Sharpening a Fiddleback???????

BBQ BOY said:
What grit sand paper should I try?
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I think that I have seen somewhere that Andy finishes with 400, because he likes a toothy edge, so I would start there and then drop down to 600 or 800. But I like a really polished edge so I go all the way to 2000.
 
Fiddleback said:
I've had 6 knives since August get past me and into the hand of customers in less than shaving sharp condition. That's less than 10%, but still has been bothering me to the point of pulling out my hair.
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And here is the reason that I'm turning to FBF. Know what the last maker told me when I said pretty much just what BBQ told Andy (and I mean almost word for word and I did it in a email!) if you are not happy with it send it back. Dude I told you I liked the knife just disappointed that it was dull as hell. Anyway good on you Andy for actually giving a flip about your customer once you have got the $.
 
Fiddleback said:
Send them back.
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I in no way meant to sound like I was disappointed AT ALL in my hiking buddy! I'm disappointed more in my own sharpening abilities but I'm working on getting them sharpened up too! :) I'm pretty sure the mouse pad is the problem for me so I'll give it a run tonight with a leather backing. :thumbup:
 
BBQ BOY said:
What grit sand paper should I try?
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Start with 220 grit. Use a marker to black the edge so you know where you're removing steel. A few light passes on one side. Check the edge to make sure you're removing steel in right spot. Ajust angle if necessary. Work that edge till you feel a burr on the opposite side. Light pressure. Light pressure. If you push hard, you'll dull the knife as you go. Once you have a burr, do a few passes on the other side, then strop.

Call me if necessary. #'s on the website.

Ridge-Runner said:
And here is the reason that I'm turning to FBF. Know what the last maker told me when I said pretty much just what BBQ told Andy (and I mean almost word for word and I did it in a email!) if you are not happy with it send it back. Dude I told you I liked the knife just disappointed that it was dull as hell. Anyway good on you Andy for actually giving a flip about your customer once you have got the $.
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Thanks. I do care that each and every knife makes the user happy. But I am not perfect. I do the best I can.
 
If you are using a lot of pressure when you sharpen a convex edge, you are actually dulling the edge as you work. Light pressure is the key.
 
Howdy guys. I thought I might need to come in here and talk about my edges. All secondary bevels on Fletcher Knives are just a standard secondary bevel. It doesn't take any fancy method what so ever to sharpen them. No mouse pads, special tools, big contraptions necessary.

Originally, I smoked through the sharpening process when knives were finished. It took me a lot longer then to do a batch and I was trying to get them done and out the door. That's no longer the case. Here is why.

One: I can finish a batch much quicker now so that isn't a factor, though it never should have been anyways.

Two:
A while back, I got a knife back from my first customer (not the first Fletcher Knife he bought) and he told me he just couldn't do anything with the edge. It was too dull and he just couldn't get it sharp. I sat down and checked the knife out, and sure enough, dull as hell. It drove me nuts that this happened, because I pride myself on how well I sharpen my personal knives and it really upset me that I sent a knife out that was this dull. I spent about 20 minutes on it with my sharpening setup and it was hair popping. The customer is a great guy. He was nice enough to approach the whole subject in private and let me make it right. As a beginning maker, that was very good for me, because I didn't want to tarnish my rep right off the bat with something like that. This particular customer knows how to sharpen a knife, so it must have been hella dull if he couldn't get it sharp.

At the same time, I got another knife back from a customer that had arrived to him dull. For the sake of this story, we'll refer to him as Scott. Scott called me and basically told me that the knife was way too dull and that he would try his best to sharpen it up. I said, "you can go ahead and send it back to me and I'll do it, or you can try it yourself and if it doesn't work out, I'll fix it." He decided to try it himself. A week later, he called me and said he just couldn't get it sharp, even with super-drastic methods. He explained to me his method and I cringed. I won't go into it, but I almost started crying while he was talking. That's when I realized that even though my customers are knife enthusiasts, that doesn't mean they have the best methods for sharpening knives. The best thing I can possibly do is make absolutely sure that the knives are good and sharp before I ever send them out.

Moral of the story is, no matter what, the knives absolutely have to be sharp when they leave. I can't make it the customer's responsibility to make sure their knife is sharp. It shouldn't be on them to sharpen a knife right after they get it. The knife HAS TO BE SHARP when they get it.

Now every time a batch gets finished, I sit down and hand-sharpen every single knife with stones and strop before it gets sent out. I make absolutely sure that every single knife is sharp. I never want anyone to have a dull knife when they get it ever again. I have damn near no hair left on my body, except that which is on my head, because I test every knife on hair, paper, and rope before it goes out.

If anyone EVER gets a knife from me that isn't sharp right out of the package, please let me know. I would be more than happy to sharpen it for you. You shouldn't have to sharpen a knife that you just got.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE EDGE OF A FLETCHER KNIFE:

1) It's not a convex edge. It's a standard secondary edge bevel. You can use any standard method to sharpen it. You don't need anything special. You can sharpen it with whatever method you like. Get as fancy as you want. If you don't want to sharpen it yourself or you don't have the best sharpening skills and would just rather someone else do it so you don't take any chances, send it to me and I'll do it for free. Just pay the shipping.

2) These edges are HARD. Fletcher Knives are meant to keep their working edge for a long time. If you wait for it to become totally dull, or it gets damaged before you sharpen it, or you're changing the edge angle, expect it to take a while. Once it's sharpened to your angle the first time, it will take less time from then on. Also, it takes less time the less it's allowed to get dull. If you take the edge all the way to hair popping sharp, it should keep a good edge for a loooooong time. Also again, if you don't want to sharpen your Fletcher Knife, send it to me and I'll do it for free. Just pay the shipping.


I hope nobody reads this and thinks, "what a cocky a#$hole. Don't tell me how to sharpen a knife." lol. That is definitely not my intention. I always find myself writing stuff on Bladefroums and then having to read it over and over again to make sure that I don't give the wrong impression. I hope you guys know how much effort Andy and I both put into not only putting out the best tools we can, but also watching what we say as to not have it taken the wrong way. ;) Since I started making knives, I've become more and more worried that someone on Bladeforums will take something I say the wrong way and then be like, "that guy is a d#$%head and I'll never buy anything from him and I'm going to spread the word."


Last thing I'm going to say:
I never use a mouse pad to sharpen anything. I never use sand paper on an edge. I never use fancy stuff that lets you select and exact angle for your edge. I'm a simple country boy. We use stones and, IF we want it to just be stupid sharp, a strop. About the fanciest I ever get is my diamond impregnated stones from DMT and using my good eye.
 
Can I also add a little something to the post.

A knife can be sharp but still not cut great on all materials due to the edge angle. I recieved a knife from John of JK Knives and in one of my posts I mentioned that I had sharpened it. John commented back asking why I had needed to sharpen it as it was shaving hair when he sent it out. This was totally true the knife was popping the hairs off my arm but when it came to cutting wood the angle just didn't work as well for me and I convexed it. The second knife John sent me ( My Knatchet ) arrived scary sharp and worked a dream on wood, John obviously noted what I was looking for and being the proffesional he is made the blade to suit me.
Sometimes you have to tell the maker what you are planning to do with the knife. If ya gonna beat the crap out of it then it might be better suited having a thick edge as comes on Busse and TOPS type knives. I rarely chop with my knives so prefer a slightly finer edge for food prep and carving but your needs may differ !
 
Spot on Pit! It's impossible for a maker to make an edge (geometry) that everyone loves. If its thin enough to cut the way I expect, then someone else might complain that the blade is fragile. I think that's part of the reason for the Bark River bashing. They grind their knives thin using a full on convex 0 grind (no secondary bevel).

YMMV

Brandon
 
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After visiting Andy and seeing his setup, I can understand how a few blades can make it out of the shop without being sharp. There is a lot of steel going on in that shop.

I can also understand the expectation of receiving a sharp knife - I'm the same way.

Making changes in processes to improve the final product is what Andy is all about - He cares.

I'll bet the next Fiddleback you receive will be a razor ;)

Go ahead and use this opportunity to learn how to convex your own edges - you will need to know this anyway.
 
G'day RR

Ridge-Runner said:
....But I like a really polished edge so I go all the way to 2000.
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If you like a really polished edge, try honing it up to 12,000 grit micromesh before stropping on bare leather. :eek:

IMO, the increased edge retention & ease of resharpening makes the initial investment of additional effort well worth it :thumbup:

As always, bear in mind that you have paid $0.00 for this opinion :D




Kind regards
Mick
 
G'day Brandon


bkduckworth said:
Spot on Pit! It's impossible for a maker to make an edge (geometry) that everyone loves. If its thin enough to cut the way I expect, then someone else might complain that the blade is fragile. I think that's part of the reason for the Bark River bashing. They grind their knives thin using a full on convex 0 grind (no secondary bevel)......
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+1 :thumbup:

If your not a carpenter you should be, 'cause you've just hit the nail on the head :D




Kind regards
Mick
 
I just bought one of your Leather Hone kits - need to watch the videos and get after it!
 
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