Sharpening help!

I'mGatMan!

I'mGatMan!

Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
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I have attempted a few searches for tips throughout the Busse forum and archives, but the search keeps coming back as a blank screen. I had intended to find a bunch of threads and link to them from one thread, sort of as a one-stop sharpening place, but again...no dice.

If anyone has tip, or links to threads about how to sharpen knives, I'd appreciate it if you could post here, as up to this point in my knife-collecting life, I have yet to sharpen an knife, and I need to learn how.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to convex all my users, so any links for that would be great as well. I know someone link to a thread the other day so I will go back and find that, but anything else dealing specifically with Busse's would be great as well. Thanks.

I'll start with this one, as it's the easiest to remember: (Thanks to the Bark River Knife Collectors' Association!)

http://www.barkriverknives.com/convex.htm

Also, I found this one without looking too hard:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548968

Good luck, and thanks.

Jason

I should also add that if you have any information on stropping, ie: what compounds to use, where to get them, etc...please add that as well. I think this will be a good thread for noobs.
 
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Look for a thread started by Justabuyer where he was giving an on-line "class" here on how to sharpen.



I'mGatMan! said:
I have attempted a few searches for tips throughout the Busse forum and archives, but the search keeps coming back as a blank screen. I had intended to find a bunch of threads and link to them from one thread, sort of as a one-stop sharpening place, but again...no dice.

If anyone has tip, or links to threads about how to sharpen knives, I'd appreciate it if you could post here, as up to this point in my knife-collecting life, I have yet to sharpen an knife, and I need to learn how.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to convex all my users, so any links for that would be great as well. I know someone link to a thread the other day so I will go back and find that, but anything else dealing specifically with Busse's would be great as well. Thanks.

I'll start with this one, as it's the easiest to remember:

http://www.barkriverknives.com/convex.htm

Also, I found this one without looking too hard:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548968

Good luck, and thanks.

Jason
Click to expand...
 
Here is a thread begun by Moloko Plus where he and others linked to some informative sites.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548580

And another by StretchNM:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=542248

Here's some good info on sharpening in general:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=558812

And a good thread on ednge geometry and why convexing does/does not work for some people:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=556467&highlight=convexing

On how to apply compound smoothly:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=565769
 
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Hey Ham...do it up. that's EXACTLY what I was hoping for. I'm still looking for more info and will post it as I find it.
 
Got the following links in an email:

http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=26036

http://www.edcknives.com/pdf-files/Sharpen_v2.pdf

Thanks, Rumblebee. :thumbup:

Here's a tip from T1mpani on how to convex longer blades:

Keeping the coating intact is just a matter of controlling your angles--the top of the edge bevel shoulder (however high it ends up) is where I'd set the knife to start with, then tip up a few degrees and go. Unfortunately it's one of those muscle-memory things that really only comes from doing it a little bit.

As to major reprofiling, I wouldn't employ the mousepad at all. You need to bear down on a solid surface--cut flat bevels on flat surfaces for serious material removal and then round off the corners as a finishing step with the mousepad. It's much faster to do reprofiling on a belt sander, of course, although mistakes happen more quickly aswell. Just takes practice--I learned to control my angles on about a dozen $5 machetes that I picked up at a hardware store years ago. By the fifth or sixth I was actually doing a reasonably consistent job of controlling my hands, and then went back and fixed the first ones.

Go slow, be deliberate about focusing on what you're doing and not watching TV or anything like. If you're going to do it by hand, then don't force yourself to get it all done in one sitting--when you get bored/tired of it your standards will go down, and slip-ups start happening.

Oh, and one quick trick for figuring your angle of stropping when you are getting the edge back to convex---put a line of masking tape about 1/16" to 1/8" above the edge shoulder, so you'll have just a little pinstripe of coating you can see between them. If your angle is correct, the sandpaper should not get hung up in the tape, if you're going too shallow then the paper will bite easily into the tape and resist your pull. Don't put the tape exactly even with the top of the edge shoulder because you'll then hit it every time as the mousepad collapses beneath the pressure.

And here's a good discussion which includes some discourse about steeling:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php

Anyone got an info on how best to "steel" a knife. I have a rod which came with my Wusthof's...will that work on my Infi?
 
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Any of the old guard and/or piglets, please feel free to add any links, vids, tips, resources or online stores you think might be helpful. I'd like to see this thing chock full of great info. A one-stop resource, if you will.
 
GatMan,

Best advice I can give you is...
Practice on plenty of cheap China made and kitchen knives, if you plan on learning to sharpen freehand, before trying it on your Busses.
Some guys just never get the hang of it. :( :mad: ;)
If you find you're not good at it, get an EdgePro. :thumbup:
My custom knife maker highly recommends one. :)


Sag.
 
The thread below got me started in convex sharpening. I bought a Kalamazoo 1SN 1"x42" belt sander, some belts, leather strops and compound, and have never looked back. Follow Jerry Hossom's directions to the letter regarding the grits and leather belt strop, and pretty soon you will be turning out sharp blades like you never thought possible...

Takes some investment both in money as well as learning time, but this method has worked for me and my Busse's. I now believe that Busse's are meant to be convexed - especially the choppers!

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/776367/tp/1/
 
What about for those people who don't have money or space (I'm in this group) for a belt sander? Anyone have any other tips/tricks for hand sharpening/convexing? I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker, but that will be pretty much useless on most of my Busses. I would like to get an edge-pro, but frankly, if I can learn to convex my blades, it won't be necessary.
 
On the subject of stropping you don't need to buy an expensive "real" strop to get the hang of the process. Many simple improvised alternatives (cardboard, denim, flat belts, etc) work great.

A nice high quality leather strop will of course work best. :)
 
Thanks for all the help, people. Keep on adding anything you think might be helpful to myself and/or other hogs.
 
I thought of something else that might help.

This is what the Busse site says about sharpening infi:
INFI's high level of chip resistance also makes it the easiest steel to resharpen by hand that we have ever encountered. I personally fall into the category of "hand sharpening challenged". I've heard tales of those who can sharpen ball peen hammers to a razor's edge on an Arkansas stone in less than 5 seconds flat. My experiences have always been to the contrary. The spine of the knife is usually sharper than the edge when I'm finished applying my magic stone sharpening technique. One of the great features of INFI is that simply stropping away from the edge (the way a barber strops a straight edged razor) on a ceramic stick is basically all that is required to resharpen INFI. Since you're not chipping steel off the edge there is no need to grind any steel away. This feature of INFI will, likewise, allow you to keep the same overall profile of the knife for a much greater period of time.
Click to expand...
 
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