How to sharpen my spec bump

H

human1ess

Joined
Apr 18, 2011
Messages
63
So my every day carry is a Kershaw Spec Bump. It has a strangely shaped blade and it is getting really dull. Can anyone tell me what tool is best used to get this thing back to from the factory sharp? I am an extreme noob to sharpening, and have no tools to do so. But I am willing to buy the correct tools (within reason) and learn (have been reading here for the last day or so). The thing that worries me is getting it uniformly sharp through out the blade. I have contacted Kershaw about having it sharpened under warranty and they said it would be about 4 weeks, and I really don't want to give my baby up...at all. So any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Best off just buying a Spyderco Sharpmaker, using the corners will be great and get you an excellent edge
 
ajbuckelew said:
Best off just buying a Spyderco Sharpmaker, using the corners will be great and get you an excellent edge
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I was thinking that, I have other knives that are sitting in an old ammo can that could use some TLC also, but I wanted to make sure the sharpmaker would work with the curves of the blade.
 
human1ess said:
By abrasive paper, do you mean sand paper? Like 600, 800, 1000 wet dry automotive paper?
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That's it. The wet/dry sandpaper (like 3M or Norton) works very well. In your case, any cylindrical hard backing for the paper is good for the recurve (such as a Pringle's can, or a section of pipe, or a dowel, broom handle, etc.). I'd ordinarily use an edge-trailing stroke (as in stropping), but edge-leading will work too. Just keep the pressure very light.

If your edge only needs a touch-up, the 600 grit or higher should be fine. In fact, I'd start with something high, like 800/1000 grit. If you find that's not quite aggressive enough, take a step down in grit (to 800 or 600). 220 up through 400 will give a fairly toothy edge, 600 to 800 a bit more refined satin finish, and 1000+ will begin to polish the edge. You'll quickly figure out what works best for the needs of your edge.

There are a lot of possibilities, for choosing a sharpening method for your knife. But, the sandpaper is extremely versatile. It can be sized to preference, WIDE range of grit choices are available, can be used on flat or cylindrical hard backing (like wood/glass) or soft backing (like leather). And it's commonly available and inexpensive.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
That's it. The wet/dry sandpaper (like 3M or Norton) works very well. In your case, any cylindrical hard backing for the paper is good for the recurve (such as a Pringle's can, or a section of pipe, or a dowel, broom handle, etc.). I'd ordinarily use an edge-trailing stroke (as in stropping), but edge-leading will work too. Just keep the pressure very light.

If your edge only needs a touch-up, the 600 grit or higher should be fine. In fact, I'd start with something high, like 800/1000 grit. If you find that's not quite aggressive enough, take a step down in grit (to 800 or 600). 220 up through 400 will give a fairly toothy edge, 600 to 800 a bit more refined satin finish, and 1000+ will begin to polish the edge. You'll quickly figure out what works best for the needs of your edge.

There are a lot of possibilities, for choosing a sharpening method for your knife. But, the sandpaper is extremely versatile. It can be sized to preference, WIDE range of grit choices are available, can be used on flat or cylindrical hard backing (like wood/glass) or soft backing (like leather). And it's commonly available and inexpensive.
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I actually had quite a bit of this in the shed. I have 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 from when i was polishing a few parts for my quad. I started with the 600 because I had a few small knicks in the edge and wrapped it around a spray paint can. I only did a few strokes and could already tell that it was removing some material. I am going to mess around with this method for a little while and try to get the desired edge i'm after. Do you normally wet the paper, or just use it dry?
 
human1ess said:
I actually had quite a bit of this in the shed. I have 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 from when i was polishing a few parts for my quad. I started with the 600 because I had a few small knicks in the edge and wrapped it around a spray paint can. I only did a few strokes and could already tell that it was removing some material. I am going to mess around with this method for a little while and try to get the desired edge i'm after. Do you normally wet the paper, or just use it dry?
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My preference is dry. A little less messy that way. It can be rinsed off or wiped with a damp paper towel periodically. BUT, being that it's actually called Wet-or-Dry, do as you wish. I sort of had the same reaction, the first time I tried it. It removes metal a lot faster than I'd assumed, even at the finer grits. Good stuff.
 
Whatever method that you decide to use, you might try sharpening another cheap knife to practice on before sharpening your beloved Spec Bump. There is a learning curve on any method as you can and probably will make mistakes.

You could also send it to one of the sharpening gurus here on the forum and most will have a very fast turnaround and reasonable price or just for shipping. richard j comes to mind.
 
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