Sharpening Fallkniven F1

E

egroeg555

Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
77
I just bought an F1 and I have a sharpmaker. 30 degrees should be fine, right? I will be using it mainly backpacking.
 
My F1 came with a convex edge, so I use flat DMT bench stones, stroking backwards while 'rolling' the blade to maintain contact. There has been considerable discussion on how to maintain a convex edge in this forum; some advocate stroking backwards on an abrasive sheet placed on a mouse pad. I don't have any sharpening 'systems' such as the Sharpmaker, but my understanding is that it would produce an acute bevelled edge, not a convex edge.
 
OK, so yes mine also has a convex edge. Is there any reason for me not maintain the edge as a 30 degree micro bevel and occasionally maintain the convex grind as needed?
 
Hmmmmm. If it were mine I'd stick with the convex edge. Although you already own a SHarpmaker designed for conventional edge sharpening, you might have everything you need to keep your F1 sharp right there at home.

All you need is a mousepad and some 1000, 1500, and, if you want, 2000 wet/dry. Then, follow the advice found at http://www.barkriverknives.com/home.html
In the right-hand pane, there is a link to click on where there is a pictorial instruction on sharpening convex edges. I'm not there right now and I can;t remember the name of the link to click on, but you'll see it.
 
I'd recommend you learn how to sharpen the convex edge and try it out for a while. That way you can decide which edge profile you prefer. I bought an F1 recently and had to learn how to sharpen a convex edge. It took a little while to get the hang of it but I reckon it's actually easier to sharpen a convex edge once you know how. The mistake I was making was putting too much downward pressure on the blade during sharpening.
 
Humm, I'm about to leave for the summer to lead some backpacking trips and help run a wilderness summer camp. I'm not sure I have time to learn an entirely new sharpening method right now. I might try. On the other hand if I do maintain a small microbevel for now, it shouldn't be too difficult to shape it back to full convex when I get back.

Also, on the box the knife came in, it describes sharpening the knife on a stone, trying to take off slices. Would this not create a flat bevel?
 
Yes. It sounds like they just included standard sharpening instructions in the box, without regard to the "convexity" of the F1 edge.
 
Fallkniven have long used v-bevels to sharpen their knives, even those with a convex primary grind. All the ones I have seen come sharpened that way.

-Cliff
 
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