Tried sharpening my new Blackbird

K

Knifester

Joined
Apr 27, 2016
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5
...with some diamond whetstones I bought, and ended up doing more damage than anything. The sides of my blade look like shit now. Kinda bummed cuz it's a brand new blade that just came a little dull out of the factory.

Will these scratches rust? Can they be removed? I thought I was being quite gentle with these three different grit stones (they're DMT, just a cheap set of 3 small whetstones, fine, very fine, and not so fine). They're not super deep at all, but I can see them all up and down my unused blade. I can feel one of them with my finger. What a bummer.
 
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Well, since nobody has responded to your post, I'll try. In a way, I feel your pain. I generally can put an edge that puts factory edges to shame, on just about any knife, and I never scratch the blade. That changed when I bought a Queen Light Hunter in D2. It came with an unacceptable edge that needed reprofiling. No matter how careful I was, I put micro-scratches on the mirror finished blade, as I had to bring down that edge angle. It's a bummer, but I'll use it on deer this fall and then polish the blade back to mirror finish. You can do the same. Work on your sharpening technique and don't worry about the scratches. Use them as a good excuse to take the knife out and put it through the paces! Later, if the scratches still bother you, read up here on how to polish a blade and you can remove those scratches and bring it back to new.

Joe
 
If that's the Ontario SK5 blackbird you're talking about, I think it is made from 154CM. That's a quite stain resistant steel, so I would not worry about it rusting.

Also, if you were planning on using the knife, you've done yourself a favour: it got its first scratch! Now you can go and use it without worrying about that first scratch. Go beat on it. Enjoy the scratches, scrapes, dings. You will likely do more than a couple scratches as you learn to sharpen, so just consider it part of the cost of learning. It shouldn't impact how the knife functions at all.
 
Good to know, guys. Thanks for the perspective.

Speaking of sharpening, what do you guys use? I hate these ones I got simply cuz they're only about 2 inches long each....some kind of pocket sized thing, but I'd rather have something I can lay down, and grind my knife across with both hands.
 
I have and recommend the larger DMT stones. My diamond setup is two 8" diasharps: extra-coarse/coarse and fine/extra-fine. Once broken in they're great.
 
Dangerously said:
I have and recommend the larger DMT stones. My diamond setup is two 8" diasharps: extra-coarse/coarse and fine/extra-fine. Once broken in they're great.
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Is that the set that's $120 or so? I saw that one when I grabbed this cheaper, smaller version....Is there anything else that's comparable, but not so much money?

Do I definitely want diamond stones for this 154 CM blade?

Can you guys recommend a good sharpening video?
 
As someone said (Murry Carter?), 99% is the skill and 1% is the stone or whatever sharpening system. Among the things I have tried, I found freehand is the most challenging because it requires you to maintain the same angle consistently throughout the entire process. One or two swipe off the angle can easily ruin the sharpness that you are aiming for. On the other hand, once you get the skill, freehand sharpening can be the fastest.

Yes - good stones like DMT diamond can help because it would require less number of passes on the stones and hence reducing the chance of going off the correct angle.
 
Try a work sharp system? Basic model is about $64 shipped

I'd practice on cheap knives till you get the hang of it.
 
On the Cheap- Norton combo India stone, will handle most tasks and yield a good working edge.

Diamonds are not needed for 154cm, it's only when you reach 4% or more Vanadium content that diamonds become necessary. That said, a Coarse DMT plus a strop with 1 micron diamond compound is tough to beat on a lot of steels.

On the not so cheap- Shapton waterstones, fast cutting ceramic waterstones with a wide grit selection. Much easier to make things screaming sharp but it's an investment.
 
This subject is a sore spot for me as well. Admitting that you suck (me, not you) at sharpening knives is ALMOST as unforgivable as admitting that you choose not to heavily use every knife you own. I just don't receive dull knives anymore, as they're all customs, but I scratched the hell out of a couple of my nice production fixed when I was trying to learn how to sharpen a few years back. It's simply one of the very few things in life that I do not excel at...& I understand, I mean God couldn't give me handsomeness, wealth, charisma, and huge hands....and then also allow me to sharpen knives well. Not one of those attributes is true (they're all true....OK, I don't have huge hands), but I really do suck at sharpening, and since it doesn't come naturally to me, I just dedicate a few of my knives as users & the rest I rotate open carrying & they get only the light edc tasks that come up throughout a given day....since all of my knives have great steels/HTs, this rotated light use has yet to dull any of my collector knives! As for my users, when stropping isn't enough, they go to my 15yo son, who helps Dad out with a new keen edge. So, I suppose the moral of the story is, have your son sharpen your knives for you.

But I have learned, & gotten quite good at, re-finishing my blades & my wood scaled knives (high-grit sand paper & Tru-Oil). Most of my knives have hand rubbed 400-600 finishes, so when they do get marked/scratched up a bit from carrying, I've gotten pretty good at taking the appropriate grit sand paper, putting it under a pencil eraser for control & pressure, and rub the marks out...the blades look like new in no time...I don't dig mirror polished blades, but of course you can also learn how to polish blades & fix those types of finishes yourself too. I've actually grown to love re-finishing my blades & scales, best of luck with your Blackbird!
 
Jason B. said:
On the Cheap- Norton combo India stone, will handle most tasks and yield a good working edge.

Diamonds are not needed for 154cm, it's only when you reach 4% or more Vanadium content that diamonds become necessary. That said, a Coarse DMT plus a strop with 1 micron diamond compound is tough to beat on a lot of steels.

On the not so cheap- Shapton waterstones, fast cutting ceramic waterstones with a wide grit selection. Much easier to make things screaming sharp but it's an investment.
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I don't think it should be that big of an investment as he doesnt need this great progression of stones like you would for razors, just two stones would do it just fine so the cost would not be as high as the big diamond set.
 
True, but the kicker is you must have a diamond plate for lapping Shaptons. Ideally, you would want the Atoma 400 to go with a simple two stone set of 500 and 2000 grit Glass stones. This is a tad over $200.
 
Jason B. said:
True, but the kicker is you must have a diamond plate for lapping Shaptons. Ideally, you would want the Atoma 400 to go with a simple two stone set of 500 and 2000 grit Glass stones. This is a tad over $200.
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Ahh, forgot about that darn lapping stone! My apologies! :)

I guess it is harder to find good gear for less than that amount in most cases!
 
Jason B. said:
On the Cheap- Norton combo India stone, will handle most tasks and yield a good working edge.

Diamonds are not needed for 154cm, it's only when you reach 4% or more Vanadium content that diamonds become necessary. That said, a Coarse DMT plus a strop with 1 micron diamond compound is tough to beat on a lot of steels.

On the not so cheap- Shapton waterstones, fast cutting ceramic waterstones with a wide grit selection. Much easier to make things screaming sharp but it's an investment.
Click to expand...


This one here?

https://www.amazon.ca/Norton-547-61...1462236488&sr=1-7&keywords=norton+india+stone

Looks good to me. If that's all I need, then great. What are the other tools for?
 
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It's a set of slip stones and round files with the India, it would be a waste to buy if you did not have a bunch of speciality wood working tools to sharpen.

Is it all you need? Well, that's for you to decide after some time spent educating yourself in the subject of sharpening. For some the India stone and a strop will be all they ever need but for others we like to explore the options. To get you started though, the India is a great option, just remember to make yourself a strop to finish the edge and you should be able to produce very sharp edges.

Here's a video I did on the stone,
[video=youtube;8VPCvd5hUVQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPCvd5hUVQ[/video]
 
Jason B. said:
It's a set of slip stones and round files with the India, it would be a waste to buy if you did not have a bunch of speciality wood working tools to sharpen.

Is it all you need? Well, that's for you to decide after some time spent educating yourself in the subject of sharpening. For some the India stone and a strop will be all they ever need but for others we like to explore the options. To get you started though, the India is a great option, just remember to make yourself a strop to finish the edge and you should be able to produce very sharp edges.

Here's a video I did on the stone,
[video=youtube;8VPCvd5hUVQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPCvd5hUVQ[/video]
Click to expand...


Watched your strop video. I'm surprised to learn that a soft piece of leather continue to refine the blade edge. Where do you guys get your leather from and are there certain leathers you prefer? Jason, I know you mentioned compressed 4/5 Oz. bark tanned cowhide.

I've started to sharpen my Blackbird on the Norton, going pretty well I guess...not sure how good of a job I'm really doing but it's sharper than it was before.

I also have a hand axe that needs sharpening; its edge is quite rounded....any particular techniques here?
 
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Knifester said:
Watched your strop video. I'm surprised to learn that a soft piece of leather continue to refine the blade edge. Where do you guys get your leather from and are there certain leathers you prefer? Jason, I know you mentioned compressed 4/5 Oz. bark tanned cowhide.

I've started to sharpen my Blackbird on the Norton, going pretty well I guess...not sure how good of a job I'm really doing but it's sharper than it was before.

I also have a hand axe that needs sharpening; its edge is quite rounded....any particular techniques here?
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Man I bought a Blackbird years ago and had the worst edge I've seen on a supposed good knives.
It's supposed to be a convex edge but it's way too steep.
Still have to work on mine when time allows
 
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