How to sharpen a knife

If you overheat the blade, you will take the temper out, and though you may get it sharp, even razor sharp, the edge will be ruined and willl not last long. Belt sanders (and bench grinders) are the best way to ruin a good knife out there. It can be done, but it must be done without the cutting edge getting hot. The blade may be fine, but the cutting edge may be soft. Sharpening knives by hand has worked well for millennia, and only requires a good stone and technique. Keep it sharp and then freshening the edge only takes a minute or two.

I was a professional chef for my first career, and we did not love and fondle and revere knives, we used the hell out of them constantly to get the work done, and a dull knife is slow, tedious, and dangerous. Much of the advice for sharpening knives on places like YouTube and Google searches are either worthless, slow, dangerous, and/or do not achieve a good, working edge. I still have my knives from that time, and they are all kept sharp and well cared for, and are used daily.
 
What I have to work with is 80 and 320 grit belts and a stone with a rough side and a smooth side. Don't know the grits on the stone.
I have several different sharpening systems but for kitchen knives I use ordinary wet/dry sandpaper on a flat surface overhanging the workbench. There is a delightful choice of grit sizes and the broad surface makes it easier for longer knife blades.
Once the right angle has been established it is really quick to refresh the edge just by laying out a sheet of sandpaper on the bench. It is imperative to have good angle control since the angles will vary depending on what the knife is used for.
It is also easier to keep knives sharp if done regularly so you need something simple and quick to set up and use.
Oh and the food tastes so much better when its prepared with a sharp knife.
Just a reminder that much sharpening frustration is caused by poor quality steel. A kitchen only needs a few good knives so buy the best and treat them well . Did I already say your food will taste better?
 
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I like good knives, and I select my carry each day from a Gerstner chest atop my dresser stocked full of S35VN, N690Co, CPM154, D2, Elmax, and other fine steels. As a hobby machinist type, I like fixtures, so I use a Wicked Edge sharpener. If you've never seen one, look it up. I finish and tune up my blades regularly with strops. I still have all of my fingers, but I've used up all of my Band-Aids.
 
Okay, I'm getting the message that I shouldn't use my belt sander to quickly re-establish the edge geometry. Instead, use my stones to do that. I used to do that but I apparently suck at it because I could not get a consistent edge. Maybe I need to practice more.
 
When I was in 3rd grade, I got a little folding knife (a Klein) and a hand-me-down Smith's Arkansas stone. I still have that stone on my workbench, and I think it is my last remaining possession from my childhood. Anyway, I worked and worked that edge on that stone until, years later, the blade was a thin sliver of what it started as. I can hand hone a sharp, but rather round-profiled edge freehand, then get a shaving edge with a strop, but it's nothing like the keen edges I've seen from the hands of old timers. That is why I use a mechanical fixture now. It should be in my DNA, but apparently that was replaced by a weird perfectionism that only likes perfect edges.
 
My 2'' folding pocket knife goes everywhere I go. I paid a lot for the little puppy cause was to be kept razor sharp. Good steel is so easy to sharpen and it stays sharp because of how carefully it gets honed and stropped.
Angle control is all important so use fixtures if necessary. At the right angle it only takes a few strokes to get it done. At the wrong angle it only takes one stroke to ruin the edge.
Old timers got lots of practise because they used hand tools and knew how much more work it is to use dull tools. And then to be disappointed in the ****ty results. In 1962 I saw a carpenter at the plant where I worked cut a 2x4 on his knee with 3 strokes of his cut off saw, clean and straight.. His hand was strong like a clamp and I think his arm was made by Caterpillar.
 
Like everything else in today's world of engineering marvels, true sharpening has fallen by the wayside. In my father's younger days (ca,1930), everyone (except the ultra rich) used a straight razor. And kept it sharp. Cutting whiskers with a dull razor is painful! He taught me a couple of tricks to sharpen (then new to him) double edge razor blades. Back in the days of "glass" table settings. In our modern society, such razors are no longer readily available. Not even at a Barber Shop.

I have a Lansky rig modified for doing wood chisels for a friend in the wood flooring business. I use the original fixture with diamond hones for doing knives. But the grade of steel makes a large difference in how long an edge will keep. Like a knife, a good chisel will hold an edge much longer than a cheap one from the hardware store. But to do it with a power machine, never. Not only the only time it can be sharpened is in the shop, but how long have machines been around compared to how long knives have been extant.

I have a couple of "Bucks" (one a 110, one a penknife) and a "KaBar" penknife for when I need a good edge. Then a "Leatherman" and several "Kleins" when I am working. In electrical work, you need a knife that is sharp enough to cut insulation, but not so sharp it will gouge the copper.

The modern "tactical" knives serve no real purpose that I can see. Except being hard to sharpen with the wavy edges. The Buck 110 was from my sailor days (ca,1969), a good all around working knife. But scary to people around me when I pull it out these days. It is under the legal limit, barely. But bulky, intimidating to those that don't do work with their hands. So I don't often carry it these days.

I don't use a straight razor, hell, I don't use a razor at all any more. My hands shake these days. But the point still applies, we as a society have to deal with cheap steel and loss of an archaic skill. I don't know a solid solution, it is something that really needs to be acquired in childhood and "honed" as we age. Just like a good knife.

This is becoming a "rant" for me, a sore point for a long time. So I best lay it to rest before it delves into the political aspects.
Bill Hudson​
 
The straight razor is a distinct exception. I only use a straight blade, and sharpen it on a Norton 4000 grit water stone by hand (to form the profile) and strop (to shave hair). The blade on a straight razor has a T-shaped spine that guides the blade and determines the angle of the cutting edge. They are easy to sharpen. Doing the same on a disposable double edge blade would be tough!
 
I have enjoyed all the replies. It gets down to technique which I have never been able to master when using a sharpening stone. An it just might be that the knives I have currently and have had over the years are just pieces of junk that would be a challenge for a master to sharpen. I will look up a wicked edge sharpener.
 
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