Does the RC blade really need to be reprofil ?

First of all, it depends on what you want to do with the knife.

If you aren't going to go chopping with it (that's what an axe/machete/kukri is for), and want it to do slicing chores, IMO the best profile is a flat grind with a convex bevel. RATs come shaving sharp (at least mine have been).

To be honest, I wouldn't bother reprofiling a factory edge. I haven't found a "system" (tried the Lanksy and Sharpmaker) I like, so I do it freehand with a coarse/fine India stone, hard Arkansas, and a strop. Going freehand, at least for me, automatically ends up eventually putting a convex bevel on the blade, since body parts like to move in curves, rather than straight lines.

I also find it's best to strop the blade often when it has a good edge. You'll go much longer between sharpenings if you keep it sharp than if you let it dull, resharpen, and repeat.

YMMV
 
I went with a 20 degree back bevel then finished at 25. Wrong? I like the KME sharpener. I think the use of tools is a sign of a bigger brain! :)
 
Reshaped with diamant stones,then convexed and after that a microbevel from my sharpmaker.



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Esav Benyamin said:
We have a Maintenance, Tinkering, & Embellishment forum here for sharpening questions. You can browse there also.

Don't begin learning to sharpen on a good knife. It takes time and practice, something the experts here have gone through, but may have forgotten. "Feel" is a matter of experience, not just rubbing a blade on a benchstone.

Until you know what you're doing, you can do more damage than sharpening with a pocket sharpener. Once you know what sharpening is about, you can use almost anything.

Read up on the Sharpmaker and on stropping, also.
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I'm a novice sharpener, but this sounds like very good advice regarding the "feel."

I have a small diamond plate -- fine on one side, medium on the other -- and I spent about an hour one day recently just experimenting with running my old SAK over it to see what techniques work best at bringing a keen edge.

With one careless stroke I would destroy a decent edge that I just spent 20 minutes honing. Part of that had to do with my technique -- at what angle I held the knife, how hard I pressed, the motion I used to draw the blade across the plate -- but a lot of it had to do with a flaw in the plate itself. The edges of the metal diamond plate were roughly cut and would catch the blade if I wasn't careful. (Sanding the edges seems to have fixed this problem.)

My point is that, regardless of your medium and blade material, you do have to be very aware of sensing how the blade is contacting your sharpening medium.

I've noticed that a lot of the initial focus of people like me, who are just getting into sharpening, seems to be on what type of medium, stone, gadget, etc, is best. But proper technique is equally, if not more important.
 
get a mora or an old carbon steel boning or butcher knife to practice on as our fearless moderator suggests. Once you get them sharp you will end up using them, everyone should have a mora

the only rc I reprofiled was my rc-4, found the steel behind the edge a little thick and knocked it back. Not needed with my rc-3 and rc-6
 
DocBurN said:
What do you recommand with the RC5,3,Izula..

Do most of you reprofil your edge on your RC ? If so, i really need to find a pro to do it, or buy the tool to make it myself.. im not well equipped for sharpening knives..
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No. Learn to sharpen it at the angle it came and be done with it.

The RC3 cuts very efficiently with a 300 grit norton edge or a 600 grit EZ Lap edge, as does an RC6.

The Izula I just got and gave it a lite strop, it's exceptionally fine at slicing as well.
 
every RAT I own came with an exceptionally, hair splitting sharp edge. That includes my RC5. I hand sharpen everything so now there is a slight convex to the edge but it is still rediculously sharp. I see no reason why you would want to change the edge profile unless you are going to reduce the angle of the flat grind.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Is there a reason you sharpened the choil?
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No not really;),

it doesn't look really nice but its a user for me and so i don't care:D.

I had taped the handles and the choil but still damaged the coating.
The choil is not big enough for my fingers so i will not use it.
 
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