Sharpening, Honing Pocket Knives – Tips (First & last steps are KEY)
on August 20th, 2015 at 8:27 amSlicing Steel Sahlute!! (Yeah, sorry about that pun there…..)
Sharpening and honing your pocket knife are different although similar. I have however found that the first and last steps in whatever you're doing to establish
your edge are key……for me!
I do my sharpening/homning by hand on stones. And I will say the LANKSY system is my personal favorite way for creating a new edge, but the first thing I do, and
recommend you do also is to stroke the knife "backwards." And the last step I use is stropping against a flat leather belt. I imagine any flat piece of leather will do, I
just happened to find this perfectly flat one at an estate sale for $.50.
I also have a near marble-like finish stone. It's ultra smooth and helps me create a hair-popping edge on my pocket knives. That stone and the leather belt
are all I use in most cases. If a knife needs a new edge I'll go to the Lansky system.
Step 1). No matter what I'm doing I stroke the knife backwards. In the pics below (I'm right handed by the way) I place the edge of the knife at the 1/2" mark
on the ruler. I stroke to the right to the 6" mark…..in essence going the opposite direction, or backwards of normal knife use. Get it?
I lift the knife, head back to the
1/2" mark and do it again. I do that4 or 5 times ONLY! Keep in mind, I stroke….LIFT……return to original destination…..stroke….LIFT. So I'm heading the
same way 4 or 5 times. Then…….I flip the knife over and go from the 6" mark to the 1/2" mark backwards…..4 or 5 times.
(Previously I never stroked the knife edge backwards, I always started with Step 2. I've found that using Step 1 dramatically enhances my sharpening/honing skills).
Step 2). Same as step one, just stroke the knife in the normal use of movement direction. In this case, start with blade facinf same direction, towards the 1/2"
mark, but place the edge down at the 6" mark and stroke FORWARDS to the 1/2" mark. Get it. Do that, all in the same direction 4 or 5 times.
Flip over and stroke from 1/2" mark to 6" mark 4 or 5 times.
Step 3). My leather belt. I recommend a nice flat piece of leather. I then become like the barber and strop my blade edge back and forth attempting to remove
whatever microscopic burs I may have created. I backwards stroke to the right, backwards stroke to the left, and do that 4 ofr 5 times.
(BY THE WAY…….you don't have to stroke only 5 1/2" inches….just using those marks as directions ;-))| And, in addition, I use these same 3 steps for my MORA, CASE XX,
Edge fixed blade knives! Or for that matter, for my kitchen knives. Just remember to start backwards……on purpose!!
And yes, I just sharpened those 3 KERSHAW knives using these exact techniques.
Steel Sahrpening Sahlute!!
Scott
Good info there! What is your favorite traditional folder at the moment?
I have a Camillus Electrcians knife with wood scales I am digging right now!
Zat you Mark?