Freehand Sharpening

[Froggyedge]

Thanks!
Part two is still an unfinished draft, but hopefully not for very long...

[cbnutt]

how about some tips on cleaning the stones ? ive herd mabe some comet or simualar cleaner and a toothbrush or something, and rinse off with water.

[Froggyedge]

Diamond whetstones are extremely easy to clean. Just a few seconds under running tap water!
On Arkansas stones I used honing oil for many years. I cleaned them after use with a drop of dishwashing soap, a toothbrush and tap water.
No matter which type of stones you prefer, keeping them clean is important!

[coffeecup]

Being the cheap-and-lazy type, most of my stones come from auctions (where an old oil-soaked stone will often sell for less than a buck, because after all--who wants to clean them?).

Cleanup is easy. Put the stone in a pan or bowl (I use a cheap plastic shoe box from Wally-world). Put on rubber gloves. Spray the stone down with the cheapest oven cleaner you can find. Take the foam-covered stone and put it in a ziplock bag.

Let the stone sit over night. Put your gloves back on, open the bag in your sink, then scrub the stone with a wire brush. Oil and dirt are gone, and you can see what you actually have.

the dried soaked-in oil will come out this way, and the surfaces of the stone will be clean. If I need to dress the stone to flatten it out, I rub it on the side of a cinder block.

[vikingdog]

Great tip coffecup! Thank you.

[Froggyedge]

Part two
Shaving Sharp

In Part one I started out with some really dull knives, established new edges with a coarse diamond stone and then refined the edges with finer grades of diamonds.
Checking the edges, I now found them to be in the area "about shaving sharp", having what I regard as decent working edges.
But I like to take my edges one step further and for that I frequently use ceramic rods (sticks).

These are reasonably priced, quite effective and easy to use once you get the hang if it.
I use mine for all kinds of knives, from Chef's knives to small pocket knives. The big one is used mainly in the kitchen, the medium sized takes care of most fixed blades and pocket knives at home and the short one is used mainly for quick touch ups in the field.

When using a ceramic rod freehand, I definitely do not try to mimic the frantic whackety-whackety stuff that chef's always do when steeling. I'm rising the spine of the blade a hair higher than when using the diamond stone and move the edge controlled and carefully along the rod from base to tip. You can hold the rod still and move the knife or you can hold the knife still and move the rod. The important thing is maintaining the angle through the stroke so that the cutting edge is constantly touching the rod.

Just as when using the diamond stones, I start out applying some pressure and then gradually reducing it. For the last few strokes I apply minimal pressure.

(You don't need a tree! I just tried to keep from moving while the photographer focused.)

I asked my better half about the kitchen knives and she told me that one of them she could clearly remember from back when she was a child. It was hopelessly dull even back then and it has never been sharpened since.
Here it is:

An old and inexpensive kitchen knife, but made in Eskilstuna, Sweden with Swedish steel. And those are good knives.
After establishing a new edge with the diamond stone and refining it using a ceramic rod, the knife was sharp for the first time since it left the factory many years ago, and probably sharper now than ever.

- Care for a leg shaving?
She just grinned and nodded. (Not the first time I've asked her)
Worked just fine!
To get your knife shaving sharp you need a decent steel, but you don't need an expensive top-shelf super steel. This fixed blade from Steel Warrior is certainly no expensive knife, but it will take a shaving sharp edge.

How about stropping?
Certainly a good idea for obtaining those hair-popping edges. But in my experience not really necessary.
Here's a little trick that I have used for years:
When you have finished your edge on a ceramic rod, a hard Arkansas, a fine grit Japanese Waterstone or whatever you are using, sit down and flex those thigh muscles. Then lay your blade on your thigh, rise the spine a little and move your blade towards the spine.
(If you forget and move it edge first, please call 911 immediately and don't sue me!)

Of course you can not sharpen your knives on your pants, but you may take your edge that final minor step from shaving sharp to hair-popping sharp. This is not about steel removal, but taking care of some micro-burr that may still remain.
Try it and see for yourself!

Old and well used McCoy, but shaving sharp.

But do I really need my knife to be hair-popping sharp?
Probably not!
I guess the vast majority of knife owners live meaningful and happy lives without ever shaving with their knives, or even wanting to do so. This is my road to shaving sharp, but I will not tell any of you to go there if you don't feel the need to.
The good old Ka-Bars were sometimes used to dig for mines. For knives used very roughly, shaving sharp is pointless and even stupid.

Personally I like to keep my edges pretty sharp.
I purchased this EKA from a Swedish gentleman at a fair earlier this month. Nice model for hiking, but it was a bit scratched up from sharpening and very dull.
No problem. After some sharpening and care it makes those thin shavings that I like and is ready for new adventures.

Vikingdog wrote:

I find it to be relaxing and rewarding to sharpen my knives by hand.

I feel the same way.
Touch up your edge frequently, before it goes really dull, and you will not have to bring out those coarse stones for a long time. You will always have a sharp edge that is fun and easy to use, and it is no hard work at all!
A few weeks ago we spent a day by the fjord. A lazy Summer day just enjoying the nice weather. I used my pocket knife several times during the day. Among other things I whittled a couple of primitive wooden knives for eating, as we had brought forks only
My knife was still plenty sharp at the end of the day, but I enjoyed giving the edge a little touch-up while looking at the sunset.

Happy sharpening!

[vikingdog]

Thank you Froggy! And thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread. It's a great source of information on stones and sharpening, exactly what I was looking for!

[FRJ]

Excellent post, Frode. Very good job. A lot of important information.

Also, I liked coffecup's idea for cleaning stones.

[coffeecup]

Not mine, strictly speaking--credit should go to my "Grandpa" (actually my mother's uncle's father-in-law, but if you grew up in a small town you'll understand). He used to boil his stones in lye solution; oven cleaner is just easier to find and safer. It does the same thing.

I could never master his trick of rubbing two out-of-flat stones together to dress them, so I've always used concrete blocks or pavement. He laughed at me about this til he tried it, then said he could still learn new tricks from someone 80+ years his junior.

[Froggyedge]

Thanks for the kind words!
It's a great thread and a good source of information about free hand sharpening. I enjoyed working with my contribution and I'm very happy if any of all the experienced contributors and readers can find some tips of value in my ramblings!

I think it's also an important thread. How to put at least a decent working edge on your knife freehand was common knowledge not that long ago. I'm not too worried about the AAPKers, but what percentage of the general population have such knowledge and skills today?
I don't know the answer, but I believe it's a sad one...

[kayaker]

Great thread folks !
A lot of good and usefull info. And I agree Froggy, there are a lot of "fine arts" that are not being passed along to our younger generation
( or even to our contemporaries for that matter ! ) Knowing how to sharpen a knife( and even whittle a knife to eat with !) should be a rite of passage for our teens , along w/ basic survival skills in the outdoors. We can only do our part to pass this knowledge along, and thanks to you all that's what we do ! That's what I like about these forums.Keep up the good work !!
Kayaker

[carvin don]

Sharp tools are fer sissies, push harder!

Just funnin', just funnin'

LOTS of great information here on hand sharpening, folks, thanks for sharin' The only other thing I might add, is to sharpen, if possible, with a GOOD light source. A dull edge will reflect light, and those lil' nicks and rounded edges will stick out like a neon light when exposed to direct light. A GOOD light source can be very helpful.

I myself, use power to sharpen mostly...since I like to whittle more and sharpen less...for anyone interested, here is a link to a similar thread we had a couple years back on sharpening ... http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... rpening+d2 ...

[Froggyedge]

I agree, Don.
A good light source, and keeping an eye on what's going on with your edge as you work, is very important! As I was experimenting and learning in the beginning I frequently failed to do so. When making a new bevel I sometimes stopped after a while thinking "this ought to be enough!" Often it was not. The new bevel of virgin steel had not yet reached down to the cutting edge and I did not get a good result. Inspecting your edge as you work is a vital part of the process!

Thanks for linking to the old thread! You say some important things there and posted some good pictures!

[granerdm]

this my first time responding to a post and my typing and spelling sucks but here we go.I believe FRJ is right on I have a box full of stones some I use with oil some I use water.It just seems that some stones just won't work on some blades.having the right light and being able to see the cutting edge going over the stone is most important.also keeping the stones clean from past sharpenings.I might be doing something wrong but I use me rougher stones to freshen up my finers stones.it might sound sick but i'm all broke down and have a hard time getting around and I buy 1 or 2 knives aday.so I have a sharpening station next to my bed.I wake up in the middle of night can't go back to sleep so I sharpen old knives.I don't like those diamond sharpeners at all.anyway the more you sharpen the better you get.

[vikingdog]

Welcome and thank you for the post granerdm How many different kinds of stones do you own? Do you have one that you favor over the others? You'll have to post some pictures of your knives.

[Froggyedge]

Granerdm!
I guess I've sharpened a few knives myself at night when I could not sleep.
Just wondering; don't you like any kind of diamond stones at all?
For many years I did not use them either. My main reason for using them now is that the surface of a diamond stone always will remain flat and even.

[Just Plain Dave]

I've never had a really good stone and was never successful with the stones I did use.

For something really dull, I let my friend do the initial work.

I have two pocket size steels: One Klein Tools #44151 and an old Sheffield. I generally use one of these followed by a ceramic stick. I have a nice Gray Lansky with a wooden handle and some white sticks from a set of Crock Sticks.

Last thing I do is strop on my pants.

Sharp enough for me is cleanly slicing paper. And any knife in my pocket will do so!

[vikingdog]

I just received a used Russell barlow with a beautiful edges on the blades, some of the best I've seen. He said he did it with the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I think it's worth looking into if this knife is any indication of what it can do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_lxv6fCU3M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVTj3r3Gtd8

http://www.thespydercostore.com/Spyderc ... /204mf.htm

[ChrisM]

I use stones as many people here have done but have a little twist to it. Instead of using a rod i use the top edge of my car window. It really puts that "razor" edge on it. It it also very a convenient way to keep that edge on your knife when you are work and don't have access to your stones. i have been called crazy but it works.

[peshikthe]

i use a smiths diamond hone that stores in the handle and has a corse and fine side it is a great tool for sharpening 15.00 bucks wallly world.i drag my middle finger across lightly on the hone and if i want a super fine edge i use a smooth/fine arkansas stone.

[FRJ]

Mike, you rascal, I saw that Russell Barlow in another thread. What a beauty. I don't have one.

I'm hopin someday..................

[vikingdog]

It's a beauty Joe. I'll keep my eye out for one for you. That Spyderco system looks pretty good. It gets rave reviews everywhere I've checked.

[FRJ]

Thanks Mike, for some reason I can't bring up you tube on my PC. Rarely can I get something to show.
I'm not what you would call savvy in this field either. Ya recon I need some special magnet in this thing!!!

[vikingdog]

Hey Joe, I just sent you two YouTube links in an e-mail. Maybe it will work from there? Or just cut and past them in your browser...

[FRJ]

I thought I would bring Mikes old thread up to include some stones I got last Sunday.
I love old stones and I have blathered far too much about them, but wanted to show these off and ask about one in particular. I'm just guessing, but the odd shaped one seem like it could be a Belgium water stone.
Anyone have any thoughts on this stone? It's about 7" X 21/2" X 1".
The other two are very nice white and black Arkansas stones. About 8" X 2" X 1".

A girl was selling all her fathers carpentry tools. (UGH!!) The stones were about all that was left.