Sharpening a Stockman

H

HoosierQ

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
2,327
Mods...move me if you think this'd fit better in Maintenance.

My old shooting buddy has a real nice carbon steel stockman...Old Timer. The tip is broken just a tiny bit off the end of the sheepsfoot (not the blade I would have expected to be missing its tip). Otherwise the thing is in great shape but for the edges.

Is there a rule of thumb on how to do the angles on a stockman? Obviously the spey should be very acute and razor sharp...what, maybe 25, 30 degree inclusive max? How about the main blade and the sheeps foot?

I haven't the pleasure of owning very many multi-blade knives but it would seem to me you'd do the various blades at different angles.

Any stockman gurus out there have an opinion on this?
 
I sharpen all of mine at the same angle. It's true that the spey tends to be sharper than the main blade and the sheepsfoot, but that's because it gets the least amount of use.

- Christian
 
Same here... mine are usually all the same angle, they are just used for different purposes. This is due to the blade profiles, not the sharpening angle. I find that pocket knife blades like these are generally so thin that using slightly different angles really isn't noticeable.
 
Well, I'll probably get stoned for blasphemy, but I did keep different edgers on my stockman when I carried a stockman for 25 years.

I kept the main blade and sheepsfoot pretty sharp, the sheepsfoot a little less so than the main clip. Since the Buck 301 was such a nice size for a pocket trout and bird knife, the main clip was my meat blade.

The sheepsfoot was my box opener, line cutter, and general utility knife.

The spay blade was to me, the most expendable blade on the knife. Since I was pretty darn certain I was never going to harvest mountain oysters, or make steers out of bulls, it was my putty knife blade, poking and prying blade, spreading plastic wood into holes blade. It was butter knife dull, and it got used as a scraper, and many other dirty jobs.

Just my take on it.

Carl.
 
The simplest answer is to sharpen the blades for the task intended.

Some folks use the spey for rough work. That would be better with a more obtuse edge.

Others keep the spey pristine for unexpected surgery, so they keep it like a scalpel.

Decide how you intend to use it and the (relative) angles will work themselves out. Don't obsess on the numbers. What matters is meeting your objectives for the knife.
 
always scary sharp, same angle
mine are all like 30 degs inclusive, convexed of course
height of the edge is between 1-2mm, preferably 2mm
Maxx
 
I asked this same question a while back in regards to a Moore Maker XL stockman. In the end, I did all three blades at 20deg per side. It works beautifully.
 
Always suit yourself. ;) Personally, I sharpen the spey at about 20° inclusive and save it for soft tissue, the main clip gets about 30° included and gets used mostly for food prep and light work, and the sheepsfoot gets about 40° to 50° and gets used for general utility (rough work). It has worked for me for many years, but I'm fairly sure you're not me, so a different arrangement may work better on your knife.
 
I have sharpened mine all the same angle, but a little more polished edge on the spey and then never used it. Carls method seems the most practical. If I did knife surgery it was usually for a splinter and a point was more important than scalpel sharp edge. I kept the spey unused in case I needed to split hairs.

300Bucks/ch
 
puukkoman said:
I find that pocket knife blades like these are generally so thin that using slightly different angles really isn't noticeable.
Click to expand...

This is what I have found as well. On a thicker modern folder it makes more of a difference but not very noticeable on the thin blades of a stockman.:thumbup:
 
Like Jack knife I try to utilize different blade for differnet things
my clip blade get used for food, game duty and anything that requires a point
the sheepsfoot I use for whittling and for cutting in close proximity to others or in a boat or canoe when there is a chance I might drop the knife (averts broke tips and stabbed feet)
the sheepsfoot I use for general utility... I almost wish stockmen with penblades where more common as I think it is a more diverse blade
However on someof my stockman I keep a the clip sharp, I convex the sheeps foot (best bang for the buck when carving)
and I sharpen the sheepsfoot to around 40 degrees only to about 800 grit. than strop
 
I used Carl's method. I keep my spey pretty dull. I used it as a mini pry bar a lot in addition to what Carl mentioned (i.e. for staples, paint cans etc.) I know this is heresy :) I gripped the blade when using it this way to prevent damage to the joint, so having it dull was good to prevent cuts
 
I also keep the spey blade in reserve for the roughest work. It does a lot of scraping. The main blade I keep the sharpest (mostly I use it for food prep), with the sheepsfoot blade at a slightly higher angle (this is the blade I use most often on cardboard, tape and whatnot). I've been doing it this way for about a decade or so, so I guess I'm fairly set into this method.
 
The angles I put on a blade are more dependent on the blade steel hardness and the use for which I will put the blade than on the style of knife.

Old Timers were 1095.
I use the main blade and the Sheepsfoot blade for working.
I keep the spey blade as a razor edge.

The main blade and Sheepsfoot of my Schrade OT model 80T are at 40° inclusive.
The spey is 30° inclusive.

That's what you get for asking an engineer.;)
 
I use my sheepsfoot as the razor sharp blade, the clip sharp as a clean blade for food, and the spey as the dirty blade with a more obtuse angle
 
On my Schrade UH I set the angle at ~30 degrees inclusive with my EdgePro. I then touch up with a 40 degree micro bevel for all three blades. I do use the sheepsfoot for harder work such as cardboard and plastic ties for example. That means it typically needs touch up more often. The clip I use for food and light work such as envelopes. The spey stays very sharp simply because it does not get used as frequently. In summary I use the same angles for all three blades and use them based on function vs. angle.
 
Great response. My "client" (my buddy) want's them all sharp so I am going with 30 inclusive all the way round. I just wasn't sure if there was a traditional pattern...a custom pattern if you will...to how each blade was done. I may lay the spey a hair flatter and hold the sheepsfoot a hair higher but pretty much all a degree or two one side or the other of 30.

Thanks for the assistance. I love to learn and I am not quite the "traditional folder" guy thay you all here are. I lurk and learn on this forum a lot but don't post in here often.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top