Sharpening question

[fracmeister]

I have been fastidiously using a ceramic stick on the "back" side of my Badger Attack and then stropping both sides (leather wheel with compound) for years. Now there are a few areas on the blade where the edge just isn't back to snuff.

My temptation is to get the EdgePro and lay down some 320 and 600 on both sides at the existing angles. But, knowing Busse lore I think I might have to sacrifice a goat or something first. Any advice on the eventual actual sharpening that Busse knives will need???????

Yours in slicing,

frac

 

[Eric Isaacson]

Frac,
Here is what Cliff Stamp posted about his sharpening method. This may have changed since he posted, hopefully he'll post an update if so.

Originally posted by Cliff Stamp "My current sharpening method is as follows :
-touch up with strop, first on canvas then leather + Lee Valley CrO compound
if this fails to produce a high quality edge I will turn to :
-a few passes on 800 grit ceramic rod
If this fails to leave an agressive edge I need to remove a little more metal so I try :
-a few passes on a 600 grit 12" DMT diamond rod
-touch up with strop and if necessary, a few passes on 800 grit ceramic rod
Afterwhile even this stops working as I have put a visible secondary bevel on the edge. Then I have to back up one step further :
-SiC wet/dry sandpaper on the convex bevel
-SiC waterstone on the flat bevel
-jump up to finer grits of the same
-touch up with strop and if necessary a few passes on 800 grit ceramic rod
Another method is to use a buffer / slack belt sander, if you have the skill to do this it is much quicker.
-Cliff

I hope this answer your questions.

 

[fracmeister]

Hmmm, that seems to be complicated enough. Is this what other Busse users are doing?? Surely a lot of you are abusing the knives anought to go pass the ceramic rod level.

 

[AnklePocket]

One thought is to get the Edge Pro Apex System and sharpen the flat side just like any other blade. Then set up the blade with spacers so that the sharpening plane on the asymetrical edge is at the very top of the edge. You'll have to use spacers (popsicle sticks or whatever) because the top of the asymetrical edge is out of range of the sharpening system. Have it set up so that you can flip flop side to side to eliminate any burr. Hope that that makes sense. It's a bit of a project, but some sharp stuff.

 

[Dark Nemesis]

I'm far from a wizard when it comes to sharpeneing and have only sharpened my Busse's with a Sharpmaker 204 and a leather strop. I've only had to do "repair" work on my BM-E and it did take a little longer than normal, but the 204 got my ding right now after many strokes.

Been wanting to get a more professional system, but haven't have the chance yet....

 

[Eric Isaacson]

Frac,
To be honest I use the "Jerry Method". When I beat the blade to the point I can't sharpen it very well. I drop it in a Box, ship it off to Jerry and let him worry about it.

They will always take care of you at the shop and only for the price of shipping.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

To minimize metal removal you want to do the least amount possible when sharpening. This is why the first thing you should try is a simple alignment, this can be done with a smooth steel or a leather strop. Once this fails you are going to have to remove some metal. You can then just put on a quick secondary edge bevel, a v-grind is the probably the easiest (ceramic rods and such), or go with a full sharpening. After sharpening with a secondary bevel for a vew times you should redo the entire bevel to keep it operating at full performance, as secondary bevels thicken the edge.

For a full sharpening, and to *keep the NIB profile*, you would want to hone the flat side on a benchstone, and the convex side on sandpaper on a soft backing (or a belt sander). Alternate every so often until a full burr is formed, then progress until you have the grit finish you want and then remove the final burr by raising the angle just a couple of degrees and giving the blade an extra few passes on each side. If you do this frequently, you can just keep to the finishing grits.

You can also use a small hone to do both sides. You will need to stroke it along the flats and then arc over the convex side. This takes a lot more skill than the benchstone and sandpaper though.

If you don't want to keep the NIB profile, you can just grind flat edges on both sides of the blade, or dual convex if you want. Right now my SHBM has a dual convex edge, freshly ground at about 11-12 degrees per side. The edge is very rough, left with the belt finish, 100 grit AO. I will be cleaning it up shortly and will do that using either a decent sandpaper on a soft backing as an aggressive strop, or with a small hone arcing it over the bevel. Then edge will then be maintained by stropping on either leather for a light touchout, or on sandpaper for a complete recut from time to time.

-Cliff