My JK causing hair loss

outdoorsfan

outdoorsfan

Joined
Sep 30, 2009
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I've been using my Kephart quite a bit in the kitchen and the edge got to a point where stropping alone was going to take too long to get it back to the level of sharpness I like. I gave it about 5 minutes on the mousepad with 2000 grit and finished it off with about the same amount of time on the strop (rough side of an old belt). I now have a large bald spot on my left thigh. Call it "air bleeding" or "hair whittling" or whatever term you prefer, it is SHARP!

I was curious how you guys in JK land maintain your blades. Do you convex with sandpaper? Diamond hone? Ceramics?
 
outdoorsfan said:
I've been using my Kephart quite a bit in the kitchen and the edge got to a point where stropping alone was going to take too long to get it back to the level of sharpness I like. I gave it about 5 minutes on the mousepad with 2000 grit and finished it off with about the same amount of time on the strop (rough side of an old belt). I now have a large bald spot on my left thigh. Call it "air bleeding" or "hair whittling" or whatever term you prefer, it is SHARP!

I was curious how you guys in JK land maintain your blades. Do you convex with sandpaper? Diamond hone? Ceramics?
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Hi outdoorsfan -

I used a DMT fine / xtra fine and then a block-strop.

I get very good edges on the JK's - I have not used the mousepad method yet, I have a hard time finding 2000 grit sandpaper, but I have not done intensive searching yet either.

best regards -

mqqn
 
I use my Soft Arkansas stone and then my Black Hard Arkansas stone to touch up the edge on my scandi-ground JK Neckmuk. If it was convex I'd just use my leather strop like I do with my other knives, though
 
I picked my paper up at an auto parts store too. It's kind of pricey (about $1 a sheet) but they do have it. I am thinking of looking for another source where I can order it in bulk and save some cash.
 
This ain't the greatest pic buddy but I snapped this of my JK Hiker today. I convexed this pretty quickly just using wet and dry. Started with 400 grit and worked up to 1500, by that time it was shaving hair which is sharp enough for me !

p81600091.jpg

By pitdog2010 at 2010-08-16
 
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This may sound a bit lame but I use my wifes nailfile(emery board) and polish it up with a strop
 
Calebklyne: A nailfile, that's one I never heard of! I guess an abrasive is an abrasive. How long do they last? I probably don't need to discover something of my wife's to use on my knives, sounds hazardous to my happiness!

Pitdog: That edge looks pretty clean! I like the paper & pad too as it seems to be more forgiving than a flat stone.
 
I've heard of the coffee mug trick but never actually tried it. In the past, I used mainly DMT duofolds & benchstones (which I like and get fairly good results from) but, more recently, I have been playing around with abrasive papers on hard surfaces (tried wood but need to find an appropriate piece of glass) and using a backwards stroke just like the mousepad convexing technique for my non-convexed edges. It seems to work well.

I had to move to my leg because my arm is still recovering from an earlier session!
 
I am glad to hear that I am not the only that uses their arm to see if I did a good job.
 
I think it's kind of like a wrestler's ears or a carpenter's hands, a hairless arm is how we know each other.
 
outdoorsfan said:
Calebklyne: A nailfile, that's one I never heard of! I guess an abrasive is an abrasive. How long do they last? I probably don't need to discover something of my wife's to use on my knives, sounds hazardous to my happiness!

Pitdog: That edge looks pretty clean! I like the paper & pad too as it seems to be more forgiving than a flat stone.
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they last about 9 or 10 sharpens and they are cheap, light and can be cut to whatever length

not to mention the multitude of colors to match whatever style you are sporting that day:D
 
Wow, I have the reverse problem, LOL! I spent some time on my EDC again today, figured pressure was my issue. So, I lightened it up, used the marker trick, it removed the marker and still made it duller than when I started. I SO need help...
 
Hi TheZenful1 -

Are you using stones?

First, I hold the knife against the stone and tilt it back and forth until I can feel where the bevel is - you can feel a distinct spot where the bevel face falls flat against the stone - that is the angle you want to attack the stone with.

Then, with light pressure, slice across the face of the stone like you were shaving the stone.

Here is where I was messing up originally - make sure you only make three or four passes, then switch hands and do the same number of passes on the other side of the blade.

It's really that simple, it just takes time and practice.

My little Vic Waiter looks like a wharncliffe, since that is the knife I really used to practice on when I was trying to get the technique down.

Your JK's are great for sharpening, as they have a nice bevel that is fairly easy to detect with the "tilt" method.

I think the next Gathering should include a few sharpening demonstrations (before the beer drinking starts lol...)

best regards -

mqqn
 
Hey mqqn,at least I am not the only one to switch hands when sharpening.Been doing that for almost 40 years.:eek::D
 
I use medium and fine Japanese water stones, then finish up with a pass on my loaded strop (green compound) and a final pass on an unloaded strop.

This gets the edge shaving sharp. I rarely need to do more than strop, though, as my JK knives tend to retain their edge forever!

All the best,

- Mike
 
I do an ok beginner's job with a stone on knives with angled grinds. Except for my scandi ground JK LDK, I think I may have messed up it's angle. Thanks for those tips, I'll be sure to take my time & let you know how it turns out.

My EDC is convex though & I watched many vids and read instructions on people's techniques of how to do it & am getting frustrated... Especially since many people say "A convex edge is highly recommended for field use knives because of how simple it is to maintain a highly sharpened edge." Mr.Sogetsu gave me a tip or two while we were at John's on Saturday, so I figured I'd give it a try to see if I could bring back the edge it had when I got it, it was an edge to lose hair by.

I know, I know, patience & practice... I just don't want to make myself a JK EDC toothpick in the process, lol. I'd definitely welcome someone to see what I'm doing wrong & get me on the right track. Can't help it, when something should be easy & I have this much of a challenge I get frustrated with it.

LOL Grim, that's funny!
 
TheZenful1 said:
I'd definitely welcome someone to see what I'm doing wrong & get me on the right track. Can't help it, when something should be easy & I have this much of a challenge I get frustrated with it.

LOL Grim, that's funny!
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When is your day off?
 
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