On which knife did you learn how to sharpen?

[PocketShredder]

I recently bought a Sharpmaker and a Byrd Harrier 2 with the intention of finally learning how to sharpen my knives. I’ve been told 8Cr13MoV is relatively easy to sharpen, so hopefully that holds true!

I’m curious to know: on which knife, Spyderco or otherwise, did you learn how to sharpen?

[skeeg11]

Carbon steel or 1095 is good to learn on. Go to a thrift store and pick up a few carbon steel paring knives for 50 cents a piece to practice on before moving on to more costly knives. Besides, a few sharp paring knives laying around is a good thing. Looks don't matter.

[yablanowitz]

Gerber PK2, on soft and hard Arkansas stones in 1973, well before there was a SharpMaker.

[Ramonade]

Kitchen Chef knives with japanese whetsones. And then an old Boker flipper (BO55, but not the boker plus one, can't find any name) and tons of Opinel Carbon of all sizes.

[dsvirsky]

A generic "boy scout knife" in 1095 using a dished out carborundum stone, in the early '60s.

[James Y]

Schrade carbon steel large stockman (late ‘70s).

Victorinox SAK (early ‘80s).

Jim

[TkoK83Spy]

Kershaw Clash or Cryo.

[Airlsee]

Sharpmaker is pretty automatic and you don't really need to know how to sharpen to use it; I think you will have good results.

That being said, the knife that I learned to freehand on was a Becker BK14.

[Evil D]

Far enough back it was most likely an old Case, but modern times I consider my ZDP Caly 3 as a big turning point where I started taking it more seriously and actually learned more about what's happening when you sharpen. Before that knife even when I got good results it was more about luck than knowledge or skill.

[RustyIron]

All of them.

I'm still learning.

[Chuck James]

I recently bought a Sharpmaker and a Byrd Harrier 2 with the intention of finally learning how to sharpen my knives. I’ve been told 8Cr13MoV is relatively easy to sharpen, so hopefully that holds true!

I’m curious to know: on which knife, Spyderco or otherwise, did you learn how to sharpen?

The steel you mentioned is very easy to sharpen.

[JD Spydo]

Probably the very first knife I had that I took really serious was an old stag handled, double bladed Ka-Bar. I forgot the model number but it was a great knife for it's time. About 10 years ago I gave that knife to my nephew. He says he really loves it.

I'm not sure what blade steel it had but do understand that I owned that knife long before any knife company was telling anyone what blade steel any of these knives had/have.

I think it was in 1978 when I purchased that knife from a local farm supply store that is still in business. But that was the very first knife that I owned and used to where I took the sharpening of that knife very seriously. After all it was my deer hunting knife.

Now the very first Spyderco knife I got to sharpen was one of my early JD Smith PE models. It was also in the late 90s when I got my very first Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker. Before I got my first 204 Sharpmaker I was using a "Razor Edge Ultimate Kit" made by Razor Edge Systems out of Ely, Minnesota. I still like some of the products that Razor Edge Systems makes.

[Pokey]

A couple of Delica's, a SE and a PE, on the SharpMaker I bought with them way back in '93 or '94. I still have the knives, but replaced the SharpMaker with the 2.0 version. Now with the assortment of Tri-Angles you can buy, (Diamond, CBN, etc.,) I'm really satisfied with the results. Not only on my Spyderco knives, but the other brands I have, too.

I've sharpened some co-workers' knives, even brought a few back from the dead. (the knives, not the co-workers) I'm a legend in my own zip code.

[kennethsime]

I used to work in a knife shop, and we had an older single-angle Sharpmaker and an old Gen 2 Delica with the integral clip. That knife was thicker than **** behind the edge, but man did it cut.

[Wartstein]

Before I got into Spyderco I actually did brutally bad sharpening jobs on a really coarse stone meant for sharpening scythes...

When I got my Sharpmaker I just went for it with every Spydie I had. So probably at first Delica and Endura, both in sabre grind, and Stretch 1.

And of course I haven´t really "learned" it yet, but rather still a ton to learn...

[SG89]

Before I got into Spyderco I actually did brutally bad sharpening jobs on a really coarse stone meant for sharpening scythes...

When I got my Sharpmaker I just went for it with every Spydie I had. So probably at first Delica and Endura, both in sabre grind, and Stretch 1.

And of course I haven´t really "learned" it yet, but rather still a ton to learn...

Hey Wart, do you ever check out the off-topic section... I think there is a thread there you would enjoy...?

[spydie-fan]

I learned to sharpen with my Spyderco Rookie, and it shows. I originally used those cheap carbide sharpeners before I knew any better. Unfortunately I also learned not to pry with the tip of a knife as well. The tip is now slightly bent.

Nowadays I'm more careful with my knives, and continue working on improving my hand sharpening skills.

[bearfacedkiller]

Old Timer 8OT Stockmen and various SAKs that have all since long been lost. That was in the mid 80’s and the only stones I was aware of back then were Arkansas Stones. I still have the stone I learned on as a kid.

[yablanowitz]

A generic "boy scout knife" in 1095 using a dished out carborundum stone, in the early '60s.

That sounds like my first attempts, but my first success didn't happen for another decade.

[dsvirsky]

A generic "boy scout knife" in 1095 using a dished out carborundum stone, in the early '60s.

That sounds like my first attempts, but my first success didn't happen for another decade.

My dad taught me a simple method using a circular motion that kept the blade in contact with the stone, produced an asymmetrical edge, and was reasonably effective.