sharpening a Rat - advice required

C

Corso

Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
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So the months of abuse i've put my Izula through mean that its not as sharp as i like

before i take it to my spyderco sharp maker does anyone have any comments or suggestions.

never sharpened something I care about before :D
 
Corso said:
So the months of abuse i've put my Izula through mean that its not as sharp as i like

before i take it to my spyderco sharp maker does anyone have any comments or suggestions.

never sharpened something I care about before :D
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My rats actually take to my Sharpmaker better than any other knives I own (the 1095 is a pleasure and ease to sharpen) - I stink at sharpening but its easy to get a hair-popping sharp edge for me with the Sharpmaker.

After you sharpened em up, you might want to use a strop with some green compound every couple of uses - it will keep the edge going for a while and a few strokes should bring it back to literally hair splitting.

If you cant find the edge, the Sharpie trick really is the best.
 
Sharpmaker is great :thumbup:

If you find you are having trouble sharpening it make sure your actually removing some of the edge and not just the coating, you can use a sharpie and mark the edge, then use the sharpmaker and see if it is removing some steel from the edge. If not use the coarse stone and try to remove some of the coating by continuing to sharpen at the same angle until you start removing some of the edge.
 
I like the Smith's sharpeners you can get at Walmart. Tungsten on one side to get the edge and ceramic on the other to get the fine edge. You can also get them with diamond rods. They are fixed angel so it makes it easy. Then of you want it sharper for shaving, you can use a strop. I've use these sharpeners for a long time with great results.

http://smithsedge.com/products/product.asp?id=44&cid=10
 
Last edited:
pcboss2 said:
I like the Smith's sharpeners you can get at Walmart. Tungsten on one side to get the edge and ceramic on the other to get the fine edge. You can also get them with diamond rods. They are fixed angel so it makes it easy. Then of you want it sharper for shaving, you can use a strop. I've use these sharpeners for a long time with great results.
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Bleh :thumbdn:
I hate those things, I have always felt they do more bad than good.
But whatever works for ya I guess
 
derrickd803 said:
Bleh :thumbdn:
I hate those things, I have always felt they do more bad than good.
But whatever works for ya I guess
Click to expand...


I agree 95%. However, a lansky one of them saved me when I didn't know how to sharpen properly. It got the edge to where I could skin the deer effectively.
 
I use bench stones and have been getting much better at it lately.

It just takes practice and a good selection of stone grits, in sizes easy enough to use (I like a stone to be at least 8"x2")
 
keep it off of belt sanders and grinders,,,,other than that I don't think you can screw it up beyond fixing..........(now this only applies to sharpening)
 
hwpaintballer said:
Sharpmaker is great :thumbup:

If you find you are having trouble sharpening it make sure your actually removing some of the edge and not just the coating, you can use a sharpie and mark the edge, then use the sharpmaker and see if it is removing some steel from the edge. If not use the coarse stone and try to remove some of the coating by continuing to sharpen at the same angle until you start removing some of the edge.
Click to expand...

Sharpmaker did fine on all my large knives, rc6 and such, but I ran into the coating on the izula and couldnt seem to get it off with the sharpmaker. Knocked it back with a stone and then it was fine. Currently taking it down to 15 degrees on a gatco.
 
I get my Sharpmaker in the mail tomorrow. I cant wait to become an expert at getting my blades hair-splitting sharp. I am glad to hear that the 1095 is easy to deal with...I think I will practice on some kitchen knives first..
 
The DVD and handbook are excellent that come with it. Be sure to check them out.
 
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