Knife Sharpening& How I Got Started

[Hawks Feather]

I just set this up so that we don't take over another post.

I have always been fascinated by knives from an early age. At that early age I never realized or knew that a knife could be sharpened. (Give me a break, I was about 9 or 10 years old.) That is when I first met my grandpa's neighbor Ray Sutton who had a few guns that I went to see. After that, I would usually go next door to visit with Ray whenever I went to my grandfather's house. Ray was OLD, probably younger than I am now, and didn't move very well, but he knew about guns. One day he had a knife and a stone out and I asked about it. That was the start. I showed him my knife and he asked if I had ever sharpened it, and I said that I had not and didn't know the first thing about sharpening. He took my knife and tried to cut paper with it, and it just slid and didn't cut anything. (At the time that was probably good for me. This was also the pocketknife that I always carried, even to school since at that time there were no rules about anything like that.) So, Ray makes a few passes on the stone to get an angle started and then hands me the knife to continue. He made it look so easy, but I quickly found out that it was not as easy for a beginner and after a few passes looked at the blade to see that I was not even close to the angle he had started. He talked me through that lesson and at the end my knife would cut paper. I was IMPRESSED! My next visit with Ray I brought along all of my knives and he helped me get them sharp.  When I was ready to leave he gave me the 'well used' stone and he told me to keep my knives sharp. Whenever I went to my grandpa's house I would take the stone, a knife, and go see Ray. He taught me about blade angles and what they were designed to do. Over the years I got to where I could put an almost surgical angle on a blade, but then also learned that it didn't work all that well for whittling or cutting limbs. But it sure did impress my friends when I cut paper with that edge. So, this is how I got started with my 'obsession' with having a sharp knife.

My occupation was in public education, and it was not a way to get rich, but allowed me to support my family. Then I started picking up some hobbies that paid. My mom usually had a canary and with some of my money from selling wood working projects, I bought one. Then I bought a female and started raising them. At first, they were just 'junk' birds that I would sell to the local pet store for $5 to $15 per bird. I then went to one of the bird shows and was amazed that they had prices of $50 per bird and it didn't make a difference if it was a hen or a good singing male. I became good friends with one of the men who was showing canaries and he set me up with a trio of decent birds that got me started in breeding show birds and the following year I won my first ribbon. Better than that, I sold some birds for $50 each and I was hooked. In the early years any money that I made from sales went back into buying additional birds and expanding my sales. Within a few years I was doing well enough at shows that I was getting orders from many other states for my birds. I would raise around 100 to 150 canaries per year and sell them for $50 per bird. I called this my 'bird' money and would use it for family vacations and other things that my salary would not have covered. I am just saying this so that you know that I was not some rich person that didn't need to work to get money for things like: guns, knives, sharpening systems, power tools, and vacations. All of those things were paid for from my bird money. In the end, I sold out all of my birds and equipment and again put that money in my bird account.

Over the years, I have bought (usually at cost at the Gun Shop) different types of sharpening stones and equipment. Some worked really well and some were junk. Feel free to add what you have been using to sharpen your knives, and I will start adding some pictures of the items that I have accumulated over the years. Some were relatively inexpensive while the Tormek and Wicked Edge systems were not. Consider myself lucky that I found a hobby that actually made money so that I could get these pieces of equipment. Without the bird fund I would still only have my Buck stones and my original stone that I got from Ray.

So, that is my history, and I will quit and let members start sharing their sharpening stories and equipment. I will post some pics when I get time.

[pitw]

Well I can say that if I want a knife sharpened I let one of two friends use it.  They then sharpen it cause they know how.  I don't so it works well. 
I do have a buddy that isn't allowed to touch my knives cause he can wreck anything faster than I can replace 'em.

[FinsnFur]

Bird fund   I had no idea all this time, but it sounds like you did very well with them. Thats some pretty good income

I struggle with sharpening my knives. I feel like I always have. I've tried different methods, I've watched videos.
I got one of those Lansky Deluxe knife sharpeners used from a friend several years ago. I couldnt believe that someone actually had to go through all that crap to sharpen a knife. Arms, and rods, angles and clamps and stones. Whyyy jezuz chrimeny. And then they never were really that sharp.
I threw it in the trash after a month or two.
I see these videos of ocean guides cleaning fish with a knife thats so dang sharp it goes through any part of the fish like butter, and I shake my head wondering how...how do you get a knife THAT sharp.

The girls bought me a Rapala J.Marttiini Finland Hand Ground Stainless fillet knife, with a antler handle carved into an Eagles head, a couple years ago. That was literally the best knife I ever owned. Sweet jezuzzz that thing would fillet fish just like the guys on TV. Man it was razor sharp.
It has since then became dull and I'm back where I started.
I have two folding Kershaw Ken Onion Scallion knives that are my go to carries. Love those things but struggle to get them sharp as well.

I'm sure my sharpeners are wore out and probably not the best tools anyway. I've tried enough to where I'm not sure what to try next. I think my favorite is the Smith Diamond retractable sharpener. But mine is wore smooth now 

[nastygunz]

Me carving tools gotta be sharp!

[nastygunz]

Checkout diamond stones Jimbo. And Windex is a good sharpening lube.