keeping a CPM 3V convex edge knife sharp -- advice needed

[Ilya Golosovsky]

Hello forum members,

After reading a lot on this forum and watching some videos on YouTube, I've finally purchased my first fixed blade knife -- a Bark River Aurora in CPM-3V.
Currently, my largest concern is maintaining a good convex edge and sharpening it, without ruining the steel and without spending huge amounts of money. I want this knife to be my main hiking/camping knife for many years.

I've watched a few videos on YouTube and understood that the best way to do this is to use Japanese water-stones. To be specific - Naniwa Chosera.
The types of stones used to sharpen a single Bark River knife are usually Naniwa Chosera of grits 400,1000,3000,5000,8000.
After this, they usually finish by stropping the knife with the Bark River black and white compounds, as a finishing stage.

After checking online, it seems that purchasing this whole "bundle" costs approx. $500 USD. Unfortunately, this is way too much for me.

I'd really appreciate any type of advice on this matter. Currently, I'm really confused and kinda lost in a sea of brands, sharpening techniques and strop compounds

• Is this possible just to only strop the knife in order to keep it sharp?
• Is this possible to get only 1-2 of the Japanese water-stones in order to keep the knife sharp? Should I really do both of them? (water-stone sharpening and stropping)
• How can I keep the knife sharp in the field? I mean, there's no way people carry with them a set of water-stones on every hiking adventure. Or, am I wrong?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

BTW, I won't be doing any "extreme" activities with the knife -- mainly just cutting wood, in order to make fire and some other basic camping activities (cutting ropes, cutting vegetables, etc.).

Thank you very much in advance.

Ilya Golosovsky
Netanya, Israel

 

[HeavyHanded]

80% of your maintenance on an aggressive full convex can be done on a strop. It helps to have a hard strop. Paper over a stone or applied directly to a softish piece of wood (even a thin piece carried with your kit) will keep it mighty sharp. It will not repair damage. A small pocket stone or credit card diamond plate used with a circular motion is a good way to reset the edge if needed. These options cost very little, but do require you to have some skill with them.

I would highly recommend you buy a cheaper convex like a Condor or even a Mora and practice on it before trying your hand on a better quality knife.

Alternatively a piece of lapping film, medium grit sandpaper etc etc. All the usual forms will work. Convex and strop go well together.

 

[Gradyw]

Hello forum members,

After reading a lot on this forum and watching some videos on YouTube, I've finally purchased my first fixed blade knife -- a Bark River Aurora in CPM-3V.
Currently, my largest concern is maintaining a good convex edge and sharpening it, without ruining the steel and without spending huge amounts of money. I want this knife to be my main hiking/camping knife for many years.

I've watched a few videos on YouTube and understood that the best way to do this is to use Japanese water-stones. To be specific - Naniwa Chosera.
The types of stones used to sharpen a single Bark River knife are usually Naniwa Chosera of grits 400,1000,3000,5000,8000.
After this, they usually finish by stropping the knife with the Bark River black and white compounds, as a finishing stage.

After checking online, it seems that purchasing this whole "bundle" costs approx. $500 USD. Unfortunately, this is way too much for me.

I'd really appreciate any type of advice on this matter. Currently, I'm really confused and kinda lost in a sea of brands, sharpening techniques and strop compounds

• Is this possible just to only strop the knife in order to keep it sharp?
• Is this possible to get only 1-2 of the Japanese water-stones in order to keep the knife sharp? Should I really do both of them? (water-stone sharpening and stropping)
• How can I keep the knife sharp in the field? I mean, there's no way people carry with them a set of water-stones on every hiking adventure. Or, am I wrong?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

BTW, I won't be doing any "extreme" activities with the knife -- mainly just cutting wood, in order to make fire and some other basic camping activities (cutting ropes, cutting vegetables, etc.).

Thank you very much in advance.

Ilya Golosovsky
Netanya, Israel

You sound like me when I bought my first gunny from bark river and heavy handed answered a lot of my questions too he's full of good advice.. best advice I can give you is don't overthink it... it sounds like you have done enough research and if there is something your not sure about someone here will give you the answers full of detail your looking for.. also like heavy said practice on a cheap knife.. experience is the most important thing to learn and yes a strop will keep that knife sharp for a very long time.

 

[Danketch]

I've got an A2 Aurora and 3V Aurora 2. Easy to maintain. I guess you are watching the Japanese guy VirtuoVice, if you think you need all those stones. I have the 400, 800, and 3000 Chosera. After using my shapton compact combination stone in 500/2000 grit, will be getting larger Shapton Glass HR's, and ditching the Choseras. Shapton cuts quick. Notably more so than the Choseras. Only need like 2 stones, or maybe 3 to actually sharpen the edge. I'm probably going 500/2000/and maybe 6k for a final edge.

As HH above stated, most of the time edge can be maintained on a strop, or on his excellent Washboard, that he sells. Can take small strips of sandpaper and fold up into your wallet for field sharpening, as well as the pocket stones. Best results for me are definitely on a hard surface strop- like balsa wood, paper wrapped around a stone, denim on washboard, bc there is way less chance of rounding (thus dulling) your sharp edge than with leather (have to be pretty precise how you hold edge on leather)

Hope this helps.

 

[Ben Dover]

Balsa loaded with CBN makes an excellent strop.

 

[Gvard]

I have a setup of 120, 220 SiC stones and 1 ceramic stone. Easy to find, costs me 30$ and will last for many years. Add a cheap chromium oxide strop and you'll be able to reprofile, remove chips, and bring it to hair whittling sharpness very easily... your knives won't get any sharper just because you bought expensive water stones. They will look better though, since the scratches are more even than on SiC, but that's about it...

 

[Cyrano]

For maintaining a convex edge, have you considered using a belt sharpening system, instead of stones? A belt, by nature of its flexibility, lends itself to forming a convex edge.

I use the WorkSharp Ken Onion Edition, with the optional Blade Grinding Attachment. (The attachment allow you to see, and have full control over, the angle at which the blade meets the belt.) This gear (tool + optional attachment) costs c. USD $210 in the USA. I find it works really well, both to create a new convex edge, and to maintain an existing convex edge.

As to your concern about ruining steel: It is very possible to damage a knife (or yourself!) in one second using this system -- but that is avoided by practicing on knives you don't care about before using the system on a good knife, and by always using proper technique and safety gear. If you're reasonably good using tools, it won't be long before you are comfortable using the system without much risk of damage, provided you never allow even a moment's inattention while sharpening a knife. Like every other power tool, a belt grinder demands your full attention and respect 100% of the time -- even a very small belt grinder like the WorkSharp system.