Knife Sharpening & Safe use & proper knife handleing

These are great how to & 101 on handeling a knife and sharpening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQN4jcXDjbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a2Jm3pkXqk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aBEdi-xH3U

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

good videos dave. Very Happy

I need some sharpening stones. I have a crappy one and a good steel. I liked the bit about the cord making at the end. I didn't know you could use wet nettles, I thought they had to be dead and dry. That's a new cord making technique I learned too. I like making rope, one time I made my curtains into a big rope. Laughing

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got a couple of questions bought a gerber diamond sharpener anybody know if they are any good? also anyone know any good offshore fishing spots around regina sk

Any diamond sharpener should be could. I had one for years, have no idea who made it.
I now use a combination Carbon & Ceramic sharpener, works great.
Can't answer the other question though. Northern Hunter might be able to.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

	d wrote:
	got a couple of questions bought a gerber diamond sharpener anybody know if they are any good?

I'm assuming you mean the one shaped like a pen? The diamond part telescopes out of it. I have one, and although I wouldn't use it on my good blades as a everyday sharpening system, if I was in the backcountry and had no way of sharpening it would come in handy. Cool

GATCO Sharpeners are good quality. Very Happy

I'm going to get the Diamond Hone System and Ultra Fine Ceramic Hone for my sharpening needs. Cool

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thanks for the info guys sorry it took me so long to reply had to work all weekend

Glad to be of service, d. Cool

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Never buy EZE-LAP diamond steel knife sharpener. Shocked

The thing almost ruined my blade. Mad

It's very coarse, and will scratch your blade bad.

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Yeah, you have to do your research on sharpening systems. If you don't you can get burned. Shocked

Or scratched, in your case. Confused

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I was looking at stones and I saw this one. Is this a little overkill? 3000 grit. Shocked

http://houserice.stores.yahoo.net/exficowh.html

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	Mystik Spiral wrote:
	I was looking at stones and I saw this one. Is this a little overkill? 3000 grit. http://houserice.stores.yahoo.net/exficowh.html

If you have an edge thats been well worked, and your finishing the edge, that will work, but its a little over kill to me. I use a $5 stone from the hardware and I get my knives crazy sharp. free hand and with a stone is the way for me, I have total control.

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Qoute: LONGBOW50, from bladeforums:
The boy scouts motto takes on a new meaning when fate steps in and makes you feel like a dummy.

The 2 Japanese wet stones i have are 1000 grit and 4000. And as Fonly said, its for maintaining an already some what sharp edge.
Look for a 800 grit stone. Now ,if the blade is hacked & has dents well,.........you should be useing a hammer, instaed of a knife, lol.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I think I might need a slip form stone because one of my blades are curved, and it's a bugger to sharpen with a flat stone. Mad

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	Mystik Spiral wrote:
	I think I might need a slip form stone because one of my blades are curved, and it's a bugger to sharpen with a flat stone.

how much damage is there?
do you mean you have a convex, or do you mean a recurves edge?

If so some leather charged will work just fine for convexed edges. even cardboard charged will work.

Fonly wrote:

	Mystik Spiral wrote:
	I think I might need a slip form stone because one of my blades are curved, and it's a bugger to sharpen with a flat stone.

how much damage is there?
do you mean you have a convex, or do you mean a recurves edge?

If so some leather charged will work just fine for convexed edges. even cardboard charged will work.

It's a recurved edge. I can sharpen it with a butcher steel, but not with any stone. That's why i'll never buy a recurve blade again. Confused

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I posted this on another forum & thought it might be of some interest here too. It took me much longer to write it up than it does to do this to your blade.

What's a strop?
It can be a number of materials ranging from leather,cardboard,even blue jeans.
Almost any flexible material that is a little abrasive can work.
You can increase the efficiency of a strop by adding some polishing /abrasive compound to it.

Why strop an edge?
Stropping will align & polish your knifes edge,making that already sharp blade what I call "Sticky Sharp". That's when you can run your thumbnail or thumbprint over the edge & it will stick!

When should you strop an edge?
After stone or ceramic sharpening,your blade will have tiny little micro serrations left from the stone or ceramic rod. It may even have an edge that's misaligned or slightly rolled to one side.
The edge could roll after using your knife too.
A wire edge will shave armhair & is very sharp,but when you do any real work with the blade,the "wire edge" will go away,leaving you with a dull blade that you just sharpened. Very frustrating!!!

Okay...so HOW do you strop a blade?
This is how I do it. I call it:
Seven steps to a sharp edge.

1: First of all,slow down & take your time. The time you spend doing this will be worth every minute you spend doing it.

2: Lay the blade down flat on the surface of the strop.
This step ensures that you won't cut into the strop with your blade.

3:Now you need to find the angle that your blade is ground to.
To do this,tilt your blades spine upwards & with NO pressure,slowly push the blade forward until you feel the edge bite into the strop.
This is the angle you need to maintain throughout the stropping process.

4: Maintaining the angle you just found,drag the blade SPINE FIRST along the length of the strop. Use very little pressure when you're doing this.
Remember that you're not trying to remove alot of metal,just trying to align & polish.

5: Maintian your angle. It's worth repeating here.
If you change the angle,you'll either dull the edge or shine up the wrong part of the blade.

6: Use VERY LITTLE PRESSURE while you're doing this. If you use much downward pressure you'll get bad results due to having the edge start to roll over,creating a wire edge.
That's what you're trying to get rid of.

7: Know when it's time to STOP. You'll get a nice smooth feeling to the blade when you've done all the stropping you need to do. No need to go further as it won't improve anything.

Stropping really does improve the performance of a blade & it's a good,portable way to maintain an edge in the field.

Good luck,Stay Safe & I hope this is helpful.

Cliff

Thanks, Cliff. Cool

Excellent tutorial. Very Happy

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How to Sharpen a Pocket Knife at Home

Pocket knives are just like any other tool: they need regular maintenance to give the best service. In the case of a knife, the most important maintenance is sharpening. A dull blade will need more force to use and will wear out more quickly. Given how easy it is to keep a pocket knife sharp, it is surprising how many knives have never been sharpened by their owners.
InstructionsDifficulty: Easy
Step 1 WhetstoneThings You'll Need:
Whetstone Household lubrication oil Honing Rod Put some household lubricating oil onto the top surface of the whetstone. There should be enough to coat the top in a light layer, so the amount will depend on how big the whetstone is. Step 2 Place the pocket knife's blade against the stone at a 10-degree angle, with the blade facing away from you. Ten degrees is the normal angle that a pocket knife's bevel needs for sharpening, although it is possible that yours is different. If your knife is getting scratched up or isn't sharpening properly, try raising the angle to between 15 and 25 degrees. Step 3 Push the pocket knife gently down the length of the whetstone. Do not shove it. Repeat about a dozen times. Step 4 Turn the pocket knife over, place it back on the stone at a 10-degree angle (or the angle otherwise required) and push it gently down the length of the whetstone again. Repeat 6 to 8 times for the second side. Step 5 Hone the pocket knife by gently rubbing the length of the blade against a honing rod. Place the knife against the rod at a somewhat larger angle than you used to sharpen it (15 degrees or so for a normal pocket knife). One to three swipes against the honing rod per side will be fine.
Tips & Warnings
A knife with a truly dull edge might need to be filed before it can be sharpened.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

thanks for the instructions Very Happy

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Good instructions,Dave. Cool

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"If I can't do it the traditional way, I'll do it my way." - Les Stroud - Amazon Jungle