M
MBSA
Guest
How do you sharpen your knifes? A wet stone or a electric sharpener? I have tried a wet stone but all I do is dull it more? What's the secret? HELP!!
Knife Sharpening
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Danno
PMA Member
Wrong angle, too much pressure. Try this technique. Written by a friend of mine:
How to Sharpen a Knife
How to Sharpen a Knife
M
MBSA
Guest
Thanks Danno...I will give that a try. Lots of good info there.
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
That's a great link!!
Practice, practice, and more practice is what it takes. My dad had me sharpen his pocket knife when I was a kid. His friends were impressed with the sharpness and he would offer my services. I agree with the author that some knives can cause fits. I used to hate it when he brought a Buck knife home. It seemed they were the toughest to get a razor edge on. I have done the "shaving the hair off my arm" test but prefer the thumbnail test (less likely to cut yourself). Another test I like is to hold the edge of a sheet of paper, having the paper hang down, then try to cut it. If the knife tears the paper, you need to go back to the stone. It should cut the paper smoothly with little effort.
I have a favorite knife that I use for all of my field dressing, skinning and boning. It is a Schrade Muskrat Skinner My knife People I have hunted with scoff until they see it in action. I have a couple of Marble sheath knives that I got from my Grandpa. Great knives, but more of a collectors item to me. I have some Buck and Schrade sheath knives that keep the Marbles company at home.
I like to use a hard Arkansas stone and use dish washing detergent with water instead of oil to wet it. When the stone gets loaded up with metal shavings, I simply run it through the dishwasher. I have a stone at work that occasionally I will put in the sonicator to clean up. Like my knife, the stone is fairly small, roughly 3"X4". Keeping the honing angle consistent from side to side is the toughest part. I envision that I am trying to cut a thin slice off the stone as I pull the knife towards me.
Practice, practice, and more practice is what it takes. My dad had me sharpen his pocket knife when I was a kid. His friends were impressed with the sharpness and he would offer my services. I agree with the author that some knives can cause fits. I used to hate it when he brought a Buck knife home. It seemed they were the toughest to get a razor edge on. I have done the "shaving the hair off my arm" test but prefer the thumbnail test (less likely to cut yourself). Another test I like is to hold the edge of a sheet of paper, having the paper hang down, then try to cut it. If the knife tears the paper, you need to go back to the stone. It should cut the paper smoothly with little effort.
I have a favorite knife that I use for all of my field dressing, skinning and boning. It is a Schrade Muskrat Skinner My knife People I have hunted with scoff until they see it in action. I have a couple of Marble sheath knives that I got from my Grandpa. Great knives, but more of a collectors item to me. I have some Buck and Schrade sheath knives that keep the Marbles company at home.
I like to use a hard Arkansas stone and use dish washing detergent with water instead of oil to wet it. When the stone gets loaded up with metal shavings, I simply run it through the dishwasher. I have a stone at work that occasionally I will put in the sonicator to clean up. Like my knife, the stone is fairly small, roughly 3"X4". Keeping the honing angle consistent from side to side is the toughest part. I envision that I am trying to cut a thin slice off the stone as I pull the knife towards me.