mousepad sharpening

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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I know I post a question like this about once a month...but I'm curious when atttempting to sharpen a convex grind on a mouse pad (we/dry) do you use only yht weight of the knife as resistance???do you perform it in a stroppping motion?? and at approx what angle should you hold the blade??I asking for my fallkniven. probably gonna try it on a few oppinels first to get the hang of it.
 
Use just the weight of the knife. Pressing into the mousepad will round over the edge.

Stropping motion.

I use something like 600 grit to establish the convex on a knife like a SAK and work up from there to 1500 and then to the strop.

As to measuring angles, it's not rocket science. Just bring the spine of the blade off the mousepad a bit and go to work.


B
 
feel you pad one side is harder the other soft, use the the hard side.Lay your blade flat then raise it a bit and stroke away from the edge.
 
If it's a big knife or something curved like a khukuri, I hold the knife steady and move the mousepad/sandpaper instead.
 
Take a sharpie and paint the blade. Use what angle takes it off evenly. And, like said just use the weight of the blade. I stop at 600 on my Swamp Rats but only because I haven't gotten around to finding a place near me that has 1000 grit. Still 600 leaves a nice blade and I haven't had any real problems with it, just want more. :D
 
As you begin the strop, lift the blade gently and you'll begin to feel and hear the edge dragging against the grit. At that precise point (in my estimation) you've almost lifted too far. You're right there as long as your pressure is very light.

When I'm sharpening my mini-Skinners, mini-Canadian, or even the Highland, the weight of the blade isn;t enough. A touch of pressure is needed. Not much, I think this can be misinterpreted, but just a breath of pressure more than the weight of the blade. If your blade is already sharp, you should probably be stropping on 1500 or 2000. Now if you're using 1000 or less, then no pressure would be needed beyond the weight of the blade or, like someone said, you can round the edge.
 
StretchNM said:
As you begin the strop, lift the blade gently and you'll begin to feel and hear the edge dragging against the grit. At that precise point (in my estimation) you've almost lifted too far. You're right there as long as your pressure is very light.

When I'm sharpening my mini-Skinners, mini-Canadian, or even the Highland, the weight of the blade isn;t enough. A touch of pressure is needed. Not much, I think this can be misinterpreted, but just a breath of pressure more than the weight of the blade. If your blade is already sharp, you should probably be stropping on 1500 or 2000. Now if you're using 1000 or less, then no pressure would be needed beyond the weight of the blade or, like someone said, you can round the edge.
Click to expand...

Would you say the weight of the knife plus the weight of your hand or do you actually press downward a little?
 
I love my convex edges, but hate trying to sharpen them on anything as soft as a mouse mat. 1/4" thick, hardish leather works better as a backing for me, but most times I use a hard stone or wood support behind wet and dry. The method is just as described in the piece that Esav Benyamin links to. With a hard surface you can adjust the angle at which you remove metal more accurately, you don't have to lay the blade down quite as far and you can put more pressure behind the motion, so getting an edge a bit faster. I also tend to move the blade in both directions until the last couple of passes, kind of like scrubbing.

Using marker pen on the edge is good when you start out to help you get a feel for where you are removing metal.

I strop on 1/8 or less soft leather on a hard backing with some form of polish paste and a lot of downward pressure for a polished edge, light pressure when I just want to take the burr off.

There are many ways to sharpen a blade. It is just a matter of finding what works for your:)
 
Obviously inexperianced questions here :o :o
Is the mouse pad basicly for convex blades ?
I've had good luck sharpening blades for a hand plane ( chisel edge )
using very fine grit wet/dry on a piece of glass. a mist of
water holds the paper flat on the glass. I've never tried
a knife on it though, so , how do they compare ?
Advantages / disadvantages for each ?

Phil
 
1894: yes, the mousemat method is just for convex edges. It indents slightly under pressure, so following the convex profile. Your glass plate method is perfect for flat grinds on a knife. I use an aluminium plate; same effect.


I agree that most mouse mats seem to soft and use leather myself. I have just tried some 2mm thick rubber sheet (cut-off from an antistatic workmat) and it seems about perfect. It has the benefit that it doesn't slide arounf my desk and the paper mostly friction-sticks to it.

With practice, you can feel and hear the difference when just touching the edge. I've never tried the marker pen method but it sounds useful.

Don't use an unsupported strop - it will allow too much curve and blunt the edge. Put the leather/mouse mat/whatever on a flat surface.

I use 240 grit wet'n'dry for initial profiling to convex. I made a 'file' from an aluminium ruler with 4mm leather glued to it, with the paper on that. Makes it easy to use when sitting in front of the TV (just don't lose too much concentration, it can sting!)

I mainly use 3M brand silicon carbide wet'n'dry paper. it seems better on hard metals than aluminium oxide paper, although both can be used.

Rick.
 
Walmart carries up to 1500 grit 3M paper in the automotive section.
 
1. Go to the Bark River website and read their tutorial on convex blade sharpening. They basically say what everyone else has said here, but with helpful pictures.

2. You can get 1000 and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper at automotive shops in the body work aisle. Finish on a piece of leather or cardboard treated with something mildly gritty. I got good results with automotive rubbing combound.
 
I agree that the mousepad leaves alot to be desired. For my final-pass sharpening, I now use 8-9ox leather glued to a wood board as a backing. Final pass is 2000 grit wet/dry. If I'm using 600 grit, there has to be some very serious shaping to be done.

Don;t use water on the wet/dry unless you're shaping like someone said (he said he uses 240 to go from bevel to convex). In that case, I would use water on the wet/dry. For 1000 grit and up? No water is needed or desired. You be the judge.

SHOTGUN
I use the weight of the blade and a tad of pressure. I can;t describe it. Someone watching might think there is no additional pressure, but it's there. How can that be described?

Like I said earlier, if you've found the angle and can feel and hear the grit cutting steel (you will), you're right there! But, at that angle, anything more than the weight of the blade with a "woman's hair" on it would be too much. The extra weight is imperceptible to anyone except the stropper.

BUT: If your stropping angle is below the optimum, then a little extra pressure is ok.

Dont take from my posts that I'm an expert. I'm a relative beginner. But I've sharpened my Barkies enough times to understand the process and know what works for me. I think there's room for variation on the technique that Stewart gives on the BRKT website. He's just providing the foundation. I'm sure he has his own tricks for that final strop that brings the edge home where he wants it. We all have to find that.
 
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