is the way i sharpen wrong ?

Joined
Apr 13, 2000
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225
ok, the only sharpening stone i have has a curve in the middle of it, and isnt that good anyway.

its ok for sharpening a dull blade, but cannot get it much past shaving sharp

dunno even what type of stone it is, its really just ment for kitchen use. has one rough side (good for reprofiling), and one smoother black powdery side.

so i just generally sharpen on sandpaper. i use 600 grit to sharpen very dull knives, and then move to 1200 grit to buff/sharpen. then i buff on newspaper, a leather belt and then my palm. i can get a fairly sharp knife, though none of mine ever seem to be able to do the 'toilet paper test' they just push through and make a big hole................

well, they are shaving sharp, and shave pretty close to the skin. it seems to work, but do you guys have any suggestion as to how to make my knives even sharper without going out and buying new equipment ? im quite broke :p

thanks

Daniel
 
Sandpaper is a fine alternative to benchstones and there are many that use it as their primary methods, especially in wood working. For the optimal finish you want high quality sandpaper and careful tecnique. Lee Valley sells 15 and 5 micron SiC, and CrO buffing paper. You can also find decent sandpaper in most hardware stores.

-Cliff
 
thanks cliff for the clarification. it seemed to work and my stone will need to be ground down so the well is no longer there. but for now, sandpaper works fine for me, ill see about the even finer grits. 1200 seems to get it pretty sharp already

sorry i took so long to reply, im always blocked from seeing bladeforums....comes from having knife intolerant parents :p

thanks

Daniel
 
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