Knife Sharpening. ???

[38 WCF]

Looking for a simple but very effective way to sharpen my field knives. Methods, tools etc.
Stone, Ceramic, steel, Diamond.

How do you folks sharpen YOUR knives.

[bigkahunasix]

For carbon steel blades I use stones, for tougher stainless I use DMT diamond stones and for quick touch-ups its a Spyderco Sharpmaker or a strop loaded with chromium oxide paste.

For machetes and brush cutting tools or for anything with a convex edge I use a belt grinder.

And as a certified knife geek I also have a Edge-Pro, a Warthog, waterstones and too much other stuff to name.

There are literally hundreds of tutorials on youtube and a metric ton of info over on Bladeforums.com that would assist in your quest.

Good Luck and bring your checkbook.

[blacktailslayer]

For my working or hunting knives I use a Lanskey sharpener once a year to true-up the edge and then touch them-up in the field with a small diamond steel as necessary when working-up an animal.

The Lanskey is a kit with a holder that you put your knife blade into and then use one of the different grades of stones to apply a specific angle on your blades. It has worked great for me for the past 20 years or so.

I am not a knife guy, I just use knives as tools and this works well for me.

Don D.

[dmize]

The new Lansky sets with the diamond stones are the proverbial cats behind.
I also have a set of Smith diamond stones,small diamond pad on the end of a plastic handle,bout the size of a tongue depressor,three grits in the package,I also use the crap out these things working on triggers and polishing other parts.

[tek4260]

I've used a Eze-Lap for the past several years. Sure there is much better, but it works for me.

[Shakey]

I have tried many of the sharpening tools & systems out there and found that almost any of them work pretty well if you learn how to use them.

The tool I mostly use now is the DMT Aligner tool along with their 6"-600-grit Dia-Sharp. This setup is cheap, easy, and versatile. The 600-grit cuts fast enough if the blade is not too rough and it leaves just the right "tooth" for a working knife edge. Add other grits for different situations.

If there is a secret to getting a really nice edge it is to use either a jeweler's loupe or low-power microscope so you can actually SEE what you are doing. If you watch very closely in the final stages of sharpening you will probably be surprised at what a difference a single stroke will sometimes make

[Madbo]

For general sharpening.
I use a caborundum and india stone and a leather strop.

For quick sharpening.
The fastest best little knife sharpener I have found is the accusharp I keep one at work, the cab of my truck and at home.
www.accusharp.com/

[magman]

For years, I used the Lansky system. I think there is alot of slop where the rod goes through. I then bought the Razor's Edge system. Too complicated. Last year at the Harrisburg Sportsman's Show I found a company called DME. The system is similar to the Lansky but seems more precise. I like it alot. For general edge reconditioning, I use a Warhog.