Here’s how I sharpen my head knife:

First, I use a diamond hone. I have two hones. One is a coarse stone and the other is an extra fine hone. 

Usually you’ll only need the coarse hone for major grinding, i.e. new unsharpened knife, or you nicked the blade.

Place the knife on the stone with the blade at a 20 degree angle (see figure 1).  It’s easy to estimate this angle. 

If you take two quarters stacked and place them at the back of the blade, this will give you the “feel” of approximately 20 degrees.

Figure 1.

 

 

Now hold the handle of the knife with one hand and place the other on top with all four, or three if it’s

more comfortable, fingers on the top of the blade. Now starting on the left corner of the blade,

move the blade in a circular motion INTO the cutting edge which would be counter-clockwise.

See figure 2.

Figure 2.

At the same time, rotate the blade in a manner to sharpen half of the blade.

When you get to the center of the blade, begin rotating it in the opposite direction (clockwise). 

Do this until you can feel a burr on the opposite side of the blade. (opposite of what’s against the stone).

If you drag your finger away from the cutting edge, you will feel it grab your finger. This is a burr.

Make sure you feel it all the way around the blade.

 

Once the burr develops, you need to sharpen the other side. Just repeat above.

Once this is done on the coarse stone (use only with new or damaged knife), I repeat on the extra fine stone. 

Each grinding should take you about 15 to 20 minutes sometimes longer depending on the edge of the blade.

 

After this is done, you need to hone your blade. This is also how you maintain an edge once it’s developed.

 

I use a 2 x 2 piece of oak. See figure 3.  I turned the end of it on a lathe to get the handle.

 

On three sides I rubber cemented a strip of 800, 1200, and 2000 grit sandpaper (get from auto parts store),

and the fourth side with a strip of leather loaded with jeweler’s rouge.

Figure 3.

 

I strop about 10 or 12 strokes on each piece in progressive order, 800, 1200, 2000, then leather.

Strop away from the edge only. Start at the center of the blade, and in one swoop, strop to the corner of the blade.

Do this on both sides of the blade. See figure 4.

 

 

This should yield an extremely sharp knife.

 

Good luck.

 

Marlon (Rawhide)