How do you Sharpen your Fiddleback???

Jared: take a look at the big ones from flexx strops. Really dig mine as its huge.
Saves some time.
 
With strops at home go large. Faster and easier than small ones.

I don't bother with strops in the field, just use a small Stone and strop on my pant leg..
 
knutelut, martin, nofair...thanks very much for the suggestions, really appreciate it...gonna have a look.
 
If your having trouble stropping, I'd buy an inexpensive strop and knife and practice, practice, practice. Mora's are always good to learn how to strop with. My Mora Robust came with a slight convex edge. I learned how to strop with that and the double sided leather strop from KSF. The Bark river white and black compounds are very good stuff. Stropping is very relaxing. Take your knife and strop out on the porch or deck and get familiar with it. Practice finding the right angle by passing, and passing your blade across the strop many many times. Learn to enjoy stropping and it will come in time. I've learned two things about stropping:

1. If you just can't seem to get the right angle, walk away and take a break. Stropping at the wrong angle will frustrate the heck out of you.

2. My sharpening skills are moody. I'm Hatori Hanso one week and can sharpen a knife that could split a hair into fourths. The next week, I suck. It's just the way things go, with me anyway.
 
NoFair said:
I don't bother with strops in the field, just use a small Stone and strop on my pant leg..
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I agree. When hunting, I've often carried a small strop or sharpening kit. But now that I think of it, I've never used one. Ever. My knife is sharp when I leave home or deer camp. My intended task will be field dressing deer, hopefully. :) I can't remember an occasion where my sharpened edge could not maintain sharpness long enough to not comeplete the task. A small DC3 stone in a pocket or pack would be all I would need to get by, should the need arise. Actual 'field sharpening' is overrated.
 
Duder, I'm glad you made the comment about some days you are on and some, not... I get sooo frustrated, then the next day, I get that same blade sooooo sharp! The more I practice, the sharper I can get them!
 
willic said:
Duder, I'm glad you made the comment about some days you are on and some, not... I get sooo frustrated, then the next day, I get that same blade sooooo sharp! The more I practice, the sharper I can get them!
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I guess it's part of the whole being human thing.
 
Thanks guys, very helpful!! Gonna get me a strop and go to town on a FB and then sell it. Can't wait. :)
 
Ah ok, just making sure...might definitely take joes advice though and practice on some of my machined knives before i touch the precious'.....or is it preciouses.....or..damn, don't know the plural for precious. Whatever. FB's are like rabbits. Every week there is a new one.
 
Duder always gives good advice. It's hard to mess something up real bad on a strop, but definately practice sharpening on a beater knife. It's a great skill to learn, I'm glad you want to learn it. Take 'er easy.
 
Nothing wrong with stropping or sharpening a knife and then selling it. As long as it's advertised as such.

A Mora was my guinea pig for sharpening practice.
 
I concur that a mora would be a good starter as its good quality steel and gives you good results fast.
Myself I started out on my Busses as they were the first decent knives I bought after getting out of knife collection for quite a few years
I usually skip the sandpaper method and use a 1x30 belt sander with high quality belts, Just be careful and I find it had to mess things up. Please not that this would void most warranties. I find the sandpaper way difficult as I never get a decent burr.
Belt sander is also good for doing regrinds as well as when you get a major chip in a blade. Ive got a lot of friends coming in for regrinds on blades and axes and thats a good way of learning. Removing serrations on tactical folders is another way of learning regrinds.
I am not a big fan of the leather belts for these so I usually strop by hand on a BIG strop.
For field sharpening its usually a ceramic like small spyderco pocket stones and a good stropping once home. That keeps my blades going for a long time.
 
thurin said:
Nothing wrong with stropping or sharpening a knife and then selling it. As long as it's advertised as such.
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I like buying Fiddlebacks that say things like "zeroed out, razor sharp bevel, has been stropped to a mirror, hair popping finish..." I'd even pay more for it, if I knew the seller knows what they're doing with a stone and strop. IMO, it adds value.
 
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