What to use to sharpen a Mora Bushcraft Force?

[sam-m]

I have just bought a Mora Bushcraft Force and was wondering what to use to sharpen it. I have read that you can use sand paper and also Japanese Wetstones but haven't really got a clue on what to use.

 

[John Fenna]

Read the £5 sharpening kit sticky - that should sort you out!

 

[JonathanD]

A combination waterstone 1000/6000 grit will see you right. You can get them online via Axminster tools.

 

[Karl2353]

I can recommend Japanese waterstones, they can deliver an extremely sharp edge and are easy to use after a bit of practice.
They are also ideal for scandi ground (single flat bevel) knives which I think the bushcraft force is.
I use a 1000/6000 combination stone (£30-£35) which works well to tidy up a dull edge. I also use a nagura stone in conjunction with the 6000 grit to produce a slurry on the stones surface, this slurry polishes the edge to a mirror shine during final stages of sharpening.
Hope this helps!

 

[sam-m]

Does the sandpaper work just as well as the waterstones?

 

[Shewie]

The Fallkniven DC4 is about all I use these days, maybe once or twice a year I'll use the waterstones if I'm having a sharpening sesh

 

[JonathanD]

You could just get a DC4. It's all I use on Moras.

 

[sam-m]

I read somewhere that the DC4 had trouble with the type of stainless steel that mora use on their knives.

 

[JonathanD]

I read somewhere that the DC4 had trouble with the type of stainless steel that mora use on their knives.

Nope, been using them for a good ten years on my stuff.

 

[MSkiba]

If its blunt, I use leather strop. If its chipped, burred, bent, cracked, snapped, curled, broken, twisted or scarred I use waterstones.

If your on a budget see the £5 sharpening thread. If you want the best tool for the job 4 take JD's advice on the waterstones.

Happy sharpening!

 

[Shinken]

Sandpaper will do just as well as water stones yes

 

[sam-m]

One more question, How do I tell if the knife has a secondary bevel and if it does how do I adjust my sharpening accordingly?

 

[JonathanD]

You'll see it. Angle the blade to the light and you will easily see one. If it has one and you want to keep it, just sharpen at a steeper angle. If you want a flat scandi, then just kep the bevel flat against the stone. I like a small secondary on my scandi grinds as they are quite easy to chip without.

 

[MSkiba]

Sandpaper will do just as well as water stones yes

If you can get 6000 grit sandpaper yeah

 

[sam-m]

Thanks guys I think I will opt for the £5 sharpening kit and see how I go. I will also buy the DC4 for when on expeditions.

 

[Ian S]

If you can get 6000 grit sandpaper yeah

The problem is that the grit is measured using a different scale - a Japanese standard rather than an ISO standard. I'm sure I've read somewhere on-line that 6000g Japanese isn't far off 1500g ISO, and you can get wet & dry up to 2500g, and other abrasive papers to 1 micron or less.

I can put rather a nice polish on a tool with worn 1000g wet & dry, and a quick strop on leather and metal polish gives a high polish. A 6000g waterstone also puts rather a nice polish on a tool. I usually use wet & dry because it's more convenient for me.

Cheers