Freehanding

[BP_]

Hello all. Looking to get into freehand sharpening and was looking for some advice/good direction.

I currently use a KO work sharp and it works very well for me. But I don’t want to always have to rely on electricity to sharpen.

I have a sharpmaker and it works “decent” enough for me, but I don’t really care for it as much as I do my KOWS. It’s also a guided system which is fine, but not what I’m looking for. I’d like to try a set of stones and practice freehand, because I’d like to get a LOT better at it. I have the basics but I’d like a good entry level set of stones to do everything from reprofile to strop.

Any recommendations? I don’t want to spend a fortune, which is why I stated “entry level,” but I do understand good stones cost money. I’ll be sharpening everything from 420HC and S35VN to 8670 and M4. And everything in between.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Get an Atoma 140 and 600, glue a replacement 400 and 1200 plate to each for a pair of combination stones, pick up an Ultrasharp 3000 to round it out. When you get into diamond plates, many of the cheaper options aren't worth buying (IMHO).

You can shortcut this with just the Atoma 140, 600, & 3000 Ultrasharp

 

[Mister Coffee]

..When you get into diamond plates, many of the cheaper options aren't worth buying (IMHO).

That's valuable advice. At least, for me it is. Thank you.

Is DMT the place to start for quality diamond plate products? $50-$80 depending upon where you shop? I've got three DMT plates, and I've been seeing YouTube videos about Venev.

 

[BP_]

Thanks for the advice. The Atoma are pricey but from what I’ve read are good, long lasting stones.

 

[chalby]

You could do worse than start with some sort of coarse/fine combo diamond plate to begin with. Atoma, DMT, Eze Lap are all good options. I have Eze Lap plates that I would recommend.

I would also add a strop of some sort (tanned leather or a softer wood like basswood) with a diamond emulsion or spray. 1 micron is a good all-round size if you only want one basic compound to refine your edge

 

[115Italian]

I have a dmt fine diamond plate. It cuts into most steels pretty well with the right pressure.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I've used DMTs for more than three decades and have yet to wear one out, so while they're not cheap they will last a long time. When they load up I wipe them down with BreakFree CLP to lift out the swarf. I have an Extra Coarse Diasharp (220 grit) for reprofiling and a combo fine(red, 600 grit)/extra fine(green, 1200 grit) 8" bench stone; mostly I use the fine side. Last year I also got a DMT DuoBase that fits all the hones and makes sharpening a lot easier -- no more skidding around, and it positions the hones up a couple of inches above the bench so you can maintain a regular angle, which is the key to freehand sharpening. DMT also has some aligners but I haven't tried those. For reprofiling I rely on an ancient Buck Honemaster that clamps on the spine of the blade.

 

[BP_]

I had been looking at those and the Atoma as well as the Eze Lap. I think, and I may be wrong, after looking at them all they are ‘about’ the same price range anyway. So it would be about grit progression and which ones to go with. I’d like to get them all at once as a set (with a base, as mentioned), so I’ve kinda been shopping around for something like that. I just think it would be easier to do it all in one swoop, rather than trying to do guesswork about which grits are best for me/my uses. Just a thought.

ETA: I have so many different knives I use for different things, which is another reason I was thinking of a ‘kit’ so to speak of a large range of grits.

I do have a strop that I use when I need, and it works well.

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

FortyTwoBlades some good stones for not a ton of money

American Mutt and Arctic Fox are great.

 

[KidWok]

Dexter sells a "3-way" ceramic setup which is three 12" long rods (coarse, medium, fine). I've found them for about $50 used on ebay.

T

 

[HeavyHanded]

That's valuable advice. At least, for me it is. Thank you.

Is DMT the place to start for quality diamond plate products? $50-$80 depending upon where you shop? I've got three DMT plates, and I've been seeing YouTube videos about Venev.

Personally I have come to be not a fan of DMT quality control in recent years, esp the uninterrupted diasharps. I picked up a set of Atomas the month after I paid off my minivan, have zero regrets and nothing but positive opinion. Plate quality is great, feedback is exceptional, the 140 puts all my other coarse and extra coarse plates to shame in terms of grind speed and uniformity of scratch depth.

 

[BangBang77]

I have an Atoma 400 and 1200, as well as a Dan's Whetstone Arkansas Black. I reprofile with the 400 and touch up with the 1200 or the Black, depending on steel type and how dull they are.

Everything gets topped off on the green strop.

The Atomas are well worth the price. Best knife related investment I've made to date.

Edit: stupid autocorrect...

 

[Old Biker]

Deleted, stupid phone auto replied.

 

[OldNavy]

basic kit chosera 400 = green one
cerax 1000 = white brick with black base
suehiro Rika 5k = Grey one w wood base

for hi-end carbon blades 8k
naniwa snow white & Kitayama the 2 on the far right

 

[cudgee]

basic kit chosera 400 = green one
cerax 1000 = white brick with black base
suehiro Rika 5k = Grey one w wood base

for hi-end carbon blades 8k
naniwa snow white & Kitayama the 2 on the far right

Cool work bench.

 

[eric0822]

My two cents after a lot of trial and error ...

If you want to go with a guided system, I'm a big fan of the KME (or the new Worksharp knockoff). It's hard to mess something up, a pretty quick learning curve, and you can get a knife super sharp with perfect bevels. The downside (to any guided system) is having to reclamp in exact same position to resharpen/hone and the fact that you have a to take a system with you anytime you want to sharpen.

After a year with the KME, I decided I wanted to learn to sharpen freehand, so I began the journey. A very steep learning curve, but you can get there if you obsessively watch YouTube videos and practice, practice, practice. But you have to put in the time. Lots of it. The upside is that you learn a craft, and you aren't beholden to a machine or system.

There are a million stone options, and they all have their place. Regardless of what people may say, you can spend very little money and get a sharp knife. However, you can spend a little more and make things easier on you, especially if you get into the super steels. I have DMT diamond plates (8x3 bench stones), and I have the UltraSharp diamond plates. The latter are far superior in quality control. DMT has gone downhill. Plus, UltraSharp are cheaper. Personally, I think you can go with a 300 and a 600 grit stone and those two stones alone could be all you need for (re)profiling and getting a sharp toothy edge. I recently splurged and picked up a 240/400 Venev Dragon diamond combo stone (8x3) and have sharpened two knives with it. Absolutely love the results and don't see going back to the UltraSharp anytime soon. However, those are pricey, and, honestly, not necessary – especially starting out. If you want to get a mirror polish, then you'll need to pick up another finer grit stone or two. Just depends on what you want to do. You will also need a strop for burr removal and for touchups down the road. I just recently went to a basswood/Gunny Juice combo (3 micron and 1 micron) and am blown away with what that combo can do to refine/finish an edge.

So that's where my journey has taken me currently. I have Arkansas stones, India stones, ceramic stones ... but what I have noted above is a great, easy setup that will last you forever if you want it to.

Hope some of that helps.

 

[rm41400]

Hello all. Looking to get into freehand sharpening and was looking for some advice/good direction.

I currently use a KO work sharp and it works very well for me. But I don’t want to always have to rely on electricity to sharpen.

I have a sharpmaker and it works “decent” enough for me, but I don’t really care for it as much as I do my KOWS. It’s also a guided system which is fine, but not what I’m looking for. I’d like to try a set of stones and practice freehand, because I’d like to get a LOT better at it. I have the basics but I’d like a good entry level set of stones to do everything from reprofile to strop.

Any recommendations? I don’t want to spend a fortune, which is why I stated “entry level,” but I do understand good stones cost money. I’ll be sharpening everything from 420HC and S35VN to 8670 and M4. And everything in between.

Atomas are definitely (I’ve got a 140and 400) nice but if your learning free hand sharpening I would vote for a stone with better feedback.

Disclaimer- I am newer (few years) to free hand sharpening and always struggled with diamonds and freehand in general. Tried and gave up a few times over the years.

A couple things seemed to make the lightbulb go off for me.

1. Bought a WIcked edge set and figured out what I was looking for on an apex/bur.
2. Learned proper bur removal and stropping
3. Feedback on a good waterstone really helped things click. Too step of an angle on a soft stone and it literally feels like your carving/slicing into a it. Too shallow of an angle and you can really feel the shoulder dragging on the stone. Just right… it feels locked in and glassy smooth on higher grits. Yes these sensations are probably similar on other stones/diamonds but I couldn’t detect as easily as I can on my choseras/kitayama/Rika etc.

I would recommend a nice pair of Naniwa Chosera maybe an 800 and a 3000. I think the feedback on a nice waterstone was a game changer for helping me learn to sharpen pocket knives etc.

If you need to save some money maybe get 1000 Suhero cerax and 5k Rika.

If your knives are rough you may need a 400-600 grit in the mix

 

[hank_rearden]

My advice is to start with the most rudimentary set-up, and sharpen knives that really need to be sharpened regularly (kitchen knives, knives for gardening, wood cutting, brush work.)

Get a two-sided carborundum stone. I reckon they're at course to medium. Practice with your knives there (not the expensive ones with exotic steels for now.) Try getting a sharp edge from the medium grit before you try finer grit and enter hair splitting as a hobby. There's tonnes of advice online on how to free hand.

 

[tiguy7]

I use a Sharpmaker for touch up work but use my home made jig for stock removal and extra wear resistant steels.
The jig takes some of the guesswork out of free handing. Almost any stone can be used, and the changes are quick.

 

[Sharp Steel]

I am still hoping to obtain one of those ribbed 'stones' on which you mount sand paper. Looked like a good system for learning free hand.