Knife/Blade Sharpening

[otsblades]

What does everyone use to sharpen them knives/blades?

[jimmontg]

Mainly because on very hard and wear resistant blade steels they will sharpen faster. I sharpen by hand and some steels can take all day. I may finish with a fine Arkansas stone to just hone the edge a bit. l usually just leave my knives just how they come off my 800 grit EZE Lap diamond stone that is 20 years old so it's a little smoother now. l find that is sharp enough for just about anything l want it to do except for cutting leather or wood carving. For those activities l take the edge down to 2000 grit using a very fine Crystolon oil stone and after that l strop my leather tools on 5000 grit diamond compound on thin leather glued to a stick and buff the edge finally with 10,000 grit diamond. A super sharp and smooth edge makes cutting leather a lot easier.

[M&J]

I sharpen on the 2x72" grinder with a fixture taken from the Lansky type system. Have made variations over the years to adapt and this allows a consistent angle every time. This is one of the early pics. Table is set for a specific degree based on my usual thickness of blades and this works well for my pieces. Will use a well worn 320 or 400 grit. Based on wear I would estimate that the belts are in the 1400-2000+ grit range. If starting a new edge I'll use a fresh 320 then polish the edge with the worn belts followed by a quick pass on the leather with compound.

[oxo]

I made myself a jig based on the Lansky System, also made a few jigs to sharpen different smaller knifes, including a one for the Opinel Blades.

Cheap diamond files & waters stones off Aliexpress, modified square handles it makes a decent job.