Cheapest way to sharpen CPM 3V?

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AXwFS0OIUDoE

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Sep 23, 2015
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What is a cheap sharpening system/stone/diamond rod to sharpen CPM 3V?
I read that it is very difficult to sharpen but it also holds a working edge for a very long time and for my uses all I need is a working edge so I won't have to sharpen it often.
 
Depends on how you value your time.
Almost anything will sharpen it, the difference is how long it will take.
I would say on average, silicon carbide might be the cheapest - all things considered.
 
Oh, I thought "difficult to sharpen" meant that some types of sharpeners wouldn't sharpen it at all.
What stone grit should I get? 2000/5000?
 
AXwFS0OIUDoE said:
What is a cheap sharpening system/stone/diamond rod to sharpen CPM 3V?
I read that it is very difficult to sharpen but it also holds a working edge for a very long time and for my uses all I need is a working edge so I won't have to sharpen it often.
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I haven't heard that about 3V, it is usually known for its toughness. It is M390, S90V, S110V that have the reputation for being hard to sharpen. I use the diamond stones in a DMT aligner system to sharpen steels such as M4 and S90V.
 
I have sharpened 3V a ton.

Ceramic whetstone (grit depends on how fine of an edge you want)
I am goog at 600.
Strop with green compound.

Takes about 2-4 minutes to SHARPEN, not fix anything....
 
Let's go to Maintenance, Tinkering& Embellishment.
General Knife Discussion is for discussing the knives themselves, aspects of maintenance, sharpening, modifications, etc belong elsewhere.
 
RevDevil said:
Let's go to Maintenance, Tinkering& Embellishment.
General Knife Discussion is for discussing the knives themselves, aspects of maintenance, sharpening, modifications, etc belong elsewhere.
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I searched for "sharp" on the homepage but I didn't spot maintenance, sharpening, modifications, sorry about that.
 
I have had fantastic results with 3V as well as Infi by using a Work Sharp. I love a convex edge on a hard use outdoor fixed blade. The WS is great, IMO, for larger fixed blades.

On a folder, my Wicked Edge with diamonds is all I use. It doesn't care if it's 3V or S110V. The difference is 10 minutes.

If you're just sharpening, not re profiling, a Spyderco Sharpmaker will work just fine.
 
Vegas Blade said:
I have had fantastic results with 3V as well as Infi by using a Work Sharp. I love a convex edge on a hard use outdoor fixed blade. The WS is great, IMO, for larger fixed blades.

On a folder, my Wicked Edge with diamonds is all I use. It doesn't care if it's 3V or S110V. The difference is 10 minutes.

If you're just sharpening, not re profiling, a Spyderco Sharpmaker will work just fine.
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Will I also need a honing steel to straighten the edges?
 
Not sure in tracking you Sir. To straighten the edge? I don't think so. I have never had a "bent" edge.if you're talking about rolling the edge, stropping should get you there just fine. Use an away from you stroke on a nice hard backed leather strop. That will address all but the worst rolls.

The beauty of the Work Sharp is the speed and the durability of the edge it provides. I use the very fine purple belts. This is very, very much like a power strop. It doesn't remove metal as much as it polishes it. I start on the green belt, progress to the next one (reddish brown IIRC) then one or two passes on the purple belt. This leaves you with a fantastic, convex edge that will push cut newspaper. I do it to all my Busses. They are very obtuse from the factory. 20 minutes on the WS and the biggest, heaviest Busse will push cut. Also an amazing edge for leather and hide. Think hunting or skinning.
 
Cheapest? A couple pieces of wet and dry sand paper from 300 to 600 grit, a chunk of 2x4, and a couple nails.
 
Vegas Blade said:
The beauty of the Work Sharp is the speed and the durability of the edge it provides. I use the very fine purple belts. This is very, very much like a power strop.
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Wanna get it even closer to a power strop? Turn one of your purple belts inside out and run it on the machine. Apply green compound to the now exposed underside of the belt. Now use that to strop/polish.

One of the guys at worksharp/Darex gave me that tip. He said he and his customers have been doing it on worn out purple belts and it works really well.

Brian.
 
Hey guys, I did some more research and the Work Sharp seems like a convenient and effective all-in-one solution but it is too expensive for me.

I decided to go with one 2 sided whetstone 1000/4000 grit.

I have one more question regarding polishing.

Should I get a leather polishing strop + green compound or should I just get a 8000 grit whetstone? Is there a big difference between the two?
 
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Vegas Blade said:
Not sure in tracking you Sir. To straighten the edge? I don't think so. I have never had a "bent" edge.if you're talking about rolling the edge, stropping should get you there just fine. Use an away from you stroke on a nice hard backed leather strop. That will address all but the worst rolls.
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Sorry, I am new to knives. I thought they need a "honing steel" like kitchen knives.
I am now thinking about getting a 1000/4000 whetstone (double sided) for $15 and a green compound leather strop for about $15 as well. This is the cheapest option I have found. Is this a good idea? The Work Sharp is great but it is very expensive. Do you think I can get good quality edge with the whetstone + strop combination?
 
AXwFS0OIUDoE said:
Sorry, I am new to knives. I thought they need a "honing steel" like kitchen knives.
I am now thinking about getting a 1000/4000 whetstone (double sided) for $15 and a green compound leather strop for about $15 as well. This is the cheapest option I have found. Is this a good idea? The Work Sharp is great but it is very expensive. Do you think I can get good quality edge with the whetstone + strop combination?
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:) Hi, what kind/size of knife in 3V? Are you a chef or butcher or ..?

If you're tight on money a strop seems like an extravagance :) green compound can be had in many hardware stores for < $6, where you can also get a piece of wood or cardboard ... :)
 
bucketstove said:
:) Hi, what kind/size of knife in 3V? Are you a chef or butcher or ..?

If you're tight on money a strop seems like an extravagance :) green compound can be had in many hardware stores for < $6, where you can also get a piece of wood or cardboard ... :)
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No not a butcher, I just like to go hiking every now and then and I bought a drop point 3V survival/EDC knife and I want to maintain a working edge on it, don't need it razor sharp, just a working edge.

I was playing around with the knife and while I was cutting a green apple I hit the edge of the knife on the granite bench top. The damage is barely noticeably but I can feel it with my fingernails and that point doesn't cut paper anymore so I am guessing the edge has rolled.

Basically I just want to repair that part of the knife without re-profiling the edge or damaging the rest of the knife because the rest of the edge if still razor sharp.

A little before reading your post, I decided to ditch the leather strop because I figured that 4000 grit is already very fine.
How do I use green compound alone without the leather strop? Don't I need to apply the green compound to the leather?
 
I decided to get the Spyderco Sharpmaker, I am sure it will more than get the job done for me.
It is a bit expensive but I couldn't find anything of comparable quality at lower prices.
The reason why I will not get a whetstone is that I am 100% sure keeping a consistent angle will cause huge problems for me and a horrible edge. This problem is eliminated with the Spyderco Sharpmaker.
 
AXwFS0OIUDoE said:
I decided to get the Spyderco Sharpmaker, I am sure it will more than get the job done for me.
It is a bit expensive but I couldn't find anything of comparable quality at lower prices.
The reason why I will not get a whetstone is that I am 100% sure keeping a consistent angle will cause huge problems for me and a horrible edge. This problem is eliminated with the Spyderco Sharpmaker.
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Not to burst your bubble, but the SM is just a guide, you still need to keep a relatively consistent angle....

What happens if you buy a knife that doesn't fit with the 15 and 20dps guides?

If you can put an edge on a knife on the SM, you can do it on a stone, the only difference will be much more control over every aspect of the process....

The hardest part about sharpening on a stone is getting over the part where you think you can't do it, after that, it's just better edges and a linear progression of your skill.
 
AXwFS0OIUDoE said:
How do I use green compound alone without the leather strop? Don't I need to apply the green compound to the leather?
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use something flat, like cereal box, paint stirrer stick ... manilla folder or cardboard on the edge of a table
but you don't really need the compound or high grits (1000/4000 ) for a working edge
, see below for more

AXwFS0OIUDoE said:
No not a butcher, I just like to go hiking every now and then and I bought a drop point 3V survival/EDC knife and I want to maintain a working edge on it, don't need it razor sharp, just a working edge.
...I decided to get the Spyderco Sharpmaker, I am sure it will more than get the job done for me.
It is a bit expensive but I couldn't find anything of comparable quality at lower prices.
The reason why I will not get a whetstone is that I am 100% sure keeping a consistent angle will cause huge problems for me and a horrible edge. This problem is eliminated with the Spyderco Sharpmaker.
Click to expand...
sounds a lot like me :) I thought I can't hold an angle ...
turns out its not that important and its not too hard to be able scrape shave arm hair

for example see how to sharpen a knife - Joe Calton
Tyrolit silicon carbide/carborundum 120/400 grit sharpening stone - Stefan Wolf
Silicon carbide / carborundum sharpening stone made by ZAI - Berkovitsa - Stefan Wolf
Norton Econo stone revisited - Neuman2010

that norton economy stone is <$7 at home depot including tax, rub the high spots down with a piece of hacksaw or something, then raise a burr, increase angle and cut it off, slice paper easily, shaves arm hair at least


sharpmaker is a great compact system ... watch the dvd and do what it says, you can get razor sharp beyond scrape shaving arm hair

but like JR88FAN, you just have to believe, think about what you're doing, stick to it, and can do a lot on a simple stone
 
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