Sharpening

I

Irish Sentry

Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
114
Thise of you that own ROS Arms blades already know how sharp they can get, most likely. My question for the forum is what is your favorite sharpening technique or gadget and why? How do you get your blades scary sharp?

We all have our own methods (some of you ordered blades sharpened by me)

But we all have our little tricks and secrets....let's talk sharp!
 
i use the cardboard wheels to sharpen with. most people dont like them but in my opinion, nothing can beat the edge you can put on a knife. there have been many discussions here at the forums on different ways to sharpen knives. i have tried or seen quite a few gadgets but when it comes to time spent compared to finished edge, there is no comparison.
there is a difference in wheels too. i have a set of cheap ones and good ones. the cheap ones are out of balance and dont do as good a job finishing the edge.
stevebot, a member here sells the good ones and will sell any member a set at a lower price than you can get anywhere else. i was told by the manufacturer of the good wheels that there are some major knife makers who use the wheels to sharpen their knives. when it comes to speed and good results, i havent seen anything yet that can come close to these wheels. anyone (reading this today only) who is skeptical can ship me their knife with return postage and shipping insurance prepaid and i will sharpen 1 knife for them.
 
Good info...that is not a method I am entirely familiar with. You are putting a convex edge on the blade when you sharpen, or is there a way to do it with a flat or hollow grind? You have me really curious now.
 
the wheels i use are 8" and 10" with abrasive cloth glued to the wheel. when you purchase a set of these wheels, they are rolled in a glue and then a grit to prepare the wheel for use. in a way it is similar to using a fine grit grinding wheel but much different. a special wax is applied to the wheel to prevent heat buildup. a small burr is formed which you remove with the other wheel which has slots cut every few inches to prevent heat buildup. a white rouge is applied to help remove the burr and polish the edge. the edge would be similar on any type of knife or blade design. i have a closeup picture of what an edge looks like posted here at my website. the picture isnt that good though. http://mysite.verizon.net/ress6fq6/id23.html
 
I prefer Spyderco sharpening stones and use them freehand. Bench stones, then the profile stones. Rosarms are thick enough at the secondary bevel to remove the shoulder to create a convex edge. I'd never use a power tool to put a finished edge on my knife- you gotta feel that burr come off in my opinion.
 
i know what you mean about feeling the burr come off. when i used to do knives by hand in the ez sharp jig, i would finish them off with a good quality ceramic stick which was mounted on a wooden handle. you could feel the burr come off with the stick and sometimes i could peel the burr off in one piece. i still use one to touch up my fillet knives when i'm cleaning fish. you might not "feel" the burr come off with the wheels but you can see it come off, usually in one piece.
 
Edge-Pro Apex, Razor Edge (blade clamp/guide), or hand-sharpening (Scandi-grinds are great for this!).

I use the machines/guides simply because they are fast, efficient, and portable.
I frequently set my sharpeners at hunting camps, and all of my friends knives "mysteriously" show up at my table.
With so many knives to sharpen, hand sharpening is generally out of the question.
 
I can hand sharpen but the more I use a jig the lazier I get, with the exception, as you said, scandi grinds. Thankfully you dont spend a lot of time sharpening the ROS Arms blades unless you are using them for processing, etc.
 
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