Sharpening is such a ..

B

Balidaan

Joined
Nov 27, 2010
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Got my first F1 yest, was really excited.
I also in my ignorance bought a lansky diamond paddle.

Now I've been trying to convex sharpen the blade using this but all I'm left with is a duller blade and lots of scratches on the new knife!! (is it not possible to do this?)

I hope I haven't ruined the blade with my experimentation. Gonna try the sandpaper mousepad method today.

Is convex sharpening really that difficult because I sure as hell am doing something wrong! Any idea what is it?

Thanks
 
You should have gone the sandpaper/mousepad route first. It's tough to get a convex edge with a stone.... at least in my experience. With the proper sandpaper grits and the mousepad, you should be able to get a nice sharp convex on your knife. Slow and steady. Keep constant light pressure exactly the same on both sides. Be deliberate with your strokes. It's not going to be a five minute ordeal. You'll be working the edge for quite some time. Once again, slow and steady. You may not be able to buff out the scratches, but you will be able to get your knife sharp. If you move from sandpaper to strops you may be able to buff out those scratches. At least to the point where they aren't unsightly.

Good luck.
 
Thanks Tony. I've been reading that 2k sandpaper should do the job.
Also re leather strops, are people actually able to sharpen their knives with just a leather belt(for the final edge)?
 
You will need to work up to 2k especially if you used a diamond plate and disrupted the geometry of the blade. I'd probably start at 320 and progress up.

The leather belt from you pants will do little to nothing without a abrasive applied to it. Most strops have compound (a very fine abrasive) on them, like chromium oxide AKA green compound. Its a last step in the sharpening process that polishes a already very sharp edge or touches up a sharp knife that's been lightly used.

Go to Knivesshipfree and watch the convex sharpening videos to get a better idea of the process.
 
I have a rudimentary sharpening system right now (5 dollar stone from Home Depot) and my leather belt (from aeropastel maybe?) and I can see a difference in cutting results from stone to belt. Maybe 15-20 min on the belt? This is using a benchmade grip and pika which dont have convex edges though.

By cut tests I mean catching my fingernail, slicing paper thin, push-cutting cardboard, or shaving hair from my arm. Nothing impressive but acceptable and useful sharpness.
 
err, there's no problem sharpening up a convex edge on a flat stone.

you just need to take a slightly steeper angle than feels natural for someone used to flat grind blades.

keep practising and get your flat stone technique down pat before polishing the scratches out of your blade.
 
Convex with a stone is a advanced technique that I'm sure the OP is not ready for if he's having issues at this point.
 
Sharpening a convex edge with the sandpaper and mousepad technique is an astoundingly simple process and extremely forgiving.

Sharpening a convex edge on a stone sounds like a pain in the ass. I haven't tried it myself, and I don't know why I would, given the effectiveness of the sandpaper-mousepad technique mentioned by knifenut.

I use a leather hand strop (homemade thing that basically looks like the strop lee valley sells) loaded with chromium oxide paste after some 2k grit sandpaper for my final edge. Works like a charm and is a big improvement over just using sandpaper alone.
 
One tip for when you start with the sandpaper technique I'd give would be to color in the edge with a sharpie. Then as you start sharpening you can actually see where the metal is coming off and adjust your angle accordingly.

Too steep of an angle and you are just rounding the edge off..... to shallow and you aren't touching the edge.

You do not want to apply pressure to the edge. The weight of the knife is enough.
 
Oh for crying out loud, it's a piece of steel.
flick it across a stone a couple of times and it 's sharp enough for what ever you would want to do with a F1.
It's not rocket science.

Don't scare the guy by over complicating things.
 
Dorito Monk said:
Sharpening a convex edge on a stone sounds like a pain in the ass.
Click to expand...

oh dear lord.

you DO realise, i hope, that a convex edge is the way any flat piece of steel will shape itself when freehand sharpened on flat stones?

tehre's nothing mystical or difficult or weird about it.

besides, my fallkniven dc3 fits in my pocket.
 
Sharpening freehand and getting a slight convex from errors in angle control and using a flat stone to sharpen a full convex blade are two different worlds.

Are we forgetting the OP is most likely a beginner? this stuff sounds easy to someone with years of experience but its very complex to someone just starting out.
 
sambo. said:
oh dear lord.

you DO realise, i hope, that a convex edge is the way any flat piece of steel will shape itself when freehand sharpened on flat stones?

tehre's nothing mystical or difficult or weird about it.
Click to expand...

Are you for real?
 
Hawkings said:
Oh for crying out loud, it's a piece of steel.
flick it across a stone a couple of times and it 's sharp enough for what ever you would want to do with a F1.
It's not rocket science.

Don't scare the guy by over complicating things.
Click to expand...

There was some really good advice given before this post. Terrible advice. The OP doesn't want the knife "sharp enough". He wants a good convex edge. And flicking your blade across a stone a few times is no way to take care of your knife.
 
oh dude, return the sandpaper, mousepad, and lansky system and just buy a paperwheel system which will work a lot better, faster, will be cheaper, and make your blade a lot sharper!
 
eccvets said:
oh dude, return the sandpaper, mousepad, and lansky system and just buy a paperwheel system which will work a lot better, faster, will be cheaper, and make your blade a lot sharper!
Click to expand...

You do realize were talking about a convex blade here?
 
I am a beginner and this is my first time sharpening a convex. Bought the sand paper today 3M 1000 grit I think I made some progress because in between I could shave my arm in parts. Not as great as my HEST though. Now I have multiple cuts on my arm from pushing the blade a little deep and patches of no hair in some places!

So how do I know whether the angles are right? Also I think I'm pushing it harder than I should (even though I didn't really press it too hard) because the sandpaper is wearing off and the knife isn't getting any sharper.

how do I know that the blade geometry is ok now? Thanks a ton guys for your inputs, its such an awesome feeling to see even a slight difference in the edge after my first day's fiasco.
 
I sharpen all my knives with the sandpaper mounepad technique. I usually workfrom 1k grit up to 2k grit. After that i move from black, to green and then a straight leather strop. Ill use 600 grit if the edge is in bad shape. As far as angle is concerned, you just need to get a feel for it, but a black pen along the edge will help you get that feel.

You dont have to push hard at all, just a little more than the weight of the knife. I push a little harder when stropping. My edges get a near mirror finish and they are very sharp:)
 
I think any kind of belt sander will do. I did my Izula, Para 2 S90V, ZT 0301, and Lionsteel SR-1 on my Work Sharp. Only the SR-1 was originally convexed, but the rest became slightly convexed while sharpening.

I consider myself at a low level of skill in sharpening, mainly because I keep changing sharpening systems before making any significant investments in practicing at any one. I rounded off the tips of my Mora, Izula, and ZT 0551 when I first started, but that eventually stopped by the 4th knife(which I believe was my Para2). Bad habit to rush into it yes, but I can tell you that this was the easiest to learn out of all the sharpeners I've used.
 

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Noctis3880 said:
I think any kind of belt sander will do. I did my Izula, Para 2 S90V, ZT 0301, and Lionsteel SR-1 on my Work Sharp. Only the SR-1 was originally convexed, but the rest became slightly convexed while sharpening.

I consider myself at a low level of skill in sharpening, mainly because I keep changing sharpening systems before making any significant investments in practicing at any one. I rounded off the tips of my Mora, Izula, and ZT 0551 when I first started, but that eventually stopped by the 4th knife(which I believe was my Para2). Bad habit to rush into it yes, but I can tell you that this was the easiest to learn out of all the sharpeners I've used.
Click to expand...

Those edges look pretty darn nice, would you mind taking some close up macro shots of the edges? :o:D
 
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