sharpening technique for EDC newbie?

[JWheel]

I got get by the blade bug a couple of weeks ago and have put together a few entry-level blades in that time. Most are AUS-8 or 8Cr13MoV, but today I bought my first quality steel blade - a Spydie Sage 1 (S30V). And while the knife is quality, the factory edge wasn't the sharpest. So I'd like to do some sharpening and I'd love a recommendation for which technique or system I should use based on my specific situation. Here it is:

Most of my knives are EDC. 3" - 3.5" I plan to get a PM2 in the not too distant future (also S30V). I also own a couple of Zwilling Twin Four Star II kitchen knives (they don't seem to advertise what kind of steel they use, only that it's a high-carbon stainless). With the exception of the kitchen ones, my knives will usually see limited action around the house. So I can't imagine needing a full sharpening session more than once every 3 months for the time being. 6 months is probably more likely.

And while I love the idea of getting stones and doing this the traditional way, I have a feeling that even if I practice for a week, I'm going to have to relearn everything 3 - 6 months down the line. Am I right about this? Should I just get a guided system? And if so, is there a system that works better for Spydies (besides the Sharpmaker)?

Thanks for the help!
JW

 

[gosuto]

Get the lansky 5 stone set, you'll learn to put a great edge on knives and it'll last a long time. You should also get a strop and some compound because it can help space out sharpenings and it hones your edges much finer than stones would.

 

[JWheel]

Thanks, gosuto. I believe I've read on this forum that the Lansky changed its clamp at some point and the current clamp is cheap and unreliable. Have you heard anything about that?

The compound I want is the green one, right?

J

 

[gosuto]

No idea about the clamp, mine is still aluminum. The sharpmaker is a great system, and there are some cheap guided systems I've seen on ebay and amazon with names like "retro knight". and depends on the edge you want, I use black compound for a more toothy and aggressive edge.

 

[PiercedBill]

My 2¢..
You might try a DMT diafold magna-guide kit. You get coarse/fine and x fine/xx fine. They're diamond, so no matter what the "supersteel" you'll have no problems.
It doesn't have the greatest clamp, but it gets the job done.

 

[JWheel]

Thanks, guys. Now, I notice no one is saying, "Get the stones and do it traditionally!" So am I right in reading your comments that a kit is the best bet for someone with my limited needs?

 

[aesmith]

How wide are the blades on your knives? The Lansky clamp system can't handle blades narrower than around 1", below that the stone will hit the clamp rather than the blade. I've made a temporary jig for narrow blades so there is a solution, but just warning that out of the box the Lansky doesn't really suit pocket knives.

 

[JWheel]

Then that probably won't work. My Rat2 is the narrowest at about 3/4 of an inch. Then I have another 3 Kershaws than come in at just under 1".

 

[aesmith]

Here's the first draft of an adapter I made for sharpening narrow blades with the Lansky hones. Still some challenges in terms of ease of use.

 

[jackknife]

Thanks, guys. Now, I notice no one is saying, "Get the stones and do it traditionally!" So am I right in reading your comments that a kit is the best bet for someone with my limited needs?

Well, I'll say it; get a few good stones and learn free hand. It will serve you well for many years to come, and you don't have some gizmo that can't fit in a pocket and go with you. If fact, just for yuks, don't bother with a stone at all right now. JUst go in the kitchen and get a coffee mug and practice using tyne unglazed ring on the bottom. Works great and will put a razor edge on a knife with a little patience and a stropping afterward on the back of an old leather belt.

For the past week I've been down here in Texas afet towing a U-haul trailer full of stuff and helping my sister in law move back here from Maryland. Unpacking, and cutting lots of packing tape, breaking down boxes, I've had to re-shapen my pocket knife. I used the bottom of a coffee mug and it did great. Knife whispered through cardboard after.

Go to Home Depot or other hardware store and get a Norton economy stone and just practive. Knife sharpening is NOT rocket science no matter how some people will try to make it seem like it. A simple stone is all you'll need to start off with. Once you get the feel and understand what you are really doing, you'll be able to shapren a knife anywhere on almost anything. A stone out of a creek, side of a brick building, top edge of a car window, and the old standby the bottom of a coffee mug.

These gadgets were invented to get money out of your pocket and into the makers pocket. The people interested in selling sharpening gizmos have made it seem more complicated than it really is in order to sell their stuff.

Edit to add; I am currently in Georgetown Texas and will be heading back to Maryland in about a week. If you are alone my route home, I'll be very happy to stop off and show you how to sharpen a knife on a stone, or coffee mug. I'll be heading home via Dallas, Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Roanoke.

 

[jculley6]

Anyone ever try that spyderco tri-angle sharpmaker knife sharpener? They are about 70 bucks from woodworking places and people seem to love them on anything from cheap stainless to high carbon steel like Henckles and the super steels like s90v, s30v, 154cm, etc. Just curious, I am also thinking about getting Spyderco Double Stuff for 30 bucks, a small double sided stone that is about 600 grain on one side and 1000 on the other.

 

[B#GuitarMan]

Anyone ever try that spyderco tri-angle sharpmaker knife sharpener? They are about 70 bucks from woodworking places and people seem to love them on anything from cheap stainless to high carbon steel like Henckles and the super steels like s90v, s30v, 154cm, etc. Just curious, I am also thinking about getting Spyderco Double Stuff for 30 bucks, a small double sided stone that is about 600 grain on one side and 1000 on the other.

I believe there are a few people 😄 on the Spyderco forum who will set you straight on the Sharpmaker. I have one and like it a lot.

 

[fvdk]

How wide are the blades on your knives? The Lansky clamp system can't handle blades narrower than around 1", below that the stone will hit the clamp rather than the blade. I've made a temporary jig for narrow blades so there is a solution, but just warning that out of the box the Lansky doesn't really suit pocket knives.

That is absolute not true, at least not for the older type clamps which have the notch for smaller blades but with care can also be done with the clamps without the notch.

Here are two pictures with a standard Victorinox knife with a blade width of 1/2" one on the 17 degrees setting and the other one at the 20 degrees setting both work well without hitting the clamp.

Lansky 17 degrees by Frans van de Kamp, on Flickr

Lansky 20 degrees by Frans van de Kamp, on Flickr

BTW The angle settings on the Lansky clamp are just an indication and the actual angle will depend on how far the knife sticks out from the clamp. With this knife the actual sharpening angles are:

13.3 degrees on the 17 degrees setting
17.4 degrees on the 20 degrees setting
21.5 degrees on the 25 degrees setting
25.3 degrees on the 30 degrees setting

I can without a problem sharpen smaller knifes as well on the Lansky so in contrast to aesmith, I would say that the Lansky is perfect for pocket knifes

 

[JWheel]

Good stuff, fellas. Jackknife, your coffee mug technique is intriguing. If I was home in Dallas, I'd take you up on your offer. But I'm on a job in CA for a bit.

And for you Lansky fans, are these the "new" cast aluminum clamps? Or do you have the older, less criticized model?

 

[jackknife]

Good stuff, fellas. Jackknife, your coffee mug technique is intriguing. If I was home in Dallas, I'd take you up on your offer. But I'm on a job in CA for a bit.

And for you Lansky fans, are these the "new" cast aluminum clamps? Or do you have the older, less criticized model?

I'll be in Mission Viejo Cailifornia in mid to late july visiting family for a few weeks before driving back to Maryland toward the end of July.

 

[fvdk]

Good stuff, fellas. And for you Lansky fans, are these the "new" cast aluminum clamps? Or do you have the older, less criticized model?

Here are three clamps, from front to back:

Machined aluminum clamp with notch for small blades from my original Lansky set bought in the late 70's
Cast aluminum clamp with notch for small blades which were common after they stopped using the machined clamps years ago
Cast aluminum clamp without notch which were used a few years ago but for which the received many complaints.

Although I prefer the machined clamp, the cast clamp with the notch is also perfectly usable but the clamps without the notch I would certainly not recommend.
From my previous pictures you might get the idea that the knife is not clamped very secure in such a small notch but in fact it is rock solid.
The notch is not only ideal as it holds the blade very secure but also because it makes it very easy to position the blade in exactly the same position each time.

I have not used the current model clamp with the larger notch and rubber inserts but it is the one in aesmiths picture and I have read many complaints about it.

It should not be hard to find a kit with the older type clamp as I am from the Netherlands and I bought 4 used kits with the old machined type clamp from US based sellers on eBay not too long ago.

Lansky clamps by Frans van de Kamp, on Flickr

 

[JWheel]

I'll be in Mission Viejo Cailifornia in mid to late july visiting family for a few weeks before driving back to Maryland toward the end of July.

I'll be back in Texas by then, but thanks!

 

[JWheel]

Here are three clamps, from front to back:

Machined aluminum clamp with notch for small blades from my original Lansky set bought in the late 70's
Cast aluminum clamp with notch for small blades which were common after they stopped using the machined clamps years ago
Cast aluminum clamp without notch which were used a few years ago but for which the received many complaints.

Although I prefer the machined clamp, the cast clamp with the notch is also perfectly usable but the clamps without the notch I would certainly not recommend.
From my previous pictures you might get the idea that the knife is not clamped very secure in such a small notch but in fact it is rock solid.
The notch is not only ideal as it holds the blade very secure but also because it makes it very easy to position the blade in exactly the same position each time.

I have not used the current model clamp with the larger notch and rubber inserts but it is the one in aesmiths picture and I have read many complaints about it.

It should not be hard to find a kit with the older type clamp as I am from the Netherlands and I bought 4 used kits with the old machined type clamp from US based sellers on eBay not too long ago.

Lansky clamps by Frans van de Kamp, on Flickr

THANK YOU for explaining the differences. I get it now. I'll see what's around for sale, or else, I'll try my luck at freehand. I'll get a cheap practice blade for that.

 

[aesmith]

Here are two pictures with a standard Victorinox knife with a blade width of 1/2" one on the 17 degrees setting and the other one at the 20 degrees setting both work well without hitting the clamp.

Thanks, that is very interesting indeed and prompted me to pop out to the shop and have a good look at mine, which is the type with the rubber insert as you guessed. The absolute minimum protrusion for the 17 degree angle on my clamp is 10mm at which point the hone would be brushing the clamp, whereas yours looks well clear at what must be the same protrusion. In the picture yours is slightly splayed which increases the angle, but nowhere near enough to account for the difference.

From that I can only conclude that the end of the clamp was made thicker to allow for the cutaway part holding the rubber bit. Another difference is the rubber, I just tried with a Victorinox Solo and although the blade is wider than 10mm, it is nowhere near secure with only 1mm in the clamp.

Like you I also checked the geometry against the nominal angles, and they're similar to your clamp (depends on blade thickness of course, but I get very similar figures to yours for a 1mm thick blade with 10mm protrusion).

All in all I think I need to have a good look at mine, I think I might be able to modify the clamp to make it more like the older ones.

Thanks again for posting.

 

[fvdk]

All in all I think I need to have a good look at mine, I think I might be able to modify the clamp to make it more like the older ones.

Thanks again for posting.

You're welcome.

For years now people have been complaining about the changes in the clamp and It is a shame that Lanky seems not to be listening as the system was perfect as it was.

I hope you will find a nice modification and if so, please post it here as I would love to see it.