Years ago, I was taught how to sharpen a knife blade by hand.
I learned from a master, who was probably one of the best metal workers I will ever know.
He not only taught me how to sharpen a knife..but also taught me how to make beautiful
knives from materials at hand.
One of my favorite sharpeners, is an india oil stone. A very hard natural stone, that will cut even the most hardest steel on the rockwell scale. Solingen steel, I find, is one of the hardest steels around.
My second favorite , is a two sided diamond stone that has a course side, and a fine side.
At first, knife sharpening was a mystery, but as I learned to feel the cutting action when sharpening, it is second nature anymore.
If I want the ultimate edge, I will strop the blade on leather a few times for final tuning.
When I am cutting deer, I have a sharpening steel to intermittently touch up the blades as we cut meat.
When I am sharpening blades for other folks, I will warn them to be very careful, because these things are razor sharp. Even so..some people will cut themselves, not being used to a sharp knife.
Knife sharpening is not for everyone. It takes practice. Once you get the feel of it,
and keep the angle of the bevel constant...you will succeed.
In an emergency, I can sharpen a blade on a hard rock. I had to once when camping in the boonies with my family. My 6 year old son had sunk numerous hooks into his head from a fishing lure. Being miles away from any doctor...I had to perform minor surgery.
No crying was to be heard from him, because he never felt the sharp razor edge.
true story.
Tom
aka. bunnybuster