This really helped me, the demonstration of lining up on the angle guide and then only doing a forward stroke and then resetting really helped me get a much better feel than I had. I’ve been devoting much more time to a fixed angle sharpener, which has its own set of challenges, because I kept messing up the angle at some point when doing freehand. I would get partially through the sharpen okay but then I would inevitably get off angle at some point. I spent the past few hours getting lined up on a guide and doing a single forward stroke and I got my first really sharp knife freehand and now I could feel myself getting better and better at holding the angle. I can’t believe how quick that helps and also how few strokes it takes to sharpen a knife if every stroke is on the same angle. I was really about to give up on freehand and upgrade to a more expensive fixed angle system so this was great, thank you.
That's awesome man and great to hear, quick tip on setting bevel and not messing it up, is use aggressive stones, reason is that you don't do as many passes which helps you create your bevel faster and more efficient, in return you are less likely to make passes back fire
@@NeevesKnives that is awesome advice as well man thank you, I definitely need something in the 100 range and a 600 as well. I have a sharpal double sided diamond stone 325/1200 that I bought on a suggestion from outdoors55, he said it was the only double sided stone he seen that wasn’t cross contaminated with grit from either side. I do like the stone but I can tell I need another progression between 325 and 1200 as well as the 100 for setting the bevel. I also bought some stroppy stuff diamond compound on your suggestion and that was worth every penny to switch over to. I was using aluminum oxide so going from that to stroppy stuff was crazy, it’s just so effective and really smooth to use, not soft and sticky like aluminum oxide.
Well 15 days in of sharpening at least one knife everyday and my progress is unbelievable. I’m gonna keep going but at this point I don’t even need the angle guides and I would have been very happy with having this skill level 15 days ago. My highest grit stone is only a 2000 grit ceramic and I do have a 1 micron diamond strop but my edges look like a mirror to me even though it’s not a true mirror and my knives are super sharp. I think anyone who follows the steps of the video and practices even just a little everyday can also have this skill in 2 weeks or so.
Awesome vid Jerad, great way to start off. Wish i would have went this way in the beginning years ago vs going through it the way i did starting with little 3" aluminum oxide stones in hand when i was a kid then moving to wetstones and finally Diamond ones. A bigger stone is so much easier to learn on as well for freehand especially with larger blades like kitchen or survival sized ones. You can even use them for tools like planer blades, Axes, Chisels, etc.. anything that you need to sharpen, and with these you don't have to worry about flattening them or even using a lubricant (although i still do) making it a much less messy job that you are doing. Thanks for the great vid Jerad and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable
I have a KME sharpener, and while I get good results. It takes a long time for me to get a good edge. I’ve been looking at other forms of sharpening & I believe this is the way to go. Might be a good learning curve, but being able to sharpen whatever kind of blade you want at the end of the day would be totally worth it.
Thanks again for the great sharpening tutorial. I always learn just a little more each time. My arsenal is: FOR HAND SHARPENING - Ultrasharp diamond stones (3x8" in 300#, 600#, 1200#, 2200# and 3000#, plus I have a Naniwa 800# that shows promise and a Spyderco ceramic stone. Of course, I use the Ultrasharp stone holder like the one in the video. I have magnetic strops that stick to the steel/diamond stones. That said, all that's really necessary, as you pointed out, is the 300#, 600# and maybe the 1200#, although I can make a case for that Naniwa 800#. I also use a Work Sharp Benchstone sharpener for the smaller knives and touchups. Next time, maybe we'll talk about the Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener that I dig out from time to time. Thanks Jerad!
A really good video 👍 I like to sharpen knives freehand, I usually use a large, inexpensive 240 grit diamond grinding plate, Naniwa Diamond Pro stones (400, 600 and 1000 grit) and Shapton Pro ceramic whetstones (1000, 2000 and 5000 grit). I also have a few water whetstones that I like to use for sharpening carbon steels. Of course, I also have several strops (leather, felt and wood) with diamond pastes. If I want to sharpening with great precision, I also have a Tsprof Kadet sharpening system.
Try to use the spine if possible but really what ever feels the most comfortable for you to repeat. But typically you use the primary grind of the knife or the spine depending on which works best
"It is easier to prevent a burr than to remove one." -Todd, The Science of Sharp Jerad, I believe you or Alex would be the best candidates to do a video on Plateau sharpening. Pick up the baton were Cliff left off. Just an ideal for a modern video on a fascinating subject. You and Alex should consider a podcast. It would be epic. I'm positive a lot of folks will agree.
Yeah we are actually talking about doing some videos coming up. So I actually believe in the chase the grit method not the burr, meaning I watch my scratch pattern go from the top of bevel until it hits the apex, once it hits apex you are good, at that point your burr is going to be the second indicator that you've reached the apex. I usually do a small burr that is barely noticeable but it works best for the majority to have indicators
You can also raise a burr, cut it off on the stone gently, then bring it back to apex. Some steels have notorious burrs like cheap stainless, so grinding the apex 90° flat on the stone for one pass will 100% remove the burr.@@NeevesKnives
I have been studying this topic for a while, trying to decide what sharpening system to get. I just placed an order on everything. Amazon has a good deal on the diamond plates as you said, and it includes the 300, 600,1200 plate plus plate holder as well for $138. I have been enjoying your educational videos, especially this one!
I'm saving this video so I can send it to folks for these answers! Great video. Only thing I'll add, from my own personal experience (although the suggestion was from the words and experience of Jerry Fisk), is the use of Norton fine India stones for blades made of high carbon steels. I dont know what your experience has been, but it just seems like the edge comes out a bit toothier when using those stones specifically, with those steels specifically, as compared to any others.
Personally I think diamond always creates a toothier edge however I do agree that for carbon steels especially on chef knives natural Japanese stones, India stones, etc.. work extremely well if not better for those particular steels with thin geometry
Great video. I've been watching a lot of sharpening videos lately and I've come to realize that I've been totally overthinking it. 90% of it is just making yourself do it.
I always get you and Metal Complex mixed up, you're both awesome, thank you for all of your content. You have taught me my PhD in knife sharpening, but there's always more to learn as there's all kinds of shapes and materials and they don't all sharpen the same. I am moving to double smooth leather strop with Gunny juice for stropping. I currently get great results from green compound which is 3 micron. With Gunny juice I went with 3 micron for one side and 1 micron for the other. My thinking there is that my ceramic rod is 3k grit, 3 micron is around 9k grit and 1 micron is around 14k grit. I want a razor toothy edge, not a polished smooth edge, I want my edge to be able to shave a fly's chin ;) All the videos I've watched and articles I've read, people get faster and better results from diamond liquid. What say the community? Does my micron choices seem as though it would work well? So very much of sharpening is personal choice, but consulting those who have more experience is always wise :)
Honestly thank you so much. I got a bunch of stones yesterday and sharpened my first knife. I got it ridiculously sharp but it’s so nice to see these extra tips to make sure I can produce the same results again and again. 🙏🏼
I call shenanigans. You've just bought a bunch of whetstones -- not just one, you bought several -- and then you get a 'ridiculously sharp' knife on your first attempt ever? I don't buy it. Most people's first attempt leaves the blade duller, not sharper.
@@twatmunroI’ve done a ton of research and I’ve watch all sorts of videos on how to do it. Call whatever you want, my father gave me his pocket knife and I got it razor sharp in about 30 mins. It was so dull yes i had a moment of thinking I wasn’t doing it right but I got it done. Love my results and I promise you it’s sharp sharp. Pops is happy I’m happy. Why would I lie on the internet to a bunch of strangers about sharpening a knife.
people that have used tools or have done certain jobs or crafts will pick it up faster than others, good for you on the sharp edge, it will only get sharper just watch
@@NeevesKnives could be the 19 years of construction experience or maybe my civil engineering degree helped. I’m pretty hands on and can understand things simply when explained to me. Thanks for the video. I’m definitely looking into a ceramic rod and a better quality strop soon. Looking forward to sharpening my next knife now. 🙏🏼
Excellent video J rad, I would even go so far as to say get the field sharpener and ceramic rod for beginners and learn to sharpen and maintain a factory edge on that and keep a knife serviceable, then move to the exact setup you outlined, as always STRAIGHT FACTS 💯
Thank you for your content! I am amazed at how well diamond compound works! It's also interesting that as your knife sharpening skills improve so do your blade edges. Knives that were very sharp become scary sharp!
I can truly resonate with the struggle with randomly branded combo stones shown on the video that become mud when you push at them. Anything you do with them is just a mess. I thought I could save some money and bother with them. Turns out if I had listened to people and just got something like Kuromaku 1000 and nothing else, I would've been so much better off. No mess, no bathing the stone, the stone not disintegrating when you look at it. For your average kitchen knife you really don't need more to start off (they're relatively soft so rarely chip, and they usually aren't that dull if you sharpen them occasionally and are a casual home cook, plus realizing it won't get sharper with higher grits if you can't get it cutting satisfyingly on that rough version of 1000 grit). Same applies to the coarse diamond plates of course. A leather strap with "rough" and smooth side with something like 6 micron paste or whatever you prefer is also so convenient (economically and for use) in comparison to getting higher grit stones, just easier to get that finishing touch if you get the edge geometry in check first with that coarser stone.
Great video! The day you dropped this video, I actually crafted something to hold abrasive rods in the stone holder to make it easier to sharpen recurves and karambits 👌🏻 I have yet to try it out as my karambit was stolen but still excited to have a new “specialty” tool.
ive owned an atoma 400 for 3 years and its still going hahah best on the market,..I sharpen my spear gun shafts by hand on it also , the synthetic diamonds are placed with mathematic precision ... and the best touch up stone is hands down the FALLKNIVEN DC4
Locking the wrist is possibly the greatest advice when sharpening I’ve ever seen, I gave up using my stones because the aggressive (for beginners) curve on my baby banter made me just start using a little smith pull to sharpen gadget that got the job done, but this changes everything, it’s usually so hard to find anything like that with how gatekeepy the knife community is online around stuff like this
Excellent video, thank you. I've heard u say this on lives but its more all encompassing and straightfoward here, very helpful. The overlay images add value aswell. I'm good with mobile setups for now but need to upgrade main.
I’m super interested in what site you use to get the steel statistics? I’ve always referred to the Knife Nerds steel chart, but have always been curious to know about the ease of sharpening for various steels. I love that the graphic you had up when talking about 20CV showed the ease of sharpening stats too!
I like using ceramic stones to get rid of the burr. You can hear and feel it crunching until it’s gone. Sometimes I move to black Arkansas stone for finishing. Any burr left feels like boulders on that stone.
Can you sharpen the same way you did on the other stones on a ceramic or should you only use a ceramic to remove the bur or can you just do that after you sharpen on the ceramic like you did on the others?
Yes you can absolutely but it should be used as a finishing stone as they are not aggressive for sharpening or removing steel fast, that's why they are also so good for maintaining edges
@@NeevesKnives so when I get to my ceramic sharpen like the other stones then do a light bur removal. Or should I do the same sharpening as you do on the diamond stones with my Spyderco fine stone then do just light burr removal passes on a ultra fine ceramic
@Aa-ron22 either one, in most cases I like to just do the burr removal on it, but sometimes it's great to use it as a finishing stone which will lead to a much more finer edge. OR you can do an in-between where you just use it to slightly refine and do burr removal
What steel is the limit for Arkansas stones. And what tools chisels, drill bits etc. Also what about say norton Indian or silicon carbide. Clearly diamonds are the best but the inherited tool chest had tons of the old stones.
He’s the expert, but an Arkansas stone will make Maxamet and S 90/110 laugh. Other less hard steels might work,but as he said, cut so slowly it’s a PITA. Thus just go diamond and cover everything. You’ll also need to reflatten Arkansas stone and that adds more required gear. Edit: Meant Maxamet, not Magnacut.
personally i dont use those for any steels over 154cm however you can do up to s35vn no problem, but anything over the wear resistance of s35 should be diamond
If I am starting to learn how to sharpen from scratch and I don’t want to ruin good knives while I am learning, what can you recommend that I practice my sharpening on? A piece of metal? Thank you.
I am in the same boat as you, but i have decided to invest a little money in my learning so i decided on buying a few knives off of Amazon in a few different blade steels like D2, 14C28N, and probably a couple more just to see how the different steels sharpen. I would rather make my mistakes on a couple 20-50 knives before i work on my own more expensive knives in premium steels. Just a thought, but for me its worth it as I have had a rocky start trying to sharpen, maybe its worth it for you as well.
You want to learn on quality budget steels, no gastation cheap knives the heat treatments are difficult to sharpen, get something from sencut, civivi, they are typically thin behind the edge which makes sharpening much easier and the heat treatments are good and very affordable
Thank you Mr. Jerrad for your review about sharpening stones from Atoma, DMT and UstraSharp companies... you give us an idea and the challenge - we (PDTools, Ukraine + USA-Market, USA) are trying to make a better then they did :-). So, THE SHOW BEGIN 😊. Your bets, GENTLEMEN! Best Regards, Albert Levitt 🫡
When using an angle guide, are you oriented on the flat, square part of the blade or the bevel? Many blades have a very slight flat area or none at all. What then? This is also a problem with the clamps on the fixed angle sharpeners. Many blades can't be clamped squarely.
Hi, quick question if you get chance to read and answer,How would you go about sharpening a TOPs 208 Clipper? (Stone washed chisel grind) been giving me loads of greef lol. Any advice welcome. Great video. Thank you again.
thats a tanto so you want to follow my directions on doing a tanto which i do have videos on, however if you already know that part you need a very coarse diamond like the atoma 140 so that it cuts fast, those are thick edge knives, i do have a chisel grind sharpening video. chisels are very easy, you only have to do the one side and burr remove the other but you NEED a very coarse diamond plate
@@NeevesKnives thank you very much for replying to me, sorry didn't reply sooner, was out of action for a few days 🤣 (don't trust cheap aluminium ladders) My main concern was messing up the stone wash, but I'll give your chisel grind video a watch as you said I just need to knock of the burr, for some reason I was under the impression I had to completely flatten the back or put a micro bevel on, which on reflection now makes no sense lol. Thank you again and keep up the great work.
@@qaszim2012 if you have a bit more of an aggressive stropping compound that can help big time with the burrs on chisels grinds, if the hrc is soft it can suck, if its on the higher side then it should go well usually, but fatige that burr as much as possible then clean up with strop, the way you prevent micro beveling is by doing your burr removal very soft no pressure at all that way you are only hitting burr
@@NeevesKnives Yep, watched the @!#$ out of that one. Great vid. 👍 This video did a great job of condensing a lot of knowledge so it stands on it's own.
Awesome!! This is perfect! Also: is it weird that the more knives I own I’m leaning towards any knife with an actual detent ball? Like, I love my Ekko, but I want the liner lock version more. Love my raccoon Top Liner Lock more than my axis Racoon Cleaver blade. I just think detents open nicer🤷🏻♂️
Fantastic video bro I am trying to work my way to DMT i sure cant afford atoma. Ill probably end up with ultrasharp but I have been using the fixed angle system but always free hand before that and need to get back to that but good stones are so hard to reach. Ill manage eventually 😂 Thanks buddy for giving the 3 you recomend
Do mean the sharpness from the short? I used resin bonded diamond stones, you can go through my sharpening Playlist I have hundreds of videos teaching how and showing exactly what I'm using.
I'VE always wanted a diamond stone but they aren't available here where i live and i don't trust the cheap diamond stones online so i use a norton india 320-120 stone and get me knife arm hair shaving with just the stone and popping sharp with a strop or beard shaving with a cotton buff wheel
Really appreciate you commenting back bro. I am trying to save for some good ones. I won't explain why I struggle because I'm sure you have your own problems😂 I'm not just being a cheap skate
My main issue with diamond stones is that they leave no room for accidents. If you slip up on an expensive knife the whole face can get scratch damage. Also if your knife has any kind of stone wash then you're really screwed. Those scratches will be permanent.
You have to take the bad with the good, the good is you spend less time on each bevel making you less likely to mess up or to get fatigued leading to a poor bevel . Less passes less chance for error
Just spent 40 dollars on a whetstone for kitchen knifes when all I sharpen is vintage fixed blade hunters😭I’m gonna be sharpening all day also thanks great info
Consistency is key! You have to maintain that angle so keeping the wrist locked and getting the muscle memory will eventually work for you, so be patient. Second, you have to get that burr on the edge before flipping to the other side. You're apexing the edge by doing so and it's crucial before you can get the nice clean edge you're looking for.
Yes i also have them on Neeveknifeco but we might be sold out for a week, dont forget there's plates with sheets already attached and then replacement sheets for less money, you can buy one plate and a replacement sheet of another grit slap on back of plate to save $$
So...the vids with master sharpeners from Japan...working on (usually) Japanese chefs knives...they all use water stones. Is that because the steel they work on is softer, and all the new-fangled steels you come across/collect/do content on are much harder? Love your content and totally trust your knowledge, but when you see dudes who are 10th generation knife and sword sharpeners from Japan, you gotta listen to those guys too!
So chef knives in particular are very easy to sharpen and do very well on those stones because they are very thin and soft, however diamonds still work great
For one, they're extremely tradition based, secondly, they pretty much just use carbon steels. But give an old bladesmith a diamond stone, they'd probably be impressed. Soft wet stones do have one benefit of the slurry more easily removing the burr
"LOCK YOUR WRIST...LIFT YOUR ELBOW " is going on your tombstone one day my friend 😂😂😂😂Seriously your advise made me love using my Ultra Sharp stones...next gonna try to sharpen Katana blades with them J can you do a tutorial on Long blades with the diamond plates...???
The only problem with these plastic angle finders are that they get dirty with the steal and really scratch the blades. Then you need to find a way to polish them. I haven’t found the best way yet to do that. I’ve decided to stop using them. Better get practice with cheap knives et get the hang of it …
1200 grit is fine at 3000 that is polish, coarse, medium, fine, extra or ultra fine, then polish. Before polish you have a cloudy finish which is usually ultra fine but once you get over 2k it goes to polish and at that point the polish just gets more and more but they are all still polish
Spyderco's state-of-the-art sharpening system and accessories can help give you the edge you need. Before Spyderco ever made knives, we manufactured the tools to keep them sharp.
Dmt cbn coated plates suck. Really really suck. All cbn diamond plates do. If you need diamonds for super steels get resin bonded diamond stones. Also edge leading strokes are not good do spine leading
@HPAcustomriflesandcerak I've tested almost everything out there and some suck many don't, Hapstone Start Cbn are the most longest lasting and best I've tried second would be Atoma diamond plates, both are long lasting fast cutting plates that are a fraction of the price of a bonded stone, ofcourse my favorites are bonded i have many videos but it's not practical for most people to spend nearly 300$ on one stone. It's far more practical for the majority to buy a few diamond plates and have an entire set for the same price as one bonded stone
the only knife sharpener guy on youtube notifying beginners that diamond stones DO NOT REQUIRE WATER. HURRAY. THANK YOU!!!
As always:
Neeves + Sharpening = Pure Gold
Thanks! Here’s a little back for all the sharpening know-how you send out. I appreciate it. 🤙
HEY MAN THANK YOU VERY APPRECIATED!
This is a detail video about sharpening. Well done
Best most well explained sharpening video I’ve ever seen. Thanks
This really helped me, the demonstration of lining up on the angle guide and then only doing a forward stroke and then resetting really helped me get a much better feel than I had. I’ve been devoting much more time to a fixed angle sharpener, which has its own set of challenges, because I kept messing up the angle at some point when doing freehand. I would get partially through the sharpen okay but then I would inevitably get off angle at some point. I spent the past few hours getting lined up on a guide and doing a single forward stroke and I got my first really sharp knife freehand and now I could feel myself getting better and better at holding the angle. I can’t believe how quick that helps and also how few strokes it takes to sharpen a knife if every stroke is on the same angle. I was really about to give up on freehand and upgrade to a more expensive fixed angle system so this was great, thank you.
That's awesome man and great to hear, quick tip on setting bevel and not messing it up, is use aggressive stones, reason is that you don't do as many passes which helps you create your bevel faster and more efficient, in return you are less likely to make passes back fire
@@NeevesKnives that is awesome advice as well man thank you, I definitely need something in the 100 range and a 600 as well. I have a sharpal double sided diamond stone 325/1200 that I bought on a suggestion from outdoors55, he said it was the only double sided stone he seen that wasn’t cross contaminated with grit from either side. I do like the stone but I can tell I need another progression between 325 and 1200 as well as the 100 for setting the bevel. I also bought some stroppy stuff diamond compound on your suggestion and that was worth every penny to switch over to. I was using aluminum oxide so going from that to stroppy stuff was crazy, it’s just so effective and really smooth to use, not soft and sticky like aluminum oxide.
Well 15 days in of sharpening at least one knife everyday and my progress is unbelievable. I’m gonna keep going but at this point I don’t even need the angle guides and I would have been very happy with having this skill level 15 days ago. My highest grit stone is only a 2000 grit ceramic and I do have a 1 micron diamond strop but my edges look like a mirror to me even though it’s not a true mirror and my knives are super sharp. I think anyone who follows the steps of the video and practices even just a little everyday can also have this skill in 2 weeks or so.
Awesome vid Jerad, great way to start off. Wish i would have went this way in the beginning years ago vs going through it the way i did starting with little 3" aluminum oxide stones in hand when i was a kid then moving to wetstones and finally Diamond ones. A bigger stone is so much easier to learn on as well for freehand especially with larger blades like kitchen or survival sized ones. You can even use them for tools like planer blades, Axes, Chisels, etc.. anything that you need to sharpen, and with these you don't have to worry about flattening them or even using a lubricant (although i still do) making it a much less messy job that you are doing. Thanks for the great vid Jerad and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable
I have a KME sharpener, and while I get good results. It takes a long time for me to get a good edge. I’ve been looking at other forms of sharpening & I believe this is the way to go. Might be a good learning curve, but being able to sharpen whatever kind of blade you want at the end of the day would be totally worth it.
Frickin awesome video. Thanks Jerad
Absolutely the best EDC content on UA-cam! Cheers Jerad!
You have been very helpful teaching us🎉🎉
Thanks again for the great sharpening tutorial. I always learn just a little more each time. My arsenal is: FOR HAND SHARPENING - Ultrasharp diamond stones (3x8" in 300#, 600#, 1200#, 2200# and 3000#, plus I have a Naniwa 800# that shows promise and a Spyderco ceramic stone. Of course, I use the Ultrasharp stone holder like the one in the video. I have magnetic strops that stick to the steel/diamond stones. That said, all that's really necessary, as you pointed out, is the 300#, 600# and maybe the 1200#, although I can make a case for that Naniwa 800#. I also use a Work Sharp Benchstone sharpener for the smaller knives and touchups. Next time, maybe we'll talk about the Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener that I dig out from time to time. Thanks Jerad!
awesome set up
Thanks Neeves for those comprehensive and amazing sharpening tips. Love to watch them
A really good video 👍 I like to sharpen knives freehand, I usually use a large, inexpensive 240 grit diamond grinding plate, Naniwa Diamond Pro stones (400, 600 and 1000 grit) and Shapton Pro ceramic whetstones (1000, 2000 and 5000 grit). I also have a few water whetstones that I like to use for sharpening carbon steels. Of course, I also have several strops (leather, felt and wood) with diamond pastes. If I want to sharpening with great precision, I also have a Tsprof Kadet sharpening system.
nice setup
When you lay down the blade on the angle wedge, do you set it down on the “hollow grind” or the “blade flat”? Thanks for the great video.
Try to use the spine if possible but really what ever feels the most comfortable for you to repeat. But typically you use the primary grind of the knife or the spine depending on which works best
"It is easier to prevent a burr than to remove one."
-Todd, The Science of Sharp
Jerad, I believe you or Alex would be the best candidates to do a video on Plateau sharpening. Pick up the baton were Cliff left off. Just an ideal for a modern video on a fascinating subject.
You and Alex should consider a podcast. It would be epic. I'm positive a lot of folks will agree.
Yeah we are actually talking about doing some videos coming up. So I actually believe in the chase the grit method not the burr, meaning I watch my scratch pattern go from the top of bevel until it hits the apex, once it hits apex you are good, at that point your burr is going to be the second indicator that you've reached the apex. I usually do a small burr that is barely noticeable but it works best for the majority to have indicators
You can also raise a burr, cut it off on the stone gently, then bring it back to apex. Some steels have notorious burrs like cheap stainless, so grinding the apex 90° flat on the stone for one pass will 100% remove the burr.@@NeevesKnives
yall beginners including me, listen to this man
I have been studying this topic for a while, trying to decide what sharpening system to get. I just placed an order on everything. Amazon has a good deal on the diamond plates as you said, and it includes the 300, 600,1200 plate plus plate holder as well for $138. I have been enjoying your educational videos, especially this one!
How did it work out?
How do you like it?
@@deusrx9671, I am still getting used to using the diamond plates. Little bit of a learning curve getting the correct angle consistently.
I'm saving this video so I can send it to folks for these answers! Great video.
Only thing I'll add, from my own personal experience (although the suggestion was from the words and experience of Jerry Fisk), is the use of Norton fine India stones for blades made of high carbon steels. I dont know what your experience has been, but it just seems like the edge comes out a bit toothier when using those stones specifically, with those steels specifically, as compared to any others.
Personally I think diamond always creates a toothier edge however I do agree that for carbon steels especially on chef knives natural Japanese stones, India stones, etc.. work extremely well if not better for those particular steels with thin geometry
Great video. I've been watching a lot of sharpening videos lately and I've come to realize that I've been totally overthinking it. 90% of it is just making yourself do it.
Absolutely
I always get you and Metal Complex mixed up, you're both awesome, thank you for all of your content. You have taught me my PhD in knife sharpening, but there's always more to learn as there's all kinds of shapes and materials and they don't all sharpen the same. I am moving to double smooth leather strop with Gunny juice for stropping. I currently get great results from green compound which is 3 micron. With Gunny juice I went with 3 micron for one side and 1 micron for the other. My thinking there is that my ceramic rod is 3k grit, 3 micron is around 9k grit and 1 micron is around 14k grit. I want a razor toothy edge, not a polished smooth edge, I want my edge to be able to shave a fly's chin ;) All the videos I've watched and articles I've read, people get faster and better results from diamond liquid. What say the community? Does my micron choices seem as though it would work well? So very much of sharpening is personal choice, but consulting those who have more experience is always wise :)
I’ve had my workshop field sharpener thing for about a year and I just now because of this video found out you can take the plates out
Really! Well now you know you can replace them i just got some for mine I'm about to do a super long term review on it
Very well put together video good job!!!
I edc karambits,and recurve edges dont sharpen easy,can you refer me to a budget friendly option and a great option...
Been using fixed angle systems since I started sharpening couple years ago. Now im excited to learn to freehand sharpen. Thank you !
I just got a sharpal 8" 2 sided (325/1200) diamond stone. It comes with a storage case/stone holder and a magnetic 4 angle guide.
You really need a stone in between that. That's quite a gap in between grits
@@user-Bladewalker I have many others. It's a good deal.
@@user-Bladewalker I got it to try after outdoors55 recommended it.
He did a vid on consistent grit size.
Honestly thank you so much. I got a bunch of stones yesterday and sharpened my first knife. I got it ridiculously sharp but it’s so nice to see these extra tips to make sure I can produce the same results again and again. 🙏🏼
I call shenanigans. You've just bought a bunch of whetstones -- not just one, you bought several -- and then you get a 'ridiculously sharp' knife on your first attempt ever? I don't buy it. Most people's first attempt leaves the blade duller, not sharper.
@@twatmunroI’ve done a ton of research and I’ve watch all sorts of videos on how to do it. Call whatever you want, my father gave me his pocket knife and I got it razor sharp in about 30 mins. It was so dull yes i had a moment of thinking I wasn’t doing it right but I got it done. Love my results and I promise you it’s sharp sharp. Pops is happy I’m happy. Why would I lie on the internet to a bunch of strangers about sharpening a knife.
people that have used tools or have done certain jobs or crafts will pick it up faster than others, good for you on the sharp edge, it will only get sharper just watch
@@NeevesKnives could be the 19 years of construction experience or maybe my civil engineering degree helped. I’m pretty hands on and can understand things simply when explained to me. Thanks for the video. I’m definitely looking into a ceramic rod and a better quality strop soon. Looking forward to sharpening my next knife now. 🙏🏼
man. I was just gonna ask you for a recommendation on diamond stones and such.... this answers all my questions and more
Excellent video J rad, I would even go so far as to say get the field sharpener and ceramic rod for beginners and learn to sharpen and maintain a factory edge on that and keep a knife serviceable, then move to the exact setup you outlined, as always STRAIGHT FACTS 💯
Thank you for making this video.
Thank you for your content! I am amazed at how well diamond compound works! It's also interesting that as your knife sharpening skills improve so do your blade edges. Knives that were very sharp become scary sharp!
thank you for this love from uk
I can truly resonate with the struggle with randomly branded combo stones shown on the video that become mud when you push at them. Anything you do with them is just a mess. I thought I could save some money and bother with them. Turns out if I had listened to people and just got something like Kuromaku 1000 and nothing else, I would've been so much better off. No mess, no bathing the stone, the stone not disintegrating when you look at it. For your average kitchen knife you really don't need more to start off (they're relatively soft so rarely chip, and they usually aren't that dull if you sharpen them occasionally and are a casual home cook, plus realizing it won't get sharper with higher grits if you can't get it cutting satisfyingly on that rough version of 1000 grit). Same applies to the coarse diamond plates of course.
A leather strap with "rough" and smooth side with something like 6 micron paste or whatever you prefer is also so convenient (economically and for use) in comparison to getting higher grit stones, just easier to get that finishing touch if you get the edge geometry in check first with that coarser stone.
Just ordered a 400 Atoma from Amazon for $44 (8-21-24) got a 140 a few weeks ago for $54. Love the videos Jarod!
If you ever buy replacement sheets get them from neeveknifeco we just got some in
Get the Atomas 140, it was game changer for me!
As always great content, very clear & relevant… perfect for everyone who start or to improve
Great video! The day you dropped this video, I actually crafted something to hold abrasive rods in the stone holder to make it easier to sharpen recurves and karambits 👌🏻 I have yet to try it out as my karambit was stolen but still excited to have a new “specialty” tool.
Is it important to keep the same angle while flipping or removing the burr
P.s what knive are xou sharpening looks great
I ended up using a Spyderco Ultra Fine rod from the Sharpmaker kit that someone threw at me to be my Ceramic Rod.. works great.
I have motor control issues, so help keeping the angle consistent has been the constant unending stumbling point
Get the angle finder, or try a fixed system
I went and bought all the things you said they come in the mail today
Good video. The angle guides REALLY helped me get started.
Will do, thanks again.
Man, you have so much good content.
ive owned an atoma 400 for 3 years and its still going hahah best on the market,..I sharpen my spear gun shafts by hand on it also , the synthetic diamonds are placed with mathematic precision ... and the best touch up stone is hands down the FALLKNIVEN DC4
Locking the wrist is possibly the greatest advice when sharpening I’ve ever seen, I gave up using my stones because the aggressive (for beginners) curve on my baby banter made me just start using a little smith pull to sharpen gadget that got the job done, but this changes everything, it’s usually so hard to find anything like that with how gatekeepy the knife community is online around stuff like this
Excellent video, thank you. I've heard u say this on lives but its more all encompassing and straightfoward here, very helpful. The overlay images add value aswell. I'm good with mobile setups for now but need to upgrade main.
I’m super interested in what site you use to get the steel statistics? I’ve always referred to the Knife Nerds steel chart, but have always been curious to know about the ease of sharpening for various steels. I love that the graphic you had up when talking about 20CV showed the ease of sharpening stats too!
Learning at each episode, thank
I like using ceramic stones to get rid of the burr. You can hear and feel it crunching until it’s gone. Sometimes I move to black Arkansas stone for finishing. Any burr left feels like boulders on that stone.
exactly
Definitely picking up some ceramic and a new strop with some quality compound next
Can you sharpen the same way you did on the other stones on a ceramic or should you only use a ceramic to remove the bur or can you just do that after you sharpen on the ceramic like you did on the others?
Yes you can absolutely but it should be used as a finishing stone as they are not aggressive for sharpening or removing steel fast, that's why they are also so good for maintaining edges
@@NeevesKnives so when I get to my ceramic sharpen like the other stones then do a light bur removal. Or should I do the same sharpening as you do on the diamond stones with my Spyderco fine stone then do just light burr removal passes on a ultra fine ceramic
@Aa-ron22 either one, in most cases I like to just do the burr removal on it, but sometimes it's great to use it as a finishing stone which will lead to a much more finer edge. OR you can do an in-between where you just use it to slightly refine and do burr removal
Thoughts on the Trend diamond stone?
Can you teach sharpening a double edge? I find it tricky to hold the knife when the other side is sharp
What steel is the limit for Arkansas stones. And what tools chisels, drill bits etc. Also what about say norton Indian or silicon carbide. Clearly diamonds are the best but the inherited tool chest had tons of the old stones.
He’s the expert, but an Arkansas stone will make Maxamet and S 90/110 laugh. Other less hard steels might work,but as he said, cut so slowly it’s a PITA. Thus just go diamond and cover everything. You’ll also need to reflatten Arkansas stone and that adds more required gear.
Edit: Meant Maxamet, not Magnacut.
personally i dont use those for any steels over 154cm however you can do up to s35vn no problem, but anything over the wear resistance of s35 should be diamond
If I am starting to learn how to sharpen from scratch and I don’t want to ruin good knives while I am learning, what can you recommend that I practice my sharpening on? A piece of metal? Thank you.
I am in the same boat as you, but i have decided to invest a little money in my learning so i decided on buying a few knives off of Amazon in a few different blade steels like D2, 14C28N, and probably a couple more just to see how the different steels sharpen. I would rather make my mistakes on a couple 20-50 knives before i work on my own more expensive knives in premium steels. Just a thought, but for me its worth it as I have had a rocky start trying to sharpen, maybe its worth it for you as well.
You want to learn on quality budget steels, no gastation cheap knives the heat treatments are difficult to sharpen, get something from sencut, civivi, they are typically thin behind the edge which makes sharpening much easier and the heat treatments are good and very affordable
Great tutorial Jared!
Are venev stones better than the atoma?
Yes ones diamond plate,venev is resin bonded diamond i have vids explaining check out my favorite sharpening stone video
Thank you Mr. Jerrad for your review about sharpening stones from Atoma, DMT and UstraSharp companies... you give us an idea and the challenge - we (PDTools, Ukraine + USA-Market, USA) are trying to make a better then they did :-). So, THE SHOW BEGIN 😊. Your bets, GENTLEMEN!
Best Regards, Albert Levitt 🫡
Do you have an opinion on the stones? DMT, Atoma, vs ultra sharp or others?
When using an angle guide, are you oriented on the flat, square part of the blade or the bevel? Many blades have a very slight flat area or none at all. What then? This is also a problem with the clamps on the fixed angle sharpeners. Many blades can't be clamped squarely.
what ever is most comfortable to repeat over and over
Hi, quick question if you get chance to read and answer,How would you go about sharpening a TOPs 208 Clipper? (Stone washed chisel grind) been giving me loads of greef lol. Any advice welcome. Great video.
Thank you again.
thats a tanto so you want to follow my directions on doing a tanto which i do have videos on, however if you already know that part you need a very coarse diamond like the atoma 140 so that it cuts fast, those are thick edge knives, i do have a chisel grind sharpening video. chisels are very easy, you only have to do the one side and burr remove the other but you NEED a very coarse diamond plate
@@NeevesKnives thank you very much for replying to me, sorry didn't reply sooner, was out of action for a few days 🤣 (don't trust cheap aluminium ladders)
My main concern was messing up the stone wash, but I'll give your chisel grind video a watch as you said I just need to knock of the burr, for some reason I was under the impression I had to completely flatten the back or put a micro bevel on, which on reflection now makes no sense lol.
Thank you again and keep up the great work.
@@qaszim2012 if you have a bit more of an aggressive stropping compound that can help big time with the burrs on chisels grinds, if the hrc is soft it can suck, if its on the higher side then it should go well usually, but fatige that burr as much as possible then clean up with strop, the way you prevent micro beveling is by doing your burr removal very soft no pressure at all that way you are only hitting burr
I just bought a sharpal with 325 / 1200 stones.. would you recommend I pick up a 600 like in this video, or should I be covered? ( as a beginner )
Yes you should, the jump from 325 to 1200 is to far you need something in between, also you will find out that some steels might do better at 600 grit
Thanks for the heads up!
Where was this two months ago after you'd convinced me to learn freehand? 😁 Really good vid, thanks for sharing with us.
Well! I actually did a similar video a couple years ago I think it's knife Sharpening 101 or something it's a good watch
@@NeevesKnives Yep, watched the @!#$ out of that one. Great vid. 👍 This video did a great job of condensing a lot of knowledge so it stands on it's own.
Awesome!! This is perfect!
Also: is it weird that the more knives I own I’m leaning towards any knife with an actual detent ball? Like, I love my Ekko, but I want the liner lock version more. Love my raccoon Top Liner Lock more than my axis Racoon Cleaver blade. I just think detents open nicer🤷🏻♂️
what knife is that?
Looks like a Miguron Ekry
Glassyahss!
Yes the Ekry
"It's not working!!" Hilarious. Very relatable.
Fantastic video bro I am trying to work my way to DMT i sure cant afford atoma. Ill probably end up with ultrasharp but I have been using the fixed angle system but always free hand before that and need to get back to that but good stones are so hard to reach. Ill manage eventually 😂 Thanks buddy for giving the 3 you recomend
You can get a cheap diamond plates from Amazon really, they just wear out faster
Could you run through what you did for this level of sharpness?
Do mean the sharpness from the short? I used resin bonded diamond stones, you can go through my sharpening Playlist I have hundreds of videos teaching how and showing exactly what I'm using.
@@NeevesKnives yes sharpness from short. I mean what sort of grits would you run through? Thanks. Appreciate the reply
Good luck reaching 300k subs
Link to buy one ?
Everything is linked in the description
I'VE always wanted a diamond stone but they aren't available here where i live and i don't trust the cheap diamond stones online so i use a norton india 320-120 stone and get me knife arm hair shaving with just the stone and popping sharp with a strop or beard shaving with a cotton buff wheel
Great vido 😊
Really appreciate you commenting back bro. I am trying to save for some good ones. I won't explain why I struggle because I'm sure you have your own problems😂 I'm not just being a cheap skate
great info
Right on buddy just trying to help
My main issue with diamond stones is that they leave no room for accidents. If you slip up on an expensive knife the whole face can get scratch damage. Also if your knife has any kind of stone wash then you're really screwed. Those scratches will be permanent.
You have to take the bad with the good, the good is you spend less time on each bevel making you less likely to mess up or to get fatigued leading to a poor bevel . Less passes less chance for error
Just spent 40 dollars on a whetstone for kitchen knifes when all I sharpen is vintage fixed blade hunters😭I’m gonna be sharpening all day also thanks great info
I have not been getting good results.. Thank you 🎉
TRY THIS
Consistency is key! You have to maintain that angle so keeping the wrist locked and getting the muscle memory will eventually work for you, so be patient. Second, you have to get that burr on the edge before flipping to the other side. You're apexing the edge by doing so and it's crucial before you can get the nice clean edge you're looking for.
@@NeevesKnives Awaiting diamond stones and holder because I saw 2 of my purchases in your fail pile. Lol
I didn’t know the 3 piece ultra sharp stones came with a stone holder lmao so now I have 2 stone holders I guess
so the atomas on amazon are legit?
Yes i also have them on Neeveknifeco but we might be sold out for a week, dont forget there's plates with sheets already attached and then replacement sheets for less money, you can buy one plate and a replacement sheet of another grit slap on back of plate to save $$
So...the vids with master sharpeners from Japan...working on (usually) Japanese chefs knives...they all use water stones. Is that because the steel they work on is softer, and all the new-fangled steels you come across/collect/do content on are much harder?
Love your content and totally trust your knowledge, but when you see dudes who are 10th generation knife and sword sharpeners from Japan, you gotta listen to those guys too!
Japanese knives are more carbon steel so you don’t need the diamond plates. Diamond plates are really more for stainless and harder steels.
So chef knives in particular are very easy to sharpen and do very well on those stones because they are very thin and soft, however diamonds still work great
For one, they're extremely tradition based, secondly, they pretty much just use carbon steels. But give an old bladesmith a diamond stone, they'd probably be impressed. Soft wet stones do have one benefit of the slurry more easily removing the burr
I like having a smoke dangling from my lips when I sharpen.
What about sharpal
you can use them if its what you have, any diamond plates will work, however cheaper ones tend to be contaminated and wear out fast
"LOCK YOUR WRIST...LIFT YOUR ELBOW " is going on your tombstone one day my friend 😂😂😂😂Seriously your advise made me love using my Ultra Sharp stones...next gonna try to sharpen Katana blades with them J can you do a tutorial on Long blades with the diamond plates...???
Coming Soon I've got a battle ready katana coming up
I have 10 thumbs and 2 left hands, that’s why I suck 😂
Wow might as well put my name in the title lol... 😂😂😂
Miguron Mero??
EKRY
The only problem with these plastic angle finders are that they get dirty with the steal and really scratch the blades. Then you need to find a way to polish them. I haven’t found the best way yet to do that. I’ve decided to stop using them. Better get practice with cheap knives et get the hang of it …
actually, it doesn't suck
I'm impressively bad at sharpening
My videos will help
I never understood how people say 1200 grit is fine. Fine doesn't start till 3000 easy
1200 grit is fine at 3000 that is polish, coarse, medium, fine, extra or ultra fine, then polish. Before polish you have a cloudy finish which is usually ultra fine but once you get over 2k it goes to polish and at that point the polish just gets more and more but they are all still polish
@@NeevesKnives Ah ok. Ive always imagined 800-200 as a mid grit
Spyderco's state-of-the-art sharpening system and accessories can help give you the edge you need. Before Spyderco ever made knives, we manufactured the tools to keep them sharp.
What sharpening system does Spyderco make?
Dmt cbn coated plates suck. Really really suck. All cbn diamond plates do. If you need diamonds for super steels get resin bonded diamond stones. Also edge leading strokes are not good do spine leading
@HPAcustomriflesandcerak I've tested almost everything out there and some suck many don't, Hapstone Start Cbn are the most longest lasting and best I've tried second would be Atoma diamond plates, both are long lasting fast cutting plates that are a fraction of the price of a bonded stone, ofcourse my favorites are bonded i have many videos but it's not practical for most people to spend nearly 300$ on one stone. It's far more practical for the majority to buy a few diamond plates and have an entire set for the same price as one bonded stone
It's too expensive and bulky for the toolbox/job site woodworker.
Too big to tote.
Tool space matters
The fidgety playing with the knife was unnecessary and kind of annoying. Couldn't make it through the video.