Sharpening a Dull Randall

[Nathan Ihrke]

So, as long as I can remember my dad has had a randall made dive knife. I have handled it on occasion and finally asked why on earth it was so dull, he answered that it came from the factory that way. I recently got a spyderco sharpmaker and have been making every blade in the house able to shave hair. When i got to the randall i threw it through the process a couple times knowing it was so dull, once finished i realized it was just as dull as when i started. I tried 2 or three more times and no improvement. WTF. Can anyone give me a clue as to how to get this thing sharp enough so it could cut something, anything?!?

 

[SOLEIL]

It may be so dull that it needs more aggressive sharpening than a sharpmaker. Sounds like it needs to be reprofiled. One of our members, Richard J., does a great job of sharpening for a very reasonable fee if you do not have the equipment to do it. A sharpmaker will eventually do it but it may take hours to accomplish.

 

[PURPLEDC]

your angle may be off. A neat trick is to take a sharpie marker and color just the sharpened edge with it. Make a few passes with the sharpmaker but only a couple. If your only removing the marker from the inside of the edge closest to the spine you know your not at a steep enough angle to actually be sharpening the edge and are infact doing a slow reprofiling and not actually sharpening the cutting edge. If your just removing the the marker from the very edge and not getting the marker off the whole sharpened profile then you know your making a very blunt edge. This is sometimes the problem with a sharpener with only one or two set sharpening angles as many different makers and production companies sharpen their knive differently. But with the sharpie marker atleast you will know where your removing the metal and whether you are infact even sharpening the knife at all. If reprofiling is needed you can always opt for the aggressive diamond stones that are made for the sharpmaker to get the job done quicker. The only other way is to get a sharpening system with multiple sharpening angles which can also give problems as the angle will change depending on the width of the blade and length. This more of a problem with clamp type sharpeners like the lansky as you cant move the knife and adjust it. This will many times lead to a thicker edge closer to the handle and a thinner edge at the tip. The best possible way to avoid all of this is to use a benchstone and learn hand sharpening but im no one to talk on that as i use a apex sharpener. But atleast with that you can move the knife to keep proper angles at all times. But try the sharpie they are great to have around for judging your sharpening technique.

 

[Nathan Ihrke]

Thanks for the advice, that sharpie logic is pretty smart. I will be investing in some diamond stones as well

 

[TAH]

To reduce the risk of chipping the edge, the Randall Model 16 Diver's Knife was intentionally designed with a spear point and a thicker, heavier edge so it can be used for light prying underwater. It doesn't take as much effort to sharpen their field knives. :thumbup:

 

[jonnygyptian]

this issue of sharpening the blades... For better or for worse, I just seem to 'use the force'... on a good day my blades end up shaving sharp and on a bad day I can always seem to lose the dull edge. I'm transported to the scene in 'Kill Bill', where Beatrix receives her Hattori Hanzo sword... the speech ending: 'if you encounter god , then he will be cut......!'I'm chuckling 'cos I got caught in the act of ceremoniously keening up all me edges t'other day! had all the edges laid out before me and oilstones in place with a strip of leather to finish... cant help feelin that it looked a little dodgy,atop the kitchen table, and unnerved my poor wife's friend who turned up unanounced.... i've tried loads of sharpening techniques, now I have a diamond-card which goes in my wallet to sharpen anything out'n'about... the resulting edge is not an enduring one though... at home, a traditional oilstone and a leather strop seem to get everything just fine.. the angle is all important though so the results can vary!