baguio
Well-Known Member
If only it was that easy!
Sharpening Mora knives
- Thread starter Gameking
- Start date
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
It IS easy, scandi grind provides ample feel.
Just use a decent holder, I purchased some Japanese stones a while back w/ holder made of metal and rubber. Haven't use the stones but my Dianova diamond stone fits the holder also and the holder makes a huge difference.
In my experience the usual diamond stones that are around 1000 grit (fine variety, not coarse) provide a fast edge that's good enough for regular gralloch and skinning work. No doubt any other media about 1000 grit would work well also, at least if you don't wear it unevenly.
Just use a decent holder, I purchased some Japanese stones a while back w/ holder made of metal and rubber. Haven't use the stones but my Dianova diamond stone fits the holder also and the holder makes a huge difference.
In my experience the usual diamond stones that are around 1000 grit (fine variety, not coarse) provide a fast edge that's good enough for regular gralloch and skinning work. No doubt any other media about 1000 grit would work well also, at least if you don't wear it unevenly.
Shropshire Dan
Well-Known Member
I just use a cheap little blade tech knife sharpener. Very small and quick and easy. I keep it in my camo jacket pocket for use if needed in the field.
DeerDucksFishin
Well-Known Member
get yourself a havalon and a box of 50 blades does a couple of deer per blade then bin em
bigoak
Well-Known Member
Very easy with the Mora knives. Easier than normal knives actually.
Buggadifino
Well-Known Member
+1. Fine wet and dry and a flat surface is all you need. As others have also pointed out the Scandi grind is esy to keep true.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
Live got one of these too, superb for most the gralloch but I have to remember to be careful when removing feet etc that I don't get too heavy handed.
kev.rem700
Well-Known Member
Any skill is easy when it is practised...or at least becomes easier.
The furniture maker that trained my father had a phrase about "locking your wrists" when he described the process of sharpening a hand plane blade or wood chisel on an oil stone. I still hear that in my head every time I sharpen an edge tool.
I have a brilliant knife sharpening tool by DMT which is 6-in-1 triangular sharper with their Coarse Blue (45μ) Fine Red (25μ) Diamond and (7μ) ceramic grades. Three faces and three different radii for serrated / notched blades. I carry a DMT diafold red and blue sharpener in the gralloching / butchery / sharps kit box. With those I hold the blade still and use them like a file but the "lock the wrists" bit still applies.
I was also taught to make any grinding or polishing marks in the direction that the blade cuts...at right angles to the edge. This gives the micro serrations to the edge that I think hybridfiat referred to. I have never liked the sharpeners where you draw the blade through so the grinding scratches are along the edge of the blade. It weakens the edge by building in a fault line...think bars of chocolate. So when pressure applies the micro edge can be lost to the nearest fault line. Using a burnishing steel along the edge is the the only time I move in that direction.
Alan
I'm a lazy sod so blade tech or similiar and sometimes f I can be bothered I will give it a rub over with an oilstone to even the blade off. I redo it every time I shoot a deer so never goes blunt. I do spend a bit of time making sure the point is sharp as that is what I use to make the incision then zip it up the ways.
i don't think it needs doing every time but it is a cheap knife and it will still last me years.
i don't think it needs doing every time but it is a cheap knife and it will still last me years.
^^^^^^ A ton of good advice here.
I think you also need to consider what you're expecting from the edge - is it for fine work, for coarse work or for varied?
For fine work I'd be looking for the polished finish, as edge retention is secondary to precision. For coarse work those micro-serrations really help, particularly when you're cutting a mixture of flesh, sinew and gristle, whereas for mixed work you'll be somewhere in-between.
At the end of the day, for stalking most of us are just looking for an edge that will do three or four deer in the field between sharpenings. As said, a polished bevel isn't really going to add much in this scenario.
I've tried a bunch of different sharpening systems over the years.
I can't get away from the feeling that those BladeTech type sharpeners are the work of the Devil, as the sound of metal being scoured off the blade puts shivers down my spine. Powered belt sharpeners come a close second, though I have to confess that I've never really used one. It's just the thought of a moment's inattention resulting in scratches across the blade face, or inconsistencies in the bevel, that keeps me away from them.
For wood turning gouges, axes, etc I use my Tormek. Being water-cooled it's great for "heavy" work. If I come across a blade that need re-shaping - say a kitchen blade with a broken tip or where the heel needs grinding down - then my first port of call is the Tormek.
For my straight-edge razors I use water stones, though mostly these are for just touching up the edge in-between honings. I find keeping consistency in blade angle a real challenge - the finer the bevel, the tougher it becomes to "feel" the angle. Fortunately with straight-edge razors the spine mostly gives the correct angle, unless it's heavily worn of course.
For most knives I'll use the Lansky system. I have both the traditional set and the double rod box. I could never really get on with the traditional system, so it sits in the shed waiting for me to have another go, but the double rod box is great for taking away on travels as one thing I hate is finding blunt knives in the kitchen of a rented cottage! I probably use the rod box more than any other sharpener, as it's very easy to touch up the edge on kitchen knives, stalking knives, pen knives, etc.
Where the the Wicked Edge system really scores over others such as the Lansky is that you're sharpening both edges at the same time and with no need to remove the blade. I find - for me at least - this gives a far more consistent finish to the bevel. On a spare set of handles I apply the 3M Lapping Film, which goes right down to .3 microns to give a true polished finish to the bevel. I hardly ever go that far, though.
Then if I really want to ensure the optimum result I use a digital protractor to ensure the bevel on both sides is identical.
Have I mentioned my OCD before??
P.S. My next venture will be to pick up a set of the paper-wheel sharpeners next time I'm in the US, such as those from Razor Sharp.
Hales Smut
Well-Known Member
Can somebody tell me what tools Paul Sellers uses in the film. English not being my native language, I don't understand the word he uses to name the tools.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
It's not the tools, it's the principle how you setup and maintain the desired angle. Pay attention to the grit he mentions while changing the abrasive tools.
Because his setup changes the angle ever so slightly during the sharpening motion, you'd be better off doubling the dimensions in the film. like using 1.5" thick board and twice the length of the part that holds the abrasive. Of course you should keep the sharpening motion the same, not double it also. This way you cut the change of angle in half (or thereabouts, I don't want to think trigonometry right now...)
Because his setup changes the angle ever so slightly during the sharpening motion, you'd be better off doubling the dimensions in the film. like using 1.5" thick board and twice the length of the part that holds the abrasive. Of course you should keep the sharpening motion the same, not double it also. This way you cut the change of angle in half (or thereabouts, I don't want to think trigonometry right now...)
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