After watching hours and hours of your videos I finally started getting more agressive with lower grits and it really makes it easier in the long run. I also more readily admit when I need to start over and go back to a lower grit. It really is so much easier to set the foundation early and build on a good initial bevel. Thanks again for shedding light. Cool
Well good. I know I've seen you comment on a ton of them. I'm glad it's finally paid off. The way I do stuff don't always work for everyone. But usually gives them a reference point.
I'm glad you have. And as of now I'm done with youtube. May change down the road who knows. I just financially can't support it. I don't have mommy and daddy money like alot of these channels do.
Sir, I am so glad I found this channel. Absolutely great information. Understanding how to put a burr on the knife and what the burr means changes my knife sharpening game!
Excellent tutorial, every drop of it. And yep, pressure is the hardest thing to teach. You just gotta keep hammering it and let them learn it through experience. Nothing beats time on the stones.
I really love coarse stones. Most brands don't come with a good edge profile so usually I need some heavy work to optimize it. I love Norton Crystolon and Carborundum #120/320. The choice of practice knife is not easy. If you get a good one you just get scared as you said. I had another problem. My cheap knife was too cheap and had bad heat treatment, either grain growth or retained austenite. I got over 20 knives and this is the only one I can't shave hair with. Make sure to start with something cheap but that's known to get a good edge.
Another excellent video! I’ve just discovered your channel and enjoy how you convey information. I am a knife lover for a long time who has bought, sold, and traded many knives over the years, a lot of which I struggled to sharpen properly. Very much struggling! I started long ago with cheap stones of different grits or the dreaded “pull through” sharpeners 😱 I had a Lansky (clamping) system for awhile, or wet stones, you name it... None of them worked very well with me. Several months ago I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker and I’ve been using it to just try to maintain the factory edges, but the angles aren’t exact. After watching some of your videos I feel like I understand a little better. I probably need to invest in a series of 3 or 4 different cheap stones in ascending grits and get back to learning how to freehand! The way you explain it makes more common sense than the oodles of other sharpening videos I have seen. Thank you again!
My man! Your burr removal technique is just what I was looking for! I would just move to the next stone flipping the burr back and forth and at the end for whatever reason I couldn't get it to break off it would just keep flipping
Well said about the coarse stones for starting. I also use to sharpen with finer grit stones such as hard Arkansas back in the day to 1000 grit king waterstones and diamond grit stones which was probably another flaw I forgot to mention. Its also harder to feel a burr beginning on a finer grit stone than a coarse grit stone. I think part of the problem is the fear of ruining a knife starting with a coarse grit stone which was one of my fear but when I took cheap no name steels to them I found it progressed my sharpening and made it that much easier to do. Keep up the great videos.
The main thing I learned from the "Razor Edge" theory was: "Probably, your 'coarse stone' isn't coarse enough". I think, when you are beginning, an investment in the "coarse" department teaches you a lot. I've settled on DMT extra coarse with Gritomatic 120. I happened to get a good DMT and the Gritomatic cleans it up.....IF I have to go that coarse (doing a lot of tools!). The secret is learning how coarse you have to start with....that's where we get into what Chris calls "guess work"! He's absolutely right! There is nobody that can enter your brain to make determinations for you....you have to pull up your sleeves, dive in and PRACTICE, like Chris said. In the long run, you have to teach yourself....and Chris is the best I've seen at teaching you HOW to teach yourself! And...you are going to screw up. I worked at a body shop one time...under a real artist, like Chris, named Jerry Tracy. He told me one time, "Show me a man that hasn't fu€#ed up...and I'll show you a man that ain't learned nothing!" Chris is telling us the same thing. He's a treasure!
If anyone reading this is serious about learning to sharpen freehand, listen to what this man says, follow his teachings, have patience, and you will be seeing improvement in no time.
You and Neeves knives are the best IMO for new guys like myself. I wish I would’ve watched before I ruined my new Kershaw Cryo. My angles are so off I have bevels on my bevels? Feels like a burr on both sides... anyway to start over... or is that blade a butter knife now? I’m willing to ruin more 8crv13mov blades as long as I’m getting better results with each blade. I’m a stubborn SOB and I self taught myself to shoot that way and I’m determined to learn freehand sharpening. My hunting skills are mediocre and this skill is a must for me.
Thanks, Chris, I needed that! Another good source of "practice" knives are paring knives...especially Old Hickorys. They are cheap for one. I also use them for steak knives....of course, hitting a plate butter-knifes them pretty quick but I keep a Dan's 6" soft/hard combo in the drawer and get practice in after the dishes are done....and they are WAY better steak knives than those crappy serrated things that people stupidly buy in knife block sets.
It amazes me the different finishes you can get from different stones. Arkansas will give you one type of finish. Spyderco ceramics a different type of finish. DMTs gives you another and etc... and all of them can get to hair whittling. I bet Vikings and Samurai would have loved to have some of the stones and steels today. Anyways great video man 👍
You have taught me SO much. I knew nothing prior to finding your channel. Now, I can whittle hair whenever I take a notion. I still struggle with removing burrs from time to time but I practice everyday using cheap pairing knives and steak knives. I recently figured out exactly what you are talking about with pressure and my burrs are getting smaller and smaller as I move through my grits. Thank you for all that you do for your audience. Im proud to call you my buddy Rooster. #Rooster/Whetstone_Dan2020
Great video brother,, keep dropping the knowledge bombs. Always love how you break it down for people. I remember back when I started I had to learn a lot on my own. People like you putting out stuff like you do is such a huge help for someone learning or even experienced. Thank you
After you move on from the first stone after getting the burr, I’ve gone back and forth on technique. Some say get a burr with each stone to ensure you are reaching the edge with new scratch pattern; others say don’t do that; some go with alternating strokes. I’ve usually go with getting a burr with each stone because I know it works and I know when it’s time to move on to the next stone. But I know that may be removing more steel than necessary. What is your thought process on what to do after the initial stone?
I have the exact same question. I have been going to a burr on both sides on every stone, 300 DMT, 600 DMT and 1200 DMT. You don't seem to get to burr except on initial profiling. Thoughts?
@@mikecostello729 You do end up getting a burr with each stone, they just get harder and harder to feel as you move along in finer grits. I struggle getting rid of the initial big burr from the coarsest stone, but I've had success. I try to get rid of most of it before moving onto the second stone, but if it's not cleanly slicing through phonebook paper, I know it's still there. I'll eventually move on and you will feel it break off through the progressions. I'm still learning, but have gotten a LOT better and can now get some nice looking bevels and can even get scary sharp from time to time. BTW, I love leaving most of my knives at the 600 diamond grit - leaves a really toothy edge.
right now I have been using lansky diamond bench stone course, medium, fine up to 1000 grit then finishing on a spyderco ultrafine ceramic then stroping with green compound and then .5 diamond compound. I have been able to whittle a hair but I feel like It could be sharper. Should i move to a different stone?
Haha i definitely like listening to you, i kept shaking my head in agreeance listening to you, yeah, i hate when ppl use sharpie also, and i was like yep I'm done buying dmt as well hahaha. But the thing you said about this definitely takes time and learn on some crappy cheap knives, yep i even remember that, i remember being so sad losing so much metal off my cheap smith and wessons and mossy oaks learning how to do this but i was determined, i still have those knives as a reminder of how far I've come and I'm really glad i detroyed those el cheapos and not my good kubeys and sencuts. One thing i didn't know that you taught me today is about the black arks leaving zero burr behind, and leaving a beautiful crisp edge, I'm going to have to dig out my smith black ark and give her another try. I subscribed to you man, i like your videos way better then these younger guys pushing magnacut,4v and 20cv. 5cr and 8cr,d2, 440c, 1040. all good steels especially if heat treatment right. 14c20n is my favorite budget steel for polished edge.
Man I wish I would have found your videos back in the day when I was younger if I would have I would have understood sharpening way better but I'm pretty good at sharpening even though I learned through trial and error
newbie here with diamond stones, I've been a belt sharpener....great content dude, just subbed 👍my biggest challenge is keeping the correct angle consistency
Thanks for the info. I've got a couple of benchmades that I always have someone sharpen for me and been tired of relying on someone else to do it for me. I've been practicing for a few weeks with some cheap beater knifes I've had for years with an old pocket stone by step-dad used to carry for touch ups. I've got a decent set coming in the mail and can't wait to refine my technique over the next few months till I'm comfortable enough to put my 945 and fixed blade contengo on a stone.
For anyone wondering I'm practicing on some beat up 440 and I'm getting pretty decent cutting edges but still needs some work to get a cleaner looking edge.
You make an awesome video sir. 👍 I have the Spyderco medium and fine stones and came from a worksharp precision/sharpmaker combo to upkeep my knives to the bench stones and they are so much easier and satisfying to use.
Good video, very informative and helpful. Here is the question, I have a very coarse thru fine set of DMT's, How do you kow when they are done or worn out. I like them when friends bring knives over that have never been sharpened. I then progress to either a water stone or Arkansas stone to finish
I was wondering why you are done with dmt...I was about to get the 320 that you have. Should I not go through with it or do you have a better recommendation?
@@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531 I have a 6x2 soft/medium combo ark from "sharpeningsupplies.com" so according to this Info I would have less frustrations if I get a 300 grit ultra sharp to use first? Is the single 6x2 a good choice for me in your opinion? That might be my missing puzzle piece.. Or is it wrong to go from 300 diamond to soft or medium arkansas?
Hey rooster I got one for you to chapen.its a mora companion . it's one bevel all the way down.its a sob to sharpin.but once irts done.ive batoned enough wood for a night then slice threw stake and patatos.
Enjoy your videos. Just learned freehand not that long ago. What's wrong with DMT? The one I have works well (Fine plate). If not DMT, what diamond plates would you recommend.
I’m a relatively new free hand sharpener. After careful consideration, I chose to go with Sharpals dual grit 320/1200 diamond plate followed by a Spyderco ultra fine ceramic stone (for final polishing). I hope that’s a good setup what do you think of that? I’ve got the whole angle thing down I was just looking for the right combination of stones. Also, I made myself a leather strop for maintaining the blade. Great videos man I subscribed. Thank you.
Awesome tutorial man, well, more like what to do and not to do. But still awesome! :D You said stuff I'd never heard before. Even though I've never got a knife sharpened past "at least it ain't dull", I still try my hardest. My biggest hurdle is below (and keeping the angle of the blade even lol but that's me). The only stones I have I got when my father passed a couple of years ago, and I haven't a clue what kind they are (they aren't diamond, he hated diamond). I know 1 of the 2 "travel" size are Arkansas (the little plastic sleeve says it, and it's white) and another is a broken "gold brick" shape "arborundum brand" on top. The rest of the stones have no words, numbers, or anything. So I'm not sure how to practice from lowest to highest grit when I don't know what it is.
I used sand paper only and sharpened my bark river bush crafter in 3-v free hand. It came out beautifully. 3-V may be hard to sharpen but it's really not that hard to sharpen using sandpaper. You can use dry or wet/dry. For me that worked great. This was my first free hand sharpening attempt and I'm very pleased with the result.
Bark rivers steel is shit dude. Every steel I've had from them is incredibly soft. 3v is extremely tough and has a high wear resistance. You won't sharpen properly heat treated 3v with sandpaper I assure you.
@@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531 I don't think you are accurate in saying that. Yes bark river has had some recent quality control issues but that's been recent. My knives are several years old. Maybe 5 years old I'd like to say. But my A -2 mini Kalahari , 3-v mini aurora & 3-V mini bush crafter all came out amazing using 400 & 600 grit sandpaper and 1000 & 2000 & 3000 wet sandpaper for the edge Then a good stropping with compound. They all came out amazing. I think sandpaper works the best. Plus its cheaper buying and using stones.
@@mityjoeyoung8855 I'm 100% accurate in saying that. Bark river and black jack has ALWAYS had quality and heat treat issues. I've had there knives from 10 years ago up untill about 2 years ago. All the same. There steel is trash. I've tried all different kinds of there's. Especially the A2 that's like trying to sharpen an aluminum can. The sandpaper works well for you because the steel is extremely soft. And literally anyone can sharpen a full convex edge with sandpaper. Don't tell me I'm wrong, and I'm not accurate because you are to cheap to buy a set of good stones and something with good heat treat. And ACTUALLY LEARN TO SHARPEN Go get you a Esee or battle horse or a lt wright and try that sandpaper crap. It won't work.
Informative video once again. Ran up a problem with Case CV that I have never came across. Started on a coarse DMT inconsistent plate & raised a burr on both sides. Then went to fine ultrasharp consistent plate & raised a burr. Then I went to a soft Arkansas & ran into chipping. Case knives have went to the cellar when it comes to quality. Have never had that problem with any CV or 1095 before. It was a $55 knife!Highly disappointed!!
I watched a video from the "Slipjoint Guy" on RU-vid the other day. He sells case knives and blasted Case for their poor quality these days. He sells knives in the U.S. & overseas. I will not spend anymore money on Case knives. I bought this knife as gift for a guy I hunt with. SMDH!
Same here. Case knives are wall hangers, now. I'd rather have a Rough Rider...or, my current favorite, Boker C75 knives but they aren't always available. I only own one Case but it is an older CV Muskrat.
I bought a DMT fine and extra course. I cannot get a sharp knife. I strop, Iv tried the removing burr method from a video of yours and use your technique to sharpen a knife yet I still fail to cut paper. My knife grabs paper all the time but it’s okay sometimes if you get a lucky cut. Anything I could be doing wrong?
Well I now use DMT again. This was a while ago. I figured these new plates were the bees knees. They weren't. Didn't care for them for several reasons. So I went back to trusty DMT.
Message loud and clear! Lol. So.. I ordered dmt coarse and ex fine 8 inch plate, got them in yesterday. Took them both out of the package and the ex fine looked horrible, it literally looked like they shipped me one that somebody used for a year, no abrasive in the middle and marks all up in down in the motion of sharpening. Then I looked at the coarse.. seemed better but had dings in it and I tried using it, it wasn't like it needed breaking in, for some reason it would catch in certain places and skip around as I tried to sharpen.. called amazon for replacements.. 50 bucks per each you should get quality not used stuff repackaged.
Yep.. well let's just hope these replacements I get aren't like that, if they are im just gonna get refund and order them from a reputable vendor. I wish we had a store out here near Nashville that sold those DMT plates or any decent sharpening stuff at that, but I haven't been able to find anywhere.
Ok, thanks for the tip! I'm going to check those out definitely, cause from what I've heard from you and others, DMT has gone downhill throughout these past years.
Just subscribed, like your stuff and want to support you, you don't mumble and waffle like plenty on RU-vid do, keep it up. I have one question for you, i know your liking for Arkansas stones, so when you work through your grits forming and removing the burr for each grit, you say you don't raise a burr on the black or translucent Arkansas stones. Do you use alternating leading strokes, or a certain number on one side, then the same on the other ?
Thank you. I don't show every single step on every video. But yes I'll do 5 strokes then 4 3 2 1 and so on. It works very well. And most of the time I don't need a strop.
@@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531 Thanks for the reply, one thing i hate is people who ask for support on RU-vid, but when you read down the comments, never reply. I just wanted to make sure, i have been sharpening for over 50 years and i am pretty confident with what i have learnt and my ability, but am just getting into Arkansas for the first time, and want to get it wright from the beginning. Just received my first Dan's soft stone, have not used it yet but i like it already, just feels like a quality stone that will do it's job. Thanks again, very useful, and very informative videos.
Also yeah for the bushcraft knife im not sure about the 3v. The reason I say that is most bushcraft want a high carbon steel (I could be wrong offhand about 3V composition) like 1095 etc which can be found in a bushcraft style the reason being you can strike flint with it for sparks for Firestarting. Im not sure if you can do that with 3v or if they will be as plentiful as from a say 1095 blade etc.
@@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531 yeah i forgot o1 was another popular one. It'll be awhile before I remember the compositions or basics of them still have along way to go until then I'd need to look them up
I know the biggest mistake I made was prepping an edge on a course stone and thinking I made it all the way to the apex only to find I have a bunch of tiny chips in it thinking they were part of the course stone's scratch patter.
You said once that DMT plate wears out you're done with DMT. Can you do a vid on your thoughts of what's going on, why you're moving away from them, and what your going to? I just started freehanding and picked up a DMT course on the recommendation of other RU-vidrs. Love your content and the freeform info you put out there!
Honestly, idk if I'm going to continue doing videos or not. But Dmts older stuff is great. But they were bought out by a Chinese company. The quality has went way down hill.
@@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531 Have you found diamond plates to replace those DMTs yet? Gotta do what's right by you brother, completely understand and wish you the best whichever way you go!
A beginners best set is 2 crystolon stones and a victorinox knife because all of it's inexpensive and the Victorinox is something you can 100% get sharp. You can lap them against eachother and and when you add a new stone lap that as well resulting in super flat stones.
Too bad your nastiness is just under the surface. Colors all your videos. I won't even watch them just based on your mean remarks in other channels. You are far from perfect, as is every single human being on earth. The difference is, most of us know it and don't expect others to be perfect. Not even you. But "nasty temper" is just a deal-killer. You'll never actually BUILD this channel. People see through the disguise.
I don't have enough time to appropriately comment back yesterday. So what you are doing is called trolling. And the exact reason I haven't posted in so long. I could give 2 flying fucks less if you watch my channel or not. As far as my skill?? I'll gladly challenge accept a challenge from you or anyone else to prove what I do here. Just to make you look as dumb as you talk. And as far as I'll never build my channel? I have people emailing me texting and calling me begging to continue videos. No I'm not eating it up. It's because I have genuine content. And I'm not subscriber hunting like 95% of the other channels. I set a goal on my channel and I have accomplished just that. I may have fewer subs than others. But the majority of my subs I do have I know on a personal basis. Ever heard of having 1 good thing rather than 10 mediocre things? I have taught thousands of people to freehand and have had some very big names in the knife industry ask me to come teach their sharpening dept what I do. I have made some awesome friends on this channel. I almost broke the record on CATRA and I get paid for you viewing this video. So every time you wanna comment being a bitch troll you are paying me. So that's why I told you I don't give a fuck about you're opinion or comment. 😁
