sharpening

Well, you can just use one of those if you really want. However, if you look at the edge on an HI kukri you will notice it does not have a secondary bevel the entire edge tapers to the sharp edge. If you use one of those sharpeners it will but a new bevel on the edge of your kukuri. Since the new bevel will be a different angle than the original it will cut much different than the way the edge was designed. Can you do it? yes. Should you? well it is your kukri and it is up to you, but if you do it will not cut as well as the original edge and it may invalidate your warranty, I don't know but it might as changing a convex edge to a 20degree secondary bevel is a pretty major change in cutting quality.
 
fzr confused said:
I have no idea what you all just said...lol. I will do more research on terms :)
Click to expand...

Lol Shavru basically said don't change the angle of the edge. It will cut differently and may void warranty.

I jus use sandpaper on a piece of cardboard, around 800 grit, and use like a stone. Mine are all razor sharp :) have never gone wrong with sandpaper method ;)
 
Those little pull-through sharpeners are pretty much junk. They will shred your edge instead of refining it.
 
philllll said:
Those little pull-through sharpeners are pretty much junk. They will shred your edge instead of refining it.
Click to expand...

What he said. I tried to use one on my BK2, stuffed the edge, was pretty upset about it. :mad: from then on I've done all my sharpening by hand, it doesn't take long to learn the different angles and what's natural for you and the knife you're sharpening.

Give it a few weeks of sharpening by hand and you'll never go back :)
 
DanTheKnifeMan said:
Lol Shavru basically said don't change the angle of the edge. It will cut differently and may void warranty.

I jus use sandpaper on a piece of cardboard, around 800 grit, and use like a stone. Mine are all razor sharp :) have never gone wrong with sandpaper method ;)
Click to expand...

I meant I would read up on different still edges. Didn't know the different types.
 
Stick with the convex edge. A secondary bevel will weaken the edge because there isn't much material protecting the edge. A apple seed like shape is the strongest type of convex. The sandpaper method and soft mousepad created a perfect apple seed edge.
 
If you put a secondary bevel on a full convex edge it will trash the cutting potential of the blade.
I made a fullconvex bowie for a guy about ten years ago-8" blade about 2" wide, and it would take a 1-1/2" poplar sapling with one shot with the right technique. Long story short, he had a "professional knife sharpener" (translation: dude who bought some expensive portable belt grinders) sharpen it. Guy put a secondary polished bevel on it and it would shave, but it wouldn't cut worth a darn. Took me 40 minutes on the 2x72 to fix it.
 
J W Bensinger said:
If you put a secondary bevel on a full convex edge it will trash the cutting potential of the blade.
I made a fullconvex bowie for a guy about ten years ago-8" blade about 2" wide, and it would take a 1-1/2" poplar sapling with one shot with the right technique. Long story short, he had a "professional knife sharpener" (translation: dude who bought some expensive portable belt grinders) sharpen it. Guy put a secondary polished bevel on it and it would shave, but it wouldn't cut worth a darn. Took me 40 minutes on the 2x72 to fix it.
Click to expand...

2x72... Damn, those were some longgg swipes. :D
 
2x72 is the only way to go. What are you using? im making a homemade one. I was almost done when the shop burned. All my aluminum contact wheels etc. melted but the steel parts are still good. I spent so many hours making the drive wheels etc cutting the bearing bores and such. Made me sick to see a big puddle of aluminum with bearings sticking out. The main frame was 8020 aluminum erector set stuff two Hp motor and pillow block bearings, 5/8 belt driven shaft. Im getting queezzy just thinking about it now dang it.

correction. I dont mean the use of 2x72 for sharpening unless you know what your doing but meant for stock removal. Slack belt is great but you can eat up a knife fast with 72" of belt.
 
Last edited:
Keep it easy. Do what you are mechanically capable of. Let the knife guide you:)

Me? I use a small stone until I get to the recurve when it becomes too curved for stone not to scratch into the side of the blade. You know what I do with the recurve after that?...Forget about it:) Who cares. It's not going to see the lions share of work.

Then I move to a series of sand paper strops and finally strop on some loaded leather. The tip, sweet spot, and belly will all pop hair (if I take it to such sharpening extremes). The recurve will get a nice thick work edge that will be enough to shave wood. It will also keep a little bit more meat around the edge which might not be a bad idea as it is softer there by design.

I think everyone should at least try to get somewhat serviceable when it comes to hand sharpening. You might one day find yourself needing to sharpen a blade and not have a belt sander or Sharp Maker on your person;)

Just practice and take your time:)
 
ndoghouse said:
2x72 is the only way to go. What are you using? im making a homemade one. I was almost done when the shop burned. All my aluminum contact wheels etc. melted but the steel parts are still good. I spent so many hours making the drive wheels etc cutting the bearing bores and such. Made me sick to see a big puddle of aluminum with bearings sticking out. The main frame was 8020 aluminum erector set stuff two Hp motor and pillow block bearings, 5/8 belt driven shaft. Im getting queezzy just thinking about it now dang it.

correction. I dont mean the use of 2x72 for sharpening unless you know what your doing but meant for stock removal. Slack belt is great but you can eat up a knife fast with 72" of belt.
Click to expand...
Oh man, that's heartbreaking.
I have one of the Grizzlys with the buffer and 2x72, and a Bader B3 that I got when I expanded the shop- the grizz served me well but it doesn't track as well(without major tinkering) and the motor with arbors setup is a little limiting for contact wheel work.
Still use it for slower grinding and some flatground stuff when i don't want to set up the platen on the bader.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Keep it easy. Do what you are mechanically capable of. Let the knife guide you:)


Me? I use a small stone until I get to the recurve when it becomes too curved for stone not to scratch into the side of the blade. You know what I do with the recurve after that?...Forget about it:) Who cares. It's not going to see the lions share of work.

Then I move to a series of sand paper strops and finally strop on some loaded leather. The tip, sweet spot, and belly will all pop hair (if I take it to such sharpening extremes). The recurve will get a nice thick work edge that will be enough to shave wood. It will also keep a little bit more meat around the edge which might not be a bad idea as it is softer there by design.

I think everyone should at least try to get somewhat serviceable when it comes to hand sharpening. You might one day find yourself needing to sharpen a blade and not have a belt sander or Sharp Maker on your person;)

Just practice and take your time:)
Click to expand...
This is true-most of my sharpening is with a 3" diamond plate and a brown ceramic. For a convex edge, you just hafta follow the arc back up the side of the blade after the edge is trued up.
That's how Nihonto are polished, on a more refined scale. Color in your edge bevel with a sharpie and work back from the edge to the top of the bevel 'til the sharpie is gone.
Fine natural scythe stones (the tapered ones) are also very nuce for khukuri. Using one as we speak to take a chip out of my noname truck khuk-had to chop the utility guy's chainsaw out of the branch it was stuck in (so he could get the tree outta my way lol) and might have hit the chain once or twice :/
 
J W Bensinger said:
That's how Nihonto are polished, on a more refined scale...
Click to expand...
subtle understatement there :D Don't know if you have ever watched a nihonto taken through Shitaji-Togi and Shiage-Togi in a Sashikomi style polish it is fascinating. They can use 7-12 different stones just during the foundation polish (Shitaji-Togi) and another 4-8 during finish polish. With the Hazuya and Jizuya stones being cut so thin while they are being matched to the blade that they are glued to rice paper or they just fragment to dust. It takes weeks to do a standard sized sword. There are only a few folks left that can even do a Sashikomi polish these days :( But it is amazing to see.
 
I did a kind of a rescue foundation polish on a wakizashi I got in trade for making a 52100 hunting knife-one side was black with oxidation, the other had been buffed and the GI who brought it back had ground the signature off the tang with a bench grinder :/ . It's just a cutting polish but it's a nice old soshu wak-had to make a saya as well. It's the top one:
image.jpg
 
J W Bensinger said:
I did a kind of a rescue foundation polish on a wakizashi I got in trade for making a 52100 hunting knife-one side was black with oxidation, the other had been buffed and the GI who brought it back had ground the signature off the tang with a bench grinder :/ . It's just a cutting polish but it's a nice old soshu wak-had to make a saya as well. It's the top one:
View attachment 496154
Click to expand...

Looks like a really good job of rescue, it seems to be a nice blade with being cleaned up. Why anyone would grind the mei off the nakago, makes no sense what so ever. If it is a stolen blade, since it is a Soshu aged piece, they can probably identify the maker and roughly near the age of the blade just based on the craftsmanship, but damaging the mei ruins the resale price. So must have been some really mental midget that had it before you :D In the meanwhile, it seems to be a nice functional blade that has a great shape. What I really like about Soshus is they are usually a great balance between the best features of the Bizen and Yamashiro traditions of sword making. They are some of the best looking balanced with the most function of that entire age of swordmaking.
 
Now I have researched what a convex edge it makes sense why the mouse pad sharpening works and why the sharpener I linked too would not be best. Makes sense now :) thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top