Sharpen with a Dremel??

H

houtex

Joined
Jul 11, 2007
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My buddy says he sharpens all his knives with a dremel.Is this okay?I don't own any real expensive knives(couple of Kershaw cyclones and Coldsteels)in plain edge and serrated both. I love them all and would not want to ruin them.It's about time the Kershaws were sharpened and the CS's are way past due.I plan on buying(getting for xmas) a Sharpmaker but I already own a dremel.He told me how he does it but looking for more feedback befor I try it.
 
lawn mower blades and landscaping tools are one thing, but knives are another. They make a small diamond sharpener that might be ok, but if you really want to use a dremel I would suggest some rubbing compound and a cloth wheel before attempting the diamond sharpener.
 
One thing you'd want to watch out for with the dremel is overheating the blade. You might manage to mess up the temper of the steel, especially right at the edge where the metal is thin. Depending on the wheel that you use on the dremel, you might also remove a lot more material than you really need to. Once a blade is sharp it doesn't take much to maintain it.
 
Thanks for the replys.
The coldsteel knives are old and were very used.I didn't realize how dull they wer until I got my new knives.The kershaw shaved hair when new now not so much and i'd like to be able to retain that sharpness.I'm gonna try with the Colsdteel first as they are old,served me well and are pretty much retired since the Kershaws have made the scene.I'll let ya'll know how it goes.
 
The only thing a Dremel is useful for sharpening is serrations. You will ruin your edge, not so much by overheating, but by grinding lengthwise.
Dremels remove too much metal for knives, and not enough for mower blades.
While very useful tools, dont believe the ads that say you can sharpen, polish, engrave, etc. with them!
Use a conventional sharpening method.
Bill
 
the only thing i use a dremel for is hogging out integral guards with a used rotary file to save time. i also attach a 3" cutoff direct to the shaft and use it to cut out the tangs. forget the dreme.
 
Salamander42 said:
One thing you'd want to watch out for with the dremel is overheating the blade.
Click to expand...

Very good point. I've found that even a relatively small amount of heat can make a huge difference in terms of subsequent edge retention.
 
houtex said:
My buddy says he sharpens all his knives with a dremel.Is this okay?I don't own any real expensive knives(couple of Kershaw cyclones and Coldsteels)in plain edge and serrated both. I love them all and would not want to ruin them.It's about time the Kershaws were sharpened and the CS's are way past due.I plan on buying(getting for xmas) a Sharpmaker but I already own a dremel.He told me how he does it but looking for more feedback befor I try it.
Click to expand...

Bad idea! Do not do this.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I'm a jeweler among other things, and I've used my flex shaft Foredom (similar to a Dremel) driving a silicon carbide wheel on steel before. Works great throating out a 1911 .45 barrel, but I think you're going to run into more than you bargained for on a knife blade. Take a crappy knife and try it, you won't like it!
 
I've used a Dremel, before I started using a paper wheel on my grinder. You use the sewn linen wheel with the polishing rouge, on it's slowest speed. Obviously you have to have very steady hands to polish the edge with a dremel but it works.
 
Bad idea. You yould be much better off buying a decent bench stone and learning to sharpen freehand. It really is not that difficult, and it's well worth the effort required to learn.
 
I suggest you NEVER attempt to sharpen a knife you value with a Dremel or any other type of power grinder.
 
I've done this a few times, it's a good way to accidentally serrate your knife.
For re-beveling knives, I've found that a good bench stone, preferably diamond, or a belt sander (used very, very carefully) work best.

Sharpening should be done with a stone or sharpening system like the Spyderco Sharpmaker.
 
Okay okay okay, to everyone who said NO you were right.I tried the dremel "technique" with my old and busted up Cold steel Gunsite tanto combo edge.The serattions were uneven and looked more like gouges than serrations .With the dremel I was able to get very close to all looking alike.The very small serrations were left untouched.Now for the plain edge . I wasn't able to get it looking pretty or that sharp.It's sharper than it was but not even.The bevel is not consistant all the way down.The point where the tanto turns up was bad before and I now have ruined it.The dremel vibates so much.I tried putting the knife in a vise then the dremel in vise.It vibrates too much.I don't think heat was an issue cause I kept the dremel on low but I can't say for sure.Don't rub it in too bad guys,my buddies knives though cheap are fairly sharp.I had to try.Now I know and someone else will now know too .DON'T USE A DREMEL ON KNIVES.
 
houtex said:
Okay okay okay, to everyone who said NO you were right.I tried the dremel "technique" with my old and busted up Cold steel Gunsite tanto combo edge.The serattions were uneven and looked more like gouges than serrations .With the dremel I was able to get very close to all looking alike.The very small serrations were left untouched.Now for the plain edge . I wasn't able to get it looking pretty or that sharp.It's sharper than it was but not even.The bevel is not consistant all the way down.The point where the tanto turns up was bad before and I now have ruined it.The dremel vibates so much.I tried putting the knife in a vise then the dremel in vise.It vibrates too much.I don't think heat was an issue cause I kept the dremel on low but I can't say for sure.Don't rub it in too bad guys,my buddies knives though cheap are fairly sharp.I had to try.Now I know and someone else will now know too .DON'T USE A DREMEL ON KNIVES.
Click to expand...

Can you post some pictures. You did it anyway, but some other may learn on this example.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I use a Dremel when I want to screw something up faster than I could with hand tools...
 
Thanks mhawg that made me laugh out loud.i'm gonna use that.
I tried to take pics with my old 2meg cmaera it won't show.
 
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