Having made knives for the last 30+ years I am a bit finicky on the way I sharpen, or put a new edge on an old blade. It is probably far more drawn out than most would want to do.
I have a set of belts for my 1" sander, 400, 800, 1200, and a lapping belt. Typically I take a blade, (old or new), all the way through them on my guilds, except for the last belt. After the 1200 I take the blade to my 4 Arkansas Stones. As a final touch up I pass the blade 2 or 3 times over a diamond impregnated ceramic stone at a set angle. Lastly I run a light brushing over the lapping belt. The edge will hold and stay for a very long time, especially if it is touched up occasionally with a ceramic stick as needed. Speaking of that I need to finish a couple of "Filet" knives with Mesquite handles. Jimi Hey gang I was just wondering who is using what to sharpen their knives. Personally I suck at using a wet stone, I have a hard time holding the knife at the correct angle. I need to do some serious work to my buck fixed blade knife, it has a couple small nicks in it. Anyone using a particular sharpening system that you swear by? Any help is much appreciated. And this is very much fly fishing related as on that occasion when you do keep a fish you need a sharp knife to take care of things. Thanks Jim
