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Thread: Keeping it sharp

  1. #1
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    Default Keeping it sharp

    Owning 1 or 100 knives is only part of the addiction. There are knives I own that will never feel a stone. There are others that are genuine working knives. Over the years I have used a lot of means of keeping them sharp. I won't go into methodology as that is a whole nuther area, and one that does breed some contention. There are folks who get downright personal about how to sharpen a knife. I'm going to post a bunch of pictures and then go back and edit in my comments.

    Alan

    This one was broken in three pieces. I found it on the same shelf I found the chicken snake in the snake thread. I was actually looking for the broken pieces when I found the snake. I glued it back together and keep it with my other old stuff.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Alan R McDaniel Jr; 09-15-2018 at 10:49 PM.


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    IMG_1531.jpg

    Soft white Arkansas that I got from a roadside stand in Arkansas.

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    Sandstone sharpener from first post, a piece of hard Arkansas and some pink Arkansas.
    Piece of Black Arkansas, a small carborundum I had as a kid, and another Black Arkansas

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    A couple of my dad's sharpening stones that he bought later in life.

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    Smith's, Lansky diamond, and two more Arkansas

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    One of about five cheap carborundum stones I've got that I use for general sharpening chores.

    Alan
    Last edited by Alan R McDaniel Jr; 09-15-2018 at 09:11 PM.

  3. #3
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    IMG_1544.jpg

    This is a filament from a big florescent street light bulb that a friend gave me. It's a pretty good finishing tool for for fine edges. I put a 38 spl case on the wire end to keep from sticking myself.

    IMG_1545.jpg

    Chock Sticks. They're good till they load up, then the blade just slides.

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    These are various sandstone pieces I've picked up over the years. They actually do a very good job of sharpening soft to medium steel blades. Harder steels, of course dull slower and and sharpen slower. I've always kinda enjoyed using them to sharpen with because, well, they're a rock picked up off the ground that sharpens a knife.

    IMG_1547.jpg

    This one has a lot of hard miles on it. It was in my GreatGrand Uncle's tool room. It is totally impregnated with oil and sharpened everything from knives, axes, machettes, and whatever else needed sharpening.


    Alan
    Last edited by Alan R McDaniel Jr; 09-15-2018 at 09:18 PM.

  4. #4
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    Not sure why the photos are only showing as attachments. They still work it you click on them.

    Attachment 11845

    A course/fine set given to me by and older friend. He wanted someone to have it that would appreciate it along with an old pocket stone and its original case.


    Attachment 11846

    My general use stone. It's soaked with hog lard. I used it a lot when I was skinning and butchering hogs for sale. The knife I used was made from a file and the sharpening didn't wear on the blade near as much as it wore on the stone.


    Attachment 11847

    This was my dad's carborundum stone and cardboard case. My dad had it for as long as I can remember and some time before that. It probably belonged to his dad. This stone is one of those items that brings a lot of memories of my dad flooding back. I think it was because he was telling me stuff I needed to know while he was carefully shaving layers of this stone away. I don't remember exactly what he was telling me but it was probably important, and he probably told me enough times that most of it stuck.

    Some people don't understand why we keep these things. That's because to them they are just "things". I knew you guys would know different. That's why I posted them.

    Thanks for the opportunity.

    Alan
    Last edited by Alan R McDaniel Jr; 09-15-2018 at 09:36 PM.

  5. #5
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    This is a piece of leather tacked to a board. It was evidently well used by some number of my predecessors. Personally, I have never found the use of leather to be much of a sharpener, but leather has certainly been used as such, and used to sharpen things much sharper than the average knife blade. A leather strop will put an edge on a razor like I would never want on any of my knives. Blood stains aren't my idea of chic!

    Alan

    IMG_1533.jpg

    I'm also exceeding my quota for pictures so I gotta figure out what to do about that...

  6. #6
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    I have the big box with contents much the same as yours sitting by my recliner for daily use.

    Leather removes the rolled wire edge you sometimes get during sharpening. I use it on my better blades.

    I have found that many of the "modern" hard steels require the diamond sharpeners once they get dull the first time. Nothing else will touch them or restore the edge.

    Those crock stick can be cleaned using brae/carb cleaner. They work as good as new.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

  7. #7
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    I have many of the same implements.............but I cheat. I use a 2 X 72 belt grinder for sharpening and a 2 HP buffer turning at 3450 RPM for finishing.
    Can't Means Won't

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    This is one I carry in my wallet. I've used it more than a few times when a blade got dull and nothing else was to be found. it works great but you have to be careful and watch each stoke because it's very easy to slice off a thumb fillet or a finger steak.

    Alan


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  9. #9

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    Keep it sharp! Always maintain your knives, fellas. There are some good and cheap **************here.

    Not any more spam boy.
    Last edited by crashdive123; 07-24-2019 at 06:06 AM.

  10. #10

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    After I sharpen my knife, will it slice through SPAM?
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  11. #11

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    i butter knife will cut through spam.a sharper knife will make thing's nicer/easier and better though.
    Preparation through education is less costly than learning through tragedy.

  12. #12
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Whooooooooooooooooooosh. Yes, that was irony flying overhead.

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