The Zen that is sharpening blades.

[TarHeelBrit]

Does anyone else find sharpening your knife, axe etc to be very relaxing and almost zen like? Let me explain after my new Lansky puck arrived I went on a sharpening spree. My Falcatta, tomahawk, axe, lawnmower blade (didn't need it I just wanted to sharpen) and all my knives.

A beautiful afternoon with a gentle breeze and broken clouds not too warm nor cold...perfect day. So after grabbing a small chair, bag of blades and a canteen full of juice a bag of peanuts I headed down to the back of the garden to a secluded spot under the trees and settled down to hours of peaceful, relaxing sharpening. A few "neighbours" dropped in to see what I was doing namely a Robin two Blackbirds and a Bluetit. Maybe they were curious as to the strange sound but I think they were more interested in the peanuts, one of the Blackbirds took some nuts from my hand.

Four and a half wonderful relaxing hours later my wife appeared and asked if I was going to camp out there. Amazing how time flies when you're doing something you like. A couple of knives still need dressing but that's for tomorrow.

Yup, a good afternoon.

 

[Goatboy]

I'm with you Sir.
I find things like sharpening not a task but a joy. My personal favourite is polishing leather. Have written about it in the past, but sitting in of an evening while the rain beats it's staccato rhythm on the window while I burnish a sheath or boots to a deep conker shine a deeply happy thing.
Blades too are a joy. Taking a dull edge to a finely honed living thing in the repetive way we do does allow the brain to wander off on journeys beyond where our feet can take us.
Not only does our work do our kit some good but it has a cathartic effect on the mind.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Robson Valley]

Honing wood carving tools does that to me, too. It gets done correctly, how, I can't recall.
PacNW tools have to be fixed and the abrasives move = takes a little too much focus to slip into right-side.
But
Kneading bread/pizza/pasta dough, my head goes someplace, I don't know/care where.
When it gets elastic enough to fight back, that hauls me back to my kitchen.

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who finds this relaxing and not stressful.

 

[dewi]

Not tried sharpening yet, but polishing... I'm kind of addicted to it. I used to polish motorbike parts... not for money... just because it is so relaxing and the end results are pleasing.

 

[Robson Valley]

Freehand sharpening is a simple issue of maintaining the designated bevel angle throughout the entire process.
What is the needed bevel angle required for service? No, they are not the same for everything.
Commonly, I wait until I have a number of wood carving tools and process them as a group.
Never anything as stout as a wood-chopping axe. Elbow adze, D-adze, those are the large edges.

 

[Dave]

If youre looking for the Zen sharpener of youtube, have you watched virtuovices channel? He's got that hypnotic quality. Kinda like watching Bob Ross paint a landscape.

'Hello Knife people'

[video=youtube;_tOM-8StQLU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tOM-8StQLU&spfreload=10[/video]

They're all good really, and he has some in 'in the field testing on deer' vids. informative and engaging.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Kneading bread/pizza/pasta dough, my head goes someplace, I don't know/care where.
When it gets elastic enough to fight back, that hauls me back to my kitchen.

With you there, RV.

 

[Dave Budd]

i sharpen something every day, it's just part of my job. Then on occasions I will spend several hours doing nothing but sharpening things (such as whenI sharpen a load of knives for a restaurant or I ave just made batch of sharp tools).

For me the act of sharpening is more like taking a dump. The thought or if and the act of doing it are just things that I have to do, I don't enjoy but don't hate it. The end result is always a relief though

 

[mick91]

I was with you up until a few months ago when I had to hone a chink out of my razor! Put me right off the idea. Although I imagine next time I'm camping and sharpening an axe fireside with a cup of hot bovril the love will come back

 

[Goatboy]

i sharpen something every day, it's just part of my job. Then on occasions I will spend several hours doing nothing but sharpening things (such as whenI sharpen a load of knives for a restaurant or I ave just made batch of sharp tools).

For me the act of sharpening is more like taking a dump. The thought or if and the act of doing it are just things that I have to do, I don't enjoy but don't hate it. The end result is always a relief though

I suppose if I was doing it on the scale you were it might seem a chore. Thought when I was still a forester the end of each was was a time of maintenance as tools were never put away dirty or dull. It might be stripping and sharpening my chainsaw, cleaning and oiling spades and flochters, sharpening my knives or axes or cleaning the rifle. It wasn't just good practice it was a way to ritually finish my day.
So saying one chap I shared a cottage with for a while did comment when he came back in one day and I was sharpening a particularly large bowie that it was like "...living with bloody Davy Crockett!"

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Harvestman]

I find sharpening a chore. Consequently I have lots of blunt tools.

 

[TarHeelBrit]

I find sharpening a chore. Consequently I have lots of blunt tools.

Sorry to hear that mate. Sharpening for me is a pleasure. When I worked in the hardware store I used to take the guys knives home Friday night and spend the weekend putting an edge back on them ready to be abused Monday morning.

 

[vestlenning]

Sharpening is a manifestation of keeping instead of throwing away, how can I not both do it and like it?

 

[John Fenna]

I do not do a lot of sharpening per se ... but I love stropping, which I do lots of ...
I guess that is why I do not do a lot of sharpening
A great way to relax - sitting in my comfy chair in front of a good documentary on the TV using my large rigid strop (I hold it like a violin) heaven
If I do need to sharpen a knife or axe then the first stages are done in the workroom (and is very enjoyable in itself) - but the stropping is always down in the living room