sharpening a convex knife

[RELH]

Due to the requests concerning how to sharpen a hunting knife, I did some research to find a video with simple easy instructions without a hunter having to buy expensive sharpening equitment.

I use a horizontal 2X48" belt sander-grinder with a slack belt to put a convex edge on my knives that are razor shaving sharp. But! who wants to buy a 400 dollar sander-grinder to sharpen a few knives a year.

I found a good video on youtube that gives very easy instructions and the only equitment needed is 1000 or 2000 grit sand paper that can be bought a most auto paint stores. A soft rubber computer mouse pad. A leather strop that can be made from a 2 inch by 14 inch pieace of tanned leather glued to a board and some green or Jackson white 51 polish compound.

Go to Youtube and search under "sharpening a convex knife" and you will find the 4 minute video that shows how to put a razor edge on a convex knife blade that has gone dull. You can use this also to sharpen flat ground knives. Remember keeping the same angle is most important in getting that razor edge.

RELH

 

[eelgrass]

That's exactly how I sharpen my knife. I just wish it was a custom Hatfield knife.

That is also how I keep my wood chisels sharp. If fact, the key is to not let your knife or chisel get dull in the first place. When using a wood chisel I lay it to the leather strop every 15 minutes or so. Only rarely do I need to use the sandpaper.

I sharpen stuff for a living. The owner of the sawmill I work at is anal about sharp saw blades. A sharp saw pulls lots less horsepower than a dull saw. After using a 150 grit diamond wheel at 27 degrees, I put the carbide blade on a polishing machine. I then polish with a 800 grit diamond wheel at 25 degrees, and then with a 3000 grit wheel also at 25 degrees. The last step is to inspect the edge with an optical comparitor (magnifying glass). It might be overkill for a sawmill application, but the owner signs my check so I do it his way. He comes into the shop and pulls saws off the wall to check them all the time, so I can't cheat either.

Eel