Sharpening a large knife

D

Dr Feelgood

Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
71
Hello.
I have a Remington model 580 I want to sharpen.
I've looked around for a way to sharpen it but all the systems i've seen seem to be too small for a knife this size and I don't know the first thing about sharpening.

Any help would be great thanks !
 
get yourself a belt sander system or a paper wheel system for those larger knifes.
 
I sharpen 6+ inch bowies with a pocket diamond hone. Just a system that works for me with the way my grandfather sharpened knives, he used a little pocket stone that he carried everywhere. Just get a few of 6" or 8" DMT diamond pads and you'll be fine...if you're worried about angles you can make up angle gauges with a hacksaw and piece of wood.
 
Thank you these replies are great !
I'm going to try several ways and see what works best for me.

The belt sander I have... doesn't that overheat the blade ?? what grit belts should I use ??

Would the 'Wicked edge' system work for this size knife ??
 
i would go with the belt sander/ paper wheel combo like chapmanpreferred said. check out some of my vids and you will see what you can do with the wheels. i have had guys tell me that my knives are some of the sharpest they have ever owned.

a member that goes by hkpokes_you sent me a knife he made for convexing. here is what he had to say about the edge i put on it.

Dear Richard,

Let me start off by saying that the blade is spectacular. You really have a gift. I have never seen a 3V with such an even smooth finish. It's like volcanic glass; and with a good lather it can shave my beard (my girlfriend can confirm that). What's especially striking about it to me is the way it resembles a traditionally done Japanese hamiguri edge -- a zero ground continuous convex. Seriously, impressive.
 
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If you opt for a stone type setup. It is absolutely possible to do large knives on 6-8" stones (or larger Japanese stones). You just have to sharpen in sections, much the way Japanese sword polishers polish (sharpen) on stones. It will be difficult to impossible to sharpen using the Western method of one stroke sharpening heel to tip if you do a big blade over a certain length.

I have a liking for LARGE blades and started in reverse order compared to many when I initially started freehand sharpening. I started with a 15" blade bolo. It took hours more than necessary with all the mistakes I made, but it got done.

Have some paper wheels coming in tomorrow to supplement my HF 1x30" sander. Hopefully if things go well, I won't have to pester Richard J. for guidance.
 
heel to tip strokes are possible up to 30cm blades on 8" japanese waterstones, i do so for deburring my kitchen knives. working only this way isn't the fastest way but it can be done if you don't want to sharpen in sections.
 
Agreed, without too much argument, a foot is bout what I would agree with when I said a certain length. I kinda left it open to arm span to be generous. Section sharpening offers the most control without a doubt, and it seems the Asian method is a lil more understood now.

Pwet? French Pinoy?

Thanks for the call Richard. I enjoyed our conversation.
 
I sharpen my large knives the same way I sharpen my small knives: with a leather strop impregnated with a silica-based cutting compound.

I keep around stones, hones, grinders, and steels for honing, edge repair, and reprofiling, but 99% of my sharpening is done with the strop.
 
You mean touching up or keeping sharp? If you use your large knives any given amount for large tasks or even small blades for whittling and such, they usually need more than a good stropping as what to you're describing.
 
ChapmanPreferred said:
+1 for the Belt Sander/Paper wheels combo!
Click to expand...

+2

MT_01.jpg


(2x36 MultiTool w/ an A45 (400g) Trizact belt followed by a Paper Wheel polish, on a 1HP var. speed grinder motor.)

Dr Feelgood said:
Would the 'Wicked edge' system work for this size knife ??
Click to expand...

Yes, if you want to go the "non-powered" route, the Wicked Edge would do a fast and quality job at putting an edge on this size knife. Here's a video showing a 17" blade being sharpened...

[youtube]jhR3jCsQX5Q[/youtube]


cbw
 
cbwx34 said:
+2

MT_01.jpg


(2x36 MultiTool w/ an A45 (400g) Trizact belt followed by a Paper Wheel polish, on a 1HP var. speed grinder motor.)



Yes, if you want to go the "non-powered" route, the Wicked Edge would do a fast and quality job at putting an edge on this size knife. Here's a video showing a 17" blade being sharpened...
Click to expand...

Now that is an awesome set up. Where did you get the stuff?
 
that is a cool setup. where did you get it? is the contact wheel rubber or plastic on the sander? that would be the ultimate setup for convex edges or all around sharpening and somewhat portable too.
 
The MultiTool I got off Ebay... but here is some examples. The motor I got from a local Woodworker store. I think, if I remember right, I got the Trizact belts from the same link that has the MultiTool examples. (Trizacts last looooong time btw). The wheel is rubber, and as you'll see, there's some different sizes avail.

cbw
 
I must say, that thing looks awesome. Any problems with it? Do you have any idea if there are leather belts available for it? So far, for power sharpening, I like the belt/leather combo, though I've not tried the paper wheels.
 
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