UNCLE RANDY, BRICKY, BASIL, CHANNEL MERCH - helps me buy more wacky stuff for videos.
cedric-ada-store.creator-spri...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... - Full steel testing list for my cut test videos, free to all.
/ cedricada - support me on patreon if you like, helps me do the expensive stuff!
Most inspiring video for me to learn freehand : kzhead.info/sun/oayrd9drn3Wwmp8/bejne.html
Yes! Triple B is the master. Pinned as great example!
I'm hijacking this pinned comment to remind everyone about alternative approach: kzhead.info/sun/grSAd9NrjmNre4k/bejne.htmlsi=zLOnMAYwUSOizNbk
Oohhh, i will go and look at this now. 😊👍 Thank you for the recommendation.
I also had this video in mind when i was saying about you not reaching the tip but couldn’t remember where to find it. Neeves knives is another great channel and is a great guy.
The biggest thing that halted my progress was watching the 'pros' going at it like they were trying to knock one out before their mum caught them. Once I realised this wasn't a race things became so much easier. Great video
I had a chat to a professional knife sharpener. His tip was to do it standing up, keep your shoulder and elbow locked, and twist your hip to follow the blade curve.
Stroping is also worth mentioning. Also, wearing diapers when sharpening is a must, all the pros do it.
I’ve been sharpening for about 20 years, learned on an Indian stones and Arkansas. When I was older I bought my own Japanese waterstones. Now I literally only use my green aotoshi stone, great edge for the kitchen and for pocket knives. I use my dmt stones for my harder carbide steels, although I prefer carbon steels for the patina and ease of sharpening. I use a sharpmaker for quick sharpening when I’m lazy and don’t want to set up the water stone pond. Even after all those years of experience, I’m still a learning new things, and I’m no way a master at sharpening.
Pete making a PSA for the new to sharpening freehand viewers, just thanks. Glad you are relaxing your ridgid stance on angles. I began to realize that although people were sharpening "wrong", they still got a sharp edge. Age has a way of mellowing a person.
oh yeah, I can actually feel my mind actually changing and its a cool feeling when you let it happen
The biggest help for my freehand sharpening was buying a good guided system. I could get a working edge freehand, depending on the steel i could get shaving edges if i really took my time but that was it. I had a lansky and it worked better, but when i got a kme my edges transformed into what is truly sharp. I also have a wicked edge go, sharpmaker, and a sharpmaker style with round rods. The kme and wicked edge though, they showed me a proper edge, gave me a good guide to follow with the sharpy coloring trick. I color the edge, make a pass, and repeat until i found what worked and while im barely past beginner it is so much more enjoyable and faster to just grab a stone and give a quick hone rather than waiting until it needs sharpened and setting up a guided system.
"Knife babe clunge"... Jesus Pete, I'm dying over here.
I agree after sharpening for 20 years or more
Spot on with the first knife freehand sharpening being a panic inducing experience 😂 Also, the beginner fear of course grits that I felt was exactly in line with your experience. I think what you've really tapped into here is a constructive approach to knife enthusiasm, and shirking the often encountered mystical approachs to knife making and knife handling of the past. You really were the first one to take this approach to common sense testing of knives in the hobby setting, and I think you should get credit for this.
I started sharpening on a soft Arkansas oilstone over 55 years ago. I could get shaving sharp edges when I was a pre-teen in age. Many years and many methods (and stones) later, I still use predominantly freehand on diamond plates. I have a sink bridge to hold the plates and can adjust water flow as needed. The biggest tips that help are having a marker and a high powered magnifying glass or microscope to check your edge as you go.
Great suggestions for the novice knife owner to reduce the pain of the enevitable self-doubt. Thank you!
I'm glad Bricky got some head scratching love aka dulling your knife. Good ol' Bricky! 🙃🙂🙃🙂
Pretty cool seeing this journey having gone through it myself
Splash and go stones can make your life easier. Look at the Shapton Pro Kuromaku stones. The 320 1000 5000 set, are tempting me away from my DMT bench stones.
Yo Pete, we need a video of Uncle Randy sharpening a Buck 110 on an Arkansas Stone with Honing Oil!!!
I sharpen a handful of knives on daily basis and my ultimate suggestion is two course diamond stones (2/3/6 hundreds), one medium ceramic stone (15/20 hundreds) and two high end fine (4/5/6 thousands) and ultra fine (10/12 thousands) whetstones. You can add a plain strop after or you can substitute the ultra fine stone with an ultra fine compound strop. Ps. If you don’t want to invest this much you can substitute any of the stages with corresponding sandpaper. This suggestion surely works for beginners and is best for pros. 🔪
With regards to the blister on the thumb, I have known people to put a lil drop of super glue on some scrap wood and rub that around with your thumb, if you do this right you can get a smooth superglue covering for your thumb that comes off after a few hours and protects from a lot of the abrasion
Very recognizable. Practice pays. I use a good magnifying glass to check my skills while sharpening. It gives great feedback and helps the learning process.
Sharpal angle pyramids were really helpful to me with freehand sharpening. I still use them to double check myself, but mostly they helped me get some finger placement reference points for myself.
I agree and I use them every time.
Thank you for all these nice tips, I've been working, playing and getting better my whole life at this stuff, and this week I'm back into going at it again. You are a big help.
i've recently got into sharpening, gotta be honest, it's a great way to relax while listening to some music. tho i only have one natural stone, and that's for my razor only. other than that, i've got the sharpal 162n, would reccomend, a stop, some diamond compound, and recently i got myself a kuromaku 2000(love it) tho i'd love to get something like a 120 stone to reprofile all the used and abused kitchen knives in the house.
I started with the spyderco sharpmaker and went on to the worksharp precision adjust... I settled on diamond plates and spyderco ceramic stones because they work so well and quickly. I sit at the kitchen table with the stones around belly/chest height for best results. (For me).
That's awsome Pete! I didn't know you started free hand sharpening. I hope you enjoy it.
I do all my sharpening freehand; a small stone in one hand ideally between finger and thumb, knife in the other hand and turning it around to do the other side of the edge. Benefits: I can see the contact of the edge bevel with the surface of the stone if the light is right. Using both hands I can precisely control the angle and direction of scratch pattern. Minimal mess, minimal space requirement, minimal cost, totally portable so can be done anywhere. I use diamond, ceramic, and minimal stropping. The Fällkniven DC3 is pretty good, diamond on one side and some kind of finer stone on the back. I have a few Spyderco ceramic rods which are excellent for putting a clean shaving edge on a blade, at some point I'm going to get their medium/fine Double Stuff stone which seems like an ideal form factor. And you can just put a bit of compound on the leather case for a stone for a finishing strop. I started off with the benchstone method like you show here, and I've since moved away from it completely. Dual freehand with a small stone just works so much better for me, I recommend giving it a try. Depending on the size of the knife I alternate between circular repetitions or a single linear stroke if it's a small blade. I've been putting shaving sharp edges on everything using this method for a few years now.
My experience is exactly like that, only I use cc4
ive just had a spyderco double stuff 2 arrive which probably enables a similar type of progress as a dc4 type stone. Have yet to form much of an opinion yet but will do a few speed sharpening videos
@@CedricAda Oh sweet! Yeah I'd love to see you try some freehand small stone sharpening. Definitely takes a bit of practice to figure out the dexterity/muscle memory, same as any freehand method, but I really enjoy the simplicity of it once you figure out the technique. For the circling technique for larger blades I tend to hold the knife in my off-hand with the edge facing up, and make oval motions with the stone in my other hand keeping the knife still but just moving/rotating so I'm working the whole edge. I do the same for the other side but have the knife point towards me. For smaller blades and the continuous linear technique I generally hold the stone in my off-hand and swipe the blade across it with my main, rotating everything a bit when I swap sides just so I can see what I'm doing. There's probably a number of other ways to go about it but that's what works for me.
I remember trying that style when I was trying to sharpen a machete in the field. Needless to say, good thing there were band-aids around.
I have a Spyderco medium pocket stoned paired up with a stainless Opinel that's part of my gardening kit. I also have some compound on the sheath as you suggest. The Opinel is slightly recurved, so it needs a narrow non-diamond stone, but even if it was a normal blade I think it would work just as well.
Spot on. I just bought 4 knives from thrift store to practice on and cost $2.50-$5 each. 2 Henkels, a Rachel Ray and Chicago Cutlery. Once they are sharp I give them away. Sharpal makes a small plastic piece that has 14,17,20 and 25 degree angles on them. 2 pack is about $8 in US. One is padded for stones and other has magnet for diamond/metal. Great video.
Great tips. Get a coarse grit stone, around 300-400, and learn on the dull kitchen knives in your drawer. Smart phones have a level that gives fairly accurate angles. But the thumb trick looks good. It will initially seem impossible, but if your hands are reasonably steady you will eventually get it. I find it relaxing and it’s cool to learn what most people would consider an esoteric skill. But I don’t see myself investing the time needed to get truly good at it. My edges are all… workmanlike. If you want perfect edges, 100% get a system. But even my edges are light years ahead of what you’ll get from any pull-through sharpener.
I totally agree with starting on a lower grit. Diamond stone have a lot going from them one warning though for beginners is get a decent stone i have had my confidence knocked by some DMT stones which i swear had no diamonds on them i sharpened for ages with no burr on a coarse. Worksharp seem to be a safe bet. Good thing about water stones especially splash and goes is little fuss and they are going to cut the fastest on normal steels. I noticed on your video you arent getting to the tip of the knife if you lift your elbow which will raise the handle at the end if your stroke the tip and belly will make better contact. I prefer having the stone a bit higher. I agree diamond stones are good as they dont break or gauge and also are always flat so dont give you weird results on you edge like softer stones sometimes can if you are new. How my advice helps you get more sexy sharpening chicks you can have some of mine if necessary i have too many.
I find it helpful to think of the bevel as like a rail that you have to stay on
I definitely need to work on my belly sharpening so will incorporate your advice, it works similarly on the tormek so it makes sense - cheers 😀
320 Shapton Kuro-Maku is first sharpening whetstone. Followed by 1000 Shapton Glass and 6000 Shapton Glass.
A bit late for me, as I already made my beginner mistakes five years ago. They were slightly different from yours, except for the not starting with a coarse enough stone. I started with a fine Arkansas oil stone, the sort of stone the straight razor people like. An excellent stone, but not the right choice for chipped kitchen knives and a dull Mora 456. A nice set of tips. I would have benefitted from them, I'm sure.
Thanks for the tutorial video Pete,I enjoyed it as always.greetings from Canada!
Free hand sharpening is definitely the way forward .practice practice and more practice and all of a sudden you jest seem to get the hang of it .some people learn it quicker than others jest like a musical instrument or driving a car but we can all do it with time and practice i will say a sharp edge is one thing most people can achieve quite easily but a really sharp hair whittling edge is a different ball game all together this is the standard i would like to get to but but after a couple of years free hand sharpening i still cant achieve that level of skill despite trying everything some people make it look so easy 😂😂
It sounds like you are entering a more philosophical stage of your knife nerd life. It's a good spot to be. Letting go of all that OCD about angles, mirror finishes, etc. is good for the soul and allows you to enjoy your pastime. The next stage? You will come to understand that slicing a sheet of paper is close to being the most nugatory of things to do with a blade. Think about Mr Miyagi - "Miyagi don't know. Never been attacked by a log". Stay keen, stay sharp.
For a beginner on Whetstones the Worksharp Whetstone knife sharpener can be a great system with the guides it has. But I still for most people would recommend diamonds or a system like the Worksharp Diamond benchstone Knife sharpener or the GSS (both are very similar but the GSS can cost a bit more). And regarding the Precision Adjust, I agree that (or another fixed angle system) would be really nice to have for the more precise angles. Especially if someone struggling on the whetstones in the beginning.
yep, nothing more hopeless feeling than being bad at my only sharpening method!
I use a Lansky ceramic rod system as my fallback
I’ve been learning to freehand sharpen recently, and one tip of my own: the “angle guide” plastic block that came with my stone did a lot more harm than good. Finding the right angle visually works better for me. I also use the sharpie trick or even borrow my daughter’s microscope to see where I’m laying down new scratches. I start on a 320# diamond plate, then 600#, and that’s usually good enough.
my first sharpening system was the spyderco tri angle sharpmaker. for a beginner it was a wonderful system. the first time I ever sharpened with it I was truly impressed by how keen the edge ended up becoming. my next system was the work sharp precision adjust. then the KME. now im just barely looking into my first freehand stones, and I feel quite confident that I will be able to accomplish something, especially now that my understanding of the method and theory of sharpening is more developed. I simply wouldn't recommend to anyone to start with freehand stones as their first sharpening system
We're gonna need a part 2 dude, how do you reliably hit the tip? The angle has to change as the blade curves away to the tip, you can see in the slow mo shots it isn't even making contact.
Thats what I've been wondering, no one seems to talk about that. I suppose I'll find out next week when my first stone shows up
ooh i will talk about that next time for sure!
@@CedricAda this guy, listening to his fans and whatnot! Bloody legend, give it a red hot crack mate.
Thank you! Thank you so very, very much...
Thank you so much. 👍👏👏👏 This was exactly the advice i needed to get started properly. I'm terrified of doing it wrong and making things worse, and now i know that the old stone i have is probably working against me. My kid and I love the outdoors life, and each have a few knives that we have used a lot, and are just worn dull from use, dirt, accidents and time. He has a set of woodworking chisels that also need a good sharpening by now. I have an old stone from my granpa that my dad kept, and then i got it when we had to clear out my dads house. Now i know that it is probably too fine a grit. It doesn't say on it what grit it is, and it is at least twice as old as me, so i couldn't for the life of me figure it out. I remember my granpa using it in his workshop. But i was like five or six, so even though i was fascinated by what he was doing, i didn't learn anything by watching him. None of them ever taught me how to do it properly, so now i am turning to KZhead to learn this skill. And just the daunting amount of different opinions there are on what gear you need for this, was putting me off. I just need a way to make my outdoors knives not be as dull as a butterknife again, as easily as possible. I'm not trying to make an absolutely insane edge, polished to hair-splitting perfection, as i will probably ruin that the next time we go on a hike. So now i'm going to look into getting a coarse grit diamond stone, and if they are not insanely expensive where i live, a system for maintaining the angle, so i have a foolproof way of getting my knife sharp again when i get tired of making mistakes. (If they are insanely expensive, i will jerry-rig something.)
I always enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing.
Useful info. Thanks.
Knowledge and patience I’ve found makes improvement. Learn you’re steel and give it time 👍
Hey Pete, my sincerest thanks for making these latest series of sharpening videos. I've avoided a ton of different steels because I just figured they were too hard to maintain. After watching these past few videos I'm MUCH more confident that I can do it too.
i've become fairly decent at freehand sharpening, but i usually end up grinding a patch of skin off my middle finger-tip. some subconscious need to feel the very interface of the bevel with the stone. then everything's a nasty orange of dilute blood'n'slurry - proper sharp edges though.
I started out sharpening a Spyderco Cricket on the round edge of a Sharpmarker rod Now I have a legitimate problem attempting to sharpen the conventional way for normal blades Would love to see this become a series where you update us with your experiences and techniques. The only advice I ever got was to act as though I was trying to slice a thin sheet off of the rod/stone I was using, and I don’t really have much space where I live for a fixed-angle setup, so any and all cheats/workarounds are insanely interesting and helpful
I am still too scared of curvy blades to buy one and try sharpening
Excellent tips for freehand or fixed angle systems. Standing at my KME as I watch/listen.
Thank you for this film. I wish I would have seen something like this 3 years and many dollars ago.
I'm not sure how you can do a belly with your technique. You have to rotate the blade marginally up to do the belly or curve and that's the difficult bit to get right.
My sharpening journey started back in 2008 when I was watching an older Ray Mears video and he was using King water stones, I just had to have them lol…I’ve always sharpened free hand on stones for all these years. I can do almost anything now.. only think I don’t like sharpening is ZDP.. it’s still a pain in the bum
I think the thing that made it "click" for me on how to get the angle right and sharpening a curve competently was watching a vid of a guy who angled his stone up 17 degrees and just moved his knife against it keeping the blade horizontal the whole time Seeing that gave me a big "a-hah!" moment and I did the same motion as that guy, first with my stone propped up with a book for testing and observing, then horizontal and keeping the knife at the same orientation to the stone. Kinda like a horizontal sharpmaker. Once you have the concept of how to do that it's all just burrs and deburring!
I do this with smaller pocket stones - hold them at the angle and move the knife downward, spyderco sharpmaker style. Rewiring the brain that angles can also happen at other angles took me a hot minute tho!
Definitely useful content for us numpties!
you know, i came across a bushcraft trick where the dude got a block of wood and different grits of sand paper and did his edges in the field like that, seemed to work really well ! havent tried it personally but I have used my spyderco system and the worksharp pocket thing like you got there.
Thanks for this great video. Wish I’d seen this 20 odd years ago. Would have saved a lot of time 😂
I spent 600$ plus on chosera stones as a beginner, I watched many tutorials and sharpened all my families kitchen knives for practice and it was difficult but rewarding in the end ,,, working edges are better for the family. no need the higher grits, I mirror polished my blackjack trail guide and that was a pain in the ..... im considering the Fllkniven A1x but your vids are really putting me off it .. I want something nice like this trail guide I can actually beat on, and I process 6-10 ft sharks and would love to be able to use a cool big stainless blade for the head and tail removal and just making big ugly cuts,,that survivor Lilly said it didn't rust with saltwater use ,.... I know you get heaps of comments .. would you recomend a better option is the A1l decent enough ....it's this dilemma I want the better steel but not the thicker blade ...maybe even the A2L....
Yeah the A1X is a juggernaut, almost a clobbering tool. If it were $100 and made of 80crV2 it would be amazing. But at the price it is, its always going to be too nice to use the sharpened prybar it is. The A2 is a very nice and fun knife. Wish they did it in the CoS but they dont seem to. The modern bowie is a grail knife for me but big yikes factor on price
The Lionsteel T6 or M7 might tickle your fancy, they are stainless and possible a little cheaper than the A2 and in better steels
@@CedricAda Thanks for your response Pete, I took a look at the lionsteel and a few other options , in the end I have settled on the A1L, I have to own one 😅, I will see how it performs for myself , and maybe my grail knife will be the A2 in future …. Though the A1 does look big enough in all pics and vids I’ve seen . Your review of the A1x really helped me with my decision cheers 🍻
You didn't warn newbies away from that pull-through I see at your left elbow... I have a drawer full of stones, from ultra cheap carbide to black Arkansas, but mostly been using the Worksharp Field Sharpener lately. I don't have any super steels, so even the cheap stones get the job done. I've been sharpening freehand for about 60 years, but definitely no expert. Still screw up sometimes.
That tip though, did it get any sharper? That technique feels it’s good on the worksharp, because the stone tilts as you make your pass. But on the waterstone that elbow needs a lift. /Guy in a couch
Someday I hope to see the knife community overcome the greatest taboo in knife history: V grind vs. Chisel grind. In my opinion grinding only one bevel makes knife sharpening a lot easier because everyone has a dominant hand and whether switching directions or switching hands either one makes it a lot harder to stay consistent. The idea that knives need a "V" edge is really just myth and almost everyone would be happier sharpening freehand with a chisel grind.
Lmao good Nick Shabazz impression
"Rule of Thumb". Love it
Hilarious, Good luck you all those having a go
PizzA
Great video yet again. Are you a knife KZheadr if you don't have at LEAST two fingers bandaged? Be careful everyone! LOL
Please tell, Where are these "sharpening babes" you speak of ?
we’ll find them one day man, im sure of it
Im practicing on a cheap SOG knife. I got the Lanksy system and can get the blade hair whittling sharp with it and a freehand 3 micron diamond strop. But I recently got a diamond stone and have absolutely destroyed the knife. So much of the blade is now gone haha and I can't seem to get it very sharp on the stone going from 400 - 1000. I probably need another stone or two for a better grit progression. Keeping an angle is where I'm really struggling.
If you can't get it really quite sharp off the 400, you need more practice on it and trying to minimize the burr. Probably not shaving well but easily very good for most tasks. But I can shave hair off a 400 done well. Cut blade into the stone and not away from it, or you grow a huge burr.
Yeah 👍🏽
We all aspire to sharpen like BBB
Does it matter if I wet my pants while using the lower grit vs waiting until I get to the higher grits?! I tried it both ways with the same results (a fairly good edge, and loved ones further estranged)
😂 Japanese water stones... They never tell you how many years a Japanese man apprentices to learn to achieve those perfect edges!
What about finger pressure on the blade as you are using the stone? Does it matter if you use a single finger towards the tip or should you use 2-3 fingers distributed along the blade?
Sigh. I fucked up my DBK limited-edition bushcrafter this way. You know, the one there are only 300 of in the world? Argh. In my defense, the heat treatment on that one was a little off, and I was trying to repair a small chip that developed, even though I had only used it to carve medium-hardness wood. In any case, I'm not touching it again until I get a professional to fix it.
Haha, "knife-babe klunge", probably the rarest mineral on earth 🙂
I have a set of japanese stones and the results are pretty good. However the progress is never enjoyable for once.
Where did you get that tub & stone holder? Also what are tour suggestions if your having trouble on the transition of the knife where it starts to curve to the tip? Im not having trouble where the blade is straight but having trouble sharpening the edge where it starts to curve to the tip.
I cover the elbow life with my wife in the next video uploading tomorrow!
Elbow Lift** tip and belly coverage
If you have good BackUp System, why don't just use the BackUp allways? It's not a criticism, it's an honest question. I am debating whether to buy the SHARPAL 162N, a good 400 stone, or the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Sharpener WSBCHPAJ-I (all similar priced). If Work Sharp is mandatory, what reasons would there be to spend more money on a secondary method that will require me to spend a lot of time trying to learn how to use it?
If I use a very cheap knife of unknown steel to practice with, will it "gum up" my diamond stone?
momentarily maybe but the rough size of a sponge and some decent water pressure and dish soap will put it right
knife babe clunge, hahahah, excellent
you could lap that old stone and give it to a local fisherman with dull knives , or a young lad who can't afford one
Delightful 😂
My tip, get ready for heartbreak. You will fail, you will destroy your favourite knife's edge, you'll try to reprofile it and make it even worse and have to create a new bevel. Accept it you suck and will make serious mistakes, until you get good. Pay attention to what you did wrong and power through it.
Where are the knife babes?
Clunge 😂 inbetweener?
That word needs to be entered into the dictionary. Please excuse my lack of proper dictionary syntax........ Bloobleleleh: Freehand Knife Sharpening; The pass you make that makes your stomach sink and your life flashes in front of your eyes. You crawl into the deepest dankest corner you can possibly find and curl up into a little ball and simply want to bleed.
Even now, watching you sped up footage, your movie your elbows and wrists too much... angle your stone and basin so that when you lock you elbows and writs, the movement comes from your core and shoulders and back... the less muscles you move, the better
Pete...you are a great guy who makes wonderful videos. And you are extremely knowledgeable about knives and blade steel. BUT.....OUTDOORS55 is the pinnacle of knife sharpening. All of your viewers wanting to learn freehand sharpening need to watch his sharpening videos. Sorry dude.
Are you really saying we can only learn from one person? Sometimes a different perspective makes sense to some people and not others. The more voices the merrier.
@@Greg_Chock I'm not saying that at all. Turn down your defense. What I am saying is that OUTDOORS55, a channel Pete is known to watch, has an amazing sharpening tutorial with unbelievable macro videography. You should probably take a look before you get your panties in a knot.
@@krazmokramer Right back at you about being defensive. Did I sound angry? You're posting a comment on someone's video that what they put out is a waste of time. Besides, what if I like my panties in a knot? :)
It sounds like you are entering a more philosophical stage of your knife nerd life. It's a good spot to be. Letting go of all that OCD about angles, mirror finishes, etc. is good for the soul and allows you to enjoy your pastime. The next stage? You will come to understand that slicing a sheet of paper is close to being the most nugatory of things to do with a blade. Think about Mr Miyagi - "Miyagi don't know. Never been attacked by a log". Stay keen, stay sharp.