lansky sharpener-woot-woot.

[CZ9shooter]

What angle did you use for your delica?

That's an Endura actually, but I used the 20 degree slot. Which is of course just an estimate of the actual angle. I also went a small step further by putting the guide rod all the way into the stone, rather than flushing it with the grinding surface. This reduced the angle by a degree or two. The first sharpening took some time, as a fair amount of the shoulder had to be removed.

All said and done I think I am somewhere around 15 degrees per side. Which is where It was left it for shaving purposes. Now for regular use though, I touch it up with Lansky crock sticks set at 20 degrees (protractor verified). This just touches the tip of the edge and produces a nice little microbevel.

 

[DM~]

I've owned/used a Lansky sharpener for MANY years...

I find using them is abut as slooow and about as much fun, as watching paint dry!

Perhaps the blades in MY knives, is harder than yours?

DM

 

[CZ9shooter]

A quick touchup doesnt take too long. But yes, reprofiling to a steeper angle is time consuming, even on relatively soft steels.

To me sharpening is delicate undertaking requiring some patience. Power tools are not for me.

 

[Tinybob]

I picked up the 3stone diamond kit on sale a few years ago. Works great and you clean the diamond stones with soap and water. Don't use oil on these. They load like crazy!

 

[hq]

Power tools are not for me.

Anything powered requires a cooling system to prevent overheating the edge of the blade. Belt sanders, the tool of choice for altering angle, usually have none and the blade has to be dipped in cold water frequently. Rotary sharpeners like Tormek have their grindstone partially immersed in a built-in water tank, cooling the blade on the fly and it also facilitates grading the stone between 220 and 1000 grit with a double-sided grader.

Purpose-built power tools are by far the most accurate, consistent and the easiest way to modify the angle. Doing it properly manually with a stone kit takes hours and one slip of the stone can easily ruin the result. There's nothing wrong with choosing to do it manually, not at all, but it truly requires something we call "the patience of a cow" as a translation from Finnish. Personally I do the coarse work with the blade on a guided belt sander with 400...800 grit, do the initial buffing with a canvas buffing wheel and jeweler's rouge, sharpen the edge with Tormek's grindstone at 1000 grit and finalize it on the leather wheel with a dash of extra fine finishing compound.

 

[Axis II]

Well I just took a fixed blade buck knife that's like a cutter/skinner hybrid type that was so dull I couldn't cut anything with it. I started out with the 25degree slot and noticed that it wasn't a 25 degree or any other degree as all of them would grind really hard. Well a youtube video I watched showed a guy sawing the course stone on the knife to get the profile right so I did about 40 saws on each side with course at 25degrees and then 30 strokes per side down to 10 strokes per side and switched to the medium and 20 strokes per side down to one, fine stone 20 strokes per side down to one and finished up with the extra fine stone for 20 strokes per side and that knife will now shave my arm with one swoop against the grain. I also have a nice cut on my thumb where I flipped the clamp and it caught my finger. Looks like I need some cut resistant gloves when I do this.

Well this is the second knife that couldn't cut butter and now its shave sharp!

Question for you guys-I was talking to an old timer at work and he said some knives you don't want shave sharp cause they are too sharp for certain tasks. I didn't go into detail with him but what sense does that make?

 

[redneck]

Some tools like carving knives and chisels I polish the edge as fine as fine as possible for an edge that will push cut really well. Sometimes that edge is so smooth that it actually doesn't cut things like rope all that well. So for some tools it can be beneficial to leave the edge a little toothy and not use the highest grit of stones on it. In either case it should still be sharp enough to shave the hair on your arm. It's not so much about having an edge that is less sharp as it is having one that will bite a little better.

 

[hq]

So for some tools it can be beneficial to leave the edge a little toothy and not use the highest grit of stones on it.

True. The most methodical way to fine-tune the stone-induced tiny serrations on edge is a cheap 300x or 600x microscope. A blade can never be too sharp but some situations may actually benefit from microscopic roughness on the edge. Impact blades like machetes require a different finish than, say, diving knives.

 

[Axis II]

Some tools like carving knives and chisels I polish the edge as fine as fine as possible for an edge that will push cut really well. Sometimes that edge is so smooth that it actually doesn't cut things like rope all that well. So for some tools it can be beneficial to leave the edge a little toothy and not use the highest grit of stones on it. In either case it should still be sharp enough to shave the hair on your arm. It's not so much about having an edge that is less sharp as it is having one that will bite a little better.

Any suggestions on my method? I haven't cut anything but paper and plastic wrap with the one and the other is my deer hunting knife. I would assume scalpel sharp is better for this one? Any suggestions on a pocket knife used for general stuff? Maybe don't use the extra fine stone?

 

[redneck]

It's really personal preference. You could try skipping the extra fine stone and just stropping a little bit, or you could skip the intermediate stones. Raise a burr with the coarse stone then go straight to a fine or extra fine and only use it enough to take the burr off. I don't have a lansky set so I can't tell you exactly how I would do it.
Some of my knives I use a spyderco "fine grit" ceramic bench stone and then strop. Others I stop with the medium ceramic stone and strop lightly. I also have some japanese water stone and some arkansas stones. Kind of depends on which tool I'm sharpening and what mood I'm in. For my leatherworking tools I want a mirror finish on the edge. For a pocket knife or hunting knife I'll usually leave a little more tooth on it.

If you have ever used a brand new leatherman, they put an excellent "toothy" edge on their blades. Very thin and grabby but I find they will roll quickly if you cut hard materials. Cutting rope, packaging etc. they are awesome.

 

[double bogey]

I have went to around 600 grit and left ever so slight of a bur, not like the razor cut, you feel it. Almost like tiny serrations. I have not looked at this with a loupe, need to. And yes, the sharper you start getting your edges, the more careful you become.

 

[J-Bar]

Question for you guys-I was talking to an old timer at work and he said some knives you don't want shave sharp cause they are too sharp for certain tasks. I didn't go into detail with him but what sense does that make?

An axe and a razor face different cutting challenges. If you were to put a razor profile on an axe or a meat cleaver, the thin sharp edge will fold over quickly or break. For heavy chopping you want more angle to the edge so there is more steel supporting that cutting edge...more like a chisel than a razor.

One thing I learned as a meat inspector for the USDA is that using a smooth steel to straighten a folded edge is more efficient than constant use of a stone to hone the blade. If the edge profile is right for the job, a smooth steel will true the edge and rarely will it have to be re-honed.

 

[Iroquois]

I’ve had one of these kits for longer than I care to admit. It does a great job in sharpening all my hunting and pocket knives. If you go slow and don’t get in a hurry it will sharpen about any blade.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I got a set of the Crock Sticks and It works just fine!

https://www.knifecountryusa.com/sto...harpeners-33-deluxe-turn-box-crock-stick.html