Question on edge type(s)/sharpening

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1Tracker

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I read here mostly on this forum, but I have a question that some of you here could answer for me, perhaps even the maker of this brand of knife.

The brand in question is Fallenkniven, specifically, they come with a 'concave' grind edge, which I've been told is hard to field sharpen, and is done differently than convex edges that I've owned in the past.

First, is there a way, without ruining the knife's blade to change the grind on the edge from concave to convex? If so, how difficult will this be?

Secondly, why would a craftsman put such an edge on a tool that is used in the field, possibly for extended periods, without a way to 'field sharpen' the edge?

If someone is in Sweden and could address this question, so much the better. I am unable to reach a friend of mind who lives in Sweden to ask him to look into this for me.

Is anyone aware of a knife similiar to the F1 and WM1's that are easier to field dress?

I realize that this may be in the wrong section, if so could a moderator please transfer this question to the proper area for me, thank you.
 
Hi Tracker, I think you are getting a little confused over the names of the grinds. Fallknivens normally have a convex grind. (My Fallkniven A2 and F1 knives have convex ground blades) A concave grind would normally be called "Hollow ground"
As the Fallknivens are convex ground they can be a little more dificult to sharpen "in the field" than other knives, but a little practice and the right tools will let you do the job well.
Fallknivens are good steel, and should not need too much sharpening at all between trips. A leather strop loaded with a little cutting paste will "touch up" the edge for you if it's not too blunt. Some people use the inside of their trouser (pants) belt to strop the knife on. If it needs more than stropping I carry with me a small DMT diamond hone and I use that. Taking care to follow the curve of the convex grind with a fine grit DMT hone, followed by a number of wipes on the strop will give a shaving sharp edge on my A2 and on my F1. A DMT sharpening hone can weigh as little as about an ounce so is not too much extra kit to carry.

Also, try looking here.. http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/751826/post/new/#NEW

I hope this helps you a little.
 
LongStrider I appreciate your reply to my question posed above.

I misspoke, and meant the reverse of what i had posted on. convex/concave; thanks for correcting me.

But what if those 'tools' are not available in the field? I carry a mini 1"x 3" flat diamond sharpening 'hone' for my Fiskers hatchet, would this also work to touch up the WM1's edge?

Could I just dress the edge with a ceramic rod after use to keep the edge up? How long can the edge of this steel stay 'shaving sharp' with moderate daily use? I mean regular camp chores not wood splitting, boning big game, or the like; but rather, camp kitchen tasks, fuzz sticks, and the like?

I own a few smaller knives, mostly folders, but wanted to buy myself a bit larger knife for use camping, that could do the tasks without damaging myself or the knife! Hence, when i had the chance to handle a friend's WM1 I liked the heft and fit in my smaller hand. He also has the F1, which I was thinking was a bit too large to use for fish/small game cleaning.

Unfortunately the Art (and it is an Art to me) of edge sharpening, be it ax, or knife is becoming lost as folks get out of touch with 'shop class' as I like to call real Life. I'm inept at sharpening because I never really learned how to do it in the first place. The reason I would attend a knife show would primarily be to learn some basics and the proper techniques to sharpening blades, so as not to ruin them. Do any shows in the NYC area have such 'basics' seminars?

Thanks, it took me awhile to get back here and find my own post, old age eh!
 
The "pretty" way to sharpen a convex edge is to strop it lightly on a fine abrasive. One economical abrasive is 600 to 1500 grit Wet or Dry (metal polishing) paper resting on a moderately firm pad (like leather). I cut down some pieces of Wet or Dry paper and fit them in my check book. I lay them on my check book cover when I strop with them. It doesn't get cheaper or easier to transport than that. If I think that I might suffer serious edge damage on my travels I would add a piece of 220 grit paper along with the 600 and 1500 grit. You can get these grits anywhere that sells automotive finishing supplies. I think I got my most recent set at K-Mart. When you strop hold the blade nearly flat on the paper and use light pressure. Alternate left and right sides every stroke.

On the other hand your little diamond hone would work. You just want to try and figure how to reasonably match the final edge angle on your convex blade. Just paint the sides of your edge with a black permanent felt marker and look at where the ink is removed as you try honing. Hone edge-forwards with this type of hone rather than the edge-following strokes that you use on a strop. Alternate left and right sides as you work. With your flat diamond hone the side of your edge will look a bit more scratched than if you used the Wet or Dry paper.
 
Tracker, I think Jeff has it really. I use DMT hones for jst about anything I ever need to sharpen. Like your diamond hone these are flat. When I sharpen a convex ground knife I simply follow the original grind of the knife with the hone. This does of course leve the grind with many many tiny flat spots across it, but by using progressively finer hones and then stropping with a loaded leather strp those flat spots are eliminated and you are left with a nice even curve to the grind and a razor like edge.
I carry a couple of the DMT Diafold hones with me when I'm camping/bushcrafting and the like and use them to touch up any blades I need to whilst away from home. I made a little stropping board from a piece of soft-ish leather glued to some 5mm thick MDF and along with a small block of stropping compound, this lives with my DMT hones.
The Diafolds have different grits on each side so by carrying only two of them I have Extra Coarse, Coarse, Fine and Extra Fine grits. They only weigh about an ounce and a half each (I'm guessing at that but they don't weigh much at all)
I made my mini stropping board the same sixe as the Diafolds so they all sit together nicely in my pack with an elastic band around them.

I see no reason at all why you should not use the diamond hone you have to keep the edge on your WM1 in good order as long as you remember to sharpen over the WHOLE of the grind, not just along the edge (as you would do if the knife had a secondary bevel) As your hone is for your axe, you might find that the grit size is a little too coarse for you to be happy with the results, but a finer hone will soon take care of that problem and add next to no weight to your kit. For "in the field" use you might not want to bother with the strop at all. I find that an edge finished properly with the Extra Fine DMT is already shaving sharp anyway. The strop just makes it even smoother, shinier and that little bit sharper still.
 
In the field, nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a diamond hone.

In the field you dont worry about looks, you just want to get the knife sharp and get the job done.

Back in the shop I can worry about grind lines and the concave-convex questions...
 
Keeping a sharp knife sharp rather than blunt is good management and I find honing a convex edge usualy does the job I want...next step down the line if honing does not get it as sharp as I want then I use an ultra fine ceramic rod which in fact may change the geometry slightly by establishing a micro bevel ...or use a diamond hone......up until such a time I can re establish the zero convex edge in the comfort of my home/shop (maybe a couple times a year)......


In my opinion , a well made convex to zero cutting edge (no secondary bevel) makes a superb cutting tool which has a strong edge, and its that performance why many craftsman and users choose that design.
 
Kevin Davey said:
Keeping a sharp knife sharp rather than blunt is good management and I find honing a convex edge usualy does the job I want...next step down the line if honing does not get it as sharp as I want then I use an ultra fine ceramic rod which in fact may change the geometry slightly by establishing a micro bevel ...or use a diamond hone......up until such a time I can re establish the zero convex edge in the comfort of my home/shop (maybe a couple times a year)......


In my opinion , a well made convex to zero cutting edge (no secondary bevel) makes a superb cutting tool which has a strong edge, and its that performance why many craftsman and users choose that design.
Click to expand...

Jeff, Longstrider, Alan, Kevin ....Much appreciated info. I'm going to try and find a local shop with the different DMTs so I can check them out. Doublesided stones seem like a great advantage for field use also. Since Ragnar mentioned that he prefers credit card or longer sized DMTs I'm going to keep my eyes out for that size. They should fit in my field bag while out in the field.

I was specifically concerned with not putting an incorrect bevel on the edge. After reading Kevin's comment about the convex edge being,' a superb cutting tool with a strong edge', it validates my choice in Fallkniven as a cost effective purchase. Thanks Guys.:cool:
 
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