How To Sharpen A Recurve Blade
If you're new to sharpening knives or need a crash grade on how to sharpen a recurve knife, y'all are in the right place. Speaking in layman's terms, sharpening a knife involves removing thin layers of steel by running the blade along a rough surface. Every bit the grit of the rough surface becomes finer and finer, the edge of the bract becomes thinner and sharper. The concave edge in a recurve blade requires a little more attention to particular and a slightly different technique than sharpening a traditional plain edge blade, only the basic sharpening principles are the same. Read on to learn how to sharpen a recurve bract.
This article will interruption downwardly sharpening a knife with a recurve bract both using a traditional ceramic sharpening rod as well as using the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The sharpening principles shown in this guide are the same whether y'all utilize a sharpening rod or a more advanced sharpening system. For reference, we used the Benchmade North Fork to demonstrate.
Tools and Supplies
This commodity will intermission downward sharpening a knife with a recurve blade both using a traditional ceramic sharpening rod likewise equally using the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The sharpening principles shown in this guide are the same whether you utilise a sharpening rod or a more advanced sharpening system.
To sharpen your knife with a recurve edge, you will need:
- A sharpener with ceramic sharpening stones or a hand-held sharpening rod
- A leather hone with stropping chemical compound
- A bevel gauge
Blade Angles
Knowing the angle your knife's border is footing at makes sharpening much easier and helps your pocketknife be much safer every bit you use information technology after you sharpen it. It'southward important to cheque the edge angle before you start sharpening; not doing so could crusade damage to the knife and a reduction in operation. Before you kickoff, selection up a Richard Kell Bevel Gauge or the Audacious Concept Dog Tag Tool for a simple way to check your angle. These tools have slots the blade can be placed in to check the edge bending. If y'all are struggling to notice the bending these tools will surely help. As yous are learning to sharpen your knife, information technology is important to maintain the border angle equally y'all are sharpening your knife. Don't stress if you are having a tough fourth dimension with this. With a practise and patience, you can be a knife sharpening pro in no time.
Using A Sharpening Rod
When sharpening a knife with a recurve fashion bract (like any knife) it is important to maintain consistent pressure level through each sharpening stroke. Using apartment stones or other similar sharpeners makes maintaining consistent force per unit area on the bract a challenge. Using a circular or triangular sharpening rod allows one to keep consistent pressure on the edge from end to end.
Belongings your sharpening rod in your non-dominant hand, place the knife with the edge facing y'all and the heel of the border almost the end of the sharpening rod closest to you. Angle the bract to match the bevel of the border (betwixt 15º and 20º). Make 5 passes on the sharpening rod from the heel of the bract to the tip of the blade pushing the knife away from your torso while maintaining light, consequent force per unit area forth the edge of the pocketknife.
Next, flip the blade over with the edge facing away from y'all; too placing the heel of the pocketknife near the end of the sharpening rod furthest from yous. Find your angle and echo the process while pulling the knife toward you along the sharpening rod making sure to maintain low-cal, consequent pressure along the entire edge of the knife.
Repeat this procedure until your edge has a visibly consequent edge on both sides. You should be able to run across a glint of light on it that has the aforementioned width for the length of the blade. After your knife has a consistent border you tin can now motion on to the hone.
Using the Spyderco Sharpmaker
If you're using the Spyderco Sharpmaker like us, set your sharpening rods at the closest angle to the angle of your knife's border with the corners of the sharpening rod facing in toward each other. Depending on the condition of your edge, you may need to start with lower grit sharpening rods to remove significant damage, then employ loftier grit rods to stop the border. Nosotros were able to get our knife sharp by simply using the loftier grit rods.
Now that your sharpener is set up, place the heel of your pocketknife's edge at the top of the sharpening rod perpendicular to the footing. Maintain this bending as you move your knife from heel to tip down the sharpening rod, alternate between each side. By using the corners of the sharpening rod instead of the flat side, you volition exist able to maintain better, more consistent contact with the edge and the rod. This will ensure a consistent border is placed on the recurve.
Stropping Your Knife
At this betoken, your knife is likely at a indicate where it is adequately abrupt and ready for action. The next step in the sharpening procedure involves polishing the edge of the knife to remove any small burrs. A leather hone and stropping compound can be used to take whatsoever pocket-size imperfections out of the edge giving it that hair popping sharpness we all dearest.
To strop your knife just use a reasonable corporeality of compound to the surface of the hone, hold the knife at the same angle you sharpened information technology at, and brand several light passes on each side of the bract. After several passes, the edge should appear shine and accept no burrs on either side.
When stropping a recurve bract, information technology is of import to accept your fourth dimension and brand certain to maintain even pressure on the edge for each stroke on the strop. Sharpening a knife without stropping information technology merely isn't the same. If yous invest in a hone, your edge tin stay sharper longer and generally perform better than without.
CONCLUSION
Sharpening a knife with a recurve border is substantially the aforementioned procedure as sharpening any other knife. The idea is to go the border every bit consistent and every bit thin as possible. When sharpening a recurve knife, information technology's important to maintain pressure on the unabridged length of the border. Using a sharpening arrangement like the Spyderco Sharpmaker can make all the difference when sharpening a recurve pocketknife.
Cheque out all our knife sharpening supplies past clicking the button beneath. Now that you know how to sharpen a pocketknife with a recurve edge, cheque out Blade HQ's huge pick of pocketknife sharpeners to find the one that works for yous.
Scout our guide on how to acuminate your knife using the incredibly uncomplicated Spyderco Sharpmaker.
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Source: https://www.bladehq.com/blog/how-to-sharpen-a-recurve-knife/
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