Sharpening Trouble

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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I'm having trouble getting the kindo of edge I want on my stainless mora, I 've been using a ceramic dogbone, and than than stropping with a leather belt, I think I've got the stropping down it just feels right but using the sharpener I think I might be doing more harm than good.. The blad feels sharp but when held in the light it looks inconsistant (if that makes sense) The blade is also highly reflective, which might make the problem appear worse. I'd like if at all possible to get a shaving edge (who wouldn't) maybe I'm expecting too much ( but I also have very under developed sharpening skills) any pointers woud be great. thanks
 
The edge on the moras are somtimes slightly uneven or not ground quite flat when new.Use a oil stone or diamond stone on the original bevel until you have an even finish from grind line to edge,then finish on fine stone or ceramic rod.

Also if you want it to look like new put a little polishing paste on a piece of carbord and this will make it shave and blend in with the original finish.
 
Practice, practice, practice! Thats the best advice I can give for improving sharpening skills. As far as the Mora, I read somewhere that Japanese water stones work best. Hope this helps.
 
Sounds like your stropping too soon. IMO, quitting before the knife is really sharp is the biggest mistake a knife guy makes. Keep on trucking. Mora is an excellent one to learn on.

Though, carbon would have been easier to sharpen.
 
The inconsistence will go away if you use a fine stone to hone before you strop. The edge should have a polished first.
 
I experienced a similar problem with a 8" chopper-like Mora and a Spyderco sharpmaker. The blade was sharp as hell after the process, but the first two inches from the tip down showed a visible serration of the edge. I used an Arkansas after to straighten it out.
I attributed it to the knife's size and some twist I probably applied when I pulled it over the tip. I was also wondering if the 40º angle of the sharpmaker is to low for the Mora's edge? Now since you posted this I am not sure at all what I did wrong.
 
I use to use the 30 on the mora to take some steel off the shoulder.

I also had the micro serration towards the tip. I think it's from not pulling in a straight line. After I slowed down my stroke, it got a lot better (white stone).
 
RescueRiley said:
I'd like if at all possible to get a shaving edge (who wouldn't) maybe I'm expecting too much...
Click to expand...

No sir, you are NOT expecting too much. I consider a shaving edge to be standard, and it's not difficult to achieve. I'm not familiar with the dog-bone you use, maybe it's a bit coarse? Unfortunately, it often takes a bit of work to get a factory knife's bevels lined up nicely; that's likely part of the problem, as others have said. Stropping is for final polishing or touch-up on an already sharp edge.

Keeping the angles nice and even is the skill part of sharpening, it only comes with practice. Going slow and paying attention to the angle is best. If you're like me, the first knives you learn to sharpen on will have kind of messy bevels and scratches on the flats and stuff, don't sweat it. Get those edges as sharp as you can with that dog bone only, to set the bevels. Once you have that down, polishing the edge to a near mirror polish will go quickly with a finer stone or strop.

If/when you see grey grunge on the sharpener after some use, that's tiny bits of steel caught in the pores. The stone won't work worth a damn if it gets all clogged up. On ceramic, diamond and Arkansas stones, some Comet or Bon Ami cleanser, a little water, and a toothbrush has worked very well for me to clean them up.

Hang in there man, you've been asking all the right questions and soon your friends will want you to sharpen thier knives for them :)
 
Are you keeping the mora edge, or putting on a microbevel. If you are keeping it as it came from the factory, there's a lot of metal that you have to remove in order to clean up an edge. If you put in a microbevel, then it will be faster. Either way, a nice DMT stone will speed the process up by an order of magnitude. Blue, red, then ceramic.
 
Get a good set of bench stones like DMT (diamond), as sodak says. Throw the dogbone away. Sharpening is not difficult; there's lots of information available on this forum.
 
Riley, I compared my Carbon to my SS Clipper.
Interesting.

The SS blade has machined micro-serrations.
Look with a magnifying glass.
 
That is a fact I had forgotten about, SkunkWerx, I noticed that on my stainless clipper as well. The serrations weren't deep at all, I'm guessing they came form the final finishing step? The pattern of lines was very evenly spaced, that makes me think you're right about it being a result of machining. In any case it wasn't difficult to polish them away.
 
GibsonFan said:
That is a fact I had forgotten about, SkunkWerx, I noticed that on my stainless clipper as well. The serrations weren't deep at all, I'm guessing they came form the final finishing step? The pattern of lines was very evenly spaced, that makes me think you're right about it being a result of machining. In any case it wasn't difficult to polish them away.
Click to expand...

I think they are there purposefully.

Perhaps due to the difference between SS and Carbon, or perhaps difference in uses?

I left mine alone, except for honing the the wire burr off the "back side".
 
Mine is not a clipper, but it takes a very good edge. If I remember right, I used a stone on the factory bevel, and then polished it w/ a soft arkansas. Just a guess, but you may be seeing the wire edge on the blade. I don't know for a fact, but my opinion is that the 12C27 steel forms a burr easily. I think that this is a good case for a steeper micro bevel that you can take that wire edge off with, and that supports the edge a little better during heavier cutting.

When you get your technique on that knife right, you will know it needs sharpened because it is "only" shaving sharp, not "sticky" sharp.
 
Ragnar From Ragweed Showed me an odd sharpening technique for phukos which was to use a ceramic rod in small circles along the angle of the bevel. he swore that this was how they were to be sharpenned and cautioned me to only sharpen them "when they neeed it"

I tried in with okay results on the blade but it produced alot of scratches on the blade.

I use my spyderco Sharpmaker for everything at home and a Dod bone and a ceramic rod in the field.
 
EmsRescueGuy, I use circular strokes on an edge only if it's really messed up, it's a very aggressive way to grind.

SkunkWerx, I didn't polish the lines off the whole bevel, I just meant they don't effect the edge... it is smooth as glass. Sorry to be unclear :)
 
Thanks for the info guys!!!! WHile I still don't have a shaving edge on my clipper the edge is certainly functional I've opened many boxes cut some thick nylon rope and it still makes paper thin slice on tomatoes...I did scratch the mirror finish a bit while sharpening but I'm not to concerned about that, (It's a working blade) any way, I just read on ragnars site about the sharpening technique for the scandi gring where he says that the bevel is supposed to be held flat against the stone while sharpening...Perhaps I'll try that next, I used to think you just sharpened a knife...now there all sorts of stuff to consider grind, wire edge, etc, I got a lot of things to consider...Good thing I found an inexpensive source of quality knives to practce on, and an ulimited resource of info from all my helpfull friends here at the wilderness a and survival forum.....As a side note thnking about making my stainless clipper my all purpose outdoor knife (coupled w/ a sak and a chopper) just wanted peoples opinions thanks!!!
 
I think I Blew it, been trying soo hard for that razor edge I now have a pretty dull, scratched up clipper, Tried using ragnars method by pressing the bevel down against the stone and eded up really scratching up the bevel and it's stillnot right...guess I'll just keep practicing.
 
If you're going to sharpen right along the bevel like that, it may take a little while to bring your "grinds" all the way down to the edge. Once you do, that thing will be SHARP. Hang in there, it's a learning process. Don't let anyone BS you, no one was born just knowing how to sharpen properly, some guys like me are still learning the finer points after years and years!
 
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