Best sharpening equipment

[bucketstove]

Hey guys and gals just looking for a bit of advice. I have been trying to learn how to hand sharpen my knives for the last couple years. I currently have a king 1000/3000 combination stone. I have got some decent results with this stone but nothing fantastic. I'm looking to either get a couple new stones or possibly a sharpening system. If I stick to stones I was wondering if there would be a DVD or something that could help me improve. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

Hi,
So what is your sharpening procedure exactly ? sharpening what knife?
What is "decent" versus "fantastic"?
Slice printer paper? Shave some arm hairs?
Have you ever raised a burr ?
Do you use any kind of angle guides (ex binder clip...)?
What size (length/width) is your king 1k/3k? Are you sure its not a 6k?
Do you own any bricks ?

Seeing how you've tried to sharpen for a few years,
I think you should answer 20 questions first
And maybe try 20 small observations or adjustments in your sharpening procedure using the equipment you already own, and maybe a coffee cup.
Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment
we can help you improve if you're willing to try sensibly


In terms of stones, you might eventually add
a coarse stone 200grit-400 grit for shaping (first part of sharpening)
a 3k/10k ruby combination stone for the last 20 strokes of sharpening (after the 1k..)
both can be bought under $5 or under $10....
but its better to question/answer/try/repeat first before you buy more stuff

 

[noob93]

Hi,
So what is your sharpening procedure exactly ? sharpening what knife?
What is "decent" versus "fantastic"?
Slice printer paper? Shave some arm hairs?
Have you ever raised a burr ?
Do you use any kind of angle guides (ex binder clip...)?
What size (length/width) is your king 1k/3k? Are you sure its not a 6k?
Do you own any bricks ?

Seeing how you've tried to sharpen for a few years,
I think you should answer 20 questions first
And maybe try 20 small observations or adjustments in your sharpening procedure using the equipment you already own, and maybe a coffee cup.
Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment
we can help you improve if you're willing to try sensibly


In terms of stones, you might eventually add
a coarse stone 200grit-400 grit for shaping (first part of sharpening)
a 3k/10k ruby combination stone for the last 20 strokes of sharpening (after the 1k..)
both can be bought under $5 or under $10....
but its better to question/answer/try/repeat first before you buy more stuff

Hey I just picked up a 400 and a 1000 grit naniwa. I plan on using the 400 to start when no have a fairly dull knife and using the 1000 for the rest. I am decent at raising a burr but sometimes I have a hard time getting rid of it and end up "chasing" it. I don't use an angle guide just try to hear and feel the correct angle. A sharp edge to me is one that will slice news paper and shave some arm hair.

 

[Just Machete]

Sharpening my knife with whetstones gives me the ultimate result. So far, I've used many types of it. When you are starting to use a stone, you need to start from the lower grit level to upper. That really helps to have a nice polishing effect. You will have a sharp edge also that holds for you for a longer period of time.

 

[DB_Cruiser]

I have been sharpening knives almost exclusively on a progression of Arkansas stones for my high carbon blades. The kitchen knives are done on Japanese water stones. All freehand. I get good results most of the time. Sharpening freehand is kind of a meditation for me and I really enjoy the process.
However, I have a Kershaw Leek with a composite blade with an edge of D2 steel. What I have found is that while I do well freehanding carbon steel and softer stainless like Inox, I totally buggered the D2 edge. I discovered that I am not very consistent with my angle over a long period. And this D2 is tough and takes a long time to sharpen with Arkansas and the Japanese stuff I have.
Add to that, I have recently gotten a Manly Wasp in S90V and a Spyderco Chaparral in CTS-XHP. They're still in factory condition, but I figured if I was having trouble with my technique on D2, these more exotic steels would be trouble for me as well. I cannot afford the more expensive rigs like an Edge Pro, etc., so I got a DMT Magna-Guide kit. I put a beautiful edge on that D2, and I can touch it up fine on the Arkies. If my newer knives won't budge on the Arkies, I know I can put a fine edge on them with the cheap DMT kit. I am hoping that I only need to do that if I damage an edge. But a guided system certainly has it's place for me. After spending years freehand sharpening, it almost feels like cheating. I know... I'll get over it...