12-8-2018

Sharpening Knives

In November of 2018, a thread appeared in the Spyderco Forums, asking about people's level of interest in sharpening knives. The basic idea being that for some people sharpening becomes a special interest all on its own. Many people on the forum indicated that this was so, and surprisingly more indicated that they sharpen freehand than use a guided system.

As the OP "Vivi" says, "sharpening is as much of a hobby to me as knife collecting is." A number of people said, "I don't really feel that a knife is mine until I've put my edge on it." It is sort of like ammunition reloading. Some people find they enjoy reloading more than shooting.

Video resources

There are lots of people putting sharpening videos on You-tube. I am reminded of a quote from the world of mathematics, "Study the masters, not the students." Some videos are badly produced. Some people go on and on and can't make a point. There are enough to pick from that there is no reason to waste valuable time on terrible videos.

Some introductory videos.

People and their "channels". I have yet to find JasonB (Jason Bosman) from Blade Forums on YouTube.

Blade Forums has a "Maintenance, Tinkering, and Embellishment" subforum, which is the place that sharpening is discussed. The stickies are recommended reading.

Gems

Some "gems" from the thread:

Take a look at the YouTube channels of Cliff Stamp, Michael Christy, Burrfection and others.

As a steel geek I need to put a steel to the stones to know anything about it.

I love the learning curve of sharpening. Half the reason I like trying all these different steels.

My YouTube subscription list is full of awesome sharpening channels: Big Brown Bear (Dead Box Hero), Michael Christy, Rough Rooster Knife Sharpening, Dean O, JDavis882, Jeff Jewell, and OUTDOORS55 are among my favorites. There's a deep well of knowledge there and conflicting styles, mediums, steels, goals, etc. Great stuff!

I used to like jdavis, but he has moved on since. Try HeavyHanded, and Jason B (both over BF) YT channel

These days I crave new sharpening gear more than new knives.

The more I freehand, the less I've been using my Sharpmaker the past month...after being so jacked up on it. I'm just finding myself much more effective freehand. Sharpmaker is strictly for a finishing touch.

Wish I bought a fine grit Spyderco bench stone instead of the Sharpmaker to go along with my coarse/medium grit bench stone. Oh well...we learn along the way.

It basically comes down to using a light touch, alternating sides every stroke, and (the hard part) keeping a pretty consistent angle.

Being overwhelmed with steel choice carries with it an obligation to sharpen so as to learn some of a steel’s properties. I enjoy this discovery, whether by freehand or Sharpmaker, ...

If you look at Michael Christy's videos, even he, a guy with a considerable amount of skill, takes his time. While he could impatiently rush through it and still get a great edge, he is meticulous, patient, and focused.

Probably the most ideal answer is to learn to free hand effectively. This opens up a lot more possibilities in both stone variety (and cost) and angles and convenience and so on.

There is absolutely no shame and zero wrong with choosing to use a guided system.

If you love your Spyderco knives now, you'll kick into an entire next level when you are using it with your own edge.

Some conclusions

Freehand sharpening is a skill and requires developing muscle memory. It is also deeply satisfying to those who have mastered it.
  • Instinctive knife sharpening
    Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

    Tom's Knife Info / tom@mmto.org