A further sharpening question or request for advice

[pibbleb]

I'm new to sharpening and I'm concerned I've messed things up some what.

First off I don't have any Japanese sharpening stones but I've just used a brand new Fallkniven DC4 sharpening stone on my Frosts Mora Knife.

I've read all the tips offered so far and watched the tips segment on the Bushcraft season 1.

But I'm just lost, I think I've done it all to the letter but It doesn't seem very sharp, or least it seem consistently sharp.

Feeling a bit cheesed about this as any help that can be offered would be grand.

Cheers guys.

Paul

 

[Nemisis]

Hi Paul have you stropped the knife after sharpening?
Dave.

 

[British Red]

Paul,

DC4 is really too small to more than touch up an edge in the field mate. Don't worry about Japanese stones, mine stay in the box now. But a few sheets of wet and dry paper in mixed grades and follow the intsructions in the £5 sharpening kit sticky thread. 20 minutes will have you More hair popping sharp and even too - then use your DC4 for a touch up in the field

Red

 

[addyb]

Pibbleb,

Don't worry if your knives aren't "scary sharp" yet. It takes a good amount of time and practice to become proficient at it. I'm still learning new techniques and I've even ruined a few knives in the process. Just keep plugging away and sooner or later you might be rewarded with a trip to the hospital to get that gaping wound stitched up. (I think we've all been there at some point!) My finger still has the scar to prove it!

Cheers,

Adam

 

[sxmolloy]

I have a DC3 stone which is slightly smaller than your DC4 and I have managed to put a really sharp edge on my Victorinox which has a blade length of about 9cms which is only just shorter than a Frosts Mora so the sizes shouldn't really matter.

Does your Mora have a carbon or stainless steel blade? It took me a while to sharpen it but I got there in the end. I used different technics as on the box of the DC3 it said to use a circular action, whilst many on here suggest to push the blade of a Mora along the stone.

Try different technics of sharpening and see which suit you and the blade best, remember that the majority of the sharpening is done on the rougher side of the stone and the smoother side is more for finishing and polishing.

The more I used my DC3 the easier it became I found, and I like to use a bit of non-slip dashboard mat (cut to size) to stop my stone from slipping around.

British Red's £5 sharpening kit is a great idea, I made one after I bought my stones and wish I had come across it before shelling out approx. £70 on various stones.

I find my DC3 great now I know how to use best and its had a little wear on it, and a Mora knife is a great value for money tool, so it sounds just like a little practising and finding the best way for you is needed, your knife and your stone are good quality so there shouldn't be a problem there. If you need any tips on sharpening your knife or on your stone please PM me and I will be more than happy to help as I own both of the items you do.

Good luck and best wishes....stu

 

[laurens ch]

The mora knives come with a very small secondary bevel it takes a while to remove this if this is the first time you have sharpened the mora this could be your problem. Just carry on sharpening until a bur appears on the one side of the bevel it should run the length of the edge then flip the knife over and do the other side, again you want the bur to run the entire length of the edge. Once you have removed the secondary bevel it isn't to bad and things speed up a lot. I think the five pound sharpening thread covers all of this.

 

[OldJimbo]

Yep, it takes a while to get rid of that secondary bevel. So you sharpen and sharpen and the knife still gets blunter because you haven't reached to actually sharpening the edge. Large emery sheets and an hour will put you to the point where you see a CONTINUOUS wire ege form, Then you strop that off on some cardboard or slice a few newspapers to get rid of it.
The thing to think of is that once the knife is properly sharpened, it only takes a few minutes to put the edge back after that - even after hours of hard use.

 

[addyb]

Jimbo's right. Once you remove that secondary bevel on a Mora, no matter what sort of work you do with it, it just takes a couple of minutes stropping to bring it back to shaving sharp. I think that's one of the benefits of a Scandi grind.

Adam

 

[pibbleb]

Thanks guys,

I'm planning on giving the £5.00 sharpening kit a try during the week, I'd originally looked at this and considered it a bit brave for a first time try at sharpening a knife, but I guess in for a penny in for a pound.

Pib

 

[British Red]

Give it a go Pib...if it fails, send me the knife and I'll sharpen it for you and post it back!

Red

 

[pibbleb]

Red you're star, I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers.

Pib

 

[G Obach]

if its hard to get rid of that secondary bevel...... try using a diamond file... .. i picked up some dmt diamond files for 7 bucks each... and they'll easily abrade the bevel down... (and it'll minimize the amount of cursing
- the diamond files are also good to keep your stones flat

don't waste a good jap stone to do this.... save it....... after the 2nd bevel is gone (or close to it ) then bring out the stones.... and put a fine polish on it.......

do this in strong day lite.......... to tell if your edge is getting sharp.... look at it.... if you see that it is a shiney line..... then it's not sharp at all....... when the edge looks like a dark line and you have a hard time telling where it is...... now that is getting in the ball park.......

on the high grit stones.......i like to pull the blade spine first..... cause these stones are usually soft, and this will stop the gouging

alway maintain the angle when sharpening.... try not to rock the angle...
- if you have a hard time with a rocking motion.... keep your strokes, short

alway try to strop....... with a decent burr on the blade....it can seem dull

i like to strop with a piece of flat cardboard... charged with chrom oxide... (the green compound)


enjoy

Greg

 

[BOD]

Just keep plugging away and sooner or later you might be rewarded with a trip to the hospital to get that gaping wound stitched up.
Cheers,

Adam

Speaking of which can anyone advise of a technique to use a DC4 on a 24" parang safely in the field so that one returns with 12 intact digits.

Had a nice gaper 2 weeks ago. Little force just blade weight. lovely cut. No stitches - plopped the flap back after a rinse. No anti bio no infection. Nice to have a sharp blade but not something I care to do regularly.

Advice most welcome

 

[pibbleb]

Oooooh 12 digits we need photo's although wouldn't worry about sharpening sounds like you can afford to get rid of a couple .

Seriously, though I cut my finger the other week and it went right through my finger nail,very painful.

Pib

 

[addyb]

I think I posted this before, but anyway I'll tell the story again in a short format.

I sliced my left index finger down to the bone with my Clipper, and nicked an artery in the process. I went to the Emergency ward, and they stitched me up. I was supposed to get the stitches out on my 21st birthday, but the doctor insisted that I live them in for another week. Unfortunately, the stitches infected the finger and I ended up having to take penicillin. The best part is, this was just coming up to my final exam period and my mind was on psychology, not a beat up finger and pills.

Anway, I have a massive scar that will probably never go away, there's a bunch of scar tissue surrounding it and half the finger is still numb....almost three months later. I learned my lesson the hard way, the Clipper was my first fixed blade. But I think anyone who's bushcrafty and plays with sharps is bound to get sliced up eventually.

Adam

 

[BOD]

Sue them addyb. Sue them.

I have no one but myself to blame but you can share the responsibility! Ask for a revision on your exam paper based on mitigating circumstances

 

[British Red]

Bod,

With a big sharp you have two choices - place the DC4 on some wood, bang a couple of nails in on either end and keep both hands guiding the machete in a push action to sharpen (a la bench stone) or use the DC4 in a circular motion (similar to an axe stone) - the second is more likely to get you a cut IMHO.

Third and must helpful - buy a pair of knitted Kevlar gloves or a chain mail filleting glove and wear them whilst sharpening!

Red

 

[Andy]

just how small is the DC03?

with my pocket norton stone I can (just) manage to hold it with my thumb and midle finger with my index finger on top of it. I'm careful to make sure that only my index finger goes infront of the cutting edge and since there's a stone between that and anything sharp it means you wont get cut unless said index finger slips off the stone and this hasn't happened.
My Norton stone is about 4inches long

 

[Shing]

Kevlar gloves are very handy if you are practising sharpening, about £5-£10 from ebay and worth every penny!

Just a tip, the bigger the knife, the bigger the sharpening stone, in fact just get the biggest bench stone you can afford, 8 inch is a good size, 6 inch ones are a bit small except for small pen kives. Also get a good stone like Norton, cheap stones waste time, fustrating to use and you end up chucking it anyway because they don't work.

Clean your stone regulary with parafin if you use oil and give it a good scrub with a stiff brush to unclog the pores.

 

[BOD]

Have a big stone on the bench in the garage.

Can't carry a big one in the bush and the blade can get a quite blunt after a a lot of clearing. haven't found a safe way to use the DC4.

Will try Red's nails recommendation .

These kevlar gloves are they the police -type gloves? Are they hot to wear? Whats the grip like? Might be useful for thorns too