Sharpening a knife.

[formariz 11,865]

I was asked on the whetstone thread to demonstrate on how I sharpen a pocket knife. It’s a basic skill that everyone should learn . It is easy and quick. Of course the more experienced you are at it the quicker it is all steps becoming second nature and routine. This method applies also to full size kitchen knives or any other knife. Too many times I have seen people take knives to be sharpened to be charged a small fortune for them to ruin their knives. 

 First step is to establish the bevels eliminating any dents or imperfections on edge. I do this with a file. I NEVER take a knife to an electric grinder.   
It can be done better and quicker with a file without any danger of ruining knife’s temper and having a crooked edge. Simply using a piece of scrap wood rest back of knife on it maintaining at an angle. The angle is pretty much the angle of desired edge bevel. File at a oblique angle to knife’s edge. Remember file only cuts in forward motion. Lift it to bring it back. File until you have an even bevel front to back.

 

 Now turn bevel away from you and do same on other side. Grab file on its tip and draw it towards you for this side since you can’t do this side by holding file’s handle. 

 

 Knife is now ready to take to whetstone. For small knives I use edge of stone. Cover stone with lubricant.  From file I go right to a fine stone, in this case a Translucent Arkansas .Hone edges at an oblique angle to stone alternating the two sides maintaining a constant angle . 

 

 

 

a good way to know if you are being successful is to try and drag knife’s edge on your nail. If it catches on your mail at a low angle it is sharp. If it slips it is dull. 

 

 Most would stop here and consider it sharp which it is. I like to  take it to another level. It only takes another minute or so. Use a strop. It polishes and refines edge to perfection. If you do not have a strop you can make your pants on your thigh be one. Trust me, it works. When you strop you run edge away from strop not towards it. 

Or

You should now have a beautifully polished edge. 

 

 The ultimate test. 

 

 Or

 

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by formariz

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

Thanks for the very informative post, keeping a knife sharp makes it a far more useful tool.

 

I have injured myself more often with a blunt knife over the years!

 

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by Dan.gerous

[WHX?? 46,956]

I seldom have to sharpen mine. I usually lose them long before they get dull. 

Needless to say dad's pocket knife is locked away and I have been sentenced to 10 dollar cheapys. 

[8ntruck 6,437]

We inherited my wife's parent's house.  Her dad liked a grinder to sharpen the kitchen knives.  A lot of them were ugly, crooked and about 1/2 way gone.  Yes, they, have been replaced.

 

About filing the back side of the knife - just swap hands with the file and knife.  I'm one of the fortunate left handed people, so this comes easy for me. 

 

The world is designed for right handed people, so I've been forced all my life to use my non-dominat hand to do things, building skills that you poor unfortunate right handed souls never considered doing.  

[formariz 11,865]

12 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

About filing the back side of the knife - just swap hands with the file and knife.  I'm one of the fortunate left handed people, so this comes easy for me. 

 

The world is designed for right handed people, so I've been forced all my life to use my non-dominat hand to do things, building skills that you poor unfortunate right handed souls never considered doing.  

I one does that without a lot of practice the bevel on that side is going to be different and not consistent. It’s best and quicker to just draw it towards you grabbing the front if it. 

[formariz 11,865]

Lots of people are sort of intimidated by the sharpening process of anything but it is quite easy. I have described a process and the tools used for it. The same tools however are not available to everyone. That should not make a difference, there are many ways of accomplishing the same thing using things at hand as my example of using your pants on your thigh to strop the blade. I can make anything shave using a plain flat rock , a little spit , and my pants. The proper fancy equipment just makes it easier. 
 The actual secret to it is to understand the metal at the edge and understand what it looks like and what it does. Once one has a full understanding of that it is ridiculously easy. Different materials and functions for tool require different edges and sharpening techniques. That is also essential to learn. I will cover that on the next thread. 

[stevasaurus 22,259]

Cas, the bad thing about pictures is no movement.  My question, when on the whetstone, are you pushing the edge of the blade on the stone away from you, or are you pulling the blade edge toward you??  Are you leading with the edge..ie..pushing the edge into the stone, or are you pulling the with the edge away from you??  

   I always push the edge of the blade away from me on the stone.  I've seen people do both.  

[formariz 11,865]

37 minutes ago, stevasaurus said:

Cas, the bad thing about pictures is no movement. 

Understood give me some time I’ll do a video. 
It is back and forth movement without lifting blade with a little pressure on it. Then same on kother side. If you lift blade and the put it down again and push or pull chances are that you are not going to be at same angle as before. Either you are too steep reducing and actually dulling what you sharpened before or you are to low not reaching edge rather being behind it. The back and forth motion keeps blade at same angle . It’s a very quick process taking only about 20 or so seconds on each side. 

 

On the stropping phase on of course pulls edge away from strop, lifts it and then start again. If you run it the other way it will cut strop. Also important to keep at same angle each time although not as critical as with whetstone . 

 

 If it is a long blade such as a sword one would then run the stone over the edge rather than the sword over stone. Easier and more precise than trying to keep the angle in a long motion.
 The function of stone is to polish edge by wearing the metal. It doesn’t matter which direction one goes. As the metal wears the burr created will come off when one does the other side or when one strops it. If not using a strip one merely does it for a few seconds with  no pressure and just the weight of tool. 
 

 Did you ever see an old timer run his chisels edge on the heel of his palm after sharpening it on stone? He was stropping the rest of burr off. 

Edited June 18, 2022 by formariz

[ri702bill 7,391]

1 hour ago, 8ntruck said:

The world is designed for right handed people, so I've been forced all my life to use my non-dominat hand to do things

We have had 3 Lefties here over the years - my wife, her Dad, and one of my grandsons.  We used to have a "Left handed" shop years ago in Providence - they carried all sorts of kitchen gadgets that were left handed. Quite a selection, but oh-so-pricey - I remember the bell over the front door making a "Ca-ching" sound as you entered or left...

We were fortunate to have a relative that worked at Gorhams as a knife seration machine set-up guy. Buy a set of knives from their seconds store and he would recut them so the serations were on the other side for the Lefties -  good times!!

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by ri702bill

[stevasaurus 22,259]

So, you are doing like a circle, or oval, which keeps the stone flat, while you work the blade??  

[squonk 39,040]

When I worked at the Hospital there was a guy in a Motor Home like van who would show up twice a year to sharpen the surgical tools. We would bring our pocket knifes scissors ect out to the truck and he would do them for us. You could shave a wildebeest at full speed with your knife when he was done! 

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

11 minutes ago, squonk said:

shave a wildebeest

 

How would you catch him and get him to sit still?  

[squonk 39,040]

2 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

How would you catch him and get him to sit still?  

You don't. You sit in the Jeep or Land Rover and wait for them to run by! 

[formariz 11,865]

1 hour ago, stevasaurus said:

So, you are doing like a circle, or oval, which keeps the stone flat, while you work the blade??  

For a knife I just go straight back and forth. Will have a video soon which will clear everything up.