Sharpening Basics Mastering Lower Grit Stones

[@michaelpowers9958]

Not only are you educational and I like your sharpening style, but you have a very soothing voice too.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thank you. :-)

[@willc9235]

Yes the key to very sharp edges off low grit stones is light pressure. I have gotten hair popping edges just off a Nubatama 220.

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

shapton pros are really hard which means they require more pressure than softer stones and courser stones in general will require more pressure to make them cut well. You can get excellent toothy edges with nothing more than a sheet of 80 grit budget bin sandpaper if you have the patience to learn. It's not difficult. Learning the piano or another language is hard. Learning how to sharpen knives is one of the easiest skills a person could pick.

[@pcooke9865]

I completely agree with your comment about some people saying to only use pressure on the stropping stroke and not on the push stroke. Absolutely ridiculous! Great video. Keep up the good work

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Appreciate it and thank you for watching!

[@brandonhuybers7266]

The reason it's often recommended to apply pressure on edge trailing strokes and not on edge leading strokes is because you run the risk of accidentally digging your edge into the surface of the stone and gouging the stone. By only applying pressure on edge trailing strokes you eliminate that risk. I hope this was helpful!

[@weakest_serb]

​@@brandonhuybers7266 Yep. I used pushing strokes improperly and I ground down part of my blade a good couple of milimeters. The edge (which is supposed to be straight) looked like a banana because i ground the blade so much in one area. Definitely a wake up call.

[@ronmccarty7537]

Your KZbin channel just popped up. Fantastic video! Very informative! Thank you.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thank you!

[@KnifeNut2024]

First, Let me say I have learned a lot from your videos. I have several stones from Shaptons, Naniwas, Spydercos and even a Sharpening Supplies In house series USA made stones. I use my Shapton series probably more than any of the others although I like them all for their different aspects. I gave this test a try using the Shapton 320 on a couple of different knives with different steels. I was surprised at how sharp I could get them by spending the extra time on this stone. I also noticed that it drastically reduced the time needed on additional stones as I progress. Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention. We never stop learning which is why I enjoy it so much. Keep up the excellent work!

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thank you Mark, glad you found it helpful!

[@jeffhicks8428]

Those are pride abrasives stones. The sharpening supplies. That site is way over priced on their shapton and naniwa products. I bought a 3k chosera from them and I regret it cuz I could have got the same stone for 30% less. It's the same for the other stuff too.

[@Peters3n]

Just what i was looking for. Thank you very much 💪😁

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Hey thanks for watching!

[@nitchdesigns9662]

Great tutorial! Keep 'em coming!

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Hey thanks, appreciate it!

[@Aerzon1v1]

I've watched this video a number of times. The coarse stone is really the only stone that matters. In a world where you can only have one, a medium coarse would have to be it. The polishing stones feel nice and can make an edge more keen, but they're nothing without a coarse stone prior. I am tempted to challenge myself for a month to only use a coarse stone and a strop. Maybe a Venev F240 or a Norton Crystolon Fine would do well.

[@oldie121]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thank you.

[@kennymanchester]

This video auto played when I stepped away briefly and so I re-watched it. It’s a funny coincidence as I played a game sharpening yesterday wondering how sharp I could get some nice knives while repairing some abused edges. I sharpened a mixed bag of some nice knives yesterday and decided to see how sharp I could get them all using a 140 diamond stone alone before moving on. Answer: Darned sharp! Like you said, steel hardness and pressure are a couple key variables, but if you cannot get your edges really sharp on coarse stones you need to keep working technique.

[@hidude2124]

I like this video more than anybody else who has commented

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Glad you like it. :)

[@ezbakeovenhands]

amazing video! buying a shapton pro 320, 1500, and a rika 5k tomorrow used but seem fine for 100 bucks total which seems like a good deal to me (hope so), so I won't even try the higher grit stones until i can master this 320! thanks for the tips

[@AaronJohnson1979]

I'm going to try this! Good video

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Hey I appreciate it! 🙂

[@feralgrandad4429]

I often reset the bevel & remove chips with my scandi grind knives with King 220g. Of late I've found that I can get a really usable edge right off that stone. Interesting video. subscribing was easy decision 😁

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thanks! :-)

[@WormyLeWorm]

Your sharpening process seems similar to mine in the details. I find that as time goes on I feel I can get a finer and finer than expected edge off very coarse stones. It actually feels easier to get a clean edge on cheaper stainless stuff like this to me on coarse stones, too.

[@nope8535]

I spent awhile doing ultra low grits. Record is 24 grit arm hair shaving. 120 grit hair whittling. I now at most do 320 grit. This is all without stropping.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Some time back I went went though a low grit phase. Had some very low grit Nubatama stones even down to 24 grit, could get similar results when using with plateau method of sharpening all without stropping.

[@inthemiddleof]

Make a video of it and post it. I have never used or heard about stones with 24 grit.

[@nope8535]

@@inthemiddleof there already are videos on here, also google 24 grit sharpening stone.

[@mikafoxx2717]

24 grit must give you a near serrated knife. Talk about aggressive. Plateau sharpening seems like the best way, in theory. Burrs can be so hard to remove it's best to just blunt the edge controllably and then just get back to the apex and maybe a little extra but without creating a sizable burr. Science of sharp got a straight razor straight off a Shapton 320 and shaved with it. But it was used as the last step, not the only step.

[@hidude2124]

I recently had a guy named Jason stone show me how to deburr off a dmt fine stone. He deburred using edge leading strokes no pressure and changing the scratch pattern with every stroke. After he could treetop hair, whittle hair, and pushcut green rizla paper

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

I believe I'm subscribed to the same Jason Stone you're talking about. I'm able to get similar results with the finer DMT's, matter of fact I just purchased not to long ago a duosharp HC in fine/extra fine and have been messing around with it most of the day.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

i.imgur.com/DXwqzpM.jpg

[@knifesharpeningnorway]

Great video mate 😁

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thanks brother! :)

[@inthemiddleof]

Supposedly, using diamond based abrasives, using only stropping like strokes helps to reduce chipping of some harder steels, particularly at lower angles.

[@hunteredisoniii8887]

Love to own 1 of ur stropes .

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

You on reddit or IG, feel free to DM me there or email me (see yt about page) if you'd like one.

[@homealone2077]

Wow! So impressive!! 😯 I wanna try this later. so could you tell me what grit of your aluminum oxide bar compound is? there are several grades of grits in my country (#200~#400 and #1500), so I'm not sure what it is.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Hello and thanks, around 1K or so.

[@Crazyknives]

Nice video!! And I honestly didn't think you were going to be able to do, what you did with the paper towel, I can do that, but with a higher grit, thanks

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thank you. 🙏

[@larryseibold4287]

Good advice. I am curious if you have tried and how would you compare the Shapton pro 320 to the Shapton Glass 500?

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thanks. The 320 is muddy and wears faster however I really like it over the glass 320 or 500 for HC steels. I have the HR glass stones and they tend imo to work better on higher alloy steels but then I normally just use diamond so my glass stones don't get much use. Overall I prefer the pro's at least for what I mainly use them for HC kitchen knives.

[@bjornegan6421]

I imagine this question is probably annoying and difficult to answer. Would you be willing to suggest what you think 'the best' setup would be in terms of highest value? as in getting the most for each dollar spent, throughout the long term? Trying to find such a setup, i ended up with a spyderco medium ceramic stone. right now, that and a lansky turnbox thing is all i have. i think i likely need a coarser stone and would like to get some kind of 'finishing' stone. i am far more interested in lifespan over 'ease' or quickness of sharpening. and i realize it can all be subjective. stones that are far less likely to dish and need any dressing or maintenance interest me more. i have considered possibly going with a spyderco fine and attempting to dress it like you did, but i don't think i'd be comfortable doing that with how limited knowledge i have. my thoughts currently are find the longest lasting, flattest from the factory coarse stone i can get. an atoma or venev or ultra sharp or even maybe a worksharp diamond plate seem like possibilities. then either a high quality larger ceramic rod 'hone' thing for finishing and a homemade leather strop or some basswood to experiment with compounds. i guess it wasn't too much of a question, but what are your thoughts or advice? if you wouldn't mind. i've considered perhaps even the spyderco cbn plate as i can get it for about $75 ish. but that seems quite expensive when compared to other quality plates or resin stones.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Hey Bjorn, what will you be sharpening and what steels? Simple steels, higher alloy or a mix? What is your overall budget?

[@bjornegan6421]

@@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY thanks! It would probably be a mix. some fixed blade outdoors knives, some kitchen knives of various types. mostly folders. my current fanciest steels are xhp and s35vn. but i hope to get something of the real supersteels at some point. budget is hard. i dont have the money to get something now and then 'need' to upgrade it later. or 'need' something to fill a role and i'm mostly trying to avoid the 'need' to replace anything which is why i'm most interested in plates and ceramics. I'd probably not be able to justify a total over $120.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

@@bjornegan6421 Hmm at that price that's kinda a tall order, will have to think about that. Something like my large 10" DMT duo-sharp and spyderco ceramic stone I can sharpen about anything on that combo but not ideal for some steels. I use my shapton pro's, dmt duosharp plates and spyderco ceramics the most. I have lots of other stone synthetic and natural but most sit with exception to some Arks from Dan's.

[@bjornegan6421]

@@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY i really am thankful for your reply. i have heard quite a bit on a few channels that recent dmt's are nothing like they used to be. issues with flatness, the bond of the diamonds, and the plate flaking off. i can get the ultrafine spyderco 2" wide benchstone for roughly 50 ish. so thinking i can either get that and a decent double sided diamond plate, dmt, ultra sharp, or atoma. or, i could get a more expensive stone, perhaps double side and a ceramic rod.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

@@bjornegan6421 You bet. I have heard that too over the years however haven't really had any problems like that with my DMT's. Coarse and a fine diamond plates & a ceramic for final apexing can sharpening about anything on those if you're looking for an all around combo.

[@leecherlarry]

terrific stuff! is that a toothy apex under the 150x microscope? i only have 2 benchstones, either is fine not coarse. i will do the challenge with RUIXIN PRO stones 😆

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Thank you leech, you know off a 320 is felt surprisingly smooth especially after stropping when dragged over my nail. I'm sure the apex isn't smooth like you see off a very high grit stone. I look forward to hearing your results. :-)

[@leecherlarry]

@@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY I'll let you know! And how about you trying (or even filming hehe) to sharpen freehand on *1x* 204M (or other 204-stone)? I do "204-freehanding" even for such big kitchen knives as your Mercer. Lotta fun! The method doesn't work for straight edges though because straight edges become concave very soon with this method.

[@ArikGST]

My corsest stone is a 120, not sure I can get a hair shaving edge off that. I have gotten a hair shaving edge of a 320 before though, might have to try that again for a video, call it the Northwest_Knife_Guy Challenge :D

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Haha, I'd like to see that for sure! :-) As long as you're consistent you should be able to get hair shaving even off 140 diamond.

[@lucadobusch]

Hi bro and very nice channel you've got here. This and Dr. Wako's are my favourite one sharpening-wise. May I ask the angle you were keeping while stroking, I reckon it must've been like 30-ish? Did the knife have a secondary bevel? I just tried doing the same with the exact same Shapton stone and same steel on a German budget kitchen knife and boy, I wasn't even close to that sharpness of yours... guess I've gotta work harder on my skills. Thank you and bye-bye ;-)

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Hey appreciate it. Approx. 15 or 30 inclusive is what I normally shoot for and no secondary/micron bevel. It does take a little practice, did you check for burr formation and also that the burr was completely removed?

[@bamafaninky861]

Can you link Dr. Wako's? I can't locate anything.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

@@bamafaninky861 kzbin.info

[@Christopher_Giustolisi]

Trying to get the edge as sharp as i can on my coarsest stone. Ooof, that would be 30 grit.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

I have a couple stones that are 30 grit, they will work. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4LRmYGcjK6dbbM

[@irineujunior5576]

I want to have shapton stones, but it is very expensive.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

The price isn't too bad but that also depends on where you're located. Something like the king deluxe are lower in cost however still work well.

[@irineujunior5576]

@@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY Between king 1000 and suehiro 1000, which one is better?

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

@@irineujunior5576 Between the two I would choose suehiro 1k.

[@ared18t]

I got a five dollar knife from walmart to shave hair off a 300 grit stone :D

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

Very nice!

[@ared18t]

LOL I forgot about this. Man that was a terrible experience I never tried again haha@@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

the issue is knife bros on the internet like to talk and talk but don't actually do anything. so many comments from bozos claiming to be "hand sharpening for 70 years" yet they're impressed by skills a child could learn in a week. If you have even basic skills you should be able to get take a single sheet of dollar store 120 grit, or even 80 grit, and lay it down on some glass with some water and get an edge that will obviously be toothy but can do anything you'd ever want it to do, down to blowing through free hanging paper towels with ease with no more than maybe 2 strops on an ultra fine ie sub-micron abrasive just to clean it up a little. Shaving hair at the skin is a low bar. If a knife can't even do that, I'd consider it dull. Slicing paper isn't any kind of test of sharpness of a knife or keenness of an edge at all. No clue who so many seem to think it is. If your knife can't even slice paper, you have an issue. The only actual reasons to slice paper is because it's fun and satisfying, or because you want to quicky check if an edge has chips or rolls without having to visually inspect it. if you want to get good at deburring, try using stones are less friable. Friable stones do a lot of that work for you. But the ultimate test would be something like lapping films. They are not friable at all and unless you know what you're doing you're going to just flip that burr back and forth for an eternity. The key is learning how to sharpen without creating much of a burr in the first place. Shapton pro 220 and 320 are nice, hard, splash and go, silicon carbide stones but they are quite a bit more friable and wear faster than any other stone in the line including the 120 which is a very hard white alumina stone. The 220 is easily able to create keen but toothy edges. The 320 is fine enough to where you can get fine edges from it with some experience.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

For a kitchen knife slicing news print or arm hair shaving sharp is a common test and you need nothing sharper then that for general kitchen use. A lot of people make posts as to how good they are however never post any content of them sharpening, kind of ironic. Here is a video for you to take a look at, slicing TP right off an Ark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5zKmJRjZZKMoqM

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

@@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY yeah man I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about folks I see in comment sections being amazed by things that are not amazing. Sharpening a knife is fine, but it's not amazing. Folks act like it's some major skill that takes a lifetime to master like a musical instrument or learning a new language as an adult. Like, that's a little much guys. You could do this too with a few weeks of practice, it's not jesus walking on water guys.

[@NORTHWESTKNIFEGUY]

@@TimJohnson-x1o My apologizes then, I misunderstood your comments.