Sharpening a convex opinel

D

davide

Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
267
Hi,

My carbon opinel didn't come with too great of an edge and I'm looking to sharpen it.

I've been doing some research and have gotten some differing accounts as to what course to take.
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/pages.php?pID=4&CDpath=0
and
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=514911

I watched the whole video series and it seems that the best way to sharpen the blade then would be with sandpaper and then with treated leather. But I've also heard that simply a stone works well.

What methods do you guys find to be the most simple and easy? Right now all I have is my leather belt, and that does not seem to be working.
 
i use my belt sander and finish off the edge with a paper buffing whee. you can get some sandpaper and lay it on a soft backing to work up a burr. then strop it on your belt to remove the burr.
 
A mouse pad is the most common thing to use or you can go to HF and get a sanding block with a cushion. I use a JRE sharpening block for my convex edges and it works very well but is also the most expensive http://www.jreindustries.com/EMS.htm comes with a nice pack of sandpaper though.

The strop in you link is good, it has a soft backing built in.
 
OK, with your adivce now I think I have a course of action. Just wondering: for what does 'HF' stand?
 
davide said:
OK, with your adivce now I think I have a course of action. Just wondering: for what does 'HF' stand?
Click to expand...
'HF' is Harbor Freight, a source of cheap tools and supplies.

To clarify, the KSF videos do not advise stapling sandpaper to a 2x4 -- in the videos, I staple leather to a 2x4, but just place the sandpaper on a mousepad.

Also, I created those videos to explain techniques and concepts that work for me. It certainly isn't a definitive work. There are many other videos and tutorials on convex sharpening. My goal was to demonstrate some concepts and simple tools to encourage people to experiment.



...OK, I'm lying. My goal was to win the big pile o' free Barkies that the contest offered! :D:D:D
 
Hi Tradja,

Thanks for the clarification about the video. I admit that I had been doing about two other things at once as I watched them: hopefully I'll pay better attention when it comes to actually sharpening. I also would like to say that I really thought your video was well done. I prefer long thorough explanations over short ones, and appreciated how in-depth you went on the concepts and techniques.
 
Davide --
In retrospect, I find the videos a little long-winded myself! :p Glad you liked 'em. There are plenty of other things to cushion the sandpaper besides a mousepad -- thick leather works too, thin sleeping pads, etc.
 
Any spongy backing like rubber or old leather will work with sandpaper. I use a mousepad because it cost me 0 dollars. Knivesshipfree video is a good one. I sharpened my axe, Bark rivers, Blackjack Halo, a custom and my cases using this method. Works wonders and you are not dumping alot of cash to get that right angle as v grinds. It is easy to convert the v grind to convex.
 
All right, now that the semester is over I grabbed some sandpaper (600 grit) and tried sharpening the opinel using the method on the Knivesshipfree videos and a mousepad. I succeeded in severely blunting my blade. Does anyone have any advanced (or actually more remedial) tips? Is there a specific angle I should be going for?
 
davide, sorry to hear that. A very similar issue was recently discussed here. There are some good tips in that thread to diagnose and remedy the "too much of a good thing = blunting" phenomenon that you are experiencing.

Keep at it and don't get discouraged!
 
The Opinel has a very thin grind. You can almost keep it flat on the side of the blade with a soft backing under the sandpaper (raise it only slightly). You would be better off with the leather strop for backing then the mouse pad for this one IMO. The mouse pad is too soft. The leather has the right amount of give. That one form KSFF would be a good one. What ever you use don't press too hard into the backing. Use light strokes and a low angle. Mark the edge with a sharpie and see where you are hitting. Now that it is blunt you should be hitting the shoulder (or not the edge) until you work a little of the shoulder back off. Hold about a 10 degree angle when sharpening. The finish angle will be a little more obtuse due to the flex (wrap) of the soft backing.

Also, you are using trailing strokes on the sand paper right? If you use leading strokes the paper will wrap around in front of the edge and dull it. Also, you may cut the paper.

I convex mine on a belt sander, finishing with leather belts and compound.

Gary
 
Thanks for the responses. I am using trailing strokes. I did what you mentioned and attempted a very shallow angle--I had actually been using a steeper one yesterday. After about 10 minutes it is now *slightly* sharper in some parts of the blade. Is there a way to tell when a burr has been formed?

I'm thinking that I may have blunted it so much that it'd be easiest now to just send it in to get sharpened than figure out how to keep it sharp rather than attempting to put an edge back on it.
 
Scratch the edge, moving the fingernail away from the back of the blade. You can feel your fingernail catch on the burr if there is one.

You want a burr all along the edge, so make sure you feel the whole thing before flipping.
 
Hi Tradja,

I think I may have access to one via a friend who does a lot of hobbyist building. Thanks again for the replies. I've decided to take this course of actions: send it away to get sharpened, and while it's away invest in a good premade strop like the one that you brought up in your video series on knivesshipfree, Tradja. That way I will both have a better strop than my current kludge and I can try wrapping the sandpaper around it to hopefully get a better surface than the super spongy mousepad I'm using now.

Unfortunately, I think I'm one of those guys that doesn't put the full effort into something unless he thinks he has the right gear for the job.
 
davide, contact me before sending your blade off. i can help you get the knife sharp yourself.
 
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