how do ya sharpen?

[JBW1]

What is your most trusted way of keeping up your blades?

[bdAmmo]

Spyderco Sharpmaker

[AimlessWanderer]

Manually .... unless it needs reprofiling, then I'll use a Lansky system or Worksharp

[JBW1]

Cool I'm gonna look into those. I have 0.0 luck with stones or steels, what do you think of those diamond shapeners

[jerseydevil]

I've had great results with the Lansky system.    I'm not great at sharpening freehand, but am getting better at it......

[AimlessWanderer]

Freehand is the way to go if you can build up the confidence, Tom  The reason is that no matter how hard you try, you'll never be consistent on each pass, which will lead to a convex edge - the best edge you could hope for  It's one of the few things in life where not being perfect makes things better.

Tip: If you can learn to steel an edge, even better. Once you've mastered steeling a knife, do the same on an abrasive and you're set for life 

[JBW1]

I watch a butcher while he is gutting/skinning our animals, and the way he explains using a steel is to act like you are shaving the steel or something? Then does it freakn quick.

[Higgins617]

I use a stone meant for my skates, freehand. It works pretty damn good and I'm far from a skilled sharpener.

[Mr Biriyani]

I also use the spyderco sharpmaker.It´s simple and I get very good results most of times. But I have no experience of the other systems out there. Except freehand off course wich I´m not that good at.

[Rossko07]

Always by free hand. Sand paper and mouse pad for my convex edged blades and a diamond hone for my straight edged blades and always finish on a leather strop with sharpening compound for both. Hair shaving blades!

[DazMechanical]

I do all my sharpening freehand, it takes a combination of angle and pressure to get it right. On my kitchen knives I use a whetstone, medium & fine grits, then give a touch on my steel, as for my Leathermans and SAKs, they don't get half the abuse of my kitchen knives do, so I normally just have to use a daimond hone, fine & extra fine grits. I want to get a leather strop soon to see just how sharp my tools can really get.

[ducttapetech]

Lansky for my folders and smaller blades and freehand for my bigger knivies, tomahawk and axes.

Nate

[Sparky415]

I've had great results with the Lansky system.    I'm not great at sharpening freehand, but am getting better at it......

+1
I'm with JD 

[Noa Isumi]

Sharpen; freehand with a stone, the bigger the better, I have mill stone, soft and hard Arkansas, diamond blocks and more types of aluminum oxide axe and scythe blocks stones and pucks than you can count.

Finish by stropping on corrugated cardboard across the ridges not with them. This is a technique I picked up from someone at Blackjack knives. Cardboard is just abrasive enough to polish up a true razor edge. Works almost as well as a traditional barbers strop.  Works well on Vic Trekkers  serration pattern too.

For Quick touch ups on work blades/in the field  I use a smiths pocket pal x2.

For major work out comes the WorkSharp, great for fixing a truly bad grind, damaged edge, or if you make knives.
 

[JBW1]

For major work out comes the WorkSharp, great for fixing a truly bad grind, damaged edge, or if you make knives.

 that's awesome man, ill have to check that out. So do you make your own knives?

[AdmSlc]

Spyderco Sharpmaker 100% awesome


-AdmSlc

[JAfromMn]

I do my sharpening free hand on a bunch of different sharpening stones and files.

[nervium]

spyderco triange sharpmaker rules.

[Cupboard]

I started off the the Lansky, but have since moved to doing most of my sharpening on a really cheap four sided diamond block. It's really easy to use, and quick too. Much less fiddly and irritating than the Lansky.

I bought it to sharpen the Mora I was given and have found I prefer using that for all my knives. Was only £10 too.

[JBW1]

I started off the the Lansky, but have since moved to doing most of my sharpening on a really cheap four sided diamond block. It's really easy to use, and quick too. Much less fiddly and irritating than the Lansky.

I bought it to sharpen the Mora I was given and have found I prefer using that for all my knives. Was only £10 too.

pics please??

[SolomonKane79]

I watch a butcher while he is gutting/skinning our animals, and the way he explains using a steel is to act like you are shaving the steel or something? Then does it freakn quick.

I use the Lansky and had always decent results. I'm no expert but regarding the butcher's way... I think it depends what you are going to do with the blade. For meat and foods and soft stuff in general i think a razor like edge has its place, but if you are going to cut thick cardboard, rope, carpet or heavy stuff, tha's another story... Then i maybe wrong so someone can correct me. 

[Cupboard]

I started off the the Lansky, but have since moved to doing most of my sharpening on a really cheap four sided diamond block. It's really easy to use, and quick too. Much less fiddly and irritating than the Lansky.

I bought it to sharpen the Mora I was given and have found I prefer using that for all my knives. Was only £10 too.

pics please??

from here:
http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/module.jsp?moduleId=cpc/687438.xml

They're almost always on special offer (but you have to know the special offer code) for about £10 all in.

They do ones not in a block which are a bit cheaper.
It's Rolson branded, but that doesn't really mean much. It's not exactly the best built thing in the world and one of the coarser grits isn't perfectly flat, but it's good enough to quickly and easily get all knives shaving sharp.

[smiller43147]

Another vote for the spyderco triange sharpmaker

[Freaver]

Hmm... Guess I should take a look at that Rolson stone. ☺

[Singh]

I’m not a sharpening Guru. I can’t get a razor edge from  sticks, rods, stones, window glass, or coffee cups.

So I use a  Chef’s Choice Model 120 followed by a few feather-light passes with an accusharp. I get hair-popping, razor-sharp edges in under in 2 minutes.

[Humppa]

I sharpen most of my blades freehand ... I have a Lansky and a Spydie Sharpie as well.

I don´t get warm with the Lansky somehow. The Sharpie is good for a quick touch up.

But I use to sharpen them the way it is neccesary. If there´s a chipped blade, I use a coarse skythe stone, then go to a 320 Indiga stone (synthetic) - eventually some touch up with a 800 grit stone and for fine polishing a 3.200 Arkansas Oil Stone.
Then stroping the blades on a self made leather-strop. Compound or not, depends.

But in case of an emergency a ceramic coffee mug and a leather belt work great for most sharping tasks.

If I can add, that most people use take to often their stones. I use the strop more often than my stones for some touch up. The stones just come to action when I don´t come any further with my strop. (And it was for free - expect a piece of pine wood and some leather)

Just my .02 Cent.

[JBW1]

When finishing off with a leather strop, does it matter which way you pull the blade, ie, like when you sharpen

[Sparky415]

When finishing off with a leather strop, does it matter which way you pull the blade, ie, like when you sharpen

Pull back away from the edge or you will cut the strop 

[JBW1]

Thank you sir

[microbe]

I used to sharpen freehand, but I was not the greatest at it. Now I use a guide system, and even it is a bit fiddly, I get results I was unable to get before. No matter which method you are going to use, practice with cheap or old knives 
Also, don't sharpen too often. Sharpening removes material. Once you have accomplished a good edge, touch it up with a strop every once in a while instead of sharpening all the time.