Knife Sharpening - I'm looking at you Gordo and Steve

[saximus]

I have done heaps of searching and there seems to be lots of different videos with lots of different methods. So far the one below seemed like the best method but I always thought you were supposed to use a circular motion. Can anyone elaborate and maybe point me to a better video?
By the way it's for an old diving knife that my cousin gave me and I'm using a stone similar to the one in the video but I plan on using oil on it.

[video=youtube;lBXRkMZfIXk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBXRkMZfIXk[/video]

 

[waruikazi]

Yeah that is a pretty good basic guide. The only thing i really do different is i'll do it 10 times on the same side and then flip it over and do 10 on the other, then 9, 8, 7 etc etc down to 0 instead of alternating each stroke. Then i'll use the steel and then if i'm feeling really flash i'll put it on a old leather belt to strop the blade.

This series is good. Knife Sharpening : Knife Sharpening: Common Mistakes - YouTube

 

[AndrewHenderson]

The way he is doing it is the way I have always sharpened knives. I think the problem with going in a circle or figure 8 like some people do is it pulls the burrs from sharpening over the knife edge and you don't get the best blade out of it. I use the same stone he uses in there but I use water with it too to try stop it clogging up. My girlfriends dad is shocking at sharpening knives to the point where all his knives have a bow in the cutting edge but no matter how hard you try and tell him his way is the only way to do it! I only need to do this to them twice a year, the rest of the time I just use a butchers steel to keep them sharp.

 

[waruikazi]

Great advice, you shoudl only need to sharpen your knives once a year or so, throughout the year you should be able to keep the blade nice an hair popping just by using the steel.

 

[saximus]

Ah ok awesome thanks fellas I'm gonna have a go tonight. So water is all you need? Not oil?

 

[SteveNT]

Sorry cobber, I just blunt knives and when they wont cut through tissue paper I rub em on the nearest rock or house brick

I'm afraid I've wrecked some beautiful knifes.

 

[waruikazi]

I use oil.

 

[longqi]

Japanese/Koreans use pumice stone and ash with spit
Seems to work ok on katanas

 

[cement]

When I was at tech learning my trade we were taught to use a figure 8 on our chisels. i did it at work and my boss grabbed it off me said 'thats all a load of tafe crap', and showed me straight up and down the oil stone.
Never used "8' again, and have real sharp chisels.

 

[AndrewHenderson]

Ah ok awesome thanks fellas I'm gonna have a go tonight. So water is all you need? Not oil?

It depends on the stone, some will say use oil, some will say use water.

 

[hrafna]

wd40! i use that stuff with this method on all my axes, spears, knives and swords!

 

[maddog-1979]

wd40! i use that stuff with this method on all my axes, spears, knives and swords!

should change your username to conan. pillage much?

 

[Darlyn]

Use soapy water, gives a good viscosity and cleans your knife as you go.

This info doesn't apply to swords Hrafna, not sure about them, Zorro man : )

 

[ChargerWA]

If you want to get really serious, this machine is the answer.

[video=youtube;CY6DJ0PQxyA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY6DJ0PQxyA[/video]

I am a butcher and still sharpen my as in the video in the first post, but a couple of butchers I used to work with had machines like this and the edge they could put on a knife is phenomenal due to the control of the sharpening angle. If you watch all the videos in the series you can learn alot about knife sharpening too.

 

[Boney]

stoning your knife is important but its more important to steel your knife properly . also a tip is to keep your knives shoulders down by rubing them down flat a belt sander can come in handy for this or a hollow grinder if you are lucky enough to have one , there are quite a few stones you can get also combos are good to start on then finish on ceramic eg..

 

[Dragons_Lair]

A mate of mine switched me onto dishwashing liquid years ago and I have been using it ever since. I just wet the stone under the tap first then run a generous slick straight down the center. Works a treat and when you’re finished you just rinse it off under the tap.

 

[-Peter]

I was a chef for years and the method in the first post is pretty much what I have always used then two different steels. The second steel works pretty much like a leather strop being very smoooth. We used dishwashing liquid on the stone as well.

 

[MrHappy]

Use soapy water

I use liquid detergent too. Just a drop or two on the stone