I dug my old Lansky kit out of my dad's work room over the weekend and brought it home so I could sharpen up my hunting knife before deer season. (I've raved about the knife a little in the past, and I've got to admit, it's still a hum-dinger. I've really only had to barely "polish" the edge back into shape...never really even had to give it a legitimate sharpening.)

 

But anyway, for sharpening a knife blade, there's no beating the ease and guarantee of a Lansky kit. But for anything else, I'll go back to the old Arkansas stone. I learned to sharpen with a stone from my uncle, who hand-builds flintlock longrifles. There's no way to sharpen many of the gouges and inletting tools that he uses except with a stone, so it was handy for him to have a helper to work on keeping his tool edges in order while he was doing the woodwork on the gun stocks. And Watusi is right - it's a lost art.

 

I suck at it.

I sharpen and strope my straight razor periodically, does that count?

 

Amazing the shave you get with a freshly sharpened and well stroped straight razor.

 

While I am decent at it, when I go into Heimerdinger's Cutlery and have Mr. Heimerdinger do it, those next shaves, the whiskers just about jump off my face he has that thing so sharp.

 

Hey Watisu, when you sharpen your knives, to get the "shave the hair off your arm" affect, do you have to use a strap of leather to strope the blade?

I too am mystified at sharpening knives, and God knows, I've tried. Have bought all of the gimmicks and even own a stone. My buddy Roger Beiting is a whiz at it, so before every Canadian fishing trip, I have him sharpen my filet knives. I don't own anything special - one Buck and a couple of Rapalas, so that could be my problem. After some use, I am capable of putting a good enough edge on them to get me by, but am not in Roger's class.

 

I started using an electric knife about five years ago and do a creditable job cleaning walleye with it. For cleaning pike you've got to use a filet knife though.

I too am mystified at sharpening knives, and God knows, I've tried. Have bought all of the gimmicks and even own a stone. My buddy Roger Beiting is a whiz at it, so before every Canadian fishing trip, I have him sharpen my filet knives. I don't own anything special - one Buck and a couple of Rapalas, so that could be my problem. After some use, I am capable of putting a good enough edge on them to get me by, but am not in Roger's class.

 

I started using an electric knife about five years ago and do a creditable job cleaning walleye with it. For cleaning pike you've got to use a filet knife though.

We are on the same page brother. Electric knife all the way.

One thing for sure, it's easier to sharpen a good knife. As I said earlier, I have a nice stone, that's a big help.

One thing for sure, it's easier to sharpen a good knife. As I said earlier, I have a nice stone, that's a big help.

 

Correct. It's all about how the steel was tempered. I had a friend bring me a crappy pocket knife to sharpen for him. Pulling that thing across my Arkansas bench stone was like pulling Gouda across a cheese shredder.

 

As for the stone, my experience has always been that bigger is better.

 

Another thing probably worth mentioning, if you struggle sharpening knives and blades, don't ever...EVER let your frustrations cause you to turn to an electric sharpener of any kind. Electric sharpeners always run the risk of getting the blade too hot from friction/grinding. Blade gets hot, the temper goes kaput. Temper goes kaput, your blade gets soft and loses an edge after 15 seconds of cutting ANYTHING.

I sharpen all of my own knives, as well as several of my friends. I have several types of stones, and at least two Lansky kits. I do not own a paper wheel or expensive equipment. I enjoy sharpening knives. It is a hobby taught to me by my father. My father and I also make fixed blade hunting knives. I enjoy the time I spend with my father, talking about knives we are making or have made, as well as searching flea markets for metal or wood. My father is much better at than I. He can make a knife from an old industrial file or band saw blades. He is quite good at it. I mostly buy blades and make the handles for them. Still fun for me and brings a great deal of satisfaction seeing something I created. I mostly give them to friends and family.

 

CJ does a mean job sharpening knives. I think I still have a few more that need to be touched up. Hint-hint. He has also made some fantastic knives. I feel blessed to have one of his first works of art.

As a nice touch, he also makes his own sheaths.

I absolutely stink at sharpening knives, axes, etc. It is a skill I really wish I would improve as it would make my life easier in so many ways.

Hey Watisu, when you sharpen your knives, to get the "shave the hair off your arm" affect, do you have to use a strap of leather to strope the blade?

Have to? No, but it does take all the burrs off and make the edge much sharper. I used to have a strop that I used for that but must have packed it away somewhere or left it somewhere as I can't find it. If you want the sharpest blade possible, it is a valuable tool.

Another thing probably worth mentioning, if you struggle sharpening knives and blades, don't ever...EVER let your frustrations cause you to turn to an electric sharpener of any kind. Electric sharpeners always run the risk of getting the blade too hot from friction/grinding. Blade gets hot, the temper goes kaput. Temper goes kaput, your blade gets soft and loses an edge after 15 seconds of cutting ANYTHING.

This is apparently true. I've never used one, but I've been cautioned against it. Once you foul up the temper of your blade, might as well chunk it.

This is apparently true. I've never used one, but I've been cautioned against it. Once you foul up the temper of your blade, might as well chunk it.

 

Yep. My grandparents had an AWESOME old carving knife in their kitchen, and my grandpa, who had a reputation for doing things "his way", used a bench grinder to sharpen it from time to time. COMPLETELY had lost the temper on the blade. So when I got ahold of it, I drilled out the pins holding the scales on the handle, and had the fella who made my hunting knife re-heat and temper the blade for me. I ended up making a couple of new scales for the handle out of walnut, reattached them to the tang, hand sharpened and polished the blade, and now the knife is good as new. (I got a little salty when one of my cousins tried to take the knife after my grandpa died a couple of years back...but fortunately the rest of the family spoke up and said I deserved to have it.)

Have to? No, but it does take all the burrs off and make the edge much sharper. I used to have a strop that I used for that but must have packed it away somewhere or left it somewhere as I can't find it. If you want the sharpest blade possible, it is a valuable tool.

Let me add that I am talking about sharpening pocket knives and hunting/fishing knives. If you are wanting to keep an edge on a straight razor for shaving, I think a strop is probaby a must as well as probably a little bit of compound.

As for axes and a long machete type deal that I use, I have a wonderful heatless stone I inherited when I bought my first practice, it's perfect for those type things. I can't find another stone like it either in any of the supplier catalogs. I guess it was a 70's or even 60's model. And the old dental lathe is torqued a bit differently than the craftsman versions.

I don't know if I am good or bad at sharpening knives, but they cut well enough for me. I profess to not being a gun person, but I like knives. I always have one around because I seem to find the need to cuts things often.

Doomer's cousin: