How Do I Choose An "angle" For Convexing?

H

HoosierQ

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
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So I wanted to reprofile my ESEE-5 down to 30-inclusive. I have done a 3 and 4 and they went well...the 4 is darn near perfect.

The 5, being so thick (.25") was a challenge and didn't turn out so well. It is not as sharp as the others but nearly so...actually it is quite sharp along some of the edge and less so at other points. It was very hard to make a smooth transition from the straight portion of the blade around the curve of the belly and that's where it is less sharp.

So I am thinking seriously about getting out the sandpaper and going convex. To be honest, it was hard to hold the blade steady enough and it is already effectively convex now, just not smoothly so. Needless to say, I am regretting taking of the factory edge...OH WELL :foot:

I have done a little convexing but I just winged it. It turned out well enough. But how flat...in other words at what angle...does one hold a big tough knife like this to get a sharp edge using the sandpaper mouse-pad method? Should I hold it 10.33mm at the spine which is what I computed for doing a 30 degree inclusive angle? Does one go at convexing with this method more acutely or more obtusely than a v-edge given the same knife and the same intended use?

Thanks.
 
hoosierq, where in indiana are you at? if you want to learn how to convex a blade i would be glad to teach you. i'm over in ohio. email me your number and i'll help you with your convex edge.
 
HoosierQ said:
But how flat...in other words at what angle...does one hold a big tough knife like this to get a sharp edge using the sandpaper mouse-pad method?
Click to expand...

It depends on a lot of things.

How will you use the knife, and how soft is the mouse pad are the 2 first things I would consider.

If you want the toughest edge possible, use a soft mouse pad and a higher angle...but the knife will not do the delicate tasks as well. If you want to use it for camping (processing/batoning/chopping wood, making fuzz sticks, etc.) I would use a harder pad and a lower angle.

Personally, for my ESEE 5 I used a leather strop as the backstop (instead of a mouse pad) and I propped it at 10 degrees to give a "20" degree inclusive bevel...then I finished the edge with the finer abrasives propped at 20 degrees for a "40" degree inclusive edge bevel.

The results look like this:

picture.php


And it performs some serious tasks much better now...but performance is usually relative to the user. Suffice to say it performs all camp duties with ease (it can chop golf balls too if I get bored).

I made an adjustable wedge to prop my abrasives...I can post a video if you like. Many guys will simply eyeball it for holding the knife at an angle, and that seems to work well enough for most. I use the wedge to hold the abrasives at an angle and then simply hold the knife flat...whatever you think will work best for you.
 
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