In our PDP community, member Bill Young dives into his passion for knife sharpening, sharing expert techniques, handy tips, and valuable tricks to keep your blades in top shape. Whether you're new to sharpening or looking to refine your skills, Bill’s insights offer something for everyone. This is introduction to knife sharpening with Bill Young.
The Early Days: Learning the Basics with Bill
My passion for sharp knives started when I was young. I began learning to use whetstones with oil for sharpening. Getting and keeping a consistent angle of grind was a learned skill. It was a true learning experience. Today I still use the Japanese water stones to achieve an amazing sharpness. But again it takes time.
Japanese water stones
Arkansas Crock Sticks and the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker
In the 1960’s the Arkansas crock sticks hit the market. Wow, no more angle issues. The idea was to hold the blade vertically and slice it from tip to butt as you pushed down. It worked and still does.
The current version of the original crock sticks is the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. It is the same principle as the original crock sticks with refinements.
The Importance of Angle Control
It was easy to keep the exact angle and the kit offers course and fine stones along with steel rods to protect from cuts. I keep this in our kitchen to touch up knives between sharpening on my other devices. Additionally, most knives that have been sharpened correctly just need the cutting edge “realigned” using a crock stick (top) or butcher’s steel (below).
Exploring Modern Sharpening Devices
People seem to have a mental block or just don’t care about the sharpness of their knives it seems. Constantly new devices are marketed that are the latest and greatest. From the Ken Onion belt sharpeners to the Wicked Edge mega-expensive stones, new ideas sell and both these are top shelf and do a great job for novices. I have used a great sharpener manufactured in Ukraine for years. It is slow but extremely precise and offers hair splitting results. My model is the Hapstone V8 and I use mainly diamond stones in different gradiants to achieve a perfect edge. Marking the edge of a chef’s knife allows you to adjust your stone angle to perfectly cover the entire sharpening edge when fine tuning an edge. The goal is to not remove any more metal than necessary.
You move from course to extremely fine stones to achieve your edge.
The Fastest Technique: Paper Wheels on a Grinder
The latest rage in sharpening to me is the paper wheels. Yes, on a 3,650 rpm grinder running a disc made of paper and rubbed with jewelers rouge will bring a knife to a razor edge in seconds. It is the fastest method I have but requires a very steady hand and a bit of practice.
Achieving a Mirror Finish with Leather Stropping
But, with all this, I was not satisfied. I wanted the type edge that was not only able to split hairs or cut extremely thin yellow pages paper without resistance. No, I wanted a mirror finish on that edge. This is achieved by stropping with different grits applied to a leather strop. The wow factor I needed was this polished razor edge. I visited the premier knife store in Dallas/Fort Worth and spoke with the owner. He asked if I would like to take a seat in their sharpening shop. All knives purchased from his company, The House of Blades, comes with a lifetime free resharpening if you bring your knife back to them. I jumped at this chance to work with masters of knife sharpening and finally passed their approval to resharpen any knife sold. They developed that ultimate sharpener in house to accomplish their goal. I left with that machine and have used it ever since. It does professional work with a low speed motor and exact angle guide using many various grits and finishing with a leather stropping belt. It has produced polished razor sharp edges in a fraction of the time. A digital gauge is used to set your angle and NoCry gloves are used at all times. You really don’t want to be cut with this edge!
A Lifelong Passion for Razor-Sharp Blades
A hard worked bushcraft blade brought back to life. Hard to see but you can see your reflection in the bevel.
Every knife I sharpen is razor sharp and polished. Strange passion but I love it.
Author: Bill Young
FAQs
How to Use a Knife Sharpener?
Using a knife sharpener is straightforward. For a standard pull-through sharpener, hold it securely on a flat surface and place the knife blade in the designated slot. Apply light pressure and pull the blade toward you from heel to tip, keeping a consistent angle. Repeat until the blade is sharp. For best results, start with the coarse slot if the blade is very dull, then finish with the fine slot for a polished edge.
How to Sharpen a Knife with a Sharpening Stone?
To sharpen a knife with a sharpening stone, start by soaking the stone in water (if it’s a water stone) for about 10-15 minutes. Hold the knife at a 20-degree angle against the stone, starting at the heel of the blade. Gently push the blade forward and across the stone in a sweeping motion, ensuring the entire edge makes contact. Repeat on both sides of the blade, starting with a coarser side of the stone and finishing with the finer side for a polished edge. Wipe the blade clean, and test for sharpness.
How to Use a Smith’s Arkansas Knife Sharpener?
Smith’s Arkansas Knife Sharpener is a popular, easy-to-use tool. Apply a few drops of honing oil to the surface of the stone. Place the blade at about a 15-20 degree angle and draw the knife across the stone, working from heel to tip, and ensuring the entire edge contacts the stone. Flip the blade and repeat on the other side. Alternate strokes until the blade is sharp. Clean the blade after sharpening.
How to Use a Knife Sharpener Rod?
A sharpening rod, or honing steel, is ideal for maintaining a blade’s sharp edge. Hold the rod vertically, with the tip firmly on a non-slip surface. Hold the knife at a 15-20 degree angle against the rod, and draw it down from heel to tip in a sweeping motion. Alternate sides with each stroke, using light pressure. Typically, 5-10 strokes on each side are sufficient to realign the edge.
