Reprofile Convex Blade?

[Sulaco]

I have a Fallkniven F1. It is an older one that is solid VG-10. Someone said these were between the also German made ATS-34 blades and the new Japanese made Laminate 420J and VG-10 blades.

Anyway, I have been trying like a sonofabiscuit to get it sharp and I just can't seem to get the hang of it. I have read everything I can find about convex profiles and how to maintain them and have settled on the mousepad/sandpaper method but even it only gets the edge marginally sharp. In less than a 1/4 of the time I have spent on it, I could have reprofiled it with a 40 degree edge and had it scary sharp on my Sharpmaker.

Unless someone can talk me out of it, I think this is what I am going to do. Has anyone else had success reprofiling a convex edge and just maintained it on a Sharpmaker or the equivalent?

 

[Ebbtide]

Don't press hard.
Especially on the mousepad.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Has anyone else had success reprofiling a convex edge and just maintained it on a Sharpmaker or the equivalent?

That is how Fallkniven recommends sharpening them. Sharpening the very edge of the blade and applying a tiny v-ground bevel isn't going to fundamentally change the performance of the knife.

However sharpening the profile to a full convex pattern should not be difficult, the problem with the mousepad method is that it lacks angle control which is one of the biggest problems when you start sharpening.

There are also issues with burr formation because edge trailing is more prone to this than edge into formation, and the high carbon stainless steels tend to be more burr forming than carbon steels in general.

Use the same general rules for any sharpening, don't switch grits until all necessary work is done, use clean abrasives, remove all weakened steel, remove burrs, don't use pressure to compensate for abrasive quality, etc. .

-Cliff

 

[Sulaco]

Thanks guys. I will give it another go tonight and let you know how it works out.

 

[Mtn Hawk]

Sulaco--

I went through the same thing you did. Even though I read many articles and posts about convex sharpening, received good advice and suggestions from knowledgeable and experienced people, tried different materials and techniques, etc., I still could not get a good convex edge.

I didn't have much better luck when I was trying to find out about reprofiling to a V-edge. It seems like everyone has their favorite reprofiling and sharpening method and device, which is great, but all these differences are confusing to someone new to sharpening who is just looking for the basics. Also, some of this info was conflicting, which didn't help. What I really wanted was to learn simple sharpening principles and techniques that always worked, so I could make my own choices, but this wasn't happening. Fortunately, I eventually read The Razor Edge Book Of Sharpening by John Juranitch. The book is simple and clear, with lots of good illustrations and drawings, and finally gave me what I was looking for.

I reprofiled a few knives (at or about 4 1/2" and 9 1/2"; I don't have much use for mid-range length blades) from a rather thick convex edge to a much thinner V-edge (probably around 30 degrees, inclusive), using Juranitch's method. So far this is working well, except for one large chopping knife that rolled and chipped a bit near the tip. Most of my knives are for hard wilderness use so I'm going to rigorously test them further before I leave the edges that thin. I'm not breaking new ground here. I didn't want to screw up rather expensive and high-quality knives. Before I reprofiled I read several posts on different knife forums of others who successfully thinned their knife edges.

I know a lot of people who post here think the convex edge is "the ultimate", and I'm glad it works for them, but I can't think of any application where a thicker edge cuts, chops, slices, or whatever, better than a thinner one.

Good luck! I hope you are successful, whatever way you go with this.

 

[Sulaco]

Well I decided to re-profile it with the Sharpmaker. I just don't have the time to mess with learning to sharpen a concave grind right now and since this is a user I would rather be able to maintain it efficiently. Maybe I can find an Opinel to practice on sometime.

Thanks for the help guys!