How to Get ANY Knife Razor Sharp!

by shagbag

84K568

Intro: How to Get ANY Knife Razor Sharp!

This is my first Instructable! I will be showing you how to get your knife RAZOR sharp with some common materials you probably have in your house.




STEP 1: Materials

To get your knife razor sharp you will need:

Something that's made of glass ( I used a cup )
A knife sharpener
Some experience with sharpening knifes
Arm hair ( to test your knife ) lol
oil (there is no pic of the oil)
A knife

STEP 2: Sharpen Your Knife

Using your knife sharpener, sharpen your knife at about a 25 degree angle. Make sure you oil the sharpener with some 3 in 1 oil. Sharpen your knife as sharp as it will get with the sharpener.

STEP 3: Polish

Using the glass cup, stroke your knife just like you would your knife sharpener. This fine tunes your knifes blade to a very tiny point.

STEP 4: Test

Test your blade by shaving your arm. I didn't show a picture because I have no more armhair to test with Lol.

8 Comments

RayW1 9 years ago

Lol. Don't use oil, it will go against you in the long run. Oil makes the debris removed from the blade stick to the honing/sharpening surface, causing very small gouges in the blade. This requires removing even more material, in turn, creating more work if a smooth edge is desired. Oil is no more effective than using water or just air (to remove the particulates). Up here in the backwoods, novices quickly learn to leave the lube at home in their bed-stand.

BTW, that dirty oil will also stain the natural materials (leather, wood, bone, etc.) of handles, sheaths and other accessories. That left-over sticky debris will also help to corrode the moving parts and frames of folding knives.

shagbag 9 years ago

It is how I've been taught. You don't have to use oil but I prefer it because it gets your blade sharper and helps protect your edge. :)

pfred2 9 years ago

I use a leather strop charged with rouge. I don't use oil as a lubricant anymore either. Oil is too messy. I use a super lubricant now. Something like Super Clean. I rough with descending grades of industrial diamonds, then I have a medium, and a fine Arkansas stones.

shagbag 9 years ago

I have tried using a homemade leather strop with turtle wax on it but I can't seem to get my knife sharp with it. :( thanks for commenting!

pfred2 9 years ago

I charge my leather strop with jeweler's rouge. Stropping only removes the burr, it does not really sharpen the knife. Well, removing the burr wire edge makes a blade a little sharper I suppose. Removing the burr keeps a knife sharper for longer though, because the wire edge cannot bend over on the edge on you when it is not there.

shagbag 9 years ago

I see. Thank you for pointing that out. :)

seamster 9 years ago

Nicely done. Thanks for sharing these great tips!