Gloves for knife sharpening?

G

getgloves

Joined
Sep 5, 2023
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Hey guys,

first, I'am completely new to knives and their making. But, one of my acquintances started to sharpen knives as a hobby, where he uses sharpening stones and a self made thing to keep the knife at the same angle when sharpening. As a present I thought about getting protective gloves against cuts for him.

Can you recomend some gloves or what I should be looking at? Does it make sense to wear gloves when sharpening or should I focus on something else when concerned with safety?(protective arm sleeves? I guess buying an actual sharpener would help, but thats also probably pretty expensive) I saw gloves where the top part of the thumb, index finger and middle finger are exposed. Does exposing these parts make sense, in order to be able to feel the knife with those fingers better?

Thanks guys!
 
This is kind of tough to answer. Has he expressed concern about cutting himself during sharpening? Has he actually cut himself beyond plugging the leak with a bandaid?

I personally prefer to feel what's going on between steel and stone, but everyone is different.

Maybe find out what grit stones he's using and try to fill a gap in his progression. An extra coarse stone like the American Mutt or Manticore from baryonyx knife (one of our supporting dealers) is where I've started with guys that are under equipped sharpening wise. Both are quite affordable and would a good foundation for getting the heavy lifting out of the way.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums Getgloves.

Sharpening knives shouldn't be so dangerous that it requires protective gloves or sleeves.

Now if a person were working on a meat packing line, cutting up cow parts all day, and working at full speed to meet quotas, then yeah, protective gloves would make sense. But not for casual sharpening.
 
I'm not sure gloves would work so well for sharpening. Personally I'm constantly feeling my edge for burrs, and feeling for spots that still need attention. I'd be taking the gloves off constantly.
One thing I can recommend for a gift, if he doesn't have one already, is a good leather on wood strop. Maybe a bottle or two of Gunny Juice to go with it? People tend to just focus on the stones when they first get into sharpening, but a good strop and some diamond compound can take an edge to the next level. Not super expensive either. There's a ton of decent ones on amazon for around $30, or you could make it yourself for even less. Good diamond solution will set you back another $25 or so, but the stuff lasts a long time.
 
I’ve sharpened knives for years and wouldn’t even entertain the idea of wearing gloves to do it. You’d lose any sense of feel and would likely end up a bit clumsier with them on.

Fingerless gloves would solve the issues with feel and dexterity, but would be equally useless. I’ve only ever cut the ends of my fingers while sharpening. So I’d just end up bleeding still, but while doing a Dice Clay impression.

If you’re looking for a gift I’d go for a nice wood/leather strop and some diamond polishing compound.
 
Gloves greatly reduce the dexterity of the user. For a task requires high dexterity and the feel of the metal on the stone, it is really not a good gear for the task. Even for professional jobs that need a lot of cutting and precise cutting with knife, like some in construction jobs, protective gloves is recommended, but not required, therefore the insurance still cover as they know the job is tedious.

If your friends is adept at sharpening, he likely knows all of the precautions when doing it.
 
I think if your acquaintance is already sharpening at the level where he can do it as a side hustle, gloves aren’t necessary.

I could see using a glove in the case of using a sharpening puck on an axe, or if someone’s using a small pocket stone, maybe, but during normal sharpening procedures at a bench? I’m sure that person will be fine without one.
 
I don't use any gloves while sharpening but I did purchase a couple of gloves to use while cutting fish and other slippery things, which you "could" use while sharpening a knife, if you are so inclined.

Bought them at Bass Pro and they're called the "Lindy Fish Handler."

LindyFishHandlingGlove_Yellow_RightHand.jpg


You normally only need to buy 1 (for your weak hand which hold the fish) but I'm ambidexterous and like to keep my options open. ;)
 
Get with Rhinoknives here on this forum. He has practical experience on the subject.
 
getgloves said:
Does it make sense to wear gloves when sharpening or should I focus on something else when concerned with safety?(protective arm sleeves?
Click to expand...
Not really... it's really not an issue. I've scraped or punctured myself with a screwdriver more times that I ever cut myself sharpening a knife. I wouldn't worry about it. It's just not something that will happen to you very often. It may never happen at all. It's just not something you have to really worry about. Even if if you're running your fingers directly along the edge to feel how sharp it is, you're not going going to draw blood 99.9 percent of the time. It just doesn't happen. I don't know what else to say.

Oh wait, no... there is actually one case where you are way more likely to cut yourself while sharpening a knife. This is if you are using a small pocket stone and you are supporting the stone from underneath, between your thumb and index or middle finger. In that case, you might slice the meat of your finger tip by accident. That could be a problem. With minimal protection, this could be avoided. Any glove should work. As long as it's not just some thin latex or nitrile glove, of course.
 
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