Knife Sharpening - Utility Box Cutter Blade

Knife Used
Stanley 10-175 Retractable Utility Knife

[@PriorUniform721]

I keep a utility knife by my recycling bin to break down card board boxes. A few passes on the stone is faster than changing a blade in a holder without a quick changer...

[@yourhuckleberry3505]

You and my grandmother must be kindred spirits, you’ll both take something that’s meant to be disposable and say “Nah I can get more out of it” lol. But when you grow up like she did, wearing burlap potato sacks for clothes because they couldn’t afford anything else, you do what you gotta do! Great video!

[@Jef]

lol I'm not usually like that, but when it comes to sharpening, nothing is off the table

[@mikelikesknives428]

Very cool idea. Thank you.

[@Jef]

Anytime. Thanks for checking it out

[@christopherwheeler688]

Super! Why has this word replaced 'very'?

[@shaneintegra]

They may be cheap and easily replaceable but it gives you more time and experience with your stones and technique

[@Jef]

Exactly. When I first started messing with them, it was just to see if I could do it. Then it became a challenge to see how long I could run one blade. In the end, it just boils down to fun. I like sharpening, and any chance I get to do it, I do.

[@Daveman57x28mm]

When you pulled out that strop to finish getting the small burr off it was like a magic trick. I need a strop so bad.

[@Jef]

Yea strops are awesome. They really do amazing things, after you are done with the stones.

[@Jef]

If you have an old leather belt, or even a scrap piece of leather from a boot, that will work. Just lay it on something hard and flat, get some compound of your choice, and go at it. What I was using in the video, was an old for sale sign wooden stake, with a piece of lopsided scrap leather. It has all sorts of compounds and metal polishes mixed in it lol.

[@Daveman57x28mm]

@@Jef Thanks for the advice! I have the perfect belt in mind.

[@Penguer]

Just got back from dollar tree my grandmother bought box cutters i asked for one now im here with a one dollar box cutter

[@Jef]

🤘

[@davemccall6870]

Dang, not the Harbor freight coupons..lol.

[@Jef]

I get that alot :p I don't shop for tools often, so they are wasted on me

[@davemccall6870]

I get it brother.

[@mio33]

how long have you been running 1 blade for? what is your "record"

[@Jef]

I can't recall off the top of my head, but 2-3 months sounds about right. I had one blade that was about half used, when compared to the opposite side, that was unsharpened

[@pundabear14]

Thanks! My employer doesn’t supply these blades and I don’t want to switch to a snap off utility knife so this will save me $

[@Jef]

You can sharpen em several times before they start thickening Up and cutting poorly. Plus the sharpened edge seems to last longer than fresh out the box 👌

[@eqlzr2]

So the take-home message is don't dull your utility knives on a shop stone. ;-)

[@Jef]

lol

[@vicpetrishak7705]

Fabricate a blade holding jig and sharpen the whole length of the blade at one time . This fixture will keep sharpening angles consistent. 11/22

[@levelintent]

few questions, what is the name of all the stones you used? I heard india stone, 400 grit, and what is the stone at 2:19? For the india stone, what was the liquid you had on it, soap and water?

[@Jef]

The stone is a norton india combo coarse/fine. At 2:19 that was a leather strop. Just a piece of leather i got from hobby lobby, glued to a yard sale sign stick, with green rouge compound. You can get that at lowes/home depot or anywhere knife sharpening supplies are sold. It is used to help remove any burr that remains on the apex. The water mixture is 4 parts water, 2 parts baby oil, 2 parts dish soap. I tinker with that a bit, adding soap and oil, to get the consistency where i want. Plain oil or soapy water would work just as well. That concoction is just my preference.

[@kimbapit]

@@Jef What was the point of using the first sharpening tool before the india stone? I looked it up and it seems like the fine side of an india stone is already 400 grit?

[@Jef]

It was just to dull the edge, nothing more 🤷‍♂️

[@levelintent]

@@Jef thanks a lot!

[@WellbredNfedKembleTV]

​@@Jefdulling it for the purpose of showing how much you can sharpen it...yes? Not as an integral part of the sharpening workflow/process. It went through my mind, "You're supposed to dull before you sharpen it??" Great video thanks I'm going to look up with a stone is and get one I want to get my cooking knives as sharp as box cutters and my electric sharpeners don't do it. XoXo

[@1Kchess]

Very useful, the blades maybe cheap but wallpapering uses up loads of these blades, the cost soon adds up.

[@Jef]

right on. thanks for checking it out

[@YA-ee9zf]

Am doing this because I can’t seem to find the replacement blades for the box cutter I have thanks

[@adorkable81]

What kind of soccery water did you put on the stone?

[@Jef]

lol. I forget to mention it cuz i use it so often, sorry. It is 1 part dish soap, 1 part baby oil, 4 parts water. I then tinker a bit with more soap and oil to get the thickness the way I want

[@adorkable81]

@@Jef thank you kind sir. I will try that. Blade is cheap, $1 for 5 but can appreciate this very much!

[@solarsynapse]

@@Jef Wouldn't the soap break down the oil, since that is what it is intended to do?

[@Jef]

@@solarsynapse ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ feels oily to me, and rinses clean. Caleb McCullough would be the one to really ask, since he is who taught me this recipe. I just mix and use. No questions asked, since it worked so well. It is my preferred lubricant, for oil stones.

[@kbuss10]

any idea of the yellow grit number on the stone u used? and the leather has green compound on it or it is just coloured? thx. i use 1200 wet sndpaper last, it gets pretty sharp but not like this.

[@Jef]

There is no ‘grit’ rating for the Norton India, but I’d say between 320-400 grit. The leather did indeed have green chromium oxide on it. 👍

[@aeingrimanu6334]

Is the leather smooth or is it suede? Also this video helps alot with reusing old blades i've been going through these each month and on my last pair so finding a way to reuse them is nice, thanks for the video.

[@Jef]

The smooth/rough is really just personal preference. I like the coarse (suede) side personally.

[@Jonathan-zj6to]

Can that be used to sharpen electrician's snips

[@Jef]

the scissors or the tiny wire cutter things? the scissors, sure. unless they are the type with serrations. those can only be sharpened on the plain edge side, and not the serrated.

[@kraymaty]

Hey Jeff, any idea what angle is best for these blades? Thanks

[@Jef]

Most are really low (10-12º with about a 15 degree micro bevel. I usually just sharpen em like I do any knife, which comes out around 18-20 degree per side. Honestly, as cheap as they are, experiment with some. See which angle you like best.

[@normanbeaulieu4204]

What is the Bevel angle on the blade?

[@Jef]

Sharpening this way puts a second angle on them. Actually they all have two angles. I don’t know off hand what the original is, but my angle is around 18-20°. It’s freehand so not exact

[@bowlegit2]

Can you use WD-40 or 3 on 1 oil?

[@Jef]

Absolutely! These stones are TOUGH. Pretty much any sort of oil, or water based lubricant, will work well.

[@concretecowboy4212]

Thnxs 4 sharing

[@Jef]

Thanks for checking it out

[@sunnykamkam3128]

That's a nice video! Thanks!

[@Jef]

Thanks 🙏

[@rong2578]

What kind of compound do you use on the strop at the end of the video? Very impressive

[@Jef]

I use StropBro's green compound in this video, but my general preference is the white compound. Just google StropBro's, and it should pop up (formerly Stropman.com)

[@jiminutez]

It would be nice to know what materials you are using. What liquid you are using.

[@Jef]

Sorry. I forget to describe things in every video. I’ve made so many and let details slip. The stone itself, if i didn’t mention in the video, is a combination norton India coarse/fine. The liquid is a concoction i got from Caleb McCullough. It is one part dish soap, one part baby oil, and four parts water. I tinker with that recipe a little, adding a tad more soap and oil, to make it thicker.

[@edwardflores6940]

What is the liquid for??

[@Jef]

Lubrication to slide across the stone easier. Also washes away the metal swarf that is removed from the steel

[@Naddan49]

Nice demonstration of what a burr on a freshly sharpened edge will do. But, is the resharpened blade as sharp as a fresh blade? If not, what would it take? This makes me want to test a fresh blade against a black arkansas sharpened one. Very interesting. Lots of possibilities here to test stones and techniques. I was making a leather sheath just today when my utility knife blade got dull. No more blades in the handle. I may just play with this tomorrow. Thanks for the idea Jef. Here's an idea that you might have some fun with. Edge forward stropping. Use the flimsy instruction book paper that comes with power tools. Hold a single page in your left hand (unsupported). Cup it a little bit to keep it from flopping about and strop quickly back and forth trying not to cut the paper. These are short strokes, maybe a half inch to an inch or so. There will be lots of feedback from the paper as you tilt the edge to hit the apex. Eventually you'll shave the print off or it will get so sharp it cuts the paper's edge without your meaning to.

[@Jef]

Is it as sharp as a fresh blade? I think so, yes. Edge retention? Couldn't tell ya. These blades get seriously abused by me. Ancedotal evidence says yes, they last longer once I sharpen them a few times. Is that actually true? I have never sat down to test it, so I won't commit one way or another. This edge forward stropping technique. If you are using super thin paper, and not really supporting it, I am not sure I understand the procedure. Any chance you have a video showing it in demonstration?

[@Naddan49]

@@Jef Sorry Jef, no video. Say you have some crumbs on a table top and all you have is a sheet of paper to catch them with. Hold the paper the same way. Trap it between thumb and ring finger, pressing down gently with index finger. There are lots of ways to hold paper to make it stiff. Albeit there is a slight cup to the paper as a result. Alternatively use the whole book. You're apt to accidentally cut several pages though. Have fun with it.

[@bp-hx9ts]

I don’t ever really sharpen a utility blade

[@Jef]

Cheap enough, to just replace em. However, they are just so easy to sharpen, it takes no time. I've only started doing it myself, this past year.

[@bp-hx9ts]

Jef Jewell yeah might start doing it

[@automaticenforcer9051]

Why?

[@Jef]

At first to see if I could. The edge I make lasts longer than the factory and is sharper. Not to mention, I can abuse the blades, without having to spend $15 a month to replace them. I save a bit of money, get a better edge, and can abuse them without regard. The question should really be, why not?

[@savnet_sinn]

@@Jef "Why not?" is always the right question!