Sorry to be a noob, but how to sharpen knives...?

[CynicalSurvival]

Hi, I used to have a cheapish kitchen knife sharpener which actually worked quite well though wasn't very portable...

In recent years I use the 'pestle' bit of a heavy stone mortar and pestle which does actually work after a fashion though I don't know if it is doing the knives any good.

Should I invest in a kitchen steel thing or oilstone or camping knife sharpener, and if so, what type would you recommend? I'd like to sharpen small-medium sized knives and if it could do an axe too that would be a bonus

[ForgeCorvus]

I'm a hand-honer and I use flat 'stones' (dry) and maybe a strop (but that tends to only be for my razor).
Currently, they're diamond 'stones' a 300 grit if I really need to shift so metal and a 600 grit for almost everything else.

I recently acquired through trade a Lansky system, I can't get on with it as I've spent about 20 years teaching myself to make do without. Its probably going on the "Transfer list" soon

I also use my 'stones' to sharpen axes, chisels etc

Anything you want to know more about, just ask

[StashCache]

Whetstone and dry stone are great for producing a nice sharp blade. You might need some patience and some decent co-ordination though as you need good technique, keeping the right angle and getting a nice motion going. There are plenty of good videos on youtube you can check out to investigate the differences of stones and techniques used.

[Hamradioop]

this may be of help; http://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/ ... harpening/

[farnet]

Learning to sharpen knives (and a thing else) is a skill, like everyone has said whetstones / oil are the most reliable.

You can buy the diamond sharpeners ( I have one) and they really give you an extreme edge, but you need to get an edge to work with first...

Understand the basic whetstone, and work out how to sharpen an edge without causing damage ( or loss) to the blade them move up to the others.

I also have a mains grindstone (about £15.00 on eBay) great for an instant sharp edge on a knackered blade, but on a quality blade it'd cause havoc to the beginner.

Like everything, take it slowly

[metatron]

I like the Lansky Deluxe Knife Sharpening System, I also like their sharpening pucks for axes. Very easy to get a edge so fine you can save with it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lansky-Deluxe-K ... +sharpener

[nzbred]

I still use whetstones for alot of knives but they can be expensive.For a cheaper alternative and for bigger knives and my kukri's i use wet and dry sandpaper.This works especially well for the kukri's as they have an awkward shaped blade that is very difficult to use with whetstones.If you use a big flexible book like the yellow pages to rest the sandpaper on,you can follow the contour of the blade and get them razor sharp.there is a video on youtube that shows you the technique.I use the 1000,2000 and 2500grit papers then a leather strop to polish and finish.

[Wulfshead]

I also have a mains grindstone (about £15.00 on eBay) great for an instant sharp edge on a knackered blade, but on a quality blade it'd cause havoc to the beginner.

Like everything, take it slowly

Yep, I made the mistake of trusting a bench grinder when I first started making blades.
However I found an answer which now makes using a bench grinder almost foolproof.
It is the clearance between the work platform and the wheel that is the area which is the problem, the wheel can grab the blade and force it between the platform and wheel leaving horrid deep gouges in the blade bevels.
The thinner you get the bevels toward the cutting edge the more likely this will happen.
I worked out a simple fix.
I cut a piece of 1.5mm sheet steel about 10mm wider than the work platform and that would pass the grinding wheel by 20mm.
I then cut out a section of the sheet steel that would go past both sides of the grinding wheel by about 20mm.
This is held in place with a small G-cramp which is tightly fixed just to the rear of the work platform.
With the distance between grinding wheel face and the inset edge of the new work platform being set at 1mm the blade can then not be pulled into the space between grinding wheel and platform as there are 2 legs that pass the wheel face by circa 19mm +/-
Using this adaption I can easily cut a deep hollow ground blade bevel or just put the final cutting angles.

A strop however is fantastic for the last stage of sharpening.

Wulfshead

[farnet]

Wulfshead, that is brilliant... can you get a picture of that so I can put it into context?

[CynicalSurvival]

Thanks folks and ty Hamradioop for the link, sounds like I should invest in a whetstone at least to start with

Found this video on whetstones too, as someone who has never used it this gave me a quick simple intro:
http://youtu.be/bAmxc_U2dGs