Knife sharpening?

[Football Hunter]

Is one skill,among many, I wish I was better at.I can get it sharp for one deer,but thats about it.Anyone know of a good way/system?

 

[cecil30-30]

Im in the same boat as you.I use a lansky knife sharpner.It gets them sharp,but I can't consistantly get them razor sharp,only every now and then..LOL

 

[Andy S.]

One Phrase - Darex Work Sharp. See this post for some discussion and my review. http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... =0&fpart=1

 

[a retrohillbilly]

I'm with Cecil, I use the Lansky, but some bigger knives with curved tips give me trouble.

 

[volsgo1]

Andy knows of what he speaks. Ive tried them all and the work Sharp is inexpensive and very well designed. Fast Sharp blades. Ive sharpened some very expensive knives over the last few weeks without buggering a one up. Highly Reccomend.

 

[Kirk]

I can't sharpen a knife to save my life. THAT all changed when I bought the Worksharp Knife and tool Sharpener. I sharpened 9 knives to a razors edge in 15 minutes. That would have taken me the rest of my life with a stone.

 

[Mike Belt]

Go get the WorkSharp. Problem solved.

 

[primos32]

I thinking about getting that Worksharp! Looks like it would work well

 

[spoon]

I have the Worksharp, one of the best tools I have

 

[Football Hunter]

One Phrase - Darex Work Sharp. See this post for some discussion and my review. http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... =0&fpart=1

Thanks

 

[DaveB]

Yep, I am a Lansky freak, even have a leather strop. The time it takes, I ran out of, so following the original story in the link above I made my Wife get me one for Christmas.

Honest, it is creepy how good a job it does. I just bought back time. Can't do that very often.

 

[muskyhunter]

use worksharp on all my knives

 

[Model 1]

After reading the other post about the work sharp, I ordered one and have sharpened every knife in the house, my game scissors, and several knifes for people at work. Amazing how simple and good of a job it does. I used to keep 2 spare knifes in the truck during deer season so I would always have a sharp one. No need for that now.

 

[parkerxbowhunter]

i like the ceramic sticks

 

[catman529]

My $15 Kershaw will butcher a whole deer and I just have to hone it a little to get it back to shaving the hair off my arm... I did run it on the diamond sharpening stone a little after my last deer, honed it and it shaves again. The blade has a small chip which isn't surprising for a $15 knife but it holds an edge pretty darn well for the money. I think most knives are sharpened at 22.5 degrees on both sides so keep that in mind when you hone or sharpen it... I am far from expert and could use a little learning myself, but have gotten a little better at it during this past deer season.

 

[stik]

smith's sharpening sticks. ceramic sticks. great for maintaining the edge. cheap. compact. idiot proof.

 

[JoeDeer]

There is a place in Memphis A1 Key shop on Poplar...they sharpen my knives..you get them back and they are like razor blades...i believe they use a wax wheel

 

[Andy S.]

There is a place in Memphis A1 Key shop on Poplar...they sharpen my knives...

What do they charge per knife?

 

[moondawg]

I use Lansky's.

 

[Trapper John]

I just got the Work Sharp knife sharpener today. I took my old, ultra dull knife that I rarely use anymore and got it into shaving shape in a few minutes. Love it.

 

[Andy S.]

I just got the Work Sharp knife sharpener today. I took my old, ultra dull knife that I rarely use anymore and got it into shaving shape in a few minutes. Love it.

Glad to hear of your success, although I did not expect anything other than positive feedback. It is amazing how simple it is to put a razor sharp edge on knives with the Work Sharp.

 

[treefarmer]

I use a Lansky and found that if you try and sharpen at the wrong angle it won't sharpen until the blade angle matches the angle of the stone. I was sharpening knives and the blades weren't getting any sharper. I used a black magic marker and marked the blade edge to determine if I was sharpening at the correct angle. I wrote down the angle of each knife for future reference and my Lansky works great now.

 

[Mike Belt]

I've used tham all and believe me the Work Sharp is by far the easiest, fastest, most foolproof method of sharpening knives I've come across in the 35+ years I've been deer hunting.

 

[THE DUKE]

How long do the belts last on average.

 

[Andy S.]

How long do the belts last on average.

I am not 100% sure there is a hard and fast answer to that question. Every knife and the condition of the blades when sharpened are different, with some blades requiring more time and attention than others. I just purchased my Work Sharp few months back and I am still using the original belts. I have sharpened 10 or so hunting knives and about that many kitchen knives (practicing when I first bought it) and I would guess my original belts are 85% spent. Your mileage may vary.

 

[volsgo1]

I agree with Andy. Knives are a sick obsession of mine id guess i have enough for many a hunter. Ive run most thru the work sharp and am still on the original belts butid guess im close to neefing a reacement. Well worth the money

 

[plinker22]

Put me down with the Work Sharp crowd as well. I got one for Christmas and now all knives in my house & MIL's house are hair shaving sharp. Then loaned it to Browtines and all the blades in his house and the Cleaning Shed are hair sharp.

In fact, tonight I purchased another one for the cleaning shed and brought mine back home.

Browtines and I processed the final deer of the year tonight... or constant topic was how Amazingly Sharp our knives were.

Playing with mine the first evening... Dec 26th.

Get the Work Sharp.

 

[Pursuit Hunter]

I've been hand sharpening for years and have gotten pretty good at it, but I got a Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener http://www.wickededgeusa.com/ and I'm absolutely blown away with the results I'm getting. Go to YouTube and search on wicked edge.

It isn't cheap, and there is a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it is really simple to use.

Without getting too far into sharpening theory, what it allows you to do is get a refined edge that is not only extremely sharp but also polished to a degree that it will hold the edge much longer.

An example. In the past, I've sharpened the knife that I use to butcher deer with a set of flat stones and it would easily shave hair. In the process of quartering, separating muscle groups, and meticulously trimming off fat and silverskin, I would have to touch up the edge on a sharpening steel at least a half dozen times per deer to keep it shaving sharp.

Using the same knife, sharpened to 18 degrees per side and polished to a mirror finish on the Wicked Edge, I was able to process two deer from start to finish without a single touch-up and it would still pop hair like a straight razor.

If you are fanatical about sharpness, it is IMO the only way to go. Warning! It is addictive.

 

[Pursuit Hunter]

That looks pretty cool system, Pursuit Hunter. I feel obligated, for whatever reason, to stick with manual sharpening devices. I feel like I am able to keep my knives sufficiently sharp and I enjoy sharpening that way. I enjoy and appreciate a good, sharp edge as much as the next man. In fact, I recently started shaving with a straight razor and, as that edge has to be maintained precisely and in a perfect manner, I enjoy working with it.

I know the feeling. Like I said I have always hand sharpened on oil stones, water stones, and diamond stones. I take quite a bit of pride in the sharpness of my knives, but the edge I can get with the wicked edge is orders of magnitude sharper and more durable. Do I need it that sharp and durable? Nope, I've done just fine for decades. Do I enjoy using a knife that is uber sharp? Yep. Is it worth the money? To me, yes, but it isn't for everyone.

 

[Pursuit Hunter]

If you want to see an example of the crazy sharpness you can get with a Wicked Edge, check out this video http://youtu.be/zAALAHDeHHs Jump to timestamp 43:00 - unless you want to watch forty three minutes of a guy sharpening a knife, which I have to admit I did. The guy is literally whittling an individual hair by pulling it across the blade with nothing more than the weight of the hair pressing down.