How should I sharpen a huntsman knife?

[Foxinator]

I recently ordered a huntsman knife, but it came a little duller than I would've liked. How should I go about sharpening it? Is there a certain way I should sharpen it, or is there something specific I should use? Or could I just take it to a store and have it sharpened there? I'm trying to not spend too much money on getting it sharpened. Here's a picture of what the knife looks like.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I recently ordered a huntsman knife, but it came a little duller than I would've liked. How should I go about sharpening it? Is there a certain way I should sharpen it, or is there something specific I should use? Or could I just take it to a store and have it sharpened there? I'm trying to not spend too much money on getting it sharpened. Here's a picture of what the knife looks like.

This cheapo knife didn't come very sharp so there's a chance it's a crap steel that won't take that sharp of an edge.
If you own a basic double sided stone or even some fine sandpaper you can get it sharper if it's any good.

 

[Foxinator]

Ok. It seems like it's good quality to me but at the same time I don't know too much about what's good or what's bad. There are some parts of the knife that are really sharp but some parts are dull making it inconsistent.

 

[gadgetgeek]

There are a lot of good youtube tutorials on sharpening with sandpaper, and with budget friendly stones like many of the norton stones. While the knife you have doesn't seem to be very high quality, that will allow you to practice, as the softer steel will respond faster to the stone. It is also a rather complex shape to learn to sharpen, so once you have a lot of practice on that one, when you move up to higher quality knives (a certainty if you continue to hang out here, be warned) you will have a good basis of sharpening skills. Also look up a video on "the sharpie method/ trick" it will really help you see what you are doing.
Welcome, feel free to keep asking questions, but get yourself started so that you can ask specifics. There are a lot of sharpening threads to read through here as well, so you should find many of the answers. You will get better responses if its clear you are asking a specific question after reading through a lot of threads, rather than big open-ended questions. As you learn you will find that there are many ways to rate the "quality" of a knife. A single stock photo is not one of them. Enjoy the knife and the journey.

 

[Foxinator]

There are a lot of good youtube tutorials on sharpening with sandpaper, and with budget friendly stones like many of the norton stones. While the knife you have doesn't seem to be very high quality, that will allow you to practice, as the softer steel will respond faster to the stone. It is also a rather complex shape to learn to sharpen, so once you have a lot of practice on that one, when you move up to higher quality knives (a certainty if you continue to hang out here, be warned) you will have a good basis of sharpening skills. Also look up a video on "the sharpie method/ trick" it will really help you see what you are doing.
Welcome, feel free to keep asking questions, but get yourself started so that you can ask specifics. There are a lot of sharpening threads to read through here as well, so you should find many of the answers. You will get better responses if its clear you are asking a specific question after reading through a lot of threads, rather than big open-ended questions. As you learn you will find that there are many ways to rate the "quality" of a knife. A single stock photo is not one of them. Enjoy the knife and the journey.

Thank you. I'm just wondering though, what makes the knife look like it's not good quality? I just used the picture from the website I ordered the knife from cause it was easier than taking a picture of mine irl.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Thank you. I'm just wondering though, what makes the knife look like it's not good quality? I just used the picture from the website I ordered the knife from cause it was easier than taking a picture of mine irl.

It's because we know knives, and because i have seen this knife available at flea markets under various brands.
This knife is available under the Mtech brand among others that are known for poor quality.

Now there's definitely a chance this knife might be able to take a good enough edge to practice sharpening on, follow the above tips as well as searh this forum and you'll learn what you need to know.

The sharpie method was a good tip, it merely involves covering the edge in sharpie marker so you can see if your making consistent contact.

 

[gadgetgeek]

In general, certain design features on a knife that is not clearly marked with a brand or a designers name tend to be found more on lower-cost knives. Not all low-cost knives are poor quality, but they tend to be simpler. So if a maker spent a lot of time making complex shapes, they don't tend to spend much on the materials (there is a wide range in cost of blade steels) and on heat treating (again, lots of variability on cost). If they do spend a lot of time, and use a premium material, then you would expect a premium price. Not always true, but in general.

To your knife specifically, you can see how the grind lines don't quite line up with the edge, particularly where the edge is recessed near the handle.
The saw teeth are cosmetic, this is another clue, as sharpening them is quite expensive.

While I will disagree with the the statement that "we know knives" as any sort of indicator of quality on its own, there is a lot of institutional knowledge here on the forum. But the first reply was a little out of line in my opinion. What you will learn is that if you find several knives that are all very close together in form, but under different brands and prices, it could be for a couple reasons. One is that it is a "classic" design that just works, and so many makers end up making a very similar knife. On the other hand it could also be that it is an original that has been copied. In either case its worth asking the forum "I really like the look of this knife, is there a legitimate and good production model, or what is the best-of-breed for this design pattern?" That will help you find the best knives for your budget, or avoid buying something that is a counterfeit or just poor quality.
While you almost certainly didn't buy a "good" knife, that wasn't your question, and we all buy cool stuff regardless of how "good" it is at one point or another. You will notice here that most of the members won't try to crap on someone's knife, unless they are recommending others buy it for a purpose it is not fit for, claiming it has qualities that it doesn't, or if it is a known counterfeit.

 

[jbmonkey]

welcome.

there is a whole forum here on maintenance and tinkering. which covers sharpening. many great threads and info on sharpening on it if you search.

 

[MolokaiRider]

I recently ordered a huntsman knife, but it came a little duller than I would've liked. How should I go about sharpening it? Is there a certain way I should sharpen it, or is there something specific I should use? Or could I just take it to a store and have it sharpened there? I'm trying to not spend too much money on getting it sharpened. Here's a picture of what the knife looks like.

Hey bud, thanks for posting and sharing your knife and questions.

I would guess the steel used in that knife will respond well to many different stones, hones, or sandpaper’s due to it possible being a 440 stainless type or similar.

For most of the flats any decent quality flat style sharpener should do the trick. Maybe start with a 200 to 300 grit and finish with a 800 to 1200 grit. Go slow, easy, and stay consistent as you’re grinding. Use a black sharpie to color the edge to make sure your cutting the edge all the way to the apex.

I like to push lightly like your trying to slice off thin pieces of stone.

For those tricky corners... those are a different animal altogether. You might try wrapping sandpaper around a pencil or dowel to reach those corners.

Enjoy your knife, use it often, and keep it maintained. It should last a long time with care and serve you well!

 

[MolokaiRider]

Also, I totally get not wanting to spend an arm and leg on sharping tools, but in my experience a great sharpener pays dividends through the life of your tool.

Good luck man!

 

[Hickory n steel]

In general, certain design features on a knife that is not clearly marked with a brand or a designers name tend to be found more on lower-cost knives. Not all low-cost knives are poor quality, but they tend to be simpler. So if a maker spent a lot of time making complex shapes, they don't tend to spend much on the materials (there is a wide range in cost of blade steels) and on heat treating (again, lots of variability on cost). If they do spend a lot of time, and use a premium material, then you would expect a premium price. Not always true, but in general.

To your knife specifically, you can see how the grind lines don't quite line up with the edge, particularly where the edge is recessed near the handle.
The saw teeth are cosmetic, this is another clue, as sharpening them is quite expensive.

While I will disagree with the the statement that "we know knives" as any sort of indicator of quality on its own, there is a lot of institutional knowledge here on the forum. But the first reply was a little out of line in my opinion. What you will learn is that if you find several knives that are all very close together in form, but under different brands and prices, it could be for a couple reasons. One is that it is a "classic" design that just works, and so many makers end up making a very similar knife. On the other hand it could also be that it is an original that has been copied. In either case its worth asking the forum "I really like the look of this knife, is there a legitimate and good production model, or what is the best-of-breed for this design pattern?" That will help you find the best knives for your budget, or avoid buying something that is a counterfeit or just poor quality.
While you almost certainly didn't buy a "good" knife, that wasn't your question, and we all buy cool stuff regardless of how "good" it is at one point or another. You will notice here that most of the members won't try to crap on someone's knife, unless they are recommending others buy it for a purpose it is not fit for, claiming it has qualities that it doesn't, or if it is a known counterfeit.

Yes in a way I meant we have knife knowledge when I said " we know knives ", but what I really meant is that this knife is just one of those knives known to be cheap.
They're found at flea market knife stands , magazines like BudK, and mall shops that sell cheap swords.

You're absolutely right though that there are specific things about this knife that clearly indicate it's level of quality or lack there of.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Ok. It seems like it's good quality to me but at the same time I don't know too much about what's good or what's bad. There are some parts of the knife that are really sharp but some parts are dull making it inconsistent.

If you like the knife that's all that matters, you'll eventually learn more about knives and may or may not feel the same about this knife down the road.
By then I'm sure you'll own many more knives and thanks to.this knife you'll be decent at sharpening them.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Yes in a way I meant we have knife knowledge when I said " we know knives ", but what I really meant is that this knife is just one of those knives known to be cheap.
They're found at flea market knife stands , magazines like BudK, and mall shops that sell cheap swords.

You're absolutely right though that there are specific things about this knife that clearly indicate it's level of quality or lack there of.

While I agree that the OP knife in question may not be high quality, I believe he can still enjoy using and sharpening it. We all started somewhere, most likely with less expensive knife or maybe even a poor quality and also inexpensive version.

At any rate, it’s good to encourage any knife user even if the knife in question is not our cup of tea.

Unless it’s a clone or knockoff ... then.... release the hounds!

 

[G. Scott H.]

gadegetgeek's advice is excellent. Whatever medium you decide on (stone, sandpaper, whatever), I would add that on a knife like this with such an odd grind I'd break the edge down into section when sharpening. Check out the pic below. Treat the area with the red dots as one section, the green dots as another section, and the yellow dots as a third section. Focus on each part of the edge (on both sides) individually, instead of trying to sharpen the whole edge at once. The only part of this blade that's going to be problematic is the little transitional area between the red and green sections. I would worry too much about that part of the edge, at least at first.

 

[gadgetgeek]

Yes in a way I meant we have knife knowledge when I said " we know knives ", but what I really meant is that this knife is just one of those knives known to be cheap.
They're found at flea market knife stands , magazines like BudK, and mall shops that sell cheap swords.

You're absolutely right though that there are specific things about this knife that clearly indicate it's level of quality or lack there of.

Its fine to make these sorts of statements, but show your work. Known by who, and known how? Otherwise its just opinion with no proof. Even when you are correct, you need to show why. Making proclamations from on high doesn't lend you any credibility, and detracts from the credibility that you borrow.

 

[Mecha]

It's hard to understand and appreciate what a great knife is unless you've used a poor one too, and everything in between. It's good to use them all if you really want to fully understand blades. I happily and obliviously used crappy machetes for a long time, but that was the basis for understanding what a good one could be.

 

[Kiah]

I found the distributer of this particular knife (Fadecase). Steel is listed as "420 Stainless" (I assume 420j). My guess is that the knives are meant to be more 'display pieces' for gamers, so I probably wouldn't expect it to hold an edge long, but no harm in sharpening for the sake of it.

For this knife, I'd personally look at an inexpensive crock stick setup. Should be more than adequate for the steel, and easier to deal with the recurve portion.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Foxinator, Welcome to BFs and apologies if someone is insulting your knife and acting like a butt hole!————/—-_____ I understand you are new to the whole Knife world...... email me and I will gladly sharpen your knife, No Charge! Ok? All you have to do is ship it to me...

 

[Hickory n steel]

Its fine to make these sorts of statements, but show your work. Known by who, and known how? Otherwise its just opinion with no proof. Even when you are correct, you need to show why. Making proclamations from on high doesn't lend you any credibility, and detracts from the credibility that you borrow.

I don't really understand what your saying , do you think this knife is not a generic flea market knife ?

Thisknife is available as an Mtech extreme, in this exact color and in gold, it's also available in various colors as a replica of a knife from that CSGO game.
There are some very slight differences to the end of the tang, but everything else is spot on.


upload a picture

I believe the other company is elemental knives, and on their website they advertise them as " for display purposes only ".

I'm not trying to tell the OP that this knife is completely worthless or anything, I was just trying to let him know that this particular knife may not be able to take a very good edge. Consistency with such knives can be very hit or miss.
He should not be discouraged if he has trouble sharpening this knife, if but not when as it may actually take an edge just fine.

 

[Hickory n steel]

While I agree that the OP knife in question may not be high quality, I believe he can still enjoy using and sharpening it. We all started somewhere, most likely with less expensive knife or maybe even a poor quality and also inexpensive version.

At any rate, it’s good to encourage any knife user even if the knife in question is not our cup of tea.

Unless it’s a clone or knockoff ... then.... release the hounds!

I wasn't trying to discourage or anything, just doing a poor job of saying that the knife might not be able to take a good edge and he shouldn't be discouraged about knife sharpening if it doesn't work out.
I've had many flea market type knives such as this, and in my experience I just could not sharpen those that didn't already come plenty sharp.