Zero Edge

Raden

Raden

Joined
Mar 20, 2002
Messages
3,109
I need some help. What's the best way to sharpen a knife with a zero edge? I'm not great at sharpening and I've used the Active Duty beyond a simple stroping.

Thanks for the input.
 
Raden,

I use a 9" cutting disk, not grinding, cutting. Keep the revs up and a steady hand and she will be hair popping sharp in no time!

Seriously, I would like to know too! ;)
 
I hope it's as simple as my sharpmaker....:D

If I'd realized it was dull before work I'd have brought the AK with me:cool:
 
If you want to keep it looking like it does, you will want to use something that can shape to a convex bevel. All this takes is a piece of sandpaper and something soft like styrofoam, a mouse pad, thick fabric etc. . Lay the sandpaper on the backing and push the blade down into it and stroke it towards you. Use a marker on the bevel to get the force down if you have not done this before, but it is very forgiving, you don't need to be that exact. Unless you have actually damaged the edge, you should be able to start with very fine sandpaper. You will want high quality metal cutting SiC or diamond dusted paper, it should say for metal polishing, 3M is a decent brand.

-Cliff
 
Hand American makes awesome wet/dry paper, lasting much longer than the 3M and Norton stuff I've tried. You can also get the wet/dry from them with adhesive backing, which is wonderfully convenient. Just stick a couple pieces to a mouse pad, and you're good to go.

And if you like a highly polished edge on your Busse....... search the Internet for Herb's Yellowstone polishing compound. I've been testing it on various blades for last couple weeks, and it's the best stropping compound I've tried. INFI can be a little hard to work with, just because it's so abrasion resistant. Herb's works very well on abrasion resistant materials, even making Talonite a piece of cake to strop.
 
Three easy steps to a super sharp convex edge;

1 - using a stropping motion, get the edge sharp using 320 grit paper on styrofoam backer. 120 grit if removing dings or chips

2- A couple light passes on the Sharpmaker to remove wire edge

3 - strop on loaded leather if polished edge is required
 
OK guys I am new to the form. Though I’ve sharpened knives for years, the more I read the less I relies I know. My wife got me started collecting or (hording) vintage kitchen knives. They include SABTIER, (several) JA HENCKLES TWIN WORKS (several}, SWORD & SHIELD, DEXTER, LANDERS FRARY & CLARK, and CASE. These are just mine. Most are chefs knifes. All are carbon steel. Hers’ are mainly stainless (YUKK!!!) Sabtier Most of mine were bought at flee markets, some on eBay. You can imagine what the blades were like. Dull, no very dull. Some of them may date back to the early 1900s. I do not have a lot of time to sharpen knives with a stone. So they have been sharpened on our Chefs’ choice 110 electric sharpener. I know not the purist preferred method.
My question is were some of these blades convex sharpened from the factory? If so has this shape been ruined, or can they be reshaped? They are sharp, but could be better.
Also does the mouse and sand paper work for all grinds, or only convex?
 
marvinstarving said:
OK guys I am new to the form. Though I’ve sharpened knives for years, the more I read the less I relies I know. My wife got me started collecting or (hording) vintage kitchen knives. They include SABTIER, (several) JA HENCKLES TWIN WORKS (several}, SWORD & SHIELD, DEXTER, LANDERS FRARY & CLARK, and CASE. These are just mine. Most are chefs knifes. All are carbon steel. Hers’ are mainly stainless (YUKK!!!) Sabtier Most of mine were bought at flee markets, some on eBay. You can imagine what the blades were like. Dull, no very dull. Some of them may date back to the early 1900s. I do not have a lot of time to sharpen knives with a stone. So they have been sharpened on our Chefs’ choice 110 electric sharpener. I know not the purist preferred method.
My question is were some of these blades convex sharpened from the factory? If so has this shape been ruined, or can they be reshaped? They are sharp, but could be better.
Also does the mouse and sand paper work for all grinds, or only convex?
Click to expand...

Interesting thread to choose for this post (2002). You may want to check at the The Toolshed: Knife Care, Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment forum found here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=794
 
What cliff said.

Depending on the sharpness of the blade, I start with different grades.

I will get down to the specifics because even when someone says strop people still get it wrong as I did.

This is using a wide flat ground 1.8 inch wide blade.

If the edge is in really poor shape I start with 220grit glued to a mousepad, leather strop, cardboard box flats or anything that has a slight give to it, but not too much give. I then lay the blade flat on the sand paper and lift it just enough that the side does not touch the sand paper, I then strop on one side until I get a burr developed. I then turn it over and do the same. I then go to 400 or 600 and do it again. I then move up to 1000 or 1500 and do it again. Finally I strop the edge on rough leather or canvas to finish removing the burr. Wallah, sharp edge. The higher you go in grit the sharper the edge feels. When you hit 3000 grit it is basically a mirror finish or near so and severely sharp. All this can take some time depending on how bad the edge is to start off with. INFI is easy. I find SR101 to be harder to sharpen than INFI or 1095. Stainless steels can be a pain to sharpen as well.

I do not like using power tools on my blades so it takes me longer, but you can get the same done with a belt sander but beware of the heat buildup.
 
WOW, Thanks for all the help and information. One of the links that I was gives said this method only take him 4 minutes to do. 4 minutes is very acceptable. I was thinking hours.
The reason I posted here is I am almost computer illiterate, not to mention this is my first form to ever use. Heck, it took me looking at the site and trying to access it several times before I figured out how to use it. (Several months later) I know, I know, I should have asked the kids. Would have been in, in 30 seconds or less. Hardly ever do I drive through more than three states before stopping to ask directions.
I am so old that my first knife was a tooth from a t-rex. It just goes to show even old dino owners CAN learn new tricks.
Thanks again for all the help
 
marvinstarving said:
WOW, Thanks for all the help and information. One of the links that I was gives said this method only take him 4 minutes to do. 4 minutes is very acceptable. I was thinking hours.
The reason I posted here is I am almost computer illiterate, not to mention this is my first form to ever use. Heck, it took me looking at the site and trying to access it several times before I figured out how to use it. (Several months later) I know, I know, I should have asked the kids. Would have been in, in 30 seconds or less. Hardly ever do I drive through more than three states before stopping to ask directions.
I am so old that my first knife was a tooth from a t-rex. It just goes to show even old dino owners CAN learn new tricks.
Thanks again for all the help
Click to expand...


ROFL!!! T-Rex tooth, like it!!


Yeah this forum is the best on BF, everyone is fantasic, and there's plenty of help at hand :D
 
marvinstarving, welcome to Bladeforums and the Busse forum! Stick around and have some fun, we are a strange bunch. :rolleyes:
 
Buzzbait said:
search the Internet for Herb's Yellowstone polishing compound.
Click to expand...

Been using Herb's for a while...love it!!! Knives, broadheads, tools, anything with an edge. I make my own strops...got a good thick strip of leather glued (gorilla glue) to wood. Load with compound and strop with the grain of the leather. Herbs is loaded on the rough side rather than smooth.

small strop in a plastic bag is great for the pack...i'll be trying out the Bark River stopping compound in the next couple of weeks, but it's going to be hard to beat Herb :thumbup:
 
gimmejr said:
Hello marvin, good to see another bay area person around.
Click to expand...
THANK'S FOR THE WARM WELCOM!!!!
Hey I’ve been looking around at different post, threads, or whatever they are. All my life I thought post were something that held up a fence, and threads are what my wife sews with.
Anyway there’s this one where a guy is whacking a BRICK with his high $ knife. Not just once but several times. Then there is another guy whacking up wood with his folder, and complaining about things breaking. Another guy whacking trees with his high $ knife and complaining about a little piece coming out of the blade Very impressive, but come on. I thought I splurged when I bought my Knives of Alaska 3 that cost under $200.00. No, they will not chop any trees or bricks just to let others know that they broke. In construction we were always taught right tool for the right job. They make a hammer for bricks. I think it is called a masons hammer. They also make things for cutting wood called saws. On second thought, I wonder if one of the guys at my gun club would let me try a .50 cal on a brick. NOW THAT WOULD BE IMPRESIVE!!!!!!!
I just used spell check and it said one of my sentences is (negations use), what the heck does that mean?
 
Last Visible Canary said:
Interesting thread to choose for this post (2002). You may want to check at the The Toolshed: Knife Care, Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment forum found here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=794[/QUOT
OK, NOW!!! I see what you mean, after I scrolled all the way to the top. I had typed in knife sharpening; this is where I ended up. Sorry to be in the wrong thread, post or, whatever you call these things. Nice looking knives though. Maybe after my three sons get out of collage I can afford one. I should say if they ever get done with collage.
Lesson learned, Never, Never, tell your kids they can stay rent free while they attend collage.
Click to expand...
 
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