mauser06

them lansky stones are the best when it comes to sharpening....i too could never get the system to work....but all 5 stones and my knowledge of freehand sharpening i get knives i cant shave with easily with no pressure or side to side blade movement....kinda hard to explain my method though...my shop teacher taught the class.....im the only one that took the info and used it out of 200 or so id bet...or atleast used it successfully and told the teacher about it...normal people get their angle and go up flip the blade and come back flip back up and so on....instead of fli[ing you go up back flip up back flip and so on.....seems like youd dull the edge but beleive me if you do it right you will get a razor....my dad used to get pretty sharp knives the first way i described...now guess who sharpens HIS knives? me!...kinda nice being 16 and having your dad think your better at something like that.....thanx to my shop teacher.......its really not hard if you put some time in it....kinda hard just to pick up a knife and do though....easy once you see it from someone....

MATTHEWS

Just buy a new knife every time you dull yours.

skeeter 7MM

I use a lansky for most of my sharpening. I use course, medium, fine and a leather strap to finish off the edge. On my hunting knifes I sharpen them at 20-25% fom tip to back, after I use them I touch them up with the medium and leather strap. For butcher or fillet knifes same process (at 17-20%), except sharpen from back to tip. All my knives will shave hair with little pressure. A couple of things to remember is keep the stones clear and oiled. The one thing I have found with lansky stones is they tend to plug up. So if I am needing to work over the blade to get my edge I will wipe it clean and re-apply oil. I prefer using honing oil for my hunting knifes and vegetable oil for my kitchen knives. Remember to apply even pressure and work your blade evenly with each stone per side. All to often I have seen guys nail one side with the course stone and then just touch the opposite side, keep count of total knife strokes per side and with each stone. It can make a huge difference!!!! If you are having a hardtime holding the lansky knife jig, buy yourself the lansky alum. break down stand. This doesn' t hold it tight, but will allow you more ability to get a straight edge & grip when starting out. They can be screwed down to a work bench or a piece of wood and clamped to a table or countertop. I think they cost like 10 bucks and are very handy when starting out, IMO a small price to pay.

Sharpening a knife with those accusharps or similar will ruin a good knife quick, they take to much steel and you' ll find yourself having to resharpen half way through a job. I used to carry one in my fishing bag and it ruined my fillet knife, since then I wouldn' t even consider drawing a blade across one. Yes they work and appear to deliver easy and instant results, but come with the price of replacing knives and actually give poor lasting results.

Greavous

The Lanskey system with a standard stone will cup in the center as you wear the stones. This will result in uneven edges due to angle changes. I have both wetstone and diamond versions by Gratco. I like the diamond as a finishing tool and the stone for roughing in the initial edge.

As bowseason nears I walk around with bald patches on my forarms!