Sharpening my balisong

[Cannabisbh]

I have read all sorts of ways to sharpen your knife, but which is the best way and has the best results? Where can I get the supplies to do this at?

"What is time? The shadow on the dial, the striking of the clock, the running of the sand, day and night, summer and winter, months, years, centuries - these are but arbitrary and outward signs, the measure of Time, not Time itself. Time is the Life of the soul." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

[Hawaiian]

Spyderco Sharpmaker is great and will keep the edge sharp if you don't let it get too dull. If the edge is trashed, you will need something else to re-bevel it. I like the Lansky diamond system for this.

 

[ganjakid]

I like the lansky diamond system it does a great job and its easy to use, check out Smokey Mt. knife works in TN they usually have a good deal on these .

 

[Gollnick]

At the top of this screen there is a blue bar. In the middle of that bar is a link to "Tutorials/FAQs". Click that and near the bottom of the resulting screen you'll find a link to the sharpening FAQ. It's really a must-read.

As you might imagine, there have been a lot of threads on sharpening here at bladeforums.com over the years. Try using the search feature and I'm sure you'll find all sorts of info.

The general concensus seems to be that the aforementioned Spyderco Sharpmaker is great for quick "touch ups" on a knife that's not been allowed to get very dull, but is a long row to hoe if you're knife is very dull or chipped at all.

"Clamp" systems like Lansky and Gatco (I use a Gatco Edgemate myself), are a bit of a production to setup and use but deliver excellent results with remarkably little "learning curve".

Edgepro is generally considered the sharpest thing since sliced bread, pun intended. But, it's very expensive, about $300 as I recall. It's really made for use by knife makers, knife shops, and professional sharpeners.

And free-hand on fixed stones is the most general method but does require considerable "learning curve."

 

[ExamonLyf]

I do like the free-hand method Chuck mentioned last.., but it does take some practice -lots- to get good at it! I use a two-sided India Stone from "Tru-Grit"..., they are only $30 if I remember right, and I use Kerosene instead of honing oils of any kind. I also sort of "cure" the new stones in kerosene and 10-40 motor oil for a bit before using a new one.., then get it as dry as possible..., and it's off to the edging using kerosene as the medium.

Not my idea by the way. If you ever get a chance to talk to Wayne Goddard at a show, he'll run you through the basics. He taught me some time ago and I've never found a better method since I got decent at it.

www.tru-grit.com

As Chuck mentioned, the Spderco, Lansky, Gatco, and Edge-Pro stuff is all good, and for those of you just "flipping" and not "cutting" much...any of the touch-up gadgets will do a really nice job!

Total agreement on the Edge-Pro...EXCELLENT! -And Pricey-


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"

 

[dragon2]

It took a while, but I used a DMT blue stone on my hinged hone holder. Its vertical, like the sharpmaker. For the final edge, I used the flats of the sharpmaker. One of the finer things about the 42 is the terrifically sharp point it comes with. Thats mostly what took so long, sharpening w/o loosing the point.