Knife sharpening.

Does anyone know of a business in the Murfreesboro/Smyrna area that sharpens knives for the public? I have a CRKT Mirage Grey Ghost and I have had no luck getting a good edge on the blade doing it myself. Thanks for any input.

Go to the gunshows in nashville, and franklin (this weekend), there is usually a guy there that sharpens anything you want for like $3.

This is a skill you should learn. Get a dull knife you can practice on. Soft Arkansas stone with a mild amount of honing oil to an average edge. Hard Arkansas stone "peeling" a thin layer off the stone, one side at a time, keeping it wet. Test it on cardboard (I like cola 12-pack boxes) until you're satisfied. My CRKT SRT M16 - 13LE has two different angles on the blade. Your application of proper honing angles can overcome such blades. If you use the knife at all, you'll be resharpening more often you would want to pay someone else. Once you've turned that old knife into a real cutting tool, you'll want to do more!

I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker, it works pretty well. It also comes with a instruction book and DVD that will help you get started.

In addition to the gun shows, there's a number of specialty cooking places that sharpen knives. $3 for a sharpening is a GREAT price on anything more than a pocket knife. If you can find that, jump on it (especially for an initial sharpening.)

Doing it yourself is all about using the right amount of oil, holding a consistent angle and being patient. There is a fine art to honing a blade. The blades made from harder steels are more difficult to sharpen, but hold an edge for a very long time.

If you get a pro to put the first edge on the knife, touching it up will be a lot easier.

Originally Posted by Jeff Lemons

I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker, it works pretty well. It also comes with a instruction book and DVD that will help you get started.

These are a great sharpener as are Lansky Diamond, DMT, Gatco, etc. Anything that will help you hold the angle will be beneficial. Regular Stones are difficult to hold the angle on for a beginner and depending on the steel in the knife, you could be there forever trying to get it done with a stone. Try a diamond.

Jack is right. Lots of good advice here:

This is a skill you should learn. Get a dull knife you can practice on. Soft Arkansas stone with a mild amount of honing oil to an average edge. Hard Arkansas stone "peeling" a thin layer off the stone, one side at a time, keeping it wet. Test it on cardboard (I like cola 12-pack boxes) until you're satisfied. My CRKT SRT M16 - 13LE has two different angles on the blade. Your application of proper honing angles can overcome such blades. If you use the knife at all, you'll be resharpening more often you would want to pay someone else. Once you've turned that old knife into a real cutting tool, you'll want to do more!

Knife sharpening is a pretty important skill. It has been my experience that much of the problem with sharpening actually comes from getting the knife edge 'too sharp" (i know, it sounds crazy). The old timers called it a "wire edge". The "wire edge" is an extraordinarily thin edge that will bend or "turn" as the old guys said and appears to be dull. The "wire edge" needs to be broken off to expose the real cutting edge -- usually by "stropping" (stropping is simply rrubbing the edge in the trailing position (the opposite of "slicing the stone)) against a leather or canvas srop. You may want to re-try the sharpening thing, then strop the edge on some old leather.
Also, here is a good resource for sharpening: Amazon.com: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (9780446380027): John Juranitch: Books
Its a little old, but full of good information. By the way, once a knife is sharpened correctly, its pretty easy to touch up the edge with few licks on a stone and strop to keep it sharp.
Kind regards,
LEROY

T ake a field trip to Smokey Mountain Knifeworks. They charge a $1.00 per blade. No swords though!

Originally Posted by VERO1

T ake a field trip to Smokey Mountain Knifeworks. They charge a $1.00 per blade. No swords though!

I usually take them 5 or 10 every time I go!

Originally Posted by jackdm3

This is a skill you should learn. Get a dull knife you can practice on. Soft Arkansas stone with a mild amount of honing oil to an average edge. Hard Arkansas stone "peeling" a thin layer off the stone, one side at a time, keeping it wet. Test it on cardboard (I like cola 12-pack boxes) until you're satisfied. My CRKT SRT M16 - 13LE has two different angles on the blade. Your application of proper honing angles can overcome such blades. If you use the knife at all, you'll be resharpening more often you would want to pay someone else. Once you've turned that old knife into a real cutting tool, you'll want to do more!

It is a skill that I can do... but not on the level that I am wanting. I can get the blade "adequately sharp" but I am looking to get it back to it's original edge. Or as close as possible anyway. Thanks for all the input from everyone.