I just can't do it

[jamesdevine]

Which RM DVD has the knife sharpening on.

Also thanks guys. I had planned on asking this very same question this moring until reading seeing this one. My knives are sharp but not shaving so it most be somehting in my technic. Using Stuart's steps I should be able to corect them.

James

 

[Lithril]

Just a suggestion but I think it would be a good idea to extract Stuarts instructions and sticky them at the top of the edged tools. Most people visiting will buy a mora to begin with and will learn to practice on it. Sugegsting the grits of waterstone to use is als a good idea as it can be rather confusing. I will be ordering the sugested stones from axminster, curently have a DC4, but have found starting shapening new blades with it is hard work due to the size, a bench stone will come in very handy

Done

Matt

 

[AJB]

Hi Stuart and anyone else listening,

My stones arrived this morning (went for the one you recommended and the coarser combination stone as well as the two together were on offer and I can’t resist an offer!). I won’t get chance to use them until Monday GRrrr but I’ll let you know how I get on.

Thanks for your help.

Andy

 

[Mr_Yarrow]

I have spent literally hours trawling through posts on British Blades for anything about sharpening and there wernt much, I come here, do one search read this thread and find what I am after - winner!

Stuart - one questions though, is the advice about bench stones useable for diamond stones? I have a cheapy coarse-fine set I want to use and thought I'd check if the advice widely differs.

I think when the finances take less of a beating I may get meself an axminster combi stone as well.

once more thanks for a great thread with a really informative tutorial.

Stuart - do you mind if I ask the BB guys to put it in their tutorials archive?

Ta

 

[Shing]

Theres been a lot of good advice so I'll chuck in some as well, hopefully.

First off, relax its suppose to be fun!

Second off, I approach this from a knifemaker's veiwpoint, I make knives for myself and a few friends who seem happy with want they get. The thing about making knives is at the end you have to sharpen it, taking it from completely blunt to razor sharp.

I use an extra course DMT diamond stone 6x2 inches. Establish your angle and apply steady even strokes with constant presure making sure your stone is held down firmly. Alternate evenly on both sides, knife steel is hard and it will take some time, longer than you think. When you have done its evenly on both sides, you should see the shinely blunt edge get thinner and thinner. Do it some more and eventaully, a wire edge you can feel will form so you know the two planes you have ground have met in the middle. Continue with the x course stone until a wire edge forms along the entire edge of the blade. The hard bit is over.

Use a fine DMT stone, I use a 2 inch long stone to remove the rough wire edge and smooth the rough edge from the x course stone. When the edge is smooth and very sharp you can use a leather strop loaded with white buffing soap or use the x fine DMT stone to keep a near razor edge.

I use DMT stones because I find them cut much faster than oil stones and easier to use than water stones. Fast cutting is good for maintaining the correct angle. A set up I use is 2x6 inch x course DMT stone and a set of 3 DMT mini stones with course, fine and x fine.

 

[Stuart]

I have spent literally hours trawling through posts on British Blades for anything about sharpening and there wernt much, I come here, do one search read this thread and find what I am after - winner!

Stuart - one questions though, is the advice about bench stones useable for diamond stones? I have a cheapy coarse-fine set I want to use and thought I'd check if the advice widely differs.

I think when the finances take less of a beating I may get meself an axminster combi stone as well.

once more thanks for a great thread with a really informative tutorial.

Stuart - do you mind if I ask the BB guys to put it in their tutorials archive?

Ta

no I dont mind at all, go right ahead

the instructions would be exactly the same for a dimond stone, though I find most dimond stones are a little too aggressive to give a good final finnish.
I tend to use dimond stones only when I need to shift steel quickly for repair or to start on a very dull blade and then switch over to ceramic or wet stones to finnish

 

[scruff]

can i ask another one please?

i was jus wondering about stropping; can it be done without loading the strop with paste?

sorry if this is an obvious question only it suddenly dawned on me that if i use my belt with paste then i'm gonna end up wit said paste on my trews.

 

[Stuart]

I dont use any paste on my belt for stropping, unloaded leather will do fine

 

[scruff]

thanks

ps. have a good one down in wales by the way......i'm not allowed to play out :-(

 

[rapidboy]

Which RM DVD has the knife sharpening on.

Also thanks guys. I had planned on asking this very same question this moring until reading seeing this one. My knives are sharp but not shaving so it most be somehting in my technic. Using Stuart's steps I should be able to corect them.

James

James it's on the Ray Mears - Bushcraft (Series One) DVD in the extra footage section.



I recently got the ice bear kit from axeminster (800 and 6000 water stones with a non skid base) and a 1200 stone (just under £45).
It's the set up that Ray demos in the DVD.
Top kit and does a great job.

 

[wilekayote]

absolutly do not use the item mentioned above on anything other than knives which have a double bevel (even on a double bevel it does a very poor job).

if you have used it on your Mora and Opinel then you will have destroyed the single bevel they came with by giving it a double bevel.


Im a bit confused : These easy tools sharpen both sides of the knife at once which I assume is what you mean by a double bevel. But sharpening stone instructions it always says ...turn the knife over and do the same to the other side. Doesn't that give the same effect or am I just not understanding what bevel means - is it the final 1mm of the blade where the edge is defined?

 

[Ogri the trog]

My interpretation,
...of the bevel situation is this.
A single bevel is a fine wedge shape, the same angle from cutting edge to spine, the classic V shape edge (like a thin slice of cake).
The double bevel, on the other hand, is basically the same as the first but with a "second" broader angle that constitutes the actual edge (a bit like the hull of a ship, perhaps) - but because it is a wider angle, it will/can never be as sharp . The amount of material that needs to be removed to recover from a double bevel to a single bevel is considerable, as it technically means you have to grind away the whole of both sides of the blade.

Ogri the trog

 

[AJB]

Thanks for that explanation Ogri, I now understand something I didn't know I didn't understand!

 

[Stuart]

This is a double bevel:

This is a single bevel:

 

[AJB]

The drawing of a single bevel doesn't, exactly, match the description that Ogri posted. Presumably the bevel can go all the way to the spine or stop at any point. But your single bevel drawing is only a single bevel because the sides of the “non-bevelled” portion of the blade are parallel.

 

[Stuart]

you can have a single bevel which goes all the way to the spine, this is known as a 'full flat grind' :

most bushcraft knives are single bevel, but not fully flat ground

 

[AJB]

Stuart, do you know everything? If so, please can I have some help with this marketing plan?

AJb

 

[C_Claycomb]

If he doesn't he will diligently look it up! But we try not to encourage him too much

 

[Lithril]

 

[Quickbeam]

I thought I was reasonably good at sharpening plane blades and chisels but couldn't quite sharpen my knives as well as I wanted to. In the end I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker and my knives are sharper than they came out of the box. I can shave hair with them no problem.

Nick