Sharpening a Trailmaster

Joined
Feb 19, 2001
Messages
11
Pardon me if I'm asking a question that has been beat to death, but this is my first post to the forums and I need this info now.

I am looking at a used Cold Steel Trailmaster. I like this knife, but in the back of my mind I seem to remember some sort of problem with sharpening knives with a so-called "rolled edge". I don't really know the definition of this term, nor what the difficulty with this type of edge could be. Again, sorry for the nyophyte question, but any enlightenment would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Hello, and welcome to the forums!!!

A rolled edge is better known as a Moran edge, a convex edge, or sometimes and appleseed edge. "Regular" edges are two flat bevels that meet, leaving a nice sharp cutting edge. The bevels on a trailmaster are curved instead of flat. This produces a stronger edge, and one that cuts amazingly.

You cannot sharpen a knife to a convex edge with a sharpening stone. To do it properly, a belt sander is your best bet. Or, you can use sand paper backed on leather or styrofoam and you "strop" the edge on the paper so that it will sharpen to a curved edge.

You can always put a regular flat beveled edge on the knife. Don't worry about sharpening problems. If you like the knife, get it. IF you have no belt sander or don't want to play around with sand paper, spend some time with a large stone and put on a regular bevel.

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"Come What May..."
 
Just a reminder that Cold Steel only puts a rolled edge on the Stainless Trailmasters, the CarbonV blades will take a normal edge. Determine which it is before you try to put the edge on.

Crayola,
Appleseed?
That's the first time I've heard that one, can you give me any idea as to the origin of the term?


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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
 
Ken, I've come across the term "appleseed" before. If you look at an actual appleseed, it is round at one end, with the sides curved out slightly, and a point at the other end. In fact, an outline of an appleseed looks a lot like the cross-section of a convex blade.
 
I draw a poor example of this edge:

Moran.jpg


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"Good tools to sustain life, or at least make life more convenient"
-James Mattis

[This message has been edited by Tommi (edited 02-19-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Tommi (edited 02-19-2001).]
 
Ken: I've heard it mentioned on the forums here before only. At first I thought it was a dumb name, but after thinking about the shape of an appleseed for a second, i realized that it is appropriate!

Tommi: I bow to your graphemical talents. I stand in awe... :O

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"Come What May..."
 
Well I'll be darned!
That's pretty COOL!
Good artwork Tommi!
Crayola, I wasn't putting it down, it just seemed such a ODD thing to call a knife edge, that I figured there either had to be a good reason or a great story behind the name.
Thanks guys!
biggrin.gif


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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
 
Thanks for the replies folks. It appears to me that if I don't want this edge I could just sharpen it in such a way that the bevel would become flat and I have a more "normal" edge. Or better yet have someone that knows what they're doing grind out for me. Thanks again. This forum is incredibly interesting for a person who has liked and gathered knives for years.
 
Something else you are going to have to take into consideration is the thick, durable edge that Cold Steel puts on their Trailmaster. Since this is advertised as a super duper almost indestructable knife, they dont put a nice thin, easy to sharpen edge on them. You are going to be there awhile if you are sharpening it on a hand stone. I recommend having the edge reprofiled to a thinner edge. It wont lose much durability and will be MUCH easier to get wickedly sharp. After all, who abuses their knives like they do in those tests? The worst thing I would do with a bowie like that is to do a little chopping on some wood in the campground for some firewood. Matt Lamey reprofiled my Trailmaster and it is scary sharp!

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Danbo, soul brother of Rambo
 
Ken,
my Carbon V Trailmaster did have a convex edge - that is until I sharpened it to death myself in the field. Maybe CS changed their practice a few years ago. Maybe I had a collectors' item and I screwed up real bad.
 
You can maintain a convex edge on a flat stone by pulling the blade backwards, rather than stroking forward (as if to slice a thin section of stone off). I use this technique to keep the convex edge on my Marble's Fieldcraft and (brand new!) Campcraft 2000 Carver, as well as a few other pet blades (Frosts laminated high carbon). This might be more difficult on such a massive blade as the Trailmaster, though.
 
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