Sharpen a Cold Steel Machete ?
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Most don't come with much of a edge and usually are sharpened with just a file or a coarse stone by most. A machete is made softer so it can flex and take abuse plus be sharpened with little effort, no need for polished razor sharpness just a usable edge.
Bigfattyt
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Hi
How does one sharpen a machete made from 1055 steel?
I am wonder what the edge potential is for a Cold Steel 12 inch Bowie Machete?
I just have stones. There seems to just be one angle on machete. And taking it lower with just stones isn't really an option.
What about adding a steeper angle?
And how to do the clip?
Can y'all make an incredibly dull factory fresh machete shaving sharp w/ stones?
BTW, I'm surprised they can sell such a dull machete.
If you think the edge on a CS machete felt dull, I am sending you to my local sporting goods store. The machetes they sell there.....literally........
And when I use literally here, I am talking literally........
The edges were as thick as a quarter. About two to three full butterknife thicknesses. I have a belt sander, and could sharpen one up in a few minutes......but come one.
With my CS machete (Magnum Khukri), I just used a medium diamond stone.
Eventually, I hit it with my belt sander for a quick and dirty convex edge.
If you have stones, that is all you need, I would really just leave the factory angle. The steel is softer, so there is a diminishing return for going thinner. You will end up doing repair work more often than if you just left it steeper.
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For rough limbing, I just use a fine 10" file to sharpen my Cold Steel machete. It seems to work well for what I am doing with it. That Bowie style you show might need a finer edge depending on what you are going to use it for.
I am using the one I have to chop privit hedge out of fencing. Some of it is too big for the machete, but I still have to work the small stuff out of the way to be able to cut it down with the chain saw or pruning saw as appropriate. Then I have to deal with getting it out of the fence wire. It is slow work because I can't do much at one time. So, the file is fine for what I'm doing. The particular machete I'm using is the 15" heavy duty model like this:
EJ
I am using the one I have to chop privit hedge out of fencing. Some of it is too big for the machete, but I still have to work the small stuff out of the way to be able to cut it down with the chain saw or pruning saw as appropriate. Then I have to deal with getting it out of the fence wire. It is slow work because I can't do much at one time. So, the file is fine for what I'm doing. The particular machete I'm using is the 15" heavy duty model like this:
EJ
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The cheapest and quickest way to sharpen the machete is probably a file. I have a two sided 8" Nicholson Handy File that works quite well for getting an edge on these new machetes.
A quicker way is to use a belt sander.
How sharp can they get? Pretty sharp! 1055 is reasonable knife steel. Where it will lack is edge retention. Machetes are rarely run hard, because they are expected to take lots of impact without fracturing. Once given an edge, you can sharpen it as keen as you wish, using any normal method.
A quicker way is to use a belt sander.
How sharp can they get? Pretty sharp! 1055 is reasonable knife steel. Where it will lack is edge retention. Machetes are rarely run hard, because they are expected to take lots of impact without fracturing. Once given an edge, you can sharpen it as keen as you wish, using any normal method.
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You should be able to get as fine an edge on your machete as you get on your knives with your stones.
I have a CS Bolo machete and I sharpen it on a 120 grit belt on a belt sander and buff the burr off on a paper wheel to a lovely sharp edge.
I have a CS Bolo machete and I sharpen it on a 120 grit belt on a belt sander and buff the burr off on a paper wheel to a lovely sharp edge.
With a machete all you need is a file. Stones will surely make a finer edge but the first time you whack through something and connect with dirt it's over. I mean it'll be no worse than a file sharpened machete. Machetes were intended to be sharpened with simple, course tools like very course stones or files and I, who strop my knives with green compound, don't bother going any farther that a file with my two Collins Legitimus machetes...no real point to it.