My Sharpening Gear and some stuff I've used

[The Edge]

Currently for basic sharpening, my lineup is:

DMT XXC (120 grit)
Geshin 600 Grit Splash n Go
The diamond 6000 Grit stone from JKI

With Single Bevels, I start with the Geshin 600 Grit then move on to: (I don't run in to many single bevels in Reno, NV)
Geshin 3000 Grit Ceramic Stone
Geshin 8000 Grit Stone

For Straight Razors:
I start at the 3000 Grit
Move on to the 8000 Grit
Move on to a cheap natural Chinese 12000 Grit stone

I finish all of these on a chromium loaded leather strop, while using a 40k leather strop for the straight razors.

Stones I've also used:
King 1000 Grit (cheap and dishes fairly fast, but if you want to learn you can't beat it)
Atoma 140 (Very aggressive to start, but doesn't last as long as the DMT XXC, and not as flat)
Geshin vitrified 800 Grit Diamond Stone (Amazing stone that lasts forever, but not for the beginner since flattening is pretty much out of the picture)
Geshin 2000 Grit Stone (Love this stone as well, but wanted to bridge the gap, and not use a 2k and 4k when polishing)
Geshin 4000 Grit Stone (Love this stone too, it's slow to dish and removes steel fast, but lightening my plastic travel box, the 3000 Grit helped me cut from 2 stones to 1)
Diamond 1000 Grit Stone from JKI (wears much faster than the 6k, but that is to be expected. Needed a faster cutting stone for the work I do, though the edge it leaves is perfect if that's as far as you want to go)
Geshin 400 Grit Stone ( Fast cutter, but dishes quite fast. Really anything this grit is going to dish at a high rate unless it's diamond, or at least dishes too fast for me lol)
DMT XC (at 220 Grit it does a great job, but if you're looking for something fast cutting, you might as well step up to the 120 grit and make your life easier. Take this with a grain of salt, as I don't find myself polishing knives very often, and removing 120 grit scratches (depending on blade material), can be a **********)

After all of this, and 20k knives sharpened, what it comes down to is technique. Learn how to maintain a consistent angle. Make sure you raise a consistent burr across the entire edge. Doubly make sure you flip the burr, and not just part of it, and then use lighter and lighter pressure flipping the burr back and forth. Do this with each stone, and after each stone it should grab easily in to your finger pads. I use the strop at the very end with trying to use as little pressure as possible, and finally drawing through a hard felt pad.

The biggest mistake, is raising your angle to gain faster results (something I have to remind myself not to do).

Advice - think of the angle measured as from point of contact of blade to stone (so perpendicular from the edge as it touches the stone. This changes with the curve of the blade) . My eyes are good, so even when I think I'm getting the tip done correctly, I can stop, look, and see that I haven't touched it. Then work on that spot specifically to even out the bevel. So, when in doubt, physically look at what you're doing. If you can't see, then feel, but keeping track of what's going on is critical.

I'm sure there are plenty of people that are better sharpeners with less experience, but I have learned a thing or two. Just don't be afraid to try it out. You won't damage anything beyond repair by trying freehand out (unless you're trying it out on a belt grinder lol). Thanks for giving this a read, and have fun putting the steel to the stone, and more fun putting that steel to use!

As you can tell, I use a lot of JKI stones. I feel they provide a lot of feedback, which allows you to feel how much metal is being removed at one time, and helps me feel a little more of what's going on at the edge.

 

[samuraistuart]

Thank you for that write up! Nice collection and great thoughts. One thing if I may add for others that might be reading and new to sharpening, especially on a dull or new knife....get that knife SHARP on your coarsest stone. Pretend that is the only stone in your arsenal. Apex on both sides and de-burr on that stone. Don't think you're going to go to the next stone and get it sharp then. You can make amazing edges with a 120 grit stone, and will frustrate yourself thinking you can leave the coarse stone when the knife isn't sharp yet. I will always feel for the burr, making sure that it is there from tip to heel, then do the other side and make sure it's there the full length as well. Unlike many other sharpeners, I don't use scrubbing strokes much. Rather, I do one pass per side at a time. Maybe 2 or 3 at the most. I've always sharpened that way, so it is a habit, and is a good way to keep both sides of the bevel very even, but not necessary, and probably takes more time to do it that way. I use the thumbnail test religiously as well, especially off of the coarse stone. Really not needed once that test has passes and you've moved on in the grit progression. I rarely will sharpen past 2k JIS. On many knives, 600 grit is plenty sharp and refined enough, for my tastes. Straight razors....that's when people can get really picky about going to uber fine grits, but it is warranted, as shaving a face is not like cutting up the Thanksgiving turkey!

The 120 grit DMT stone....I can't stand using that thing for anything other than flattening other stones. The "feedback" is atrocious, as the diamond grit stands very proud over the substrate. But it seems to last a really really really long time, for me anyway.

What are your thoughts on the Geshen diamond 800? The difference between it and diamond plates like Atoma/DMT is pretty straightforward, but how (or is it) different than the Naniwa diamond waterstones? They are above my pay grade, but I'm curious as to your thoughts on using it/them.

 

[The Edge]

The feedback and speed of the Gesshin 800 is what really sets it apart. It feels more like an actual stone than any other diamond substrate. The only drawback, is that it will dish very slowly, and flattening it once the dips appear is not an easy task. I burnt through a couple sanding disks when it needed it, and it still took quite a bit of time. Just one of those stones that you need to make sure your level is up to the task to get the most out of it.

My biggest critique of DMT is the poor quality control. You can get a diamond stone from them that is super rough, and the next one, same exact grit, and it feels glass smooth and doesn't cut worth a grrrr. You are right about the feedback, but I was going through 5 atoma's in a year compared to one DMT. There tends to be trade offs in everything, and my pocketbook chose that option, not my heart.

Thanks for adding your tips and experiences! By jumping from the 600 grit to the 6k, I leave quite a bit of toothiness, but it helps me make sure the burr is abraded even further, as I've heard you never really remove the whole thing, just make it smaller and smaller with each stone (some may not agree with that, but I tend to not think in terms of absolutes).

 

[samuraistuart]

Yeah, I'm not into absolutes, either. The one that I get a chuckle out of are these guys that talk about how ANY freehand sharpening results in a convex edge. And there is no way to talk to these guys, either, explaining to them that an experienced sharpener can make a very flat edge bevel freehand. The reply is always the same, along the lines of "There is absolutely no way that a free hand sharpening can result in a flat edge bevel. There will always be some convex to it." It's like I wanna scream at them, "Yeah....I get that! But for crying out loud, even using a guided sharpening system is not going to produce an absolutely "dead" flat edge bevel either!!!" If it's absolutes you want to talk about, then let's talk about them, sort of thing.