How do you sharpen your CPK’s?

Flogger

Flogger

Joined
Feb 5, 2020
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90
I’m curious how you fine folks sharpen your Carothers knives? (Or any super steel)

What system do you use?

I’m admittedly not up to speed on the process of sharpening knives with these new steels and I’d like to hear how y’all tackle the job.

Thanks in advance and I hope everyone is doing as well as possible in these uncertain times.

Best,
J.K. (Flogger)
 
Odog27 said:
I use Wicked Edge when I sharpen.
Usually I just strop on a diamond plate.
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W.E is great for up to and including the HDFK. Once you hrt into the choppers, although I don’t own the more advanced Pro III system, I would imagine that something like a Behemoth or B’erC’er would become quite a difficult task with those systems.
 
Casinostocks said:
W.E is great for up to and including the HDFK. Once you hrt into the choppers, although I don’t own the more advanced Pro III system, I would imagine that something like a Behemoth or B’erC’er would become quite a difficult task with those systems.
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Agreed.
I’ve chopped down a couple trees with my BC but I usually just use it to prune limbs. I haven’t ever had any edge damage (to any* of my CPK’s) that has required material removal. Stropping always seems to get them back to shaving sharp.
* the exception is the EDC2 that I carry everyday and abuse regularly.
 
Casinostocks said:
W.E is great for up to and including the HDFK. Once you hrt into the choppers, although I don’t own the more advanced Pro III system, I would imagine that something like a Behemoth or B’erC’er would become quite a difficult task with those systems.
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I’ve been looking into the WE system and it seems to get good reviews and you guys recommend it. I think I’m going to pull the trigger on it. Im also going to get the worksharp field sharpener too I think, for out of state hunts.
Do you gents have a “traveling” system for touch ups when you are away from the castle?
 
Flogger said:
I’ve been looking into the WE system and it seems to get good reviews and you guys recommend it. I think I’m going to pull the trigger on it. Im also going to get the worksharp field sharpener too I think, for out of state hunts.
Do you gents have a “traveling” system for touch ups when you are away from the castle?
Click to expand...

Wicked Edge has its own user forum which I think that it will provide you with great information but quite honestly most of those who use W.E are folder enthusiasts. There are also some great threads in the Blade Forum’s subforum under maintenance and embellishment

There is a learning curve for sure but if I can make one recommendation it would be this: get the best one which you can afford the first time instead of piece-mealing it later on.
 
Casinostocks said:
Wicked Edge has its own user forum which I think that it will provide you with great information but quite honestly most of those who use W.E are folder enthusiasts. There are also some great threads in the Blade Forum’s subforum under maintenance and embellishment

There is a learning curve for sure but if I can make one recommendation it would be this: get the best one which you can afford the first time instead of piece-mealing it later on.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info, it’s much appreciated!
Buy once cry once is cliche but it definitely holds true in this circumstance

BTW, I enjoyed reading your thread about car buying tips. Lots of good info!
 
Flogger said:
Thanks for the info, it’s much appreciated!
Buy once cry once is cliche but it definitely holds true in this circumstance

BTW, I enjoyed reading your thread about car buying tips. Lots of good info!
Click to expand...

Thanks man :)

I really should revisit that thread and add a very important caveat commensurate with this new world which we will be facing post this Covid-19 disaster (put me in the camp that considers this virus and its blanket consequences as serious as it gets). With that said, right now just stick to good used cars under 20K (10K even better!) if you can find them. I certainly will not be recommending getting into a new lease or any expensive purchase unless one is sitting very, very comfortably with their finances. Sad but true!
 
Casinostocks said:
Thanks man :)

I really should revisit that thread and add a very important caveat commensurate with this new world which we will be facing post this Covid-19 disaster (put me in the camp that considers this virus and its blanket consequences as serious as it gets). With that said, right now just stick to good used cars under 20K (10K even better!) if you can find them. I certainly will not be recommending getting into a new lease or any expensive purchase unless one is sitting very, very comfortably with their finances. Sad but true!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I agree with you about the severity of Covid-19 and the fallout that will ensue. I hope and pray that this passes quickly but I’m preparing for the worst.
Godspeed to you all.
 
Lorien said:
I use a Norton im313 for resetting bevels. For touchups I use a coarse/medium diafold and a fine spyderco ceramic file. I've never found stropping to be of much use
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I'm assuming you mean Coarse/Fine Diafold? Red is Fine. Blue is Coarse. Green is Extra Fine. Black is Extra Coarse.

The Blue/Red Diafold is my field sharpener too. The Red side gets anything shaving sharp easily (it's a little coarse initially, but smooths out after a few hundred passes).

The Blue side has reprofiled some seriously dull edges fairly quickly (I really don't get how some people have knives and axes that are so dull, you couldn't cut yourself even while trying to).

As for stropping; I used a StropBlock for a while, but made my own strop blocks by gluing balsa onto finished pine, and loading the balsa with DMT's diamond paste. They have various grits. This'll get an edge hair popping.
 
Lorien said:
I use a Norton im313 for resetting bevels. For touchups I use a coarse/medium diafold and a fine spyderco ceramic file. I've never found stropping to be of much use
Click to expand...

Great answer from awesome person (not talking about his amazing knife knowledge).

As a cherry on a cake, i will add Nathans answers which he gave me some time ago:

"If it were just me maintaining them I'd use my oil stones. I learned how to free-hand it and have no need or desire for a system for my own personal use."

And

"I used to do a near mirror finish on the edge but a 320 grit works just as well for me. Knives get used and those edges will need restored regularly."

After loriens and nathans answers everything is nuff said. But i cant resist and i will add my two cents from my experience.

Scroll down for tl;dr

Many years ago I used to sharpen knives on stones (mostly whetstones but there where few oil stones also). They where enough for my needs for sharpenig and maintaining edges of my knives, some made by me and some mid-class steel production knives (like aus8, vg10, cpm s30v).
But things changed around 3 years ago when i got spyderco pm2 sprintrun with m390 steel. Eventho m390 is easier to maintain than s110v (at least for me) i had some trouble with regular stones as they where powerless against supersteel (comparing to mid-class steels ive counted up).
So i searched for better, faster, easier solution and i came up with diamond stones (DMT dia-folds). Ordered them quickly and it changed my experience of sharpening.

Diamon stones:
1.cut (sharpen) about 4times quicker than regular stones
2.they never need flattening
3.they can be used without or with water
4.they are compact (DMT diafold)
4.as time passes and as you use them they become better (first they are bit coarser than they should be but then they breakin and became finer after use)

So during this 2-3 years of regular use (better to say heavy use as i used to sharpen every knife of my friends lol) ive started with DMT coarse/fine and xfine/xxfine. And like 8 months ago added xcoarse to my collection as i had to sharpen friends badly damaged knives for which only 320grit from coarse dmt wasnt enough and after regular use this 320 grit became 600ish lol... so xcoarse was power which ive needed. (Tho sometimes still thinking it would be great to have xxcoarse diafold but sadly they dont exist).
Okay thats about diamond stones, now about how i used them. Like nathan i also mostly put mirror finish on edges because of cutting power and aesthetic look of it.
Ive progressed from lowest to highest grit of diamond stones, highest is around 8000grit (xxfine dmt) after that i was using my spyderco ultrafine whetstone which is used to be said as 2000 grit or 3micron (to be honest this grit to micron chart used to confuse me as my dmt extra extra fine is said to be 8000 grit but same 3 micron lol but with experience and feeling in hand for finishing i prefered spyderco ultrafine stone)
Okay and after deburring on both on dmt xxfine and spyderco uf stones i used to strop them on strop block (which is practical 25$ish investment), this strop block from knivesplus is loaded with green compound on leather which is rates as 1 micron. So its great for use after sharpening or touchups.

But after everything, after my long journey of knife sharpening (and im addicted to sharp thigs lol, love everything what is sharp and cuts lol, even my gransfors hatchet is mirror edged and hair-whirling sharp idk if wrote itcorrectly lol..) i had many ups and downs, different experiences, different stones. I was still experimenting with different grit finishes, different edge finishes.. so after nathans answer that 320grit is just enough, and knifes will get used and edge needs restoration regularly, ive searched and experimented with lowgrit finishes like 220,, 320, 600, which is called toothy edge. Ive searched different topics, videos about toothy edge vs mirror edge. Ive tested them on my knives. And you know what? Sometimes toothy edge is even better than mirror edge. Because of low grit finish, toothy edge has some micro saw on edge which helps to cut in some situations + its easier and faster to finish sharpening knife with toothy finish.
Evenmore ive managed to sharpen and finish my 3v knife with only xcoarse dmt which is 220 grit. And this knife was almost as sharp as mirror finished knife. Ive used only xcoarse for sharpening and also managed to deburr with it. So my knife was shaving hand with no problem, even shaved "free hanging" hair of my beard, which i call hair-whirling. Tho it wasnt able to shave free hanging head hair lol.. (because regular hair is thinner than beard, and my mirror edges are whirling normal hair with no problem...)

So with my experience dmt diafolds are more than enough, during past months i barely use spyderco uf, because dmt xxfine does almost same job for me, im even leasy to strop edge when sharpening after full course of dmt stones lol, because xxfine can deburr and give sweet edge which is more than enoigh for avarage person lol...



Anyways my tl;dr is next:

Get dmt diafold stones
Learn freehand (if you are having trouble at beginning dmts guide can help a bit lol)
Get strop block for touchups

For sharpening

Toothy edge (good for edc knives and choppers)
320 (max 600grit) edge deburred with same stone and for sweet finish i sometimes use xxfine dmt and strop

Mirror edge (good for kitchen knives, chisels and show off knives)
Dmt stones from coarsest till finest and strop.

P.s

Sorry for long post, just couldnt resist to share my experience with you guys as shar things are my weakness lol, can talk for hours about sharpening...

Good luck
Nika
 
Oh and forgot most important when it come vs between mirror edge and toothy edge. Key difference is time.
For example if you need approx. 30-45min to put mirror edge which cuts like a laser on badly damaged edge (and when i say badly i mean badly, with edge rolls and nicks on the edge). It will take you just 5-10 minutes to get scary sharp toothy edge on same steel.

So keep in mind, different steels take different time to sharpen. Also its up to you when choosing between mirror edge and toothy edge, aestetics and beautiful look takes work and time, when practical and working edge takes minutes compared to another.

P.s

As nathan says his delta 3v will blow your mind. You will be amazed how fast you can get scary sharp edge (compared to stainless supersteels like s90v s110v m390 and so on) and how long this edge will last in heavy use (again compared to those steels)

Thanks and hail to nathan the genius lol. Honestly thanks.

And good luck mate, experience is most important in everything so in sharpening. With experience you can get scary sharp edge with proper stone from river.


P.p.s

Maaan cant stop lol, editing one more time to mention, never change nathans dps (degree per side) for example 18° on field knife, it is the best, toughtest and sharpest degree for this knife, nathan is not stupid to just put whatever degree on his knife, when he decided to put 18° dps, this means its the best for this knife. So dont change his bevel, thats important
 
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