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Thread: A 'How to' guide to sharpening a knife the traditional way.

  1. #106
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    cardiff
    Posts
    52

    knife

    [QUOTE=snock;2352685]By 'traditional' I mean by using an oilstone or waterstone. The waterstones are available online from outlets like these or you might have a shop on your local High Street which does them or the oilstone.

    Whichever you decide to buy, there are differences in using them, but for the benefit of confusion, I shall assume that you have bought the oilstone, as that's what many of you will find more readily available.

    A very sharp knife is a microscopically fine saw, the act of sharpening simply re-sets the teeth of that saw.

    OK, we've got an oilstone, some light oil [3-in-1 is fine], some rags, a leather belt and some plasters.

    First off, we assess which side of the stone to use; rough or fine, by determining how blunt the blade is.
    The stone should be placed flat on a clean surface [the inside of the wooden box it comes in perfect] and shouldn't be able to move around on the bench.
    We then need to apply just a few drops of oil onto the stone and smooth this onto the stone's surface with a spare finger.

    Presuming we only need to re-touch the edge with the fine side of the stone, we need to place the blade onto the stone at an angle of around 20 degrees and make steady, even strokes with light pressure edge first from the edge nearest the finger guard[choil] to the tip of the blade [guide to blade geometry]. The handle will need to be raised slightly as to keep the tip on the stone due to the changing geometry of the blade/stone interface.

    Start by doing between 5 and 10 sweeps of the blade from choil to tip on one side away from you, wipe off the oil then turn the knife over and do the same amount of sweeps toward yourself. Stop here and feel the edge with your thumb tip for burrs on either side of the edge; if there are none, carry on with the sweeps. If there is a burr, don't worry..this is what you want.

    Once we have a burr on one edge we need to imagine what our blade looks like from a tip-on perspective. A burr will make the blade look like a ' y ', rather than a 'v'. We just need to straighten this burr out.

    Taking note of which side of the blade has the burr on, that is the side we need to concentrate on. Repeat the sweeps, but this time use very light pressure on the blade and check all along the edge for the burr after each sweep. Once the burr has gone, check the other edge for a burr. The burr, if you've used too much pressure on the blade at this last stage has been too much, will have transferred to the other side of the edge; just 'move' the burr so that its hardly detectable on any side. The stone work has finished.

    All that's needed now is to give the edge a strop on a leather belt. This will polish the re-set saw teeth for a more durable edge.

    Attach one end of the belt to something like a vice or hook so that you can get some tension on it.
    Once you've done this you need to hold the other end in your left hand [right hand if left-handed], and make slow, even draws on the blade working spine [blunt side] toward yourself. After each stroke, turn the blade over and push it away from you whilst applying the same light, even pressure you used on the previous stroke. Continue for multiples of 5 or 10 on each side, just for consistency.

    Once you've done all this, and you've got yourself a very keen edge, you'll begin to see the skills develop which will stay with you for life, and you'll feel better for learning how it's done.

    thanks mate that was brill will remember those steps in future

  2. #107
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Hebburn
    Posts
    9

    blade maintenance

    Quote Originally Posted by snock View Post
    By 'traditional' I mean by using an oilstone or waterstone. The waterstones are available online from outlets like these or you might have a shop on your local High Street which does them or the oilstone.

    Whichever you decide to buy, there are differences in using them, but for the benefit of confusion, I shall assume that you have bought the oilstone, as that's what many of you will find more readily available.

    A very sharp knife is a microscopically fine saw, the act of sharpening simply re-sets the teeth of that saw.

    OK, we've got an oilstone, some light oil [3-in-1 is fine], some rags, a leather belt and some plasters.

    First off, we assess which side of the stone to use; rough or fine, by determining how blunt the blade is.
    The stone should be placed flat on a clean surface [the inside of the wooden box it comes in perfect] and shouldn't be able to move around on the bench.
    We then need to apply just a few drops of oil onto the stone and smooth this onto the stone's surface with a spare finger.

    Presuming we only need to re-touch the edge with the fine side of the stone, we need to place the blade onto the stone at an angle of around 20 degrees and make steady, even strokes with light pressure edge first from the edge nearest the finger guard[choil] to the tip of the blade [guide to blade geometry]. The handle will need to be raised slightly as to keep the tip on the stone due to the changing geometry of the blade/stone interface.

    Start by doing between 5 and 10 sweeps of the blade from choil to tip on one side away from you, wipe off the oil then turn the knife over and do the same amount of sweeps toward yourself. Stop here and feel the edge with your thumb tip for burrs on either side of the edge; if there are none, carry on with the sweeps. If there is a burr, don't worry..this is what you want.

    Once we have a burr on one edge we need to imagine what our blade looks like from a tip-on perspective. A burr will make the blade look like a ' y ', rather than a 'v'. We just need to straighten this burr out.

    Taking note of which side of the blade has the burr on, that is the side we need to concentrate on. Repeat the sweeps, but this time use very light pressure on the blade and check all along the edge for the burr after each sweep. Once the burr has gone, check the other edge for a burr. The burr, if you've used too much pressure on the blade at this last stage has been too much, will have transferred to the other side of the edge; just 'move' the burr so that its hardly detectable on any side. The stone work has finished.

    All that's needed now is to give the edge a strop on a leather belt. This will polish the re-set saw teeth for a more durable edge.

    Attach one end of the belt to something like a vice or hook so that you can get some tension on it.
    Once you've done this you need to hold the other end in your left hand [right hand if left-handed], and make slow, even draws on the blade working spine [blunt side] toward yourself. After each stroke, turn the blade over and push it away from you whilst applying the same light, even pressure you used on the previous stroke. Continue for multiples of 5 or 10 on each side, just for consistency.

    Once you've done all this, and you've got yourself a very keen edge, you'll begin to see the skills develop which will stay with you for life, and you'll feel better for learning how it's done.

    Try the blade on a sheet of paper; it should cut with pressure alone.
    blade maintenance is a dying art, its easier to run it through a ceramic sharpener or bin the blade and buy a new one

  3. #108
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    prestatyn
    Posts
    5

    cheers

    great read very informative

  4. #109
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Cardiff
    Posts
    882
    excellent like all these information......good job lads

  5. #110
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    gateshead
    Posts
    25,965
    very good

  6. #111
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Formby
    Posts
    140
    Great thread, I've tried and tried to get good edges with a stone and can't do it. I can get a functional edge but not a razor edge. I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker which is pretty good but I absolutely can't beat the edge I get using a bench grinder with a cloth mop on it and jewellers rouge.

  7. #112
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    43
    Great tips, everything in my knife drawer is going to be so sharp that the Mrs had better be careful. She's always cutting her finger with blunt notched knives.

    On a different note, i have an axe and i know that a grinder is needed to sharpen its thick blade, but would finishing it like this be worthwile or would it just be too brittle for chopping firewood?

  8. #113
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Aylesbury
    Posts
    60,301
    You need a more obtuse angle for an axe. But once ground and honed, a polish will help guard against chipping.
    Join the Free Speech Union
    ''All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to glaze over and resume scrolling''.

  9. #114
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    southampton
    Posts
    27
    id love to be able to sharpen free hand but can only get good results with scandi grinds and my straight razors.
    i ended up buying a guided system. excellent results every time.

  10. #115
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Longfield
    Posts
    5
    Very informative thanks , looks like I've been doing it wrong for years. Tried your way and now I have a very sharp knife.
    Thanks H

  11. #116
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Aylesbury
    Posts
    60,301
    You're welcome.
    Join the Free Speech Union
    ''All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to glaze over and resume scrolling''.

  12. #117
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Rochester
    Posts
    18

    A different way

    I use a Gatco system for my knives and get great consistent results. My brother uses a Lansky system for his collection and finishes on some super fine diamond stone and they all look like the edges have been chrome plated! Touch them at your peril!

  13. #118
    Join Date
    May 2021
    Location
    London
    Posts
    11
    Great advice. I have some water stones and an old Arkansas stone for polishing. For a long time I could get the blade sharp and very bright, but to my frustration it was never shaving sharp. The step I was skipping was the strop - for me that last few passes on an old belt is what has made the difference between a knife or axe that looks good and one that will pop the hair off your arm

  14. #119
    Join Date
    Sep 2021
    Location
    Rochester
    Posts
    20
    I think the most important thing when sharpening a knife is the angle ... angled approx 30 degrees.

  15. #120
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Newcastle emlyn
    Posts
    14
    Quote Originally Posted by crash_test0 View Post
    Best bet is to get a diamond sharpener made by dmt. £30ish, will get you the diafold, which is a double sided jobbie, will sharpen 10 times quicker than an oil stone, and cleaner to. couple of strokes on these , is enough to get razor results. and folds small enough to carry in your shooting jacket. blue is course , red is medium, and green is fine, have found the blue / red combo is best.
    This sounds like a good solution for easy knife sharpening.

    The edge may not last as long but if it's that quick to do then longevity isn't such an issue...

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