hard to sharpen

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Sep 9, 2015
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136
i bought a 12in camp machete made by okc bought off of amazon and its so hard to sharpen and closest to the handle where the edge ends it won't sharpen at all. i was using a tungsten carbide sharpener from lansky. anybody else had problems sharpening these machetes?
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I haven't had any problems, but I use a different sharpening method. I use a Ken Onion worksharp or a 1x30 belt sander, or if I am not around my power tools, I use a sharpening stone.
 
It is sent from the factory with a "working" edge OK hardly any edge.
For hand tools a good file is the way to go.
The first 2" or so are not meant to be sharp. Although I did sharpen mine.
For most machete work you will never use that part.
 
I just use a file to touch up the blade on mine.
How sharp do they really need to be for splitting wood or basic camp chores?
 
I've got the 12" and 18". As a surveyor [semi-retired] I used the heck out of both but as I got older I favored the Cutlass.
As others have said, I too use a file to sharpen them.
Files, for sharpening these, seem to be the easiest and most effective method for me.
 
I was born and grew up in genuine machete country. Tropical island sugarcane plantation to be exact. Never ever I saw anybody sharpen or touch up a machete (some with 25 inch blades) with anything but a file. Anybody working with a machete kept a 6-8 inch file in their back pocket.
 
The good thing with a machete is that you're really not looking for razor sharp. With it being 1095, it will usually sharpen easily. If you want, you could put a question on the best way to go about it in the AskToooj thread and our VP of Engineering can let you know the best way to do it.
 
I was born and grew up in genuine machete country. Tropical island sugarcane plantation to be exact. Never ever I saw anybody sharpen or touch up a machete (some with 25 inch blades) with anything but a file. Anybody working with a machete kept a 6-8 inch file in their back pocket.

Bingo! h minus, Mturbo and Bloefield are spot on. Use a file. 1095 is a low alloy steel and it's easy to sharpen. FWIW; In Central, South America and the jungle areas in Asia, new machetes are typically sold without any edge on them. Sometimes there will be rough cantles but usually not cut through. It's sort of expected that the end user apply the proper edge for their particular needs. (Convex and narrow for leafy vegetation, more truncated angles for woody or fibrous work.)
There are many techniques on how to use the file to sharpen the machete blade. Go to youtube and I am sure you will find one that works for you.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsuimoto
VP of Engineering
Ontario Knife Company
 
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