# Yes, you can sharpen a cheap knife.



## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

I thought I'd get the ball rolling here by showcasing a problem many of my clients face. They will show me a knife from one of their relatives, or a knife that came back from a war, and they want to refurbish it.

Below is a knife that I got as a "free gimmee" from a supplier. The folder came with a big, red "FD" on the handle, which I can only assume he implied that I should try putting out more fires. (I think the guy must have a relative or moderator here).

To make matters worst, the edge had a poorly cut "S" shaped bevel. The secret here is that you have to nibble a bit from one side and then try it on the other one. Do this twenty or fifty times and you actually get a folder that cuts stuff. Well, at least the polishing was fun!


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

When I hear "cheap knife", I normally think of a lower grade steel being used.
So I have a questions...

When sharpening varying qualities of steel, is there a different method you prefer? Polishing aside, how do you approach sharpening something that's just standard stainless steel over something that is high carbon, for example?
Do you use different stones? Different pressure? Doe certain metals work better when specific angles are used?


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## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

I always assumed the problem with the cheap steel wasn't getting it sharp.... it was keeping it sharp.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Well Kauboy, if you handle as much crappy alloy as I have in just short of 40 years, well then, finding some good steal is like a Christmas present!

Truth be told, if a client has a knife and the alloy is substandard and the bevel is crooked then you just charge more for the added work. In many cases, the crooked edge is usually a sign that the client tried to sharpen it himself and gave up.

I have two methods. The first is for knives with oddball blades with many curves. Just like always, I ink the edge with a magic marker and then use a 1/2 size stone in *The Edge Pro* to see if I can cut any thing +50 percent. If I can, I can use that scrub cut to modify my own freehand work.

I will use many stones in various finishes to make the edge as smooth as I can. I do have numerous pieces of glass and polishing tapes to get the edge even slicker.

But I will be honest, more than once did I have to sit and view one of my wife's TV programs while I finished off the knife freehand--over several hours. Like many craftsmen say, "_It's how I make the big bucks..._"

Now to answer your more subtle questions. I do find some varieties of stainless to be a tad "gummy." The trick here is to simply clean your stone(s) more often. But if I'm polishing all day I really lose track of just what alloy I'm preparing. If it gets gummy then, I switch over to a glass plate and a more coarse paper mount.

More often than not I find newer alloys of stainless to "feel" just like carbon steel--or vice versa. I believe there's been a lot of changes in stainless since 1975. Laugh if you want, but the biggest pain I have here is that stainless makes for dirtier cloth rags!

I have over 30 stones, some not made anymore, some purchased for a specific job. The sad part is that softer stones might engage the metal quicker, but they wear incredibly fast. I have a large 8x10 diamond plate that flattens stones quickly.

I have now modified my "pressure quotient." I rub just enough to put a dirty mark on the stone. If you grind it off you cannot glue it back on.

If you're going to be doing some polishing over, let's say, a "corner of something," I would call Ken Schwartz and get a metal mount in the one by eight inch size (with or without glass) just so that it's a little toothy. Again, even a light touch needs to 'grab' a virgin section.

And while I do not own one (I use the Edge Pro fixture) a small vice with a swivel head and lots of adjustment might be the "third hand" you need.

Write me at any time. You'll find for every problem you solve you find two more. I *still call* other polishers.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

ND_ponyexpress_ said:


> I always assumed the problem with the cheap steel wasn't getting it sharp.... it was keeping it sharp.


I am assuming that on your job you might need deliberately soft steel to finish a job.

As a rookie, I worked for The Master Lock Company. The top-flight carpenters were doing the work and I was the "apprentice."

I was given soft tools--kind of 'copperish,' even the edges made for cutting. The idea here that a clumsy soft error would only leave a small scratch--one easy to buff out.

Believe it or not, I would find a service man who worked under water, or go to a store catering to swimmers and divers. Usually their tools have blunt(er) tips or some non-sparking metal. These items are expensive and they have short lives.

If I have missed my quess--and the issue is the other way 'round--shop at a store that sells hand tools and most likely one of the salesmen knows all of the ratings for the tools he sells. I believe that one expensive tool lives the life of four or five cheap tools! I worked at Harley-Davidson almost 50 years ago--and many of the tools of that era are still in my tool box.


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## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

My job doesn't allow me to carry a knife...... but I've got a helluva letter opener!!!!!


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

ND_ponyexpress_ said:


> My job doesn't allow me to carry a knife...... but I've got a helluva letter opener!!!!!


LOL. Yeah, and we all told our probation officers that...

Seriously, my State of Wisconsin got 'liberal' with our knife laws. I can carry a switchblade now--it's classified as a 'jackknife.' My guess is that the law was passed since people can now "open carry" handguns.


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## ND_ponyexpress_ (Mar 20, 2016)

The Tourist said:


> LOL. Yeah, and we all told our probation officers that...
> 
> Seriously, my State of Wisconsin got 'liberal' with our knife laws. I can carry a switchblade now--it's classified as a 'jackknife.' My guess is that the law was passed since people can now "open carry" handguns.


I am a mailman..... I may have to open an envelope when someone buys stamps.. A letter opener is necessary!


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

The Tourist said:


> I thought I'd get the ball rolling here by showcasing a problem many of my clients face. They will show me a knife from one of their relatives, or a knife that came back from a war, and they want to refurbish it.
> 
> Below is a knife that I got as a "free gimmee" from a supplier. The folder came with a big, red "FD" on the handle, which I can only assume he implied that I should try putting out more fires. (I think the guy must have a relative or moderator here).
> 
> ...


Where have you been? We been putting pics of you on milk cartons and posting flyers in all the no tell motels. Thanks.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

bigwheel said:


> Where have you been? We been putting pics of you on milk cartons and posting flyers in all the no tell motels. Thanks.


LOL. The nice thing about having your own business is that you can go out of business and no one much cares. Truth be told, I had to get away from the cutlery spiel for a bit. I bought some new stones, made a lot of mistakes and tried to become a senior citizen adult--which I still hate as a profession!

Taking a break helped me. I rub the steel slower and a bit softer, and I find the bevels are truer and the curves more feminine, making the edge slip through media smoother. After all, while this is a business, it's also a hobby. And hobbies should be fun.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Of course you can sharpen a cheap knife. Why couldn't you?

Edge Pro has a lot of tutorials. Here's one, if you are like me and prefer visuals:


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

The Tourist said:


> I thought I'd get the ball rolling here by showcasing a problem many of my clients face. They will show me a knife from one of their relatives, or a knife that came back from a war, and they want to refurbish it.
> 
> Below is a knife that I got as a "free gimmee" from a supplier. The folder came with a big, red "FD" on the handle, which I can only assume he implied that I should try putting out more fires. (I think the guy must have a relative or moderator here).
> 
> ...


Sounds like the knife in question was swiped from a Fire Dept somewhere or another..now some poor slab saver cant spread any mustard on this sandwich at the station. Definitely not nice to own it. As far as sharpening it an old old undoctumented democrat pal from the Fruit Stand could get one sharp as a razor by running it through the little Vee shapped shrpeners and then a few licks on the steel. So since monkey see..monkey do...thats how mine get done. lol. 
https://www.amazon.com/KitchenIQ-50...bef559a37&tag=aimassociatesce-20&ts_id=289867


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

@bigwheel, as you can see from Denton's demonstration, he is using "The Apex." This is an incredible tool aimed at guys who want to sharpen or repair a personal knife.

Since I had lots of knives going out the door for clients, I bought the larger "Edge Pro" sharpener. It's like The Apex, except everything is bigger and thicker. I have taken a client's knife roll and worked all day to repair the edges. That setting never gave me a lick of problems.

I even took larger butcher knives and polished them, too. Now the stand/bed of the Edge Pro is about four inches wide. It is a bit of a challenge to sharpen edges going 12 inches and more.

...and the edge is facing you, so fumbling is discouraged...


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## ActionJackson (Sep 4, 2020)

ND_ponyexpress_ said:


> I always assumed the problem with the cheap steel wasn't getting it sharp.... it was keeping it sharp.


Usually a little of both. I'm not personally a huge fan of stainless blades. Some alloys will stay sharp for a pretty long time but getting them sharp in the first place has always taken a lot of work. I'm a fan of good quality carbon steels. Yes ... they can rust but not if you take good care of them and also use them often. I actually have a knife that has a Japanese alloy (ZDP-189) that's a carbon steel but doesn't rust. It's my EDC Spyderco Stretch. Very light, thin, but well made. I've been carrying the thing for at least 10 years. I used to carry a Gerber.


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