that today.

I just bought a set of paper wheels and I'm really liking them. I've tried various means of sharpening and I've never been satisfied with the outcome....maybe I just didn't put enough time into it, but these wheels make short work of it, and they make me look like I know what I'm doing!

for me, an Apex to set my initial bevels should they need adjusting or correction. those nice big waterstones make quick work of just about any steel, and it's pretty idiot-proof once you get the hang of it. For quick maintenance I have a spyderco Sharpmaker, and an extra Ultra-fine rod for it makes double duty as a ceramic hone

Like I told Philco awhile back, sharp tools are for sissies...push harder.

I usually just scrape my tools across the sidewalk or curb, good coarse grit for hogging off alot of steel.

After using stones for a long while, I decided I wanted to spend more time carving and less time sharpening, so I have used power for the past few years (really makes re-profiling a tool much faster) I'll never throw away my diamond stones though

Don, we gots to get you some wheels!!
Do all those puppies turn at once??!!

I have been using a Smith's diamond rectangular metal pocket...I cannot say "stone". But it's a metal bar thing that came in a leather pouch. Very fine grit on one side and nothing on the other side except some overspray of diamond dust. I use that side a lot to put a razor edge on my knife.

rayban wrote:Don, we gots to get you some wheels!!
Do all those puppies turn at once??!!

Yes sir, Rick, those puppies all turn at once. They rotate at about 1725 RPM. The bottom row of wheels are paper, although I have not really used them. The Big Wheels on the top row are, 100 grit, then 120 grit, then the leather wheel (for removing the burr) followed by a buffing/polishing wheel. Depending on the condition of the tool, I may only need to buff or strop it. I gotta' tell 'ya, it really speeds the sharpening/honing process up, especially if you are in the middle of carving and chip/nick a tool, to repair it by hand slows me down considerably, whereas this 'ol boy shapes her up in seconds.

Keep 'em Sharp!

I never thought about it but I'm sure you whittling types must be sharpening your tools constantly. Very cool set-up you got going on there

I use a GATCO jig. I don't have the eye or dexterity to hold a good angle freehand, so the jig is just the ticket. I find sharpening to be great fun, and all my knives are plenty sharp now. I've even started sharpening kitchen knives for my lady friends - and believe me, most of them have large collections of dull knives. I've gotten to see some nice old knives that way, and the ladies are delighted to have someone to do this for them.

A good friend tells me there used to be an old blind man who came around the neighborhood in our town and sharpened knives for the local housewives. He could do a whole kitchen full in just a few minutes and charged next to nothing. Those days are gone and now I think most housewives just buy a new one when the old knife gets dull (as little as most of them cook, that's probably not too often).

Hello All, You know the best deer hunters I know bag a buck every season with one bullet. and the best knife sharpeners get thier knives real sharp while removing the least amount of metal as possible. There is more than one way to skin a cat and we all have a way we perfer to sharpen knives. Am I talking in riddles again ? Sorry.

I use a variety of methods depending on what I need to sharpen.
I some cases I may use a belt sander to sharpen.
For more precision work or to remove steel without heating the steel I use a wet grinder.
I almost always finish out each blade on my Powr Strop, seen here on the left hand side of the Jet buffer.
The Powr Strop is just a 6" leather wheel used with jeweler's rouge to de-burr and polish the edge.
I also have a 4" "V" shaped Powr Strop that attaches to an electric drill. I use it for sharpening serrated edges and wood gouges.
I have diamond hones, a whole range of stones, slips, razor hones and the Smith’s system (similar to a Lanski) that I for different tools.
It seems that I am always buying stones and other sharpening implements at estate sales for pennies. I guess I collect sharpening implements as well as knives.

Dale

Tongueriver,

That looks a LOT like the old wheel my grandfather had. The one you posted seems to be missing the rod which connects the foot pedal to the wheel assembly. My grandpa had an old metal tractor seat welded into place so that you could sit down and work the foot pedal and sharpen whatever tool you had on the big ole wheel. Give the wheel a spin to get it started, then pump the foot pedal to keep it going.
You could put a fresh edge on a garden hoe or an axe in nothing flat. I never dared use it on one of my knives. The grit was a bit to agressive for that IMO.
Thanks for posting the pic.
Phil

I have a lansky, but recently (after about 20 years) I got my touch back, so I am once again using a smith arkansas grey, and a white for finishing. I then use the inside of whatever belt I happen to be wearing to bring it to shaving sharp. Might be country, but, I am, so...lol

The problem with most of those big old foot powered grindstones is lack of care. After the sheds they were under fell down because nobody used the OLD stuff 'cause we got electricity now, the stones were left out in the rain and the freezing weather which pretty much spelled the end of that lovely porous piece of stone.

Miller Brothers,

I have those same Buck stones. The plastic cases are long gone. I'm pretty sure I have had them for at least 30 years. They don't see much use anymore.

I usually use waterstones and will break out the big 10" DMT diamond X-coarse/coarse when I really need to grind some metal. I converted to waterstones some years back to sharpen chisels and wood planes.

I use a leather strop with compound to maintain the edge.

Greg