For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy

A K used his or her keyboard to write :
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy

The angle is paramount.

In article ,
A K wrote:

For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,

Andy-

Stainless steel just does not take a sharp edge. If it does when
sharpened, it loses the edge quickly.

Rather than a whetstone, I use a sharpening tool. It won't do much for
stainless steel, but wears the blade more evenly than a whetstone.
There are a variety of tools available at your local hardware store.

Fred

On Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:13:07 -0700 (PDT), A K wrote:

For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy

Swiss Army knife blades are stainless steel I think.
Anyway, cut into the stone at about 30 degrees, alternating the sides of the blade.
You can hone the blade on leather. I used my boots. Should be something on Youtube.
I think the main issue people have is maintaining the same angle, but there's nothing to do
about that except practice or use an angle gizmo. I could shave with my pocket knife.
Stainless steel take 10 times longer to sharpen, so don't use stainless steel blades.

On Monday, June 15, 2020 at 3:00:49 PM UTC-5, Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article ,
A K scientist77017 @gmail.com wrote:

For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,

Andy-

Stainless steel just does not take a sharp edge. If it does when
sharpened, it loses the edge quickly.

Rather than a whetstone, I use a sharpening tool. It won't do much for
stainless steel, but wears the blade more evenly than a whetstone.
There are a variety of tools available at your local hardware store.

Fred

Thanks. It's a shame that they used S.S.

I found this.

https://www.thoughtco.com/knife-steel-grades-2340185

I decided to see what my bench grinder could do.

The edge is not pretty but it is definitely sharper.

Andy

On Mon, 15 Jun 2020 14:25:38 -0700 (PDT), A K
wrote:

On Monday, June 15, 2020 at 3:00:49 PM UTC-5, Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article ,
A K scientist77017 @gmail.com wrote:

For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.
Especially with Swiss army knives.
Can someone help me?
Thanks,

Stainless steel just does not take a sharp edge. If it does when
sharpened, it loses the edge quickly.
Rather than a whetstone, I use a sharpening tool. It won't do much for
stainless steel, but wears the blade more evenly than a whetstone.
There are a variety of tools available at your local hardware store.
Fred

Thanks. It's a shame that they used S.S.
I found this.
https://www.thoughtco.com/knife-steel-grades-2340185
I decided to see what my bench grinder could do.
The edge is not pretty but it is definitely sharper.
Andy


I use a little diamond sharpening stick on the kitchen knives -
just a few strokes on each side - works for me.
John T.

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my Buck
hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all in the
types of steel used.

https://www.bladehq.com/cat--Best-Kn...el-Guide--3368

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


As noted, SS is difficult. I use the same sharpening procedure with
knives as I do with my plane and chisels. A four step process through
the increase of grits (I don't use stones). The first step with the
lowest grit is avoided if I keep them sharpen, otherwise, a very dull
blade will start with it then move up until i get that nice razor sharp
edge.

On Monday, June 15, 2020 at 5:16:17 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Mon, 15 Jun 2020 14:25:38 -0700 (PDT), A K
scientist77017 @gmail.com wrote:

On Monday, June 15, 2020 at 3:00:49 PM UTC-5, Fred McKenzie wrote:
In article ,
A K scientist77017 @gmail.com wrote:

For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.
Especially with Swiss army knives.
Can someone help me?
Thanks,

Stainless steel just does not take a sharp edge. If it does when
sharpened, it loses the edge quickly.
Rather than a whetstone, I use a sharpening tool. It won't do much for
stainless steel, but wears the blade more evenly than a whetstone.
There are a variety of tools available at your local hardware store.
Fred

Thanks. It's a shame that they used S.S.
I found this.
https://www.thoughtco.com/knife-steel-grades-2340185
I decided to see what my bench grinder could do.
The edge is not pretty but it is definitely sharper.
Andy


I use a little diamond sharpening stick on the kitchen knives -
just a few strokes on each side - works for me.
John T.

I will look into getting one.

This is the sharpener I use.

The Cuisinart knife shown takes a very good edge.

Sign on paper cutter refers to itself.

I cut myself badly on that blade.

:-)

Andy

https://imgur.com/a/XjP7Kzo

On 06/15/2020 01:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-WS...07CVN8HV5?th=1

They aren't cheap but there are guides for several different tools.
Smith's makes a similar type that is cheaper.

For a budget approach, the Smith's Pocket Pal is cheap and handy:

https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-PP1-Po.../dp/B000O8OTNC

https://bladereviews.com/smiths-pocket-pal-pp1-review/

Lansky has a few different varieties:

https://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Sharpe...sky+Sharpeners

One scheme is a clamp that goes on the blade with guide rods to maintain
the angle. That works fairly well for larger blades. Then there are the
crock stick types. Mine has a V shaped carbide cutter for roughing out
the edge, plus the rods. The idea is keeping the blade vertical going
down the angled rod is easier than maintaining an angle on a stone or
flat diamond sharpener.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Knife.../dp/B0000950Q4

I was feeling lazy the other night and the Fiskars was closed to hand.
They work too.

Most of those will give you a serviceable edge. They might not be sharp
enough to shave the hair off your arm but I don't need hairless arms.

I always run a sharpie marker down the edge. You can then see you are doing the correct angle.
Sharpie equals sharper.

On 06/16/2020 01:23 PM, Thomas wrote:
I always run a sharpie marker down the edge. You can then see you are doing the correct angle.
Sharpie equals sharper.


That does work well, even better with a magnifier.

On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

My Folding Hunter and Pathfinder were made in the time period 1967-1972

My Folding Hunter 1104 is apparently rare but type steel is not mentioned.

On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 07:41:31 -0400, Frank wrote:

On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

My Folding Hunter and Pathfinder were made in the time period 1967-1972

My Folding Hunter 1104 is apparently rare but type steel is not mentioned.

My first and only knife was the popular Trim Trio.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trim+trio+pocket+knife

On 06/20/2020 05:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

Do you know what a 110A is? It's old and I can't remember when I bought
it but most sites only mention 110. I've got a 50th anniversary with
the 50 in an anvil so that's an easy one to figure out.

The 110A is a custom model. I broke the tip off trying to pull a staple
out of a fence post so it's about q quarter inch short after I reshaped it.

On 06/20/2020 05:41 AM, Frank wrote:
On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a
whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

Thanks. I was reading the number as 110A but the inverted V make more
sense. 1988 would be about right for when i bought it.

At least I can remember when I bought the 2014 anniversary edition

On Monday, June 15, 2020 at 8:54:37 PM UTC-5, rbowman wrote:
On 06/15/2020 01:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-WS...07CVN8HV5?th=1

They aren't cheap but there are guides for several different tools.
Smith's makes a similar type that is cheaper.

For a budget approach, the Smith's Pocket Pal is cheap and handy:

https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-PP1-Po.../dp/B000O8OTNC

https://bladereviews.com/smiths-pocket-pal-pp1-review/

Lansky has a few different varieties:

https://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Sharpe...sky+Sharpeners

One scheme is a clamp that goes on the blade with guide rods to maintain
the angle. That works fairly well for larger blades. Then there are the
crock stick types. Mine has a V shaped carbide cutter for roughing out
the edge, plus the rods. The idea is keeping the blade vertical going
down the angled rod is easier than maintaining an angle on a stone or
flat diamond sharpener.

https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Knife.../dp/B0000950Q4

I was feeling lazy the other night and the Fiskars was closed to hand.
They work too.

Most of those will give you a serviceable edge. They might not be sharp
enough to shave the hair off your arm but I don't need hairless arms.

That Smith model is almost identical to what I have now.

I have used the Lansky's in the past and they are good.

I think the problems is with the stainless steel that Victorinox uses.

I have used my sharpener on a dirt cheap kitchen knife and gotten a better edge than I got on the Victorinox knife.

It just will not hold a good edge after it leaves the factory.

I will never buy another one.

Andy

On 06/20/2020 08:05 PM, A K wrote:
I have used my sharpener on a dirt cheap kitchen knife and gotten a better edge than I got on the Victorinox knife.

It just will not hold a good edge after it leaves the factory.

I will never buy another one.

I've got a Victorinox Officier in the junk drawer that I found on the
side of a road. I never tried to sharpen it. I suppose if I ever need a
corkscrew it will be handy. I recall from my student days where somebody
would show up at a party with a bottle of wine with a cork and hilarity
would ensue. My taste ran to Silver Satin. If you didn't want to drink
the crap you could always pickle a pike.

https://www.twincities.com/2016/07/3...ike-pickle-it/

On 6/20/2020 3:20 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 06/20/2020 05:41 AM, Frank wrote:
On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a
whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with.Â* It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

Thanks. I was reading the number as 110A but the inverted V make more
sense. 1988 would be about right for when i bought it.

At least I can remember when I bought the 2014 anniversary edition


Knife is apparently rare and has some value. I note people have put
them up for auction but do not know how much they got for them.

On 6/20/2020 11:45 AM, Jim Joyce wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 07:41:31 -0400, Frank wrote:

On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

My Folding Hunter and Pathfinder were made in the time period 1967-1972

My Folding Hunter 1104 is apparently rare but type steel is not mentioned.

My first and only knife was the popular Trim Trio.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trim+trio+pocket+knife


Can't imagine having only one knife. I have at least a dozen. Not
counting kitchen knives.

On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:47:23 -0400, Frank wrote:

On 6/20/2020 11:45 AM, Jim Joyce wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 07:41:31 -0400, Frank wrote:

On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

My Folding Hunter and Pathfinder were made in the time period 1967-1972

My Folding Hunter 1104 is apparently rare but type steel is not mentioned.

My first and only knife was the popular Trim Trio.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trim+trio+pocket+knife


Can't imagine having only one knife. I have at least a dozen. Not
counting kitchen knives.

It's not the 1800's anymore. I outgrew having a knife when I was about 8
years old. I see people carrying them, though, so I guess there must be
something they're still used for.

On 6/20/2020 11:31 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 06/20/2020 08:05 PM, A K wrote:
I have used my sharpener on a dirt cheap kitchen knife and gotten a
better edge than I got on the Victorinox knife.

It just will not hold a good edge after it leaves the factory.

I will never buy another one.

I've got a Victorinox Officier in the junk drawer that I found on the
side of a road. I never tried to sharpen it. I suppose if I ever need a
corkscrew it will be handy. I recall from my student days where somebody
would show up at a party with a bottle of wine with a cork and hilarity
would ensue. My taste ran to Silver Satin. If you didn't want to drink
the crap you could always pickle a pike.

https://www.twincities.com/2016/07/3...ike-pickle-it/



I've got two Swiss army knives. Both given to me. Sometimes I use the
blade when sharpness is not important. The attachments sometimes come
in handy.

On 06/21/2020 07:47 AM, Frank wrote:
On 6/20/2020 11:45 AM, Jim Joyce wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 07:41:31 -0400, Frank wrote:

On 6/20/2020 7:12 AM, Bud Frede wrote:
Frank writes:

On 6/15/2020 3:13 PM, A K wrote:
For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a
whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy


There are plenty of youtube videos and instructions on line for
sharpening these knives.

I also cannot get the edge on my Swiss army knife like I can on my
Buck hunting knives which you could shave with. It appears to be all
in the types of steel used.

The US-made Buck knives are heat-treated really well. They really know
how to get the most out of the steel that they use.

Some of the Buck pocketknives used to be made by Camillus. They weren't
of the same quality as the knives that Buck made themselves, but they
were still quite good, and had the same lifetime warranty.

At some point they started having knives produced in China. They're
good
quality for Chinese knives, but I don't think they're nearly as good as
the US-made knives.

I have a US-made Buck 722 Spitfire that I really like. It's one of the
"special editions" that uses a different steel than the 420HC most US
Buck knives use. The steel is S30V and it takes and holds a superb
edge. It has the little "BOS" symbol etched on it to show that it was
heat-treated by Paul Bos.



Had not looked at my Bucks blade info and found this:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

My Folding Hunter and Pathfinder were made in the time period 1967-1972

My Folding Hunter 1104 is apparently rare but type steel is not
mentioned.

My first and only knife was the popular Trim Trio.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trim+trio+pocket+knife


Can't imagine having only one knife. I have at least a dozen. Not
counting kitchen knives.

I have a about dozen within arms reach, everything from an Opinel #8 for
opening mail to a Randall Model 5 for serious work.

On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 06:53:45 -0400, Bud Frede wrote:

Vic Smith writes:

On Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:13:07 -0700 (PDT), A K wrote:

For years, I have never been able to get a sharp edge using a whetstone.

Especially with Swiss army knives.

Can someone help me?

Thanks,
Andy

Swiss Army knife blades are stainless steel I think.

They normally use Sandvik 12c27, which is a very high-quality stainless
steel. It tends to be pretty easy to sharpen, but doesn't hold an edge
as long as some other steels. (Heat treating affects this as well - it's
not completely the steel.) It is easy to work, is corrosion-resistant,
and takes a mirror finish.

Anyway, cut into the stone at about 30 degrees, alternating the sides of the blade.
You can hone the blade on leather. I used my boots. Should be something on Youtube.
I think the main issue people have is maintaining the same angle, but there's nothing to do
about that except practice or use an angle gizmo. I could shave with my pocket knife.
Stainless steel take 10 times longer to sharpen, so don't use stainless steel blades.

There are a lot of ways to sharpen knives and lots of tools to use to
sharpen them. Everyone has their own preference and it's hard to make a
recommendation. You pretty much have to just try a few and see what
works for you.

I agree that the problem people have with whetstones or bench hones is
maintaining the proper angle. Many years ago I had a few small plastic
wedges that can with a hone that you laid on the hone and then put the
knife on to get you started with the right angle. The wedges came in a
few different angles for different types of edge. I just learned from
there and now the right angle just "feels right."

Some stainless steels, like some non-stainless steels, are hard to
sharpen and some are easy to sharpen.

The Sandvik 12c27 I mentioned above is one of the ones that's easy to
sharpen. I'd recommend it for someone learning to sharpen. Yes, you'll
need to resharpen it more often, but that's a good thing when you're
learning.

I currently like VG-10 for a general-purpose knife steel that will take
and hold an edge well. Spyderco uses this steel in a number of
models.

The only pocket knife I carried was this
https://caseknives.com/collections/k...g-mini-trapper.

Think I bought it in 1964 and used it for my 4 years in the Navy. No idea when it
disappeared. It would come in handy for cutting line, splicing, etc.
No marlinespike though. But since I was a boilerman in a fireroom its use was limited to
sharpening, shaving my forearms and calves, then sharpening again....and again.
Don't think it ever saw a rope, but came in handy for passing the time of many watches.
Bought one for my SIL, an electrician, but don't know if he ever used it. Probably should
have given him some sidecutters.