Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt
Are you guys using an old school whet stone or something like a Lansky system? From my experience, it's damn near impossible to not get a good edge with a modern system.
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I was a die hard Whetstone user until a few years ago when I needed to replace one of my fine Japanese stones. The price had tripled and there was just no way I was going to spend $150 on a single stone. I do some fine wood working as a hobby/pro so I'm a little more anal about sharp tools than the casual user. That and dull knives just irritate me. I came across the Scary Sharp Method
SCARY SHARP looking for an alternative to expensive high maintenance Whetstones. I also discovered that it's more about technique than tool. To give you an idea of how effective it is, I use higher grits (2000-8000) to sharpen new razor blades for my utility knives.
I've since tuned the method and I can take a blade from blunt to shave in about 15 minutes, by hand. Tuning an edge takes about 2 minutes.
If I have a severely neglected blade: I start with a course diamond sharpener, then go to the method listed above. I only use Sic (Silicone Carbide) paper. The stuff you find at Auto paint shops is the most consistent. If you want the best, it's Meguiar's (the car wax company). After the Diamond I work up progressively from 220 to 2000 grit, about 6 passes per side/per grit. If I want a perfect edge (mostly on planes and chisels) I'll go up to 4000 grit, then strop it with jewelers rouge. On kitchen knives I finish with a ceramic stick after 2000 grit.
This is by far the fastest, cheapest, most consistent, method I've found and I've used just about everything. But like I said, it's all about the technique. Use a guide if you have too, but learn to hold a consistent angle with light pressure and all will be good.
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