Sharpening tanto blades on a Wicked Edge

[imbryan715]

Hey Guy's,

I have been a fan of Tanto blades for a while and have a few Benchmade's and Microtech's with beautiful Tanto blades. I picked up a wicked edge about 6 months ago and have been doing all of my sharpening on it. I stopped carrying those knives because i could not get satisfactory results. I always rounded off the secondary point that makes Tanto's so useful. I watched a video from clay alison showing his technique of sharpening it as two different edges. I still managed to round off the point. Does anybody have any tips for restoring and keeping crisp points on tanto edges? I curently have two systems. The wicked edge and the sharpmaker. I know i need to get some bench stones but don't currently have the funds. thanks for the help.

 

[Ernie1980]

For tanto blades I sharpen the main edge first with the edge straight across, then reclamp the blade at an angle with the second edge straight up and sharpen that edge. This keeps the meeting area of the two edges crisp.

 

[imbryan715]

Would you mind posting a picture or two? I just want to make sure I understand what you are saying

 

[Jazic]

There have been a few tantos I've done and had great results. The number one key to note is to never roll over the edge. That will create the crisp divider that you're looking for.

One Tanto worked out perfect and I was able to use the same angle for both the main and the tip but with another I had to use two angles. While it was a slight pain it worked out well in the end. Just be sure to note everything for future resharpening.

As for restoring a rolled over Tanto, that may take a lot of work. Just make sure when you're sharpening the angles at which you're sharpening stay in line and don't roll them when you get to the edge. Works for Tanto and also for the tip of your knife. It may take removing quite a bit of material but I wouldn't worry about it. Just use it, dull it, and practice sharpening and you'll get the hang of it.

It took me awhile to be comfortable doing expensive knives but I don't think twice now. Just practice and learn as much as you can and don't be afraid to ask questions. Some good people here and on the WE forums. Shoot me a PM if you need any quick answers. I'm pretty good for responding quickly.

 

[cbwx34]

Another thing you can try if you're having trouble rounding the secondary point, is to sharpen away from it. So for the longer straight portion start at the secondary point and make the stroke back toward the heel. Then for the front portion start at the secondary point and stroke toward the main point.

Also, completely finish one edge before going to the other. In other words, if I was going from 200g to 1000g (200,400,600,800,1000) (just an example), I would completely sharpen the main edge first, then switch to the other edge.

To restore a secondary tip, I've found it easier to restore by sharpening the main edge first, then work the front edge until the secondary point is restored.

And you absolutely can't roll over the secondary point... it's no different than rolling over the tip of any knife... it will quickly remove the point. So pay close attention and make sure the stone doesn't roll at all. This is why starting at the secondary point and moving away from it is better... it makes it less likely you'll roll over it.

Edit: Oh yeah... also start with a finer stone, like the 200 or 400... try to avoid the more coarse stones unless you need to fix a major issue.

 

[imbryan715]

Decided to take the Benchmade mini stryker out and attempt Ernie1980's method. This stryker is pretty well used and it's point was pretty rounded from trying to learn to sharpen tantos. I made one change to the method. I offset the blade to make the secondary edge lie at a 90* angle to the sharpener. Brought it up to 3.5 micron. Then I reversed the knife so the point was facing me and the handle was facing away. It may be unorthodox but it let me be more precise with the point. I am very pleased with the results. I am starting to see those sharp angles again. 3 or 4 more sharpening with the 200-1000 stones should have that point back to razor sharp. Thanks for the help guys.