Sharpening tips for vintage Swiss Army Knife?

[michaelh162]

Just found a 1940s-vintage Huntsman on Ebay.(It just arrived.)

Knife is in almost perfect shape,but both the main and pen blade are dull.

How do I go about sharpening the knife? (I do have a Victorinox sharpening rod that I bought.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AR7AKG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title is the sharpener I have.

 

[Alberta Ed]

Sharpen it just like any other small folder, no worry. The steel Victorinox uses hasn't changed much over the decades, it's still a relatively soft (55 HRC or so) stainless grade. An Arkansas stone works fine, so do diamond hones. I sharpen mine (25+ years old) on a DMT fine (600 grit).

 

[jjg6319]

I like the Spyderco Sharpmaker for swiss army knives. It is very easy to use on them.

 

[Ourorboros]

Don't something like diamond, which will take off a lot of material. SAKs use a softer steel.
A regular old India stone will do fine.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Most any stone or hone of reputable quality can work with simple stainless or carbon steel. I've grown to prefer aluminum oxide stones for Victorinox stainless blades. Something like a Norton Fine India stone for setting new edge bevels works very well and can also be used for finishing, leaving an aggressive slicing edge with some nice toothy bite. And for light touchups afterward, alumina ceramic hones like Spyderco's Sharpmaker rods and similar triangular ceramic hones from Lansky are of very good quality and work well. I'd bet the Victorinox sharpener you linked will also work well in the same touchup capacity as the other ceramics I mentioned. I haven't tried that one yet, but I've frequently been tempted to buy one of those.

If the main and pen blades are VERY dull, the ceramics will be very slow to fix that. So, starting with a more aggressive stone like the Norton India mentioned above, or the 600 grit DMT Fine diamond also previously mentioned, will work very quickly to set brand new edge bevels and crisply apex the edge.

 

[Wowbagger]

I'll second the Norton Fine India .

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

It occurred to me in re-reading the original post that maybe the question was more about techniques(?) that work well in using the Victorinox sharpener mentioned. If so, there are a lot of videos out there illustrating how it can be used, and scores of other videos teaching sharpening techniques on most any device.

One particular poster on YouTube apparently doesn't allow his videos to be linked via other sites like BladeForums (I tried to link one here, but it can't be viewed directly in posts here). But they can be watched on YouTube. His channel is linked below, and he has several videos demonstrating how he uses the Victorinox sharpener:

MB_EDC

This channel focusses on urban, travel and countryside EDC and tips. I look at the small items that make a big difference in helping you navigate modern life in simple, confident competence. By EDC - I mean - Everyday Carry, Everyday Convenience & Everyday Competence EDC starts with pocket...

www.youtube.com

As is the case with learning sharpening in general, most of it comes down to watching a lot videos and then practicing. I'd suggest practicing on inexpensive knives that you don't mind making mistakes on while you're learning. Technique will improve with practice and repetition.

 

[kvaughn]

It occurred to me in re-reading the original post that maybe the question was more about techniques(?) that work well in using the Victorinox sharpener mentioned. If so, there are a lot of videos out there illustrating how it can be used, and scores of other videos teaching sharpening techniques on most any device.

One particular poster on YouTube apparently doesn't allow his videos to be linked via other sites like BladeForums (I tried to link one here, but it can't be viewed directly in posts here). But they can be watched on YouTube. His channel is linked below, and he has several videos demonstrating how he uses the Victorinox sharpener:

MB_EDC

This channel focusses on urban, travel and countryside EDC and tips. I look at the small items that make a big difference in helping you navigate modern life in simple, confident competence. By EDC - I mean - Everyday Carry, Everyday Convenience & Everyday Competence EDC starts with pocket...

www.youtube.com

As is the case with learning sharpening in general, most of it comes down to watching a lot videos and then practicing. I'd suggest practicing on inexpensive knives that you don't mind making mis

It occurred to me in re-reading the original post that maybe the question was more about techniques(?) that work well in using the Victorinox sharpener mentioned. If so, there are a lot of videos out there illustrating how it can be used, and scores of other videos teaching sharpening techniques on most any device.

One particular poster on YouTube apparently doesn't allow his videos to be linked via other sites like BladeForums (I tried to link one here, but it can't be viewed directly in posts here). But they can be watched on YouTube. His channel is linked below, and he has several videos demonstrating how he uses the Victorinox sharpener:

MB_EDC

This channel focusses on urban, travel and countryside EDC and tips. I look at the small items that make a big difference in helping you navigate modern life in simple, confident competence. By EDC - I mean - Everyday Carry, Everyday Convenience & Everyday Competence EDC starts with pocket...

www.youtube.com

As is the case with learning sharpening in general, most of it comes down to watching a lot videos and then practicing. I'd suggest practicing on inexpensive knives that you don't mind making mistakes on while you're learning. Technique will improve with practice and repetition.

This.
takes on while you're learning. Technique will improve with practice and repetition.

This.