What angle should I use?

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dylanb1121

Joined
Feb 11, 2016
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hey all just got a new Kukri... 11 inch blade. I know NOTHING about grinds.. or atleast I thought I did. How should I go about sharpening this? What angle should I use? It's a Ex Ghurka Kukri with 2 Chirras. I tried to post a picture I don't know how. Thank you guys.
 
I will tell you what every knife maker tells me. Use a sharpie pen and paint the existing edges. Then polish that edge to only take off the sharpie and nothing else. That is the angle to sharpen at. That way you always know what the maker suggests.
 
First thing is, the steel won't sharpen the knife. A kitchen steel does not create a bevel via removing material. All a steel does is bring all the little micro folds of the edge back to straight. It's not that strict, but hold the knife edge at approx 20 degrees on the steel. This will at least make it a little better.
 
To actually sharpen a kukri, many use either a mousepad, a thick eraser, cardboard...something with some give. Then wrapped in sandpaper. If a stone is more your taste, it should be of the round variety of stones.
 
For knives with a lot of recurve I will free hand with small pocket hones or Spyderco rods.
I'm not sure if any guided system will work without reclamping a lot and bench stones are too wide for many curved knives.
Good luck with it.
 
dylanb1121 said:
hey all just got a new Kukri... 11 inch blade. I know NOTHING about grinds.. or atleast I thought I did. How should I go about sharpening this? What angle should I use? It's a Ex Ghurka Kukri with 2 Chirras. I tried to post a picture I don't know how. Thank you guys.
Click to expand...


Back bevel 30 degrees, micro bevel 40 degrees. Good working bevels for 90% of all knives. Watch this video about edges and how to sharpen them from a fellow who has sharpened hundred of thousands of knives.

 
Most new kukris on the market are absurdly thick from the maker/manufacturer and so will need the bevel thinned out first before worrying about the edge itself.
 
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