Planning to buy a sharpening system

[2trapper]

i hope this is the right section of the forum. I'm planning to buy a sharpening system. The first choice was for a double grit whetstone, but then I noticed the Lansky system. the idea of having fixed angles seems to be much more interesting, but I was wandering if it could be used for different blades. In order to clarify my question, I'd like to know if it can be used with proficiency with scandi (e.g. Lauri blades ) or convex profile (e.g. greenwood river)

thanks for your advice

 

[grizzlyj]

Hi. Having struggled to be consistent with a wet stone, i was looking at the Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener. Seems ok for home use and carryable?

Anyone tried it?

 

[Robson Valley]

Oil and water are no more than carriers to lift and remove the swarf = smashed abrasive particles and shreds of metal.
My oil stones are 80, 120 and 220 grits. Garden shovels, hoes and jointing badly damaged fine carving tools.

For fine edges = knives all over the house and my wood carving gouges, adzes and crooked knives.
I use 1/2 top 1/4 sheets of 3M fine automotive finishing sandpapers taped to flat surfaces.
600 for a bad edge then 800.
Most edges, I can inspect and start at 800 then 1k then 1.5k or 2k. not much incremental difference there.
I have 1k and 4k waterstones, they're really nice to use.

For wood carving, the key step is the very last one = honing on some sort of a strop.
My preference for many years is a mix of Chromium Oxide with Aluminum Oxide, scribbled on the strop.

I stand up, I work parallel to the edge of the bench. I have cards showing all the bevel angles that I need to use.
In degrees, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 28, 30.
Black felt marker on the bevel to see what I'm doing. Arms tight to my sides. Match the angle on the card.
Pull strokes only, I sharpen with my legs, not my arms.

The reverse, fixed edge and moving abrasive, is necessary for the adzes and the crooked knives.

If you sit and use your arms, your body anatomy will make you round off the bevel, right at the edge.

So
Even the bought systems have a learning curve. They all work, just pick one and learn what to do
and maybe more importantly, learn what doesn't work.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Wise words that I cannot nor would wish to improve upon.

All I would add is bite the bullet and engage with the learning curve required to achieve your preferred sharpness of blade care of wetstones. Once mastered you may approach such oft' repeated threads with a justified smugness as never again need you endure anything less than a shaving sharp edge.

Just my take of course.

K

 

[scarfell]

I use a cheap (12£) 1000 and 4000 whetstone, i got a small piece of broken stone aswell to make a slurry; its worked brilliantly, all my knifes are razor shap... even managed a shave with my Higo (aogami "super blue paper steel")

I've also got an ancient diamond stone for jobs,that are more than just sharpening, but have hardly had to touch it.

I keep a small 1000/4000 whetstone in my pack, along with 2 small diamond coarse/medium just incase

 

[Robson Valley]

Why a slurry? That's a waste slop of garbage grit and metal.
All stones need to be swept of swarf to cut cleanly and accurately.

scarfell, what does you diamond stone look like? I've seen lots of diamond plates but never have had the need to use one.

Look. For $20 or whatever that is in your currency, you can set up with papers and card strops
to do every bit as good as with the big money stones. Go that way if you wish.

Big money stones and strops and diamonds can't do squat for all of my crooked knives and adzes.
They are the tools which have produced most of the world's most iconic Pacific Northwest native wood carvings for the last couple of centuries.

 

[scarfell]

I make a slurry before sharpening, by rubbing the small piece of whetstone against the main whetstone, makes a nice paste (quite thin) (i asked the shop if they had a spare broken piece of whetstone for this job)


My diamond stone just looks like a black version of the whetstone, but much harder and despite dirt on surface its rogher, and its got ~half a century of oil and metal particles stuck to it... no clue what it looked like new lol

 

[bonzodog]

I have upgraded to a wicked edge,but for years used a DMT Aligner clamp system well worth the money imho.

 

[Robson Valley]

Oil stones can be soaked/washed with kerosene and given a good scrub with a brass bristle brush.
I'd rather keep all the stones clean and free from swarf to have them cut at their nominal grit particle size.

The diamond: I wondered if you had one of the new block design monocrystalline design diamond plates.
I need one to sharpen ceramic kitchen knife blades. OIl and water stones are useless!

 

[pteron]

I appreciate the skills that free hand sharpeners use, but I've never looked back after getting a wicked edge.

The precision of the bevels is a joy to behold.

 

[scarfell]

Oil stones can be soaked/washed with kerosene and given a good scrub with a brass bristle brush.
I'd rather keep all the stones clean and free from swarf to have them cut at their nominal grit particle size.

The diamond: I wondered if you had one of the new block design monocrystalline design diamond plates.
I need one to sharpen ceramic kitchen knife blades. OIl and water stones are useless!

I'll get round to cleaning it eventually, although detergents and my skin dont like each other, so i've also got to get new rubber gloves; complicated life having allergies lol

 

[scarfell]

I appreciate the skills that free hand sharpeners use, but I've never looked back after getting a wicked edge.

The precision of the bevels is a joy to behold.

Looks like a serious bit of kit! I'm a fan of doing things by hand tbh, i like knowing i can do something without needing a power cable or big chunk of hardware; but i think 'll keep it in mind for the future

 

[Robson Valley]

scarfell: take a look in your local hardware store for vinyl gloves. We get boxes of 100, fit both hands, for $10. That makes a glove about 6p in your money.
Pulling them off to turn them inside out for disposal is aboiut as tidy and neat as I can be.

I was taught freehand sharpening by a professional. full-time wood carver.
As a result, I've never been interested in any mechanical jigs or power systems.
I know that they all work very well. Every one of them has to be "learned."

 

[Grebby]

I have an edge pro apex system. For knives with a secondary bevel it's fantastic. My pocket knife and kitchen knives all get done using it.
For scandi grinds I use whetstones.

 

[dabberty]

For my bigger knifes and axes, i use double sided wet stones, and I'm very happy with them.
But for my leatherman charge tti and laguoile pocket knife, I own since a couple of months the lansky sharpening kit, and I bought the 2000 grit stone additionally for this kit.
It's perfect to get a good consistent angle on these smaller blades.

 

[Janne]

I have the KME sharpening system, very happy with it. Only use it for my most expensive knives, for the cheaper knives I use stones "freehand".