Sharpening a Condor Bushlore

T

Timblade

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May 31, 2006
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I am a newbie at high-carbon knives. What is the best method rouse in sharpening this kind of steel? I have heard some use diamond plates, some using traditional stones, wet/dry sandpaper, etc. I know there are sharpeners out there that Pre-set the bevel, but I think I'd like to try freehand sharpening since the scAndi grind on the Bushlore is so high and easy to follow. What do the experts recommend? Thanks in advance.
 
You should be able to use pretty much anything, the 1075 they make those from is good quality, but not abrasion resistant enough to need anything particularly awesome in terms of sharpening gear. If you're just starting out, an inexpensive way to get the hang of it is wet-or-dry sandpaper taped to a good backing, used with a couple squirts of windex. You should be able to get everything you need down at your local auto shop, I'd grab from about 320 up through 1500 or thereabouts.
 
Thanks Kom. Is it really as good to use sandpaper as it is a stone? I've been looking at a Smith's Tri Hone and wondering if that would be a good system to start with and learn on. Is sandpaper a better way to go? Also, what's the Windex for? And what kind of backing should I use? I've heard of using a mouse pad, cardboard, a magazine, etc. Is the idea to provide a surface with some "give?". Thanks for putting up with the questions of a noobie!
 
Only thing to watch out for - other owners might have different experiences - try to keep the inclusive angle at 30 degrees or a touch larger. I've had poor luck with edge holding at sub 30 degrees on a mini bushlore and Sapien. I keep my Imacasa and Marbles (Imacasa) machetes right around 30-32 and have no problems. On my Sapien and mini bushlore I tried to bring the existing bevels to more of a Scandi grind (slight convex but used the angle close to the back bevel to establish the apex angle) at mid 20s inclusive and they couldn't hold the edge. Not a big surprise considering the steel and heat treat, but something to keep in mind. I'm curious to hear if other owners have similar observations.
 
Timblade said:
Thanks Kom. Is it really as good to use sandpaper as it is a stone? I've been looking at a Smith's Tri Hone and wondering if that would be a good system to start with and learn on. Is sandpaper a better way to go? Also, what's the Windex for? And what kind of backing should I use? I've heard of using a mouse pad, cardboard, a magazine, etc. Is the idea to provide a surface with some "give?". Thanks for putting up with the questions of a noobie!
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In that kind of application, the silicone carbide abrasive on the paper is quite capable of doing a very good sharpening job, the downside to sandpaper is that it typically has a short lifespan (1, maybe 2 knives per working piece). The windex serves in a similar way to the oil on an old arkansas stone, helping to float the swarf (metal shavings and stone grit) away from the working area and keep the abrasive cutting smoothly. It also helps the knife glide more easily over the abrasive, and takes some of that 'raspy' feeling out of it. The Smiths is a fairly generic man-made arkansas stone, I was not too impressed with mine. If you wanted to start with a stone instead of paper, the King 1K/6K double-sided waterstone is a frequent first stone choice.

You can use any number of things for your backing, honestly. If you want to use it like a stone, a piece of glass or even your countertop will work just fine, just tape it down tightly. If you want to end up with a slightly convex edge, substrates like you mentioned will give you increasing degrees of convex as the backing material gets softer. Bear in mind that if you are using a soft backer, you will want to use edge-trailing strokes with the blade only. If you are careful and have a hard backer, you can use both edge leading and edge trailing.

I would definitely defer to HeavyHanded on the angles, I have only sharpened the Condor tools for other people, so I do not have any long-term experience with them after they're sharp. I've typically applied a polished convex to the ones I've worked on, and generally not had any reports of them losing an edge too quickly.
 
The grind on the Bushlore is not a true scandi, but rather a shallow convex. If you do convert it to a true scandi you'll just want to give it a slight microbevel and that'll fix your edge stability issues.
 
I just got a Condor Nesmuk last week. I used a HF 1 x 30 in 80grit to convex the blade, then took 500grit sandpaper by hand, followed by stropping it on a leather pad with green compound (also from HF). It came out wicked sharp.
 
How much can I mess the Bushlore (I consider buying it) by improper angle when sharpening?
I sharpen my RAT-1, Victorinoxes and Hultafors GK by hand on a flat stone and all I do is that I set some angle (not exact, just what seem appropriate, usually quite the same as I use my thumb to set and hold it) and try to hold it for both sides of the blade. When the blade shaves the hair on my hand, I'm done. This is what I've been doing all the time with said knives.
Is it really bad for the blade or is it still acceptable? I wouldn't like to start destroying the new knife right from the start ...
 
Pretty well any kind of hone should work on 1075: carborundum, Arkansas, diamond. Simple high carbon steels will take a screaming sharp edge with little effort, compared to D2, S30V, etc., which require diamonds because of their high chromium and vanadium carbide content. My sharpest blade is a Scandi in 1070 by Ivan Campos.
 
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