I've never sharpened a knife except on a 'metal stick' that came with my kitchen knives. What do you recommend for serious sharpening of a pocket knife?

That stick is called a "steel". It's meant to restore an edge that has dulled from normal use, on cutting boards and such. It will not remove serious nicks or other than normal edge dulling. For those kinds or edge restorations, a stone of some sort is the best choice.

If your edge is still good and just a bit dull, it won't hurt nothing. If more is needed than a few quick strokes, go with a stone.

Thanks for the help.

What if you just want to make a new knife crazy-sharp?

quote:

Originally posted by mostel:
Thanks for the help.

What if you just want to make a new knife crazy-sharp?

New knife ain't gonna get any more "crazy-sharp" than it already is. You may very well damage it more than making it any sharper out of the block.

If/when you do use the steel or stone on a knife blade, just remember to use the same amount of strokes to each side.

Thanks. I had read some articles that talked about 'out of the box' sharpness-- making it seem like a lot of people make their knife sharper than how it came.

there is an article where the 'reviewer' gives his new knife almost a whole new edge. Then talks about how improved the performance is.

It's all new to me.

yeah many knives dont come factory sharp either. I love my spyderco sharpmaker then a strop it

At most on a brand new knife, I'll leather strap it. It's brand new for Pete's sake. If some have a personal edge profile and wish to grind it into a new knife, that is of course their choice. But if one likesa particular cross section on an edge, why don't they buy it from the get go rather than grinding it into a new knife.

Yeah, yeah, not everybody manufactures "that" edge". So be it, but seriously. Wouldn't one wait until the knife needs to be sharpened to perform this operation? Why grind a new blade?

http://users.ameritech.net/knives/index.htm

More than you want to know about sharpening. Knowing what you are really trying to do makes it much easier to actually get a sharp knife.

A knife steel, the steel stick you mention, does not sharpen a knife, properly speaking. It realigns a slightly banged up edge. It is a touch up, at most.

I think the easiest to use sharpening device is the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It is reasonably priced and pretty easy to use. Best combo of really good results and ease of use for all but the most die-hard of knife freaks.

The various clamp-on sharpening fixtures, like the Lansky system, also work well but are more cumbersome. Flat stones are the most flexible, and allow you to "customize" your sharpening, but require a little skill and practice.

Some factories put great edges on new knives. Benchmade does very well and Spyderco does too. Almost any factory edge is at least good. But they're all going to get dull eventually.

If you got the $ then this will get it to where you want it with professional results. I know some of you can do it freehand on a stone but I suck at it. Im thinking of getting one myself.

http://www.edgeproinc.com/

thanks!!
That edgepro looks awesome. Pricey but...

I think I need some dirt cheap knives to practice with first.

Looks like a great skill to learn. Maybe some time in the future... that edge pro really looks amazing.

I like to sharpen, so I may be odd.

Get some good flat stones. The DMT diamond stones are nice, but they cut very fast, so be careful. They last a long time, though. Water stones are also nice, but a little expensive.

Read a little about sharpening angles and raising a burr - learn what you are trying to do. Then get an inexpensive knife and go at it. Practice. You'll be able to sharpen any knife any time, no special tools.

Thanks for that simple advice--my gut tells me you are right--next up--a couple 10 dollar knives? And some stones.

If I'm remembering correctly, using a steel too much can also weaken an edge.

It works more to re-align an edge - pulling the steel so-to-speak. Excessive steeling can create an edge that is brittle/"stretched."

Lansky is a good alternative to Edge Pro. I have good results with mine.

I recently bough an edge pro apex sharpening system and am extremely happy with it. After a very short learning curve I was able to produce extremely sharp blades.

Before buying this system I had tried a lansky kit and found it to be awkward to use especially on larger kitchen knives. I had also tried hand sharpening but did not have the time needed to learn this skill.

With the edge pro system I can easily keep all my knives sharp!