Sharpening an Opinel Knife

[match]

I've got a couple of Opinel knives that I've had for ages, but I've never got round to sharpening. Does anyone have any tips for sharpening these knives?

(Please bear in mind I've not sharpened anything for a long while, or indeed ever to a high level of sharpness, so not too much technical speak! )

 

[Andy]

there are lots of ways. But there are three or four main options

Hoodoo hone- it will gove a convex edge which I've been told is what they come with. It's a very cheap system and give a good edge. Do a search to find out all that has been said about it.

bench stone- lots of different types of stone. Takes practice to get good at but once you can do it is a nice simple way to do things

crock sticks - Spyderco sharpmaker is the best of the bunch, it can sharpen just about anything and gives you two options for angles but costs about £35

gerber pocket sharpener- something which I hate but others love. Very cheap and anyone can get a good edge with it. It wont do thick blades but your pocket knife isn't thick so not a problem

The last two arent great for sorting out really blunt knives (there are tricks with the sharpmaker though)

 

[JFW]

I carry an Opinel No.8 as my EDC and I normally use the Gerber pocket sharpener.
It's easy, quick and cheap it also puts a razor edge on my blade.
A bog standard fine/medium stone is also great for a quick edge.
I recall a post just the other day that referenced using a ceramic nail file - this would work well and I will probably get one just to check the effectiveness of it.

Cheers

JFW

 

[MartiniDave]

The very best edge I ever put on an Opinel was with a bit of abrasive loaded leather, used with a stropping action. It's amazing how sharp those knives will get!

Dave

 

[spamel]

I use a bit of wet 'n' dry and the edge of a car window!

 

[Ogri the trog]

I recall a post just the other day that referenced using a ceramic nail file - this would work well and I will probably get one just to check the effectiveness of it.

JFW

Yup, T'was me
If the blade needs to be re-profiled, then you have some work to do. But if it just needs touching up, go for the strop or very mild abrasive on a flat piece of card (or indeed a ceramic carbide nail file - you know, the pink and grey ones). Don't do as the popular image of a barber does (ie, swing the blade back and forth) but slowly touch the side of the blade against the leather - keep the same angle from one end of the stroke to the other, spine of the blade first. Then turn the blade over and repeat in the other direction.
You will know how sharp you want to make it, and too fine an edge will make it delicate, so don't overdo things. You also have the option of leaving "micro teeth" on the edge (which is good for some jobs) or polishing the edge (which makes it good for others).
There are tutorials over on British Blades Forum which are well worth a read.

Good luck

Ogri the trog

 

[Moine]

Ok I live in Opinel country, about 100 miles from the Opinel nest, where they all are born, so over here you get them cheap, and I have a few.

The absolute best and easiest way to get those things scary sharp is to :

1) grab a mouse pad of a piece of old camping mat foam

2) grab two sheets of wet/dry sandpaper. You'll need 180 grit and 600 grit.

3) put the 180 grit on the foam, lay the blade FLAT on it, while applying some light twisting pressure on the edge side, and rub hard. This will clean up the the blade and create an acute yet very tough convex edge.

4) check the sharpness. Once it feel sharp on the fingerprints and you can't see the edge in direct light anymore, move up to the 600 grit. Same process, you rub hard, with the blade flat on the paper whilst twisting it a little to put more pressure on the edge side.

5) check for sharpness again. Once if feels very sharp, repeat the process, but by applying very little pressure. A few back and forths each side. Your knife is now pretty close to shaving sharp.

6) if you want something scary sharp, you can either use 1200 grit sandpaper if you can find some, or else just strop it carefully on your pants. Don't cut yourself. Don't push the blade, just drag it or else it will catch in the pants and cut it (and the leg beneath it, most probably). About 20-30 drags each side and you have a scary sharp opinel.

Cheers

David

 

[OldJimbo]

I rarely bother with 1200 grit emery paper any more. The cheaper emery paper that I can here wears down to a smooth finish as the larger grains of carburundum embed in the paper or break off - so old emery paper works well for polishing - and makes for a really cheap sharpening system that outsharpens many expensive ones!
For final polishing I use some green buffing compound simply crayoned onto cardboard from old cereal boxes. A big block of the stuff will only be $10 - and will be a lifetime supply for several people. It's chromium oxide in a wax base and the hard jagged crystals cut incredibly well for something 0.5 microns in size. It won't take long to polish an Opinel to a wonderful finish.

 

[match]

Spent the weekend at my parents, which gave me the opportunity to raid my ad's garage for loads of wet'ndry!

Ended up making a Hoodoo hone out of a block of wood, some cardboard and two pieces of grit - 160 and 400.

Found an old oilstone which wasn't in too bad shape, so used that to get a coarse but even edge on the blade. Then moved on to the hone, first the 160, then the 400 - have now got a very nice convex edge and have found the perfect sharpness/coarseness - its enough to do whittling and carving, but still smooth enough to slice through things like tomatoes... thanks to everyone for the help and suggestions!

 

[MartiniDave]

I have had some success in the past using an old bit of slate as a waterstone when nothing else has been handy.

Dave

 

[Rod]

Hi Match,

I strop my No. 8 on a birch bracket stropping board, having 'touched' the edge on pocket Buck sharpening stone. This gives me an edge that I could shave with and seems to last a wee while too.

regards