Thread: Knife sharpening gear

You need to match your stone finish to your steel you are going to use so if you have a coarse steel generally you use a course stone. Most get a nice sharp knife and wreck it buy using a too coarse of a steel and rip the edge off or steeling at different angles to what they have sharpened at and fold them over. Unless you are hollow grinding or have a very thin knife the really fine stones wont do much for you apart from take longer to sharpen especially on high carbon steel. Just my 2 cents worth

Originally Posted by country cuts

You need to match your stone finish to your steel you are going to use so if you have a coarse steel generally you use a course stone. Most get a nice sharp knife and wreck it buy using a too coarse of a steel and rip the edge off or steeling at different angles to what they have sharpened at and fold them over. Unless you are hollow grinding or have a very thin knife the really fine stones wont do much for you apart from take longer to sharpen especially on high carbon steel. Just my 2 cents worth

Could never understand why someone would spend a heap of valuable time sharpening a knife and then use what is essentially a round bastard file on it to ‘get an edge’. A steel should be super smooth if used, but way better to use a strop, particularly on carbon steel or the more modern super steels. If you are using a softish stainless than a bastard file is probably a good way to go and keep using it regularly (remember the dandruff add?)

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

Could never understand why someone would spend a heap of valuable time sharpening a knife and then use what is essentially a round bastard file on it to ‘get an edge’. A steel should be super smooth if used, but way better to use a strop, particularly on carbon steel or the more modern super steels. If you are using a softish stainless than a bastard file is probably a good way to go and keep using it regularly (remember the dandruff add?)

I dont either or they pull out the diamond steel a chainsaw file would do the same. Different strokes for different folks I suppose

Originally Posted by country cuts

I dont either or they pull out the diamond steel a chainsaw file would do the same. Different strokes for different folks I suppose

My grandfather was a butcher during the depression. My older brother has his steel - a long and slender super smooth carbon steel that was ‘conditioned’ with an iodine etch.

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

My grandfather was a butcher during the depression. My older brother has his steel - a long and slender super smooth carbon steel that was ‘conditioned’ with an iodine etch.

Nice it is easy to restore an old pitted one just soak it in a thermos of acid for a day or 2 then take to it with some wet and dry to smooth then soak it in iodine for a day or 2 to get the desired bite you want

Originally Posted by country cuts

Nice it is easy to restore an old pitted one just soak it in a thermos of acid for a day or 2 then take to it with some wet and dry to smooth then soak it in iodine for a day or 2 to get the desired bite you want

Absolutely. Old steels are one of those items I look for when foraging small town second hand shops