Is anyone else a knife nut??

For some reason I just love knives. I don't know why, but I just do.

I'm not big into ornamental knives, but rather high quality functional knives.

One of my hobbies is sharpening knives, and I'm pretty good at it too. I can' sing, and I can't dance, but Boy Howdy, can I ever sharpen a knife!

To enjoy true sharpening you have to love the knives themselves. I love the form, the steels used to make them, the different edge grinds...all of it. I even make a few knives myself.

As for sharpening, I've tried to master every metod possible; oil stones, Japanese water stones, dry stones, diamond, crocs, rocks...bench tecniques, field techniques and everything else you could imagine. Did I mention I know how to sharpen a knife???

I have knives made from everything from car springs to space aged materials like titanium and ceramics. My wife, the Chef, calls all her knives "Scary Sharp". There's sharp, and then there's "scary sharp"!

Some of my absolute sharpest knives are some of the Japanese single bevel (or "chisel" grind), handed, knives. These knives are so special they are for either right or left handed users only. But, I digress.

Knives and sharpening is as much of an art as it is a science.

Is anyone else here into knives and sharpening?

P.S. - And the irony of this post is I can't use my right hand for a while now. But I'm already working on figuring that out.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I love kabars and machetes.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


He man I hope your hand gets those pins removed soon and you can get back to some normalcy.
And hell ya I love knives man.
I am always using my 1k by 5k stone at least one time a week!
And my 10k I use every other month man.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


And maybe you can answer this this for me.

I need to get my steak knifes sharper. How do you do a serrated knife?

I used to be a big knife nut, collecting Benchmade and Spyderco mostly. Right now and really for the last few weeks I've been carrying a Spyderco Caly 3.5 Carbon Fiber ZDP-189 because my normal carry Benchmade Mini Grip G10 with CPM-20CV blade just broke on me ... the springs for the axis lock broke ... very disappointing ... but that steel is my absolute favorite it stays hair popping sharp forever ... requires diamond stones to sharpen but it goes quickly.

I was never good at hand sharpening but the Gatco system allows me to compete with the best. I use a leather strop with a green jeweler's rouge to finish it off.

I'd love to learn how to forge a knife ... how long have you been doing that? I bet it's satisfying. Any particular brand you like?

honorable mention to the buck squire ... I frigging love that knife and also carry it on different days. it's long and thin ... perfect fit for the hand with a hollow point drop point blade it gets scarry sharp.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
My everyday carry is a CKRT Ken Onion Ripple quick opening folder. I also carry an Old Timer single blade liner lock pen knife for smaller tasks.
I would feel naked without a knife.

thats all, that’s it, really
After sharpening my knife I find my sharpening steel is better for cutting than the actual knife
I am not sure how

I like a nice sharp knife but it’s easier to buy a new knife than for me to sharpen them

Haven't gotten to make a kinve yet soon ... soon

Had a cook almost lose his thumb from a knive I sharpened at work once nothing but a 800 grit pice of aluminum oxide stone

Currently I use a 1x30 belt sander I just can't get that sharp bye hand not to mention the work involved compared to 30 seconds on my belt sander

Normaly I carry a karambit nothing fancy just keep it sharp its really hard to hand sharpen why I bought the belt sander

a reply to: kinglizard

I'd love to learn how to forge a knife ... how long have you been doing that?

I don't forge the myself...yet. I have a blacksmith buddy on the western slope do it for me. I'm getting there, but forging steel is a whole other specialization.

I have a Kuh-nife collection

a reply to: DrumsRfun

I actually restore old machetes and parangs I brought home from Asia. They used to sell the parangs for $2-3 bucks (US), and I bought a bunch. They were made from carbon spring steel. Brilliantly sharp if sharpened properly.

Knives are amazing things!

a reply to: visitedbythem

I have that bolo/kiri kiri at the bottom!

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


And maybe you can answer this this for me.

I need to get my steak knifes sharper. How do you do a serrated knife?

There is a way, but the question is, what kind of steel are you working with?

I sharpen serrated knives regularly, but there is a trick, and if chrome is involved, forget it. cheap steel.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I tried a kabar vs a machete and the kabar was just as useful....it was better because it was smaller to carry.
My current knife isn't as good as a kabar but is just as good.

It as blood grooves.

www.kabar.com...

a reply to: DrumsRfun

My first knife was a broken down old Ka-Bar from my Dad. Chipped, broken tip, electrical tape for a handle, etc. (I really wanted a fish fillet knife)

Dad said if i could fix it he'd get me a real knife. I was 6. It took a while,but by around 8 or so I'd restored it, and he bought me a Buck 110. I still have both knives!! (well, except the 110 had to be replaced once, but that's another story).

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk

originally posted by: Allaroundyou
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


And maybe you can answer this this for me.

I need to get my steak knifes sharper. How do you do a serrated knife?

There is a way, but the question is, what kind of steel are you working with?

I sharpen serrated knives regularly, but there is a trick, and if chrome is involved, forget it. cheap steel.

Well shiz man. Cause they are.

I got one of those Ken Onion Work Sharp belt sander types for Christmas. Promptly wrecked one of my wife's butcher knives. Oops!! Sharp as all get-out, but I changed the blade shape. Didn't RTFM. LOL

a reply to: Allaroundyou

okay, no worries.

There are two ways; on chrome plated steel just file, or stone, down the flat side. On a better knife, run a 400 or higher belt through the grooves, and THEN flatten the flat side. Viola', sharp serrations!

P.S. - I'm not a serrated knife guy, but I can get 'em sharp. Serrated are for tomatoes and fresh bread.

a reply to: Snarl

The KO works, but you need to understand it's going to give you a convex edge. If you sharpen a Wusthof in one of these you're going to take s straight bevel down to a convex edge. Is it ruined? No, but you're going to have to work on a new edge. and, this might take a while.

Wusthof knives are good stuff!! I just bought another one today...in addition to all our others.

Own way too many knives!!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

My knife of choice is a Chinese cleaver. It is as your wife says scary sharp.

I feel like a bit of a traitor as most Koreans use more of a santoku shaped knife.
There is just something about that cleavers shape that fits well for me.
I did almost cut my finger off with it. One of the only times I cut myself in the kitchen.
It wasn’t during food preparation either, it was while cleaning the blade!