[RugerDude]

Hello everyone,
I recently bought a super heavy duty survival knife on the internet. Out of the box it came pretty dull. I have been TRYING to sharpen it first with my diamond sharpener then with my ceramic/carbide sharpener. It is very hard to sharpen and I can't seem to get an edge on it. I'm sure once I get an edge it will stay sharp for a LONG time. I was wondering if y'all knew any good techniques I could use or any other tips and tricks that would be useful.
Thank You for your time,
RugerDude

 

[Te Hopo]

Do you have a coarse stone?
Could be your problem is your using to finer stone and it isn't cutting an edge.

 

[Straight Razor]

Must be stainless steel... they can be a pain to sharpen.... perseverance works....

 

[rhart]

+1 on starting with a coarse stone.
Also make sure you are keeping your knife on the same bevel each time you sharpen it. That was the hardest thing for me to learn when sharpening a knife. If you keep changing the bevel or don't get the bevel flat on your stone, you can drive yourself crazy trying to get an edge.

 

[dnm]

Sharpie??

Have you tried using a Sharpie to highlight the bevel to ensure you are getting the right angle when you are sharpening??

 

[thisisntpavlos]

have you ever tried sharpening with leather

 

[LatinoHeat]

Leather isn't really for sharpening, but for finishing. You strop an edge to regain it's sharpness. It's maintenance more then anything. As for getting an edge with leather, I don't think that will work.

 

[joes]

Depends on the knife IF it is a cheap one you may never get or maintain a real sharp edge.....I have a Cold Steel Tanto & Cold Steel San Mai3 Trail Master and they maintain the best edge of all the knives i have ever had and that's a few...Leather is just for burnishing a ultra fine finish ..

 

[joes]

Depends on the knife IF it is a cheap one you may never get or maintain a real sharp edge.....I have a Cold Steel Tanto & Cold Steel San Mai3 Trail Master and they maintain the best edge of all the knives i have ever had and that's a few...Leather is just for burnishing an ultra fine finish after using an extra fine stone...On the cheaper knives leather is a waste of time to use IMO ..

 

[Parsh]

As stated above, if the steel is junk, you will never get a good edge.

An easy way to get a good edge is by using some sort of rig that maintains the angle at which the stone is being passed over the blade EVERY TIME. If the angle changes on any given pass, it will actually dull the edge you have been working on. Using a stone or rod with just bare hands is a skill that takes quite a bit of practice (I still can't do it very well).

I like to use a sharpening system. Mine is a Lansky brand (~$25) and you can choose from three different angles to slide the stone across the blade at and three different stone grades from coarse to fine. There are plenty of types of systems to choose from and extra grades of stones you can purchase if you want to. You may even want to keep practicing with just a stone until you are an expert. The main point is the same angle every time is what will give you a sharp edge.

 

[Worley]

If it is a thick blade trying going at either a 25 or 29 degree angle. You wont get a razor edge on most thick blades unless it is a really good knife.

 

[LatinoHeat]

If it is a thick blade trying going at either a 25 or 29 degree angle. You wont get a razor edge on most thick blades unless it is a really good knife.

This is true. The plus side is, since most big blades eventually get used for some type of hacking, a razor edge is not necessarily best, since it is thinner and weaker, and thus more prone to breakage. A decent utility edge is all you really need out of a big blade. I know we all tend to be edge snobs at times, and want the sharpest possible edge, but like I said, on a big blade, a thicker, utility edge will last you a long time. Strop on leather, your belt, your hand, or your jeans after each use to bring the edge back, and your lookin a a pretty long lasting edge. If the steel is good that is.

 

[Zedman]

How to sharpen a knife to a razor edge

How to sharpen a knife to a razor edge, literaly

Check out this video and also part 2 and 3, full set of sharpening stones can be found on EBay for under £100, it takes patience and a little skill, and as previosly mentioned if you have a crap knife you are wasting your time, I love my Falkniven F1

NB the manic look in his eye when he talks about knives is a little scary but its a very nice blade, he's go his own name on it and despite the price there is a wating list on these hand made items )

 

[tnrick55]

send it to me lol. the angle on some of the knives are what i call to quick, by that they come to a edge to quickly.lay your knife down let the edge taper out slowly then if it ever needs sharpend its right there.i taper the knives i make ,sometimes half way across the knife blade. hope i helped.