Thread: How sharp should a knife be?

I have the large dmt double side Dimond stones coarse and medium. I wished I had invested in the ultra coarse coarse and medium to fine. They work really well if you can maintain a constant angle.
Another one I have is a Dimond steel with three different grit size. Even my large cold steel Bowie cone out razor sharp with that one.
The spyderco Tri sharpener is another good option, but invest straight away into the spare Dimond rods set, you will save so much time when creating a new angle in the blade.
And yes yes a not so sharp blade is really good when skinning.

I wish I could get the money back I spent on diamond sharpeners, jigs and pull throughs etc.

Inhereted an old oil stone from partners grandfather and gets the job done with some CLP break free or whatever lube I have on hand. Its literally taken me 15 years off and on to hand sharpen a curved/upswept knife on a simple stone as that skill skipped a generation I think. That being said different knives take getting used to.

A little norton stone from bunnings is all good for touchups and strop it off on my shin or arm.

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yeh got DMT double sided fold out. Luv em. I reckon as you get tired you roll the blade/change angle. Best few strokes with very course and work finer

Had a lanksy set up for a while, was good but get he bench mounted clamp as well.

Really liking my new stones, used to use an old stone as a kid, something about going back to basics. Water stone and knife... 4*2 with leather glued on and compound rubbed in

Works for me. It leaves perfect serrations for cutting through silage wrap, baling twine.......

@oraki horses for courses

Originally Posted by oraki

Attachment 67826
Works for me. It leaves perfect serrations for cutting through silage wrap, baling twine.......

Yep but use a grinding disk next time ay

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Yep but use a grinding disk next time ay

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Only one to notice. Top of the class

Originally Posted by oraki

Only one to notice. Top of the class

Cutting disk will make better serrations though

Found this....
Singularity's Sharpening Page

Originally Posted by fluffchucker

Found this....
Singularity's Sharpening Page

That is a good basic summery.

Originally Posted by Friwi

I have the large dmt double side Dimond stones coarse and medium. I wished I had invested in the ultra coarse coarse and medium to fine. They work really well if you can maintain a constant angle.
Another one I have is a Dimond steel with three different grit size. Even my large cold steel Bowie cone out razor sharp with that one.
The spyderco Tri sharpener is another good option, but invest straight away into the spare Dimond rods set, you will save so much time when creating a new angle in the blade.
And yes yes a not so sharp blade is really good when skinning.

I use the fine/ultra fine. Unless the knife is chipped its pretty much all the average person needs. The ultra fine takes it to a very good working edge, and if you want shaving sharp a few licks on a loaded strop is all thats needed.

The technique on a stone isnt that hard to learn. I used an inclinometer app on my phone to get a rough idea of the angle at the beginning and went from there

I think at the end of they day there are shitloads of different ways to get a knife sharp enough to deal to a meat animal.

You can hone, grind, stone, steel, diamond and strop. Pick any of these, practice and eventually you will learn to get a nice sharp edge on a blade.

Before buying a knife because it looks cool - do some research on the material it's made from and find a balance so it's soft enough to sharpen easily, yet tough enough to retain an edge.

If it doesn't list the material it's usually a good sign it's made from shit hard stainless and will be a dog to put a edge back on once it's blunt.

A farmlands mercator is a fantastic thin little blade that's cheap and easy to put a razor edge on. If you would prefer something a little more refined, consider a hollow ground blade which makes removing material a hell of a lot easier.

Look after the edge and try to keep it from cutting into bone and your edge will keep for three times longer

Originally Posted by Tui4Me

consider a hollow ground blade which makes removing material a hell of a lot easier.

I would only consider hollow ground in a steel which has high toughness (probably at the expense of edge retention)
For a steel which emphasizes attributes other than toughness it may be better to look at other grinds, convex is the other extreme.
I think that the grind should work well with the steel type and it's temper.

knifes are like guns cheaper ones work but are cheap for a reason in saying that a $40 dollar butchers/boneing knife is all you need, there are different steels so not all are equalle and each has pros and cons don't go serated and stay away from dimond and course steels and grinders, if you need to grind a knife use a belt sander tipped upside down in a vice. steel keeps a sharp knife sharp and a stone sharpens the knife trouble with most is they wont spend the time to get it right and do a rush job, and remember what ever angle you stone at steel at you know when your knife is sharp you should be able to slice through a piece of a4 paper with no ripping or pressure. if you are in my neck of the woods I am happy to help.