Welcome to the sharpening and care page!
Sharpening and care of your knife is your chance to shine! The care and sharpening that you give your knife is your final touch on a knife, custom or factory. It will show if you care for your knife, or if you mistreat it. A knife that is well cared for is like a spouse, if you treat them well, and give them the care that they need, then together you can accomplish what separately you could not, and have a great time doing it.
Besides sharpening, your knife should be handwashed and dried. If it wears a wood handle, the handle should be rubbed down with a couple drops of food grade mineral oil when it looks dry. They should never be put through the dishwasher, used as a prybar, screwdriver, be used on hard substances like bone or steel.
Since sharpening is a action that is much easier to teach in person, I will put a couple links to my youtube channel.
With regards to sharpening, I suggest to always use a stone. mechanical sharpeners can wreck a fine edge in a hurry. the stones that I really like for everything but razors are the smiths and dmt 325 grit {labeled as coarse}, the Norton crystalon combination coarse/fine for shaping, and the Norton fine india {or the diamond hones} for finishing. and lately have been really liking the Norton 220 waterstone for shaping.
For razors, my favorites for shaping and setting or repairing bevels are the Norton combination 220/1000 and 4000/8000, and then the naniwa 8000 and 12000 for finishing, followed by a Straight Razor Designs English Bridle strop.