Scary sharp

[mac tm]

After one of the guys in our deer hunting party took the edge off my Mora Companion, another tried to "help" by "sharpening" it. Tonight I took the time to try my best put an edge back on it. I've never been good at sharpening, but I must have done something right. This is the first knife I've gotten scary sharp.

Any others have that moment of pride when you think you figured it out? What knife?

 

[rcmodel]

I think it was when I was 12 in 1956.

I swiped my dad's old grey whet stone and sharpened my case pocket knife until it would shave the soft new hair off my arm with spit on it.

Never had another problem sharpening anything, until lately when the new 'super-steels' came along.

I'm not sure that was an improvement in knives at all!!

Now it takes diamond hones, and ceramic's to do what spit on a whet stone did back then.

rc!

 

[Speedo66]

Had to laugh RC, when I read your second sentence, it seemed like the spit was on your arm. Thankfully, the last sentence cleared that up.

 

[Kingcreek]

My grandpa was a Scandinavian woodworker. He gave me my first pocketknife but not until I learned to sharpen his chisels and planer blades with his oil stones. I remember sitting on his lap at the workbench while he guided my hand across the stone and his pipe smoke swirled around us. I was probably 6 or 7 and he died when I was 10.
Things have been pretty sharp around me for over 50 years. I've had a couple that I just could not get sharp. Surprisingly, one of them was a not cheap Phil Boguszewski custom fixed blade. I always suspected that the new wondersteel recipe had the heat treat wrong on that one- soft like cheap paki metal.
I NEVER let anyone else put an edge on my knives. I've seen good edges turned bad by well intentioned buddies in camp.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I was taught at an early age the art of sharpening, at first with a double sided two grit whet stone.
I now use India stones followed by a Hard Arkansas and a leather/cardboard strop.

 

[bikerdoc]

I could always do an acceptable job but about ten years ago something clicked and now people come to me with sharpening projects.