i just got a rc 4 and dont want to use it caus i cant sharpin very well. i have a lansky system its just ok. what do yall recomend i also ordered a sod and will be scared to use it and not be able to resharpin it

Hello. I was in your shoes not too long ago. I still have knives that I have yet to try my skill on, but I have had the best luck with sandpaper, a mouse pad, and a leather strop. I've tried the Lansky and pretty much got what you did; ok results. One day, I was grinding down a knife on a belt sander to make it a full height flat grind, and I decided to grind a full convex edge. From there I just dove in on the sandpaper and mouse pad. If you don't know already, the mouse pad under the sandpaper adds cushion so the sandpaper can "give" and provide you with a convex edge. I gradually worked my way to finer grit sandpaper until I got down to 2000 grit. After that, I used a leather strop that I made with some green compound. This process, if done right, seems to give a nice polished edge. Here's a picture of a folding knife that was one of my first successes!


Good luck with your sharpening! I think you'll get a lot of different opinions on how to sharpen. Mostly, I think you just need to practice and find out what method you are best at and most comfortable with.

Blasphemy! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> If your troubles sharpening were with stainless steels like ats-34, ats-55, 154cm or S30V, I think that you'll find that SR-77 is much easier to sharpen.

Go ahead and beat it all you want. Then you can practice sharpening it. If you still can't get it the way you want it, you can pay somebody else to do it at a cutlery store, maybe a butcher, or I think you can even send them back for sharpening. But I'm pretty sure you won't have any trouble doing it yourself.

What you use depends a lot on how you want the edge. I wish I had a belt sander but I don't really have anywhere to operate it. The diamond/ceramic will work just fine.

so its is easer to sharpen carbon steel then stainless

Stainless knives are generally harder (also brittle) so it's harder to sharpen. High carbon knives are softer and easier to sharpen.

Without using a belt sander, my favorite method is sandpaper and leather strop. The strop adds that nice finish, but I don't even think it's truly necessary. Really, all you need is some sandpaper and a mousepad, and you'll have the most versatile and cheap methods of sharpening. The magic marker trick helps a lot when you're first starting, you basically color in your edge and after every pass, just inspect and see if you're hitting the right spot.

http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthread...783251815bf1879

http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthread...783251815bf1879

These will get you started

I also started with a Lansky and it just did not work for me in the sense that it took to long to set up and sharpening a blade over 3 inches in length became problematic. Where the Lansky does work is with hard to sharpen steel like S30V (my mini Doug Ritter).

Anyway, I also used the sandpaper method and it worked very well:

Out of the box edge:

After the sandpaper method:



Here is the tutorial I wrote up:
http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthread...part=1&vc=1

Just one more thing. If you are going to do convex edges get a leather strop and some black and green compound. This is perfect for daily maintenance and unless the edge is damaged you will probably not need to go back to the sandpaper for some time.

Regards,
Gideon

As the guys have already mentioned, the sandpaper and mousepad method are a great way to sharpen your knives and come out with a very versatile edge. There are several good tutorials on this technique, but here is an excellent one with pictures that I recommend http://www.barkriverknives.com/home.html . One very important tip to remember when using this method of sharpening is to NOT press down on the knife. The most common mistake that most people make when trying this method for the first time is that they want to push down on the knife/blade. You do not need to do that as the weight of the blade alone is enough to create the proper edge.

Also, as mentioned by others, you will find the simple carbon steels much easier to sharpen than stainless steels.

Practice, Practice, Practice!!!!! That is the key!

For day to day sharpening/touch-up I just do a few strokes on ceramic sticks. I am awaiting a Lansky (model 21) two-stage Crock Stick with wood base that I ordered earlier this week. A pair of fine ceramic rods have worked OK, but the course thinning rods should make sharpening even faster.

I have tried unmounted oil-stones, they're OK, but the Lansky system is better. If you're really serious, a belt sander system is worth investing in. However, if you don't use a knife too heavily and usually touch it up before it's very dull, a simple pair of crock sticks in a base that holds them at a fixed angle is super easy to use. I've heard nothing but good about Spyderco's Sharpmaker; its only drawback is that it's more expensive than most other sharpening sticks.

As Gideon noted, the Lansky system does not work well for large knives. Most of what I carry and use are pocket knives. I have used the Lansky for larger knives, basically by sharpening the blade in sections and then moving the clamp -- it works, but isn't fast.

I really really strongly encourage people to at least try hand sharpening. No guides, no flat surfaces, just a small diamond stone or rod held in one hand and your knife in the other. The results are usually not "scary sharp", but once you get used to the method, you can maintain a knife quite nicely at "usefully sharp" with just a small 1000-grit diamond sharpener.

Do not be afraid of ruining the knife. Knives are (most commonly) made of steel. Steel is pretty tough. As long as you work by hand in fine grits, the amount of material removed is ridiculously tiny. You will, at worst, scratch up the pretty surface. Which a.) can be restored in little time with the right equipment b.)is primarily an aesthetic issue and c.) is going to happen anyway if you use your knife in the real world.

It's only when you get into power tools and super aggressive grinding surfaces that you have a potential to "ruin" a knife. Use a fine tool, be gentle, and observe what you are doing, and there's no reason why you should need much to maintain your knife edge. That and be a sensible knife user. Awareness and caution when using your knife directly translate into time saved on sharpening. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />