Ever since I was a little boy I was fascinated with sharpening. Now my Dad's idea of sharpening was firing up his cobbled together emery wheel grinder mounted to a piece of 2 x 10 that some how hooked to the pulley on an ancient table saw about 8 feet away. My job was to stand on the board to keep it in place and provide tension on the belt while being terrified out of my wits. This however did not diminish my enthusiasm to learn a better way. Many pocket knives suffered.
I bought my first stones at 18, a Buck Washita and a Smith's hard along with a buck honing guide. The guide drove home the importance of the angles in sharpening. I muddled along trying to free hand knives and didn't master it for about 6 years. And master I did.
At 24 years old the stones I used were a 1x1x6 fine carborundum, a1x1x6 fine India, a 1x1x3/8 Norton hard, and a 4x2x1/2 Washita. This is all I used until 3 years ago. I sharpened anything for anyone at work and mostly charged a can of pop. Gil Hibbard fantasy dagger, AK 47 bayonet hunt knives, hatchets.
The guys keep coming back at deer and hog season. Hal's maiden fishing tournament in his brand new high end bass boat was marred by bloody carpet when his partner, according to Hal, "Made his thumb look like a butt". Craig's guide at the hog camp said "You Yankee boys is only shootin' hogs with zippers in 'em". Not to forget my friend Bill, an older pal who asked if I'd sharpen his new Old Timer single blade. I gave it to him just before lunch. Bill's looking for me 30 minutes later wearing 3 band-aids and a bloody shirt wanting to know what on God's earth did I do to his knife. Seems he tried to peel an apple in his car. He was a bit of a prepper and told me he took it home and put it away in case chaos broke out and he needed to do surgery.......ok Bill...
So.... 3 years ago I'm 56 and the wife asks what I want for Christmas. I think to myself I'd like to have a couple nice Arkies to finish knives and such. I selected a 3x8x1/2 Norton Black and an identical Trans.
I was shocked to open the box and see the Black Ark. Not what I expected at all. Not as fine as the little HB13's I'd been using from the stock room at work. Gun forum advice! That's the answer! Not even close. Then through the magic of Google, I find one of your members here lovingly lapping a black Ark. I was hooked.
Lord, I hate w/d sand paper and the employees there hate me for the overtime they've been working. Lapping an Ark on w/d .... no more ....ever. It took me a year to become proficient at lapping. Maybe a little more. After lapping and getting them exactly like I wanted them.... WOW! Yeah I discovered Ebay and HAD at this time also. It's an ugly disease.
Oh yeah, Ebay. Being color blind and near sighted makes for some interesting scores. Tearing through a box of random hones looking for the India combo I saw in the ad, it was a hybrid coti, the big black stone I paid big bucks for was a dark purple slate. I've bought marlble, steel and copper thinking it was an interesting hone.
About 2 years ago started making about 2 dozen tiny wood carving knives out of 0-1 steel and using Arkies to finish and started looking into honing straights. It took a while to learn how to use my Arks to best of my ability and that's just on knives. As to all the accidents I caused to my friends and co workers... It's been repaid...I've cut myself more in the last 3 years of using blacks and trans than I have in the previous 30 years.
I was very humbled by my first attempts at razor honing, thought I was the big cheese that could sharpen anything. But after about 2 years of honing every straight I can get my hands on, over and over. Dulling. resetting I think this month I have achieved a shave ready edge. Shaved 3 days in a row with my own edges. This is gonna work! No blood, no burn, smooth and close. Still working on shaving technique, not real practiced yet.
The progress I've made in the last 3 years is largely due to the information, and inspiration I've found in this forum. The members are knowledgeable and patient with those willing to learn.
Thank you gentlemen.
I bought my first stones at 18, a Buck Washita and a Smith's hard along with a buck honing guide. The guide drove home the importance of the angles in sharpening. I muddled along trying to free hand knives and didn't master it for about 6 years. And master I did.
At 24 years old the stones I used were a 1x1x6 fine carborundum, a1x1x6 fine India, a 1x1x3/8 Norton hard, and a 4x2x1/2 Washita. This is all I used until 3 years ago. I sharpened anything for anyone at work and mostly charged a can of pop. Gil Hibbard fantasy dagger, AK 47 bayonet hunt knives, hatchets.
The guys keep coming back at deer and hog season. Hal's maiden fishing tournament in his brand new high end bass boat was marred by bloody carpet when his partner, according to Hal, "Made his thumb look like a butt". Craig's guide at the hog camp said "You Yankee boys is only shootin' hogs with zippers in 'em". Not to forget my friend Bill, an older pal who asked if I'd sharpen his new Old Timer single blade. I gave it to him just before lunch. Bill's looking for me 30 minutes later wearing 3 band-aids and a bloody shirt wanting to know what on God's earth did I do to his knife. Seems he tried to peel an apple in his car. He was a bit of a prepper and told me he took it home and put it away in case chaos broke out and he needed to do surgery.......ok Bill...
So.... 3 years ago I'm 56 and the wife asks what I want for Christmas. I think to myself I'd like to have a couple nice Arkies to finish knives and such. I selected a 3x8x1/2 Norton Black and an identical Trans.
I was shocked to open the box and see the Black Ark. Not what I expected at all. Not as fine as the little HB13's I'd been using from the stock room at work. Gun forum advice! That's the answer! Not even close. Then through the magic of Google, I find one of your members here lovingly lapping a black Ark. I was hooked.
Lord, I hate w/d sand paper and the employees there hate me for the overtime they've been working. Lapping an Ark on w/d .... no more ....ever. It took me a year to become proficient at lapping. Maybe a little more. After lapping and getting them exactly like I wanted them.... WOW! Yeah I discovered Ebay and HAD at this time also. It's an ugly disease.
Oh yeah, Ebay. Being color blind and near sighted makes for some interesting scores. Tearing through a box of random hones looking for the India combo I saw in the ad, it was a hybrid coti, the big black stone I paid big bucks for was a dark purple slate. I've bought marlble, steel and copper thinking it was an interesting hone.
About 2 years ago started making about 2 dozen tiny wood carving knives out of 0-1 steel and using Arkies to finish and started looking into honing straights. It took a while to learn how to use my Arks to best of my ability and that's just on knives. As to all the accidents I caused to my friends and co workers... It's been repaid...I've cut myself more in the last 3 years of using blacks and trans than I have in the previous 30 years.
I was very humbled by my first attempts at razor honing, thought I was the big cheese that could sharpen anything. But after about 2 years of honing every straight I can get my hands on, over and over. Dulling. resetting I think this month I have achieved a shave ready edge. Shaved 3 days in a row with my own edges. This is gonna work! No blood, no burn, smooth and close. Still working on shaving technique, not real practiced yet.
The progress I've made in the last 3 years is largely due to the information, and inspiration I've found in this forum. The members are knowledgeable and patient with those willing to learn.
Thank you gentlemen.
