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Knife Sharpening with Japanese Waterstones

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 09:55:29 No.611224 View View Reply Original Report

Has anyone got any experience with these?

I just bought the 800, 1,200 and 6,000 set from King/Ice Bear and I'm finding it tricky to get the technique perfect.

I've always wanted my little Mora to be razor sharp. Help me.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 09:59:06 No.611227 Report

Quoted By: >>611230 >>611274

aint nobody gonna just do that shit
takes hours of practice until you get a feel for it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 10:03:33 No.611230 Report

Quoted By: >>611234 >>611236 >>611542

>>611227
ok cool, that's what I hoped. Maybe I'm not just a total idiot.

I don't really want to totally fuck my Mora up though. Think I'll practice with something else with a european bevel

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 10:16:26 No.611234 Report

Quoted By:

>>611230
no man its like a video game. if you get obsessed with it you'll get good at it. get some cheap pocket knives from a pawn shop and fuck those up proper.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 10:17:23 No.611236 Report

Quoted By:

>>611230
>I don't really want to totally fuck my Mora up though

I got a set of kings myself. I'm pretty sure they're also 800, 1200 and 6000.

I plan to get some moras just for the purpose of fucking up and practicing with them.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 10:44:49 No.611242 Report

Quoted By:

I use similar Stones to sharpen my kitchen knives (cookfag), and its not that easy to fuck a blade up but still, take some crappy knife first, just to get your hånd used to it. Also, you can find a lot of usefull videos on yt about how to do it. Its not that hard OP, don't stress.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:00:48 No.611272 Report

Quoted By: >>611279

Go to youtube. Search "Ray Mears Knife Sharpening"
Uncle Ray gives an excellent demonstration on sharpening a scandi ground knife (like your Mora) on japanese wetstones.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:06:47 No.611274 Report

Quoted By: >>611279

>>611227
this, you should train and eventually you'll find some improvement. I only bought one of these rocks and it took me about 7 to 10 knives to get something "satisfying".

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:18:24 No.611279 Report

Quoted By: >>611290

OP here, I ended up having another go (third try now) and it turned out much better. It's doesn't have a mirror finish all the way along but it's razor sharp with no inconsistencies on the cutting edge. I should be able to get it perfect next time.

I think I'll make a video with a few much more specific tips than what I've seen elsewhere

>>611272
Yes this is the video that encouraged me to invest in water stones. I got the exact set his site recommends. It's just not specific enough with how to find exactly the right tilt and keep it flat against the stone, or how much pressure to use, or how to stay with the bevel as you rotate the knife to sharpen towards the tip.

>>611274
7 to 10 knives seems like a hell of a lot.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 0517911-23.jpg, 93KiB, 600x265

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:21:51 No.611280 Report

Quoted By: >>611285 >>611288

I've always just used these cause you find them everywhere. are japanese stones better? what about those diamond stones?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:40:16 No.611285 Report

Quoted By:

>>611280
>are japanese stones better?
Yes, generally. Proper knife care is serious business in Japan.

>what about those diamond stones?
They range from gimmicky to excellent and are very durable while also requiring minimal maintenence. I like to keep a few cheap-ish ones around for whenever I'm going /out/ because I don't get heartbroken if they get lost, broken or given away.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:43:51 No.611288 Report

Quoted By: >>611515

>>611280
arkansas whetstones are fine and every american male with a garage/tool shed has one. they are cheap and effective and it is what i personally use.

japanese stones come in much finer grit and are superior if used correctly. but who gives a shit since after you use the thing you gotta sharpen it again. spend the money if you really want super sharp blade, but in my opinion if it's cutting clean then it's sharp enough.

diamond stones are shit and i refuse to use them. some people swear by them but the set i had never got my knifes as sharp as a regular old whetstone like your pic.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:44:44 No.611289 Report

Quoted By: >>611290

>>611224
...let them soak for 5-10 minutes. The small stone needs to be rubbed over the light stone to make a slurry. Also sometimes japanese stones have a different grit system.

I rubbed back and forth pretty much with a little dish soap on the stones. I still recommend blade edge over coarse glass for the final edge.

pretty much watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm53mCOQTR8

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 13:49:37 No.611290 Report

Quoted By:

>>611289
see
>>611279

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 14:29:37 No.611304 Report

Quoted By: >>611313 >>611314 >>611347 >>611427 >>611531 >>611547

on the subject of sharpening

how the hell do I get my hatchet sharp? I use a whetstone and rub it in a circular motion, don't wipe away the slurry at all, but no matter what the edge is always dull and while it's still usable for chopping kindling it's not ideal and no way can I use it for anything else.

Sometimes do it for a good 2 hours and it still never seems to get significantly sharper

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 15:00:27 No.611313 Report

Quoted By:

>>611304
either your axe is extremely soft steel so that the first few chops dull it, or you are doing it wrong.

as this thread has shown, there are youtube videos for that. for christs sake i am a mid level tech manager and i use youtube videos to teach me skills that cost 1000 dolarydoos a day to learn. just youtube it.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO fiskars.jpg, 82KiB, 934x545

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 15:01:03 No.611314 Report

Quoted By: >>611487

>>611304
>no matter what the edge is always dull

>do it for a good 2 hours and it still never seems to get significantly sharper

Fiskars user spotted

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 15:57:28 No.611347 Report

Quoted By:

>>611304
I had this problem too. (OP, same water stones and an SA Wetterlings Bushman axe)

I sharpened using the method shown by Ray Mears in his youtube video using the same waterstones.

I did manage to eliminate irregularities in the edge and did manage to sharpen, but not to the razor level i would have liked/expected. I also cut some disgusting grooves into the surface of my stones :(

My feeling is that because axes have a curved bevel, it'll just take a lot more practice to get it right. I'll have another go in the next few days and will report back to this thread.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 18:14:44 No.611427 Report

Quoted By:

>>611304
You probably have to flat of an angle on your grind. You want to get it out to ~25° on a felling axe. Splitting wood usually uses flatter angles though, as they last longer and the edge itself doesn't contact for a majority of the split.

Read "An Axe to Grind" published by the American Forestry service, that's the go-to reference for most people.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 19:45:11 No.611487 Report

Quoted By:

>>611314
dunno fiskars is super easy to sharpen dulls fast but not that fast

sc/out/patch3.0

sc/out/patch3.0 Wed 14 Oct 2015 20:29:36 No.611515 Report

Quoted By:

>>611288
>go to my garage
>see my Smith's tri-stone

Well played anon

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 21:06:17 No.611531 Report

Quoted By:

>>611304
I used a bastard file and a round lansky stone on my hardware stote vaughan. It seems sharp but i don't /out/

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 21:29:01 No.611542 Report

Quoted By: >>611546

>>611230
I use them, mora and other scandi knives are great practice. Just set the blade down, push the edge and voila; perfect angle.

Keep the wrist locked, make even movements and you'll be sharpening in no time.

I suggest looking at virtuovice vid's to get you started.

Good choice of stones btw!

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 21:30:51 No.611544 Report

Quoted By:

>>611224

Moving from 1200 to 6000 is a big step, you will spend alot of time on the 6000 to polish out the scratches the 1200 made. I suggest getting something inbetween like a 3000 stone.

Strop on leather after you are done, gives it that hair popping sharpness

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 21:31:47 No.611546 Report

Quoted By:

>>611542
>virtuovice
Hah! That is the video I watched last night and this morning before my more successful sharpening attempt. It's great.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 21:33:13 No.611547 Report

Quoted By:

>>611304
The bevel you are trying too sharpen is probably very dull. It will need alot of work to get it in an acceptable angle again. I suggest using a bastard file and then finish the job with the stone.

An angle guige and the felt marker trick will help alot with the proces.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 14 Oct 2015 21:37:43 No.611550 Report

Quoted By:

>>611224

it is really not that hard as every one says it is. Getting the right angle is the hardest part, which in all reality is not that hard.

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