Five pound sharpening kit

[L8starter]

fantastic, thanks red, i may have a go on an old knife, presumably i can sharpen up any old kitchen knife to get the hang of it before risking my swiss army pen knife which is all i have at the moment but which defo neds a sharpen?

 

[Sidra]

This is a cheap way for a scandi grind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RZT5mpTSHQ&feature=related

Theo

 

[Samon]

I like this sort of thing, not just becasue its cost effective but because it can essentually put the expensive kit to the back seat and make way for normal and more available stuff to be used like they used to be. I own some basic stuff but use it and get good results, i don't feel like i should upgrade to a £60 axe or a £200 knife and im not scared of nicks or ware 'cause i know i can just grind it sweet again and get it back to how i want it..like tools should be used. Dont get me wrong, i'd like a gb axe but i dont think i could responsibley buy one with my current responsilities as a father and husband so i make do with my old kit and enjoy every minute of it.

 

[Samon]

fantastic, thanks red, i may have a go on an old knife, presumably i can sharpen up any old kitchen knife to get the hang of it before risking my swiss army pen knife which is all i have at the moment but which defo neds a sharpen?

you'd be suprised mate, even the bottom ring of a coffe mug can sharpen a knife nicely. (the rough china type mugs that is)

 

[Samon]

I got hold of some 2500 grit wet and dry today, is it any good to strop with?

I normally use my belt to strop my blades untill the can shave but got the paper pretty cheap and figured it mightwork the same.

 

[British Red]

It'll work nicely for sharpening let alone stopping - it will give a mirror bevel

 

[Samon]

It'll work nicely for sharpening let alone stopping - it will give a mirror bevel

Ah thats good to know, it feels almost like leather.

My crappy defective DC4 stone is concave and has little bumps on the ceramic side and even after trying to bench grind it to shape it's not great.

 

[Red Five]

I'm new to bushcraft and knife-sharpening. I've a kitchen full of knives that I don't seem to be able to get sharp (using a kitchen-devil device and a whet stone). I've just bought a Mora knife but need to learn how care for it before I use it in the field. Any tips or info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[dixienormns]

try the Japanese water stones i start with 800 then 1200 then 6000grit if u are sharpening a new knife just use the 6000grit i am bad with knives they just want stay razor sharp now that i have these stones they stay sharp alot longer and my wetterlings axe is razor sharp when u use the 6000 grit it give u the mirror edge

 

[Two Socks]

@ Red Five:
Read the sticky-thread called 'basic knife-sharpening for beginners' and this thread too. These two threads tell you all you need to know.

 

[billybob0987]

hi, i'm new to this forum

but i have been doing carpentry and furniture repairs for a couple of years now, and cant stand blunt tools, especially when wood turning, and i have always used more or less this technic to keep them sharp, it practically costs me nothing as i get alot of free off cuts of beech and oak from the frame makers we use, and i buy sand paper in 20 meter rolls which are relatively cheap if you use it alot

what i have found though is that you generally dont need to strop the blade, if you sharpen against the sharp edge as described at the start of this thread and dont apply to much pressure the burr is usual minimal, but the way i get rid of it, is to run my thumb over the edge of the blade away from the spine (i hope that makes sense) and if you do it on both sides you can feel a slight resistance on one side where the burr is, then run that side on the sand paper very lightly and recheck, and eventually you get to a point where there is no burr on either side, by doing this i have managed to sharpen an old british army knife to the point were it will shave my arm, using only a 7 inch long piece wood and a piece of 240 and 400 grit paper

also in response to the post about cutting through the paper, that generally happens if the angle and pressure is slightly to high, or if the paper is loose, if find it helps to glue the paper to the piece of wood with a thin smear of well spread out wood glue, and then clamped over night with a piece of soft plyboard to get it smooth, i find these last much longer without getting cut,

hope that doesnt sound like i'm trying to boast or anything, i just love sharpening a knife, i find it very gratifying, almost to the point were i probably abuse them a little more than neccessary so i have to sharpen them again

cheers

nick

 

[winst0nsmith]

Seems like for finishing, mild abrasives are the order of the day, here's a posibility (untried, just an idea like) for field use- Horsetail aka Pewterwort (used to be used for polising pewter..), also used by carpenters in days of old for finishing. It has a remarkably high silica content and if you offer to rip some up from anyone's land, they will probably bite your hand off up to the shoulder- it's hard to get rid of. (Also used to stengthen fingernails as well as being a blight and mildew preventative which boosts resistance to most other ailments in the garden too, very interesting plant, been around since the dinosaurs or before, it's literally very hard.)

 

[gadgetdragon]

I use a soft nail file/buffer from Boots with 4 different grades to strop my knife in the field, lightweight,compact,cheap and works a treat, most probably best on a convext edge as it's soft and conforms to the blade profile.
My Fallkniven F1 loves it ;-)

 

[capt.dunc]

just finished sharpening after a trip to the woods, my advice is to listen, particularly with convex profiles on a curve. you can hear a biting point as the edge engages the paper and a tone change if you move off. don't forget that you should look at your blade/ know it, there may be spots on a home made blade where the convex isn't perfect, but knowing them and listening/ changing your angle, can allow you to correct through successive sharpenings.

 

[stafass]

It is just awesome!!!!!!! I was going to ask Santa Claus to bring me a water stone but now I will make my first sharpening set by myself. Will train on my friends old Pukko knives. Thank you all for loads of grate ideas and for sharing them with us

P.S. I have quite expensive (for me) double bevel ATS-34 blade. Any tips for beginner how to sharpen it and not to regret after?

 

[British Red]

My advice is to ensure that you mainatin the angle on the secondary bevel - tape some cardboard to the spine of the kinfe (or a small bulldog clip) to keep it elevated the exact right amount

 

[Bladeophile]

I've been getting a razor edge with 2000 grit W n D stuck to an unused cheepo oil stone. But I have the plate glass, mainly used with my adjustable scribing block for marking blade centre lines and sanding scales very flat - so I will try switching to putting the paper directly onto the glass instead to sharpen a blade. Thanks for the tip.

 

[ASHCROFT]

excellent post, what a great cheap and simple idea

 

[Alexlana]

Oh my knife was dull as he'll, so tried this method as me and stones do not mix well together. Worked a charm, took some time but result was good.

 

[British Red]

Little and often is the way to do it now you know how