Freehand Whetstone Sharpening of a New Lionsteel B35 Bushcraft Knife

Sharpening of my new knife I got for Christmas, a close look at its factory edge, a good sharpening session, explaining the basics of freehand sharpening and a glance at other sharpening methods and tools.
My lionSTEEL knife:
www.knivesandt...
220 / 1000 whetstone:
amzn.to/3rH53Yl
3000 / 8000 whetstone:
amzn.to/2KMdZLv
Leather strop with compound:
amzn.to/3pBgnTQ
Blade oil:
amzn.to/3pKrdHs
Article on knivesandtools.com about pull-through sharpeners:
www.knivesandt...

[@TheChadWork2001]

Nice knife

[@888zzz]

Excellent tutorial. The clip on the sink to keep the stone in place is an excellent idea. It seems that expensive stones are a waste of money because I get shaving sharpness on my cheap King stones.

[@TomasHerink]

Thanks. Yes, I think technique is what matters much more here. I saw guys achieving great result by sharpening on a curb!

[@j.m.4045]

Thanks for the vid, I’ve been wondering how to properly sharpen knives.

[@daltonramsey9585]

I have no problem getting my knives sharp. I can get them to silently wipe the hair off of my legs or push cut circles in newspapers. The issue I have is that sometimes I have seen the curve of the belly start to flatten out. I have also noticed that knives with large, straight sections don’t tend to stay perfectly straight. If I lay the edge on a flat surface I can see light coming through in some spots. The last thing I have noticed is that I can struggle to keep the bevel perfectly even. Doesn’t seem like such a big deal other than aesthetically. Anyway, if you have any tips for dealing with these issues I would greatly appreciate it. I’ve tried many sharpening techniques from circular motions and cutting strokes on my field stones to the Bob Kramer crescent method and the push-pull method on my water stones at home. I love the edge I can get from my stones. I just wish I could get it without altering my blade so much. Thanks for the video. I found it while trying to decide between the b40 and b41 after falling in love with the b35 this past summer.

[@TomasHerink]

Hey Dalton, I think that if you want to have the edge cosmetically perfect and not just functionally sharp, you may need to go for a solution that ensures a precise angle as well as even wear on both sides. There is a lot to choose from out there in that space, like the TSPROF Blitz. Freehend sharpening will never be machine-perfect, that's probably the nature of doing things by hand.

[@daltonramsey9585]

@@TomasHerink oh no, I understand humans are imperfect and that there will be some variation. I’m perfectly happy with the function of my knives. The only thing that really bothered me was when the belly on my Garberg started to straighten out. I watched a video where virtuovoice had the same issue on his bark river fox river knives and I think he solved that one. I don’t like to rely on sharpening systems and would way rather rely on my own skills. I was just curious if you had run into any of the issues and maybe if there were some techniques to avoid them. I always worry about messing up the straight portion of my kephart knives. Thanks for getting back to me and for the nice video. Cheers ✌️

[@TomasHerink]

I see what you mean. I have no tricks up my sleeve for that one, but I'd amend the stroking technique to follow the curve of the edge with each stroke rather than fucusing on the straight part and do the belly / the tip later ro catch up with the straight part if that makes any sense. Thanks for watching, man.

[@Crackitify]

Maybe I should start my own thing.... cause not many get this stuff right. I would rate this video 3/5 for info 2/5 for visual aides, a 1/5 for fundamentals, and a 2/5 for acceptable knife for bushcrafting.

[@TomasHerink]

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. I'm still learning!

[@Crackitify]

@@TomasHerink ok still learning... I would suggest then, create a template to follow. It doesn't even need to be complicated, I use this rule KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. To remind myself that most bushcrafters don't know a thing when they first start soooo when u get a new knife you follow your template. Example you don't have to tell everyone every part of the knife, simplist way, show and explain what the tang is, what the point is, the belly and blade edge and bevel. Then maybe point out or draw or show a couple useful edge types. Talk about the differences of how the blade and point line up with the shaft tang and handle. What a full tang is. Explain what happens when you sharpen away or towards the bevel, show how the wrist bends as you sharpen. Talk about what ever rules you employ when sharpening. Cover both water based stones oil based stones and diamond based stones and what the difference is. The pros and cons. The tricks you learn to make things easier and faster. About maybe using survival paracord to wrap the handle to fit in hand better and to give you additional grip potential. Talk about how to simplify understand the various steels or other type of materials. What not to do, ex sharpening towards your wrist with stone in hand bad idea.... cutting paper is a good example of sharpness but if someone is looking for even sharper then show them how to shaaaave the paper. It's all about fundamentals. So if you create examples or explanations do it in 3s or 4s always it helps people get into a rhythm when they watch and listen to you. It may even be useful to use the not so great knives to show people where the limits are by intentionally using them in extreme (use ppe eyeglasses arm protection etc) breaking force bending force edge toughness sharpness duration. Really put the knife to the test. Once you've started writing down your guideline, use a family member to go through some practice runs before recording. It will help prevent you from saying ugh or skipping for a few to think if you got things right. Never be afraid to revise your guidelines. Have one for beginners and one for advanced but keep it on the same video just make sure people know they have entered the advanced part of the knife stuff in the vid. Some final 2 cents, explain which kind of knives can be used for making a spark, show and talk about how to make sparks with the best materials you can find in a survival situation, rocks, steel, fire striker (pretend you lost the piece that strikes the sparker) . Which blades do not spark. How to keep the blade clean and protected. To maybe add some neon color to the handle, or neon colored paracord wrap, in case you drop it in water or snow or grass or dirt. I hope this helps and is not to messy. Just remember to KISS everything. I look forward to seeing the new you :) good luck.

[@TomasHerink]

Beautiful. Thanks for the thoughtful input. Plenty of things to think about there for sure. Cheers!

[@You-know-it-I-know-it]

@@Crackitify That's a lot of info and critique... where's your video on the subject? You sound like a expert, so why not share your wisdom?

[@Project_2501]

Hey man, nice video! Very helpful to me (bloody beginner). Can you recommend a certain whetstone? Am I really struggling to find a good one that doesn't cost 400 bucks. Thank you in advance!

[@TomasHerink]

Hey, check the video description, you'll see links to the ones I used in the video. They aren't expensive, either. Hope it helps.

[@jasonbyu75]

In my experience, after you get the bevel you the angle you like (this can be a considerable chore depending on factory grind and metal type), you can usually start with a 400 grit Chosera stone (like KZbin legend virtuvice), and then ‘hone’ with something like a 2,000, finishing on a strop. Note that the 400 will cup over time. I don’t correct mine because I like the convex edge it starts to produce. If you grind down factory edges a lot, that’s a little different strategy.

[@PotatoCheese]

Nice video! How are you liking your b35? I'm torn between getting it or the m4 as a general hiking/camping knife.

[@TomasHerink]

Thanks, man. B35 is great, but I like the proportions of M4 a tiny bit better to be honest. It all comes down to tiny size / weight differences. Very little difference in terms of usability, with M4 having slight edge in weight for chopping, but frankly, we aren't going to do much chopping with knives of this size, are we? B35 cuts a little bit better so that was the deciding point for me.

[@PotatoCheese]

@@TomasHerink thanks, appreciate the reply. I'm pretty much going through the same process as you. I prefer the m4, but am probably favouring the lightness and sliceyness of b35. I am am only hesitant because maybe it could be a little too slimmed down. Do you ever feel under knifed for your uses? And really useful hearing some first hand perspectives by the way. Quite difficult to find info on the b35 online!

[@TomasHerink]

Yeah, it'll depend on what your typical usage is. I go for fishing weekends on an island, so it's all around the tent and the fire for me, with a lot of cooking, some wood carving, and general light bushcraft, so in my case, I prefer the sliceyness before the overall strength. Do I feel underknifed? Always, but that's my fault, the knife has nothing to do with it 😉 it is a balanced small blade that doesn't get in the way.

[@TomasHerink]

This may help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2iopKeflsRgj5I

[@PotatoCheese]

@@TomasHerink Haha, believe me I've watched that video many times over! Somehow it's not enough to make my mind up. Getting other perspectives is always helpful, as I'm not sure I am in full alignment with Kevins preferences. My use case is very similar to yours, and I think the b35 would make a fine knife!