I have an 800 grit Japanese water stone. And I have a smiths combo diamond sharpener with the coarse on one side and fine on the other. I know 800 grit isn't very fine for water atones. But its actually higher then the fine diamond.
Not even counting the water stone, I have seen plenty of knives get pretty sharp with the fine stone (750 grit) once I get this down I will get finer stones (wither diamond or water or both)
i must be doing something wrong. It looks like I'm getting the angles right as best I can tell. I even used a sharpie on the edge to see how I was doing. It was removed evenly. I'm doing the same amount on both sides. I have tried various durations. From just a few strokes a side. To 3-5 min a side. I worked with a crap kitchen knife, I worked with an old hockey butcher knife (I use it as my outdoor and bushcraft knife) and I tried a folding buck knife that I EDC. And none of then are getting even a decent edge. Using the paper test none of them are even cutting it. Just ripping. Even without finer stones and a strop they should be able to cut the paper I would think. I used to have my knifes sharpened at bass pro and all they did was take it to a grinding wheel. It wasn't very fine and they didn't use a strop. Yet the old hickory and the buck would shave hair off my arm and slice through paper. The buck I could almost shave with.
I worked with the old hickory the most.I could feel the bur after sharpening each side, on the longer sessions. I did start using my boot to strop just to see if I t would help. It didn't.
Any advice? I really would prefer the learn the skill and not get a gismo that does the angles and all that. My grandfather had just one stone. Yet he could take a $5 knife (though 5 got you farther 15 years ago) and dang near shave with it when he was done.
Not even counting the water stone, I have seen plenty of knives get pretty sharp with the fine stone (750 grit) once I get this down I will get finer stones (wither diamond or water or both)
i must be doing something wrong. It looks like I'm getting the angles right as best I can tell. I even used a sharpie on the edge to see how I was doing. It was removed evenly. I'm doing the same amount on both sides. I have tried various durations. From just a few strokes a side. To 3-5 min a side. I worked with a crap kitchen knife, I worked with an old hockey butcher knife (I use it as my outdoor and bushcraft knife) and I tried a folding buck knife that I EDC. And none of then are getting even a decent edge. Using the paper test none of them are even cutting it. Just ripping. Even without finer stones and a strop they should be able to cut the paper I would think. I used to have my knifes sharpened at bass pro and all they did was take it to a grinding wheel. It wasn't very fine and they didn't use a strop. Yet the old hickory and the buck would shave hair off my arm and slice through paper. The buck I could almost shave with.
I worked with the old hickory the most.I could feel the bur after sharpening each side, on the longer sessions. I did start using my boot to strop just to see if I t would help. It didn't.
Any advice? I really would prefer the learn the skill and not get a gismo that does the angles and all that. My grandfather had just one stone. Yet he could take a $5 knife (though 5 got you farther 15 years ago) and dang near shave with it when he was done.