Restoring those pointy blade tips

K

Karl5

Joined
May 5, 2006
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Being rubbish at sharpening my blades, but having tried to do so (free-hand) for too many years, I've managed not only to get my blades only half-ar..ed-sharp, but also to round off the tip off many of my blades. :mad:

Finally I've taken the decision to bite the bullet and dig deep into my wallet and get a proper sharpening system to not only get my blades sharp, but also to restore those nice pointy tips on them.

So, what would you recommend in terms of sharpening system when it comes to sharpening my blades AND to restore the tips??
And how would you best use that system when restoring the tips??

Mind you, when it comes to sharpening free-hand, I've got to left hands. And none of them any good... ;)

Thanks,
/ Karl
 
Spyderco Sharpmaker for sharpening
BUT I must say I am not able to get point pointy - this is easier to get on the stone freehand (IMHO)
 
Yep, the Spyderco Sharpmaker is definitely on my "possible-sharpening-system-candidate" list.
But if it's not possible to restore points with this system, maybe I should start with something else instead?

I do believe that freehand sharpening is the best way to go - If you know how to do it... :)
But so far I've only managed to make things worse when doing that.

So, which system to choose for making the blade point pointy again???
And how to actually do it??

Any takers?
 
Karl5 said:
Yep, the Spyderco Sharpmaker is definitely on my "possible-sharpening-system-candidate" list.
But if it's not possible to restore points with this system, maybe I should start with something else instead?

I do believe that freehand sharpening is the best way to go - If you know how to do it... :)
But so far I've only managed to make things worse when doing that.

So, which system to choose for making the blade point pointy again???
And how to actually do it??

Any takers?
Click to expand...
Well Shaprmaker stones can be laid flat in the base so you can use it as a classic benchstone.
It is not THAT bad, but I just happen to find my knives had pointier tips when I used freehand sharpening on stone. I don't do it anymore as it was rather messy and I am too lazy to clean :) (cleanness of sharpening process is actually very important feature of Shaprmaker for me)
But I am thinking about buying DMT coarse(or medium) benchstone + Spyderco ceramic stones. If only they were cheaper :(
 
That's unfortunately the whole point (pun not intended): When I've tried to freehand sharpen my knives, I've turned the pointy tips to rounded tips.
So therefore I don't trust myself to do this anymore.
I just cannot bare the thought of me ruining any more of my lovely pointy things through being a poor sharpener (shiver)...

I have played with the idea of giving them all to a shop, but balk at the thought of what damage a goof with a powertool could do to my $$$ knives. And besides, that would take away all of the (potential) sense of well-being I would have when I (finally) managed it myself.
I'm also a strong believer in that a knife-knut should be able to sharpen his knives himself...
 
Well, I have an idea :)
Buy something cheap (but still decent, like e.g Byrd Cara Cara for under $20) and try practicing on it. Or if you want to go really cheap (as I did :)) practice on kitchen knvies (unless you have something like William Henry sets for big $ of course:)) - they are usually dull enough not to be afriad to make it worse :D
 
Hmmmm, there ARE a few blunt kitchen knives with blunted points I coould practise on.
The wife may not be happy when I steal the kitchen knives for some time... :)
But hey, who's the knife-knut in the family anyway?? :D

Apart from freehand sharpening:
Are there any other tips out there for me to try and restore blades tips??
Please...
 
There are sharpening systems like Lansky (cheaper, simplier) and Edge Pro (more sofisticated, and also more expensive), which should help you maintain the angle but you probably know about them.
 
Many times you can just lower the spine at the tip. When I've done this it usually seems that you don't need to remove nearly as much metal as you'd think to to get the tip sharp. Contour the spine away from the tip for a clean look.

Otherwise you need to isolate the tip for reprofiling. For me it works best to clamp the knife in a vise using wood blocks, leather, etc. to protect the handle, with the blade laying horizontal. Use a small stone or medium sharpmaker rod to re-form the tip and contour it into the rest of the edge as needed, turning the blade over side-to-side as needed. Sometimes if the tip has been badly thinned you may have to start by removing the old edge, working the stone more or less perpendicular to the blade, then sharpen the new tip/edge contour.
 
Yep, I know about Lansky and Edge Pro.
And as far as I've understood, in the right hands they both can do a great job at sharpening.
What I haven't been able to figure out, though, is if any of those systems is any good at restoring tips.
Maybe none of them is!!! :eek:

Then it's back to training freehand sharpening for me (I should do that anyway), or find a trustworthy place to where I can hand my stuff in.
 
My favorite tool for dressing the point of a blade is the little Spyderco DoubleStuff fine+medium combo ceramic hone - which obviously is a hand-honing operation. For maximum control (I'm right-handed), I hold the DoubleStuff in my left hand and the knife in my right hand.

Generally:
- Use a sharpness-testing medium, such as newsprint, to test progress.
- Mind your honing angles.
- Work from blade toward tip.
- Test by newsprint draw-cut from blade edge toward tip to judge progess toward the tip.
- Work on the absolute tip point last - to avoid/minimize tip-rounding.

For testing absolute tip sharpness, I like to use a slow lateral slice, gently pushing into the surface of the newsprint (not the edge of the newsprint). When the tip is properly dressed, resistance to tip-penetration will be close to zero.

The Sharpmaker is perfectly capable of ruining blade-tips, rounding the tip by dragging the point of the blade off the stones. This is a popular lament by Sharpmaker users.

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks for all the tips guys!!

DogOfWar:
I think I'll give your method a go, since I fear the point may otherwise (sooner or later) start creeping out of the handle when the folder is closed. Not really pocket-friendly...

Gud4U:
With my "expert tip-removal" experience from the past, it sounds like I should stay away from the Sharpmaker (at least for now), and put my money into something else to start with.
The tip sharpess-testing tip is a top-tip!! Will certainly try it out.
 
To keep your tips sharp on the Sharpmaker (or any other system), you need to end your sharpening stroke with the knife point still on the stone. Don't drag the edge past the edge of the hone and let it roll of the stone.

You also need to angle the knife so the portion of the blade you are sharpening is perpendicular to the hone.

These two actions should keep your tips sharp and points.
 
RobbW, you took the words out of my mouth.

Those are the 2 "points" that are absolutely key about
using the Sharpmaker and keeping your tips pointy.
 
i usually destroy the tips on my knives with the sharpmaker, usually from accidentially dinging them in the rods and not paying attention. to solve this i remove some of the front spine and voila a new tip. eventually (in a few 1000 times) the knife will look like a boxcutter but still you get a new tip.
 
Karl5 said:
DogOfWar:
I think I'll give your method a go, since I fear the point may otherwise (sooner or later) start creeping out of the handle when the folder is closed. Not really pocket-friendly...
Click to expand...
Lowered the tip a few times myself for that reason alone. Surprising how many blades actually look a little better to my eye with the point dropped a bit.

Good luck! Let us know how it works out.
 
If it rounds, just let it be. Don't waste too much time and effort trying to make it pointy again if it's sharp there
 
actually, dropping the point by grinding the spine is pretty simple and shouldn't affect the edge quality.

You can use a cheap silicon carbide stone to do it, though you will wear a groove in it. Quickest is power tools-grinder, dremel, etc.
 
RobbW said:
To keep your tips sharp on the Sharpmaker (or any other system), you need to end your sharpening stroke with the knife point still on the stone. Don't drag the edge past the edge of the hone and let it roll of the stone.

You also need to angle the knife so the portion of the blade you are sharpening is perpendicular to the hone.

These two actions should keep your tips sharp and points.
Click to expand...

Same expeirence here, to make it easier I always use the flat sides of the stones to finish the tips, that way I can sharpen the whole tip without letting it go from the stone.

Having said this, my tips are very pointy but not as pointy as factory ones.
 
I use DMT’S Aligner clamp system. Cuts really fast and with the extra fine hone, leaves a good finish. With the coarse stone, you can shape the tip pretty quickly. Quick enough to see it forming without a lot of waiting. Perfect for short attention spans :-) It is important that you keep the angle constant and following the sweep of the tip. I re-clamp most of my knives (3" to 5" blades) after doing most (up to aprox 3/4" from the tip) of the blade. When I do the main body of the blade, I clamp at a right angle to the blade. For doing tips, I move the back of the clamp a little bit (10-15 degrees) to make the rod closer to perpendicular to the sweep of the tip. It's different for each knife style. I try to keep the rod as square as possible to the blade edge. Use a protractor or sharpie to make sure you are getting the whole edge with the angle you are using.
I've found that you can keep a great point with just a clamp system with the re-clamping for the tip. Many times after the fine hone, I'll polish th edge with 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a mousepad. Just a few swipes, or it dulls. When the mood strikes I'll strop it with a fine paste. Very shiny and sharp.
If I haven't been clear, it's because I should have been asleep a while ago. Just ask and I'll explain when I'm more awake.

Marc
 
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