re: Knife Gurus—Sharpening Stones

I use Naniwa Chocera Pro - six of one half dozen the other vs Shapton glass. Of those I have 200, 400, 800, 3000 and 5000. I have all kinds of other things laying around if I need to do re-profiling of edges and I use a leather paddle with honing compound for my finishing.

I would tell you that 400/800/3K plus a leather strop or paddle would set you up just fine. It is not rocket science and is just a matter of finding the edge and letting your hands keep it there through the process.

I get most of my stuff from sharpeningsupplies.com

I learned about edges and stones by using a jig type of sharpener - started with a Russian made one called a TSProf that you had to really work to get and then picked up the Work Sharp version, Pro Precision Adjust Elite, I think it is called. This will provide excellent results for almost anyone, but to really take it to the next level free hand is undefeated.

To provide context, I'm using these for high end Japanese knives (typically VG-10 SS or clad w/ various Aogami steels for edges) and Euro makers (Milan Gravier, Fraderik Spare, etc).

For pocket knives, mower blades, scissors, etc, I use the Work Sharp Ken Onion with the bench grinder attachment which will also do an excellent job, I just prefer the flat edge that a stone will produce.

i really enjoy breaking out my knives and sharpening them.

im sure you have got the basics down, starting with low girt and move your way up. i usually finish in the 8000 range.

leather strop at the end is a real nice finish, get a good one with multiple strop materials and some compound and you can really put a mirror edge on those things.

i use Shun stones and have been happy with them. im a kitchen knife guy not outdoor guy so I'm sure hunting board would have some other recommendations.

guess my other advice would be learn bout what angle you want to put on your blade. Generally, if you want a razor edge but less durable a more narrow angle is desire (kitchen knives, shaving razors, etc). A wider angle is more durable buy going to have less sharpness (axes and other heavy duty items).

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I just take them to a local knife shop 

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Anyone have a suggestion for this service in the Baton Rouge area?

Not all that high tech, but this does a pretty good job for the money.
Smith Sharpening Kit

I also have a low speed grinder with medium and fine grit 8 inch wheels for sharpening lathe tools and other hollow grind tools.

And I have a belt sander which I have used to make and reshape knives.

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I have one. It doesn’t sharpen well AND it mars the blade when metal dust collects on the guide.

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I don’t even understand it’s supposed to work. Honing rods realign the edge…which provides no utility if it’s already dull.

The rods come in different grits.

My FiL swears by his, but if you use the knives in his kitchen you realize that that’s no ringing endorsement.

Sharpening knives is like house painting to me. I like the idea of it at first but ten minutes into the job my thought is This Sucks.

I have diamond plates and lapping paper mounted on float glass plates for my chisels and marking knives. Norton and Japanese water stones for kitchen cutlery that I use, and a Ken Onion Edition WorkSharp with the 1x18 belt option for everything else. I get belts from Red Label Abrasives, everything from 60-grit ceramic to 7000-grit belts and a leather stropping belt with green compound. The belt setup is fast, very easy to get consistent, hair-popping results and I can dial down the speed so as not to remove too much metal or build up heat into the cutting edges. I also have the smaller WorkSharp, used that for outdoor things like axes, garden tools, and mower blades but it largely collects dust now, got a Dewalt 20V belt file and it's much faster.

Spyderco Sharp Maker