Work Sharp/Curved Blades

[SavedxGrace]

Quick Question... I'm a new Work Sharp owner and so far love it. I've played around with our cheap kitchen knives and a few other blades that I have around and have been able to put decent edges on them. I even had fun this afternoon putting edges on a maul, a hatchet, and a machete. I have two knives, though, that I'm a little unsure of. Both are hunting knives with fairly heavy curves to the blade; one is a CS Master Hunter and the other is a drop-point with a heavy curve. My question is if I need to do anything different when sharpening them due to their heavy curve. I feel like I ought to lift up a little as I get toward the end of the blade in order to evenly sharpen the curve but am unsure. I'd appreciate any input from those of you with a little more experience and insight into the Work Sharp.

 

[freedoom]

work sharp recommends pulling the blade straight through. however this will result in a weird bevel as you sharpen through the belly. you want to make sure the edge of the blade is always facing down. so you want to tilt the knife to follow the curve of the blade. make sure you stop the belt before you pull the tip from the belt otherwise you risk rounding the tip. also i've noticed that the distal tapering of the blade can cause you to need to pull the blade closer to the belt instead of directly following the guide as you reach the tip of the knife. otherwise the tip wont contact the belt and you wont actually sharpen it.

 

[gunfixrjoe]

Definitely lift up on the handle. I actually got tired of the guides and just clamp the handle of the WorkSharp in my vice, adjust the belt head so it is mostly vertical with the belt running down not up, and sharpen freehand. I have over a decade of knifemaking, so it's a little more natural for me.

 

[SavedxGrace]

Thanks for the input, guys. On a different note with the Work Sharp, how difficult would it be for a novice to reestablish a tip on a knife with it? I have a Kershaw Leek that inadvertently got put through a wash cycle and it opened, dinging up the blade (I took care of that) and taking off the extreme tip of the blade. Does anyone have any advice on the technique it would take to put a tip back on? Thanks.

 

[Komitadjie]

Well, I would do it on my belt grinder by holding the knife vertically with the point oriented AWAY from the direction the belt is running (belt running from heel to tip, parallel with the edge) and very lightly touch the spine to the moving belt, staying near the center of the belt. Very, VERY gentle touch, the metal comes off of such a small area very quickly, and the tip heats easily. Just a very light touch, then check to see if the point is back and that it's still cool to the touch. Then another very light touch. Don't just grind at the tip, take the grinding a ways up the spine so everything flows together neatly and you don't end up with an odd-looking point.

With the Worksharp, obviously this means the guard will have to be off. I'd suggest a medium-grit belt if the tip is only slightly dinged, just take your time and go very slow and easy at it. The belt is very capable of putting a tip back on, even a little one like the WorkSharp.

Once more, just for reiteration. Very light touch, cool often!