I have a number of folding knives and I have a very nice carbon steel fixed blade. I have NO problems sharpening any of these knives. My Buck knighthawk on the other hand is a completely different story. It doesn't seem to matter what I do I can't get a good edge. I've tried a couple of different sharpeners but still have problems. The latest sharpener I purchased I thought was going to do the trick and it almost did. I bought a Firestone 2 stage sharpener. The only problem is that because the stones are so loose they chatter and it leaves chatter marks in the blade. I've tried various speeds and different preassures and it still chatters. Can anyone suggest anything to help me out?
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my problem knife
- Thread starter gunngee
- Start date
pull through sharpeners are not the best thing to use. the carbide scrapers are the worst. if you want to try a system that works on any knife steel and will sharpen it in minutes check out the paper wheels. there is a short learning period but they work great. here is a thread i started on them. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578787
welcome to the forum too
. how about filling out your profile so members will know a little bit about you.
welcome to the forum too
. how about filling out your profile so members will know a little bit about you.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
My advice would be to throw that carbide scraper into the trash can as soon as you read this. Buy yourself a Sharpmaker, pour yourself your favorite winter time beverage and practice, practice, practice. You will not be able to get a terrific edge your first time, it's extremely rare. Most people get very impatient and start getting upset because they can't get a knife that is extremely dull to cut like a razor within 2 minutes.
Thanks for the info. I'm gonna look into those paper wheels and the sharpmaker. This isn't a carbide system it's ceramic but the wheels like I said are very flimsy and it causes chatter. I tried it on our kitchen knives thinking it may work better on them because they are such a thinner blade. They didn't chatter but when I switched over to the fine ceramic, it couldn't eliminate the burr.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,644
Pull-through sharpeners are just WAY TOO LIMITED, in terms of what they will do. They're built on the assumption that the bevels on all knives are more-or-less equal. Bevels either thicker or thinner than what was designed into it will never respond as well. Too-thick edges will only make contact on the shoulder, and too-thin edges will likely be blunted (at least). With thinner edges in particular, I've never liked how these sharpeners pinch the edge between two wheels, or even worse, between those horrid carbide scrapers. The combination of 'pinch-and-pull' just isn't a good way to sharpen, and a great way to damage an edge. I suspect the 'chatter' that you're finding with some blades is exactly the manifestation of that pinching effect. The edge gets grabbed onto, and the chatter is the sound of the edge being repeatedly & violently extricated from that pinching hold. When this happens with the carbide pull-throughs in particular, those things will literally RIP steel out of the edge, sometimes leaving tears/cracks in whatever steel remains behind. The ceramic wheels won't be quite so violent or damaging, but will still likely leave some ugly/uneven/wavy footprints behind.
I've referenced this before, when the topic of pull-through sharpeners comes up, but here's an informative link to some close-up pics of edges sharpened by various different means & tools, including pull-throughs:
Micro Photos of Identical Knives after Different Sharpening Methods
A couple of the relevant pics linked from that site:
(edge produced by the carbide scraper stage of a pull-through sharpener)
(edge produced by the ceramic follow-up stage, in the pull-through sharpener)
I've referenced this before, when the topic of pull-through sharpeners comes up, but here's an informative link to some close-up pics of edges sharpened by various different means & tools, including pull-throughs:
Micro Photos of Identical Knives after Different Sharpening Methods
A couple of the relevant pics linked from that site:
(edge produced by the carbide scraper stage of a pull-through sharpener)
(edge produced by the ceramic follow-up stage, in the pull-through sharpener)
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Thanks for the info seeing those pictures makes me cringe. I have one ceramic pull though that actually works pretty good I have to admit which is the reason I tried that Firestone sharpener (which is getting returned).
This is a link to the one that actually works for narrow blades: http://www.alderneyangling.com/images/Rapala 2011 ceramic_sharpeners.jpg
I will be purchasing the paper wheels probably very soon and keeping that one sharpener for field sharpening while hunting.
This is a link to the one that actually works for narrow blades: http://www.alderneyangling.com/images/Rapala 2011 ceramic_sharpeners.jpg
I will be purchasing the paper wheels probably very soon and keeping that one sharpener for field sharpening while hunting.
if you get a motor to run the wheels on, get a variable speed motor or a 1725 rpm motor. the 3400 rpm motor is too fast.
send me your number and i'll call you and talk you through sharpening your knives. make sure to have some cheap ones on hand to practice with.
send me your number and i'll call you and talk you through sharpening your knives. make sure to have some cheap ones on hand to practice with.
Thanks ! It may be a little while before I get the wheels. It's a little bit of a drive to the closest store that carries them. Plus I have to return that piece of crap sharpener before I get the wheels. I'm going to add you as a friend so when I get them I can message you.