How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

[polk county]

My lansky knife sharpener broke so I picked up a new oil stone for 2 dollars. It has a course and less course side. I can already see a problem. There is no way I can hold a perfect angle while sharpening. Does it really matter anyway? For as much fishing as I do I really need a sharp edge. How do you sharpen your knife?

thanks

 

[mars bar]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

Because of the flexing nature of a fillet knife, with gentle pressure you can use a fine grit stone but my suggestion to you would be to use one of those plastic sharpeners with the two ceramic rods that crisscross at the bottom they are cheap and compact and do a great job. Just draw the knife towards you smoothly. I think Normark makes them.Another handy item to make would be a leather strop. A piece of thick leather strap glued smooth side down on a piece of hardwood, maybe a 1' long and 1 1/2" wide and coat the leather with a stropping compound available at most good tool shops. This will take the burr off the blade and touch it up between sharpenings. Watch your fingers

 

[idrownworms]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

for most of my knives I use the scary sharp system, basically just sandpaper from 220 grit up to 1000 grit taped to a piece of glass. My fillet knife however I use one of the hand-held ceramic rod sharpeners and it keeps mine sharp enough for when I practice on tiny bluegills. The old man who taught me to fillet almost a half century ago told me if you can fillet a minnow you can fillet anything.
jamie

 

[cbavier]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I have many stones too but I use the plastic holder with the two ceramic rods. In fact I have almost wore one out and need to get a new one. A dull fileting knife is very dangerous. I sharpen mine every other time I filet fish which is often.

 

[i386]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I use my Lansky sharpener.

 

[Laddies]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I use a steel or ceramic rod depending on the knifes hardness

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

My lansky knife sharpener broke so I picked up a new oil stone for 2 dollars. It has a course and less course side. I can already see a problem. There is no way I can hold a perfect angle while sharpening. Does it really matter anyway? For as much fishing as I do I really need a sharp edge. How do you sharpen your knife?

thanks

I use an accusharp (http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-Kni..._2?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1236731875&sr=8-2) I like it alot and it is fast and durable.

Last time I was in Polk County I picked one up in an outdoors store in Winter Haven for my folks and did all their kitchen knives...... of course by the time I got home to VT they had already gotten cut on the sharp knife

LOL my Dad will not sharpen the knives even though I bought one and left it in a drawer there in FL...... or Mom will get cut!

 

[mthieme]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

For the bulk of my knives I have several Arkansas stones.
For the better stuff, Scary Sharp.

 

[dwyork@hotmail.com]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I always used a cheap fine/course sharpening tool from Bass Pro and assumed that my knives were getting sharp enough, until recently. I picked up a Work Sharp guided field sharpener and it's the best sharpener I've ever used. Has seperate rods for serrated knives and even a special rod for sharpening fish hooks. As any guy, I love new tools, but this is one that I actually got excited about. Work Sharp WSGFS221 Guided Field Sharpener - Amazon.com

 

[Boomyal]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

Sorry Bob, but IMHO the accu-sharp style sharpener butchers fine knife blades, while removing too much steel. I use two grades of ceramic rods for all my sharp knives. They are easy to use and easy on the blade itself.

I do use an accu-sharp style sharpener on my crude Machetes! :facepalm:

 

[JB]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

For touching up I use the same steel I use on my kitchen knives; it straightens the edge. If a bit dull I use an Arkansas stone and 3in1. If really dull I use the fine side of my electric Presto Eversharp, then the stone.

There are probably better ways, but I learned from a butcher. If I can shave with it it is good enough for me.

 

[littlerayray]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

i use a whet stone with oil and once it is sharp i grab my diamond sharpener i use for chisels once i can shave hair off my arm i know its sharp enough

 

[gm280]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

It depends on what I am sharpening. For filet knifes I use both a two sided stone and 3 in 1 oil and ceramic sticks to finish up the edge. But if a am sharpening more of a straight edge, then I use a sharpening system that holds the angle while going through increasing finer grades of stones. Hunting knifes and the like work great that way. And yes once you can shave the hair on your arm, they are sharp. Now for my cutting blades in my shop (planner blades and jointer blades) I use a low rotating wet stone system that will sharpen chisels and blades for planners and jointers to an edge that will cut you just touching them... It slowly rotates and has water drip onto the stone for lubrication and floats off the removed material. And you work the edge across this stone at an adjustable tilt that holds the edge perfectly as it moves. The wet rotating stones come in different grits but I think the one installed now is either 6000 grit or 8000 grit. Those edges get so sharp that I have to keep them in thick plastic boxes until I install them to keep them from anybody coming into contact with them...

 

[Splat]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I use a harbor freight 1x30" belt sander with super fine grit belts, finishing up with a leather stropping belt. In between sharpening a quick run down the strop keeps all my knives scary sharp.

Bill

 

[Don S]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I wonder if Bob is still using his accusharp since he posted that 4 years ago.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: How do you sharpen your fillet knife?

I wonder if Bob is still using his accusharp since he posted that 4 years ago.

Ha Ha! Just noticed that at your mention. However, I would venture to say that if he had, there wouldn't be much left of his blade by now!