Basic sharmpening of a kukri

E

EdgeTim

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
104
So if I am not gonna go the convex edge route, and I have minimal stuff, IE no belt sander, slack belt, or grinder, or diamond rods, etc. How do you guys recommend sharpening. Sorry I am a total noob, I just want to be able to do this on my own ya know?

Thanks for any all opinions.
 
Take a piece of an old belt. Glue it to a paint stick (one of the heavier ones for 5 gal. buckets of paint works best though a 1 gal one works well for a travel /handy size.).
Use rubber cement to glue 220 grit sandpaper to the leather, when the sandpaper gets worn out peel it off and replace it. Use the wet or dry type paper.

Keep using the 220 grit till you have a burr. Then go to finer grits till you reach 600 - 800.

If you put a leather pad on the opposite side of the strop (recommended) Rub Green polishing compound onto the strop and use that to finish.

In use the edge can be maintained by using the Chakma regularly. Occasionaly the use of a butchers steel will also help.

There are some comercial oval shaped diamond steels available that will work for sharpening but you must be judicious in their use for they remove metal aggressivly.
 
I can't improve on WildMike's advice. The chakma will come in handy in the field, and if you've got the stropping rig with you (or are wearing denim jeans as a substitute) you can also do some edge maintenance by stropping regularly.

If you ever plan on buying more big blades and khuks though, a belt grinder is a great little investment, assuming you've got an area where using such a machine won't cause noise/dust problems. May not be practical for you. Been invaluable for me!
 
An alternative to the paint stick are the "Altoid can" and "mousepad" methods, which I think you can find on the Tips & Tricks thread. Also be advised that some people like it sharper than others, so feel free to make up your own mind.
 
Im sorry this is probably gonna sound very wet behind the ears lol, so with the paint stick and sandpaper method, do I just hold it and sand one side of the blade then the other, or lay it flat, etc? Also where can I find the tips and tricks section?

Again sorry for noobness, but hey I wanna learn, and you gotta ask questions right?

Thanks guys
 
EdgeTim said:
Again sorry for noobness, but hey I wanna learn, and you gotta ask questions right?
Click to expand...
Well yeah..that and alot of reading. Dont worry about being a n00b.....we were all n00bs at one time.



Tips and tricks is in the stickies at the top of the forum Here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273576


To make it easier(maybe :D), heres some linkage:
( follow the links within them)

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=681990&highlight=sharpening

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=656250&highlight=sharpening

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=651420&highlight=sharpening

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=636521&highlight=sharpening

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=604654&highlight=sharpening

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=490646&highlight=sharpening

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=584557&highlight=sharpening
 
Last edited:
Karda thank you sir!

Im all about reading as much as I can to further avoid such blatant and noobish questions :p

I thought it was a general tips and tricks for all of BF, not just in HI :foot:

Thanks again.:D
 
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