Anybody have any tips on sharpening Tanto blades Using an Edge Pro

J

JimJones

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Jul 19, 2017
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Hey guys just wondering if anybody could give me any tips they have or point me in the wright direction when it comes to sharpening a tanto style blade.



My main concern is where the tip and main edges meet i don’t want to mess this part up.



I have never had a problem with regular style blades because i use one continuous stroke across the whole edge. But I’m not sure this will be possible with a tanto blade?

What would happen if I used my normal technique of starting at the back of the blade and use one continuous pass to the tip without letting the stone roll off the tip?

Another question I have is most if not all of my sharpening experience is with Spyderco’s with thinner blade stock. I always set my angle to the red setting on the Edge Pro which I think is 15 degrees. This always gives me a hair popping razor sharp edge would there be any reason to change this on a knife with thicker blade stock?



Any thoughts are appreciated
 
Absolutely do not treat it as one continuous blade, if you want to maintain the middle tanto tip. As 115 Italian said treat it as two separate blades, and don’t let the stone rotate on the middle tip.

Best way on the edge pro is to set the blade for the main portion, sharpen it, then reset the blade at an angle for the tanto portion, and sharpen it.

Video from EP...

 
Thank you so much guys you saved me from getting into trouble. After I posted the thread I spent some time looking at the edges of my tanto blades and I thought to myself what’s the worst that can happen and I almost went ahead and started grinding away but at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to sharpen my new delica and wait for some reply’s instead.



Anybody have any opinion’s on sharpening thicker blades at the same angle that I sharpen thinner blades?



Another thought of mine. Factory edges suck. on one tanto that I have I have 4 different angles going on. What I’m thinking about doing is reprofiling the main edge on both sides so they are the same and doing the same thing on the Tanto portion as well. Is there a specific reason why the tip of a Tanto should be at a different angel than the main portion of the blade?



Once again thanks
 
Usually tanto tips are at a higher angle (U.S. version) because they're sold as "stabbing" into stuff... requiring a more durable tip. You could probably make them all the same angle, depending on how you'll use it. If the front portion is thicker though, you'll end up with a wider bevel than the rest. (Only matters if you care how it looks).

My only comment on lowering angles on thicker blades to equal your thinner ones, is you'll do a lot of work, end up with a wide bevel (depending on the thickness) and the blade may not cut that much better due to the overall thick geometry. Most come sharpened too high so you can lower it some... but you may not want to get carried away. If you have a specific knife in mind... it might benefit.

If it's a knife you really like... consider sending it in for a "regrind" (there are forum members who offer this service)... where the whole blade is thinned to improve performance.
 
So you think it would be better to follow the factory grind “at least as much as possible”. Like I said factory grind lines are not symmetrical especially the higher end mid tech’s that have a hand ground edge.





I kind of just recently got into “higher end” knives and I want to mess anything up. The two particular Tantos in question are a ZT 062 “I know not high end mid tech” but it was my first Tanto. And a Jake Hobak Quaiback. The other mid tech that I have is a Ferrum Forge Gavko Spinner. Which has a thick blade stock but is really thin behind the edge.



Like I said earlier most of my sharpening experience is from Spydercos PM2’s, Delicas, Enduras etc. etc. Nothing against these particular knives I love them all. But I wouldn’t feel as bad if I ruined one of them as I would if I messed up something more expensive higher end. I have no problem putting a razor mirror hair popping edge on these and I want to do the same with the higher end of my collection.
 
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