My sharpening pet peeves

[eveled]

Mumbleypeg, it effects the function by making it hard to sharpen and subsequent blade loss and shortened life.

On the first sharpening you have to decide to fix it, or make it worse.

Straight edges on wharncliff, sheep’s foot, and coping blades are easy to sharpen. But are usually done wrong. If the factory can’t get it right, Joe Blow the ignorant owner will make it even worse.

[Mumbleypeg]

Mumbleypeg, it effects the function by making it hard to sharpen and subsequent blade loss and shortened life.

On the first sharpening you have to decide to fix it, or make it worse.

Straight edges on wharncliff and coping blades are easy to sharpen. But are usually done wrong. If the factory can’t get it right, Joe Blow the ignorant owner will make it even worse.

So it doesn’t affect the function of the knife’s cutting capability, just makes it more difficult to sharpen. Since I freehand sharpen, I never noticed any difficulty. I guess that’s why it makes no difference to me, but I can see how a sharpener system using clamps could be problematic. I also have very few wharncliffe blade knives. Mostly the blades with straight edges I have are sheepfoot.

BTW the sharpening operation at Case is “freehand” also, but they use belt sanders instead of stones.

Ken

[eveled]

I only sharpen freehand on a flat stone. How can that curved blade contact the whole stone at once? The only reason I said it is more difficult to sharpen is you have to remove the curved belly. 20 minutes as opposed to 20 seconds. Which is no big deal, but the blade loss is a big deal to me.

It still cuts, but it’s not how it’s supposed to be shaped. So it definitely effects its intended cutting ability.

I know that you are saying you don’t mind the curve, that it doesn’t matter to you that it’s curved. I get it. It’s my pet peeve, not everyone has the same affliction.

Do you think it’s supposed to be curved and it was done on purpose? Even though it doesn’t bother you, would you prefer it to be straight?

If you had that knife would it be straight after you sharpened it the first time?

[Mumbleypeg]

It would eventually be straight, or at least straighter. I can’t recall having sharpened a wharncliffe blade like those pictured (I’m just not especially a fan of wharncliffe blades), but I have sharpened many previously incorrectly sharpened sheepfoot blades of varying sizes.

In fact I have one now, on a 5347 I bought used from knifeaholic, which has a concave bow in the middle of the edge from improper sharpening by a previous owner. Also rather than the sharp “point” it should have, its tip is slightly rounded, again from improper sharpening. Both of those flaws were obvious in the pictures Steve posted in his AAPK store, else it would have been way to expensive for me to buy as an EDC. Its cutting ability isn’t affected in the least, and although the tip is not “pointed” it still serves my purposes. The spay was also incorrectly sharpened. As I use and sharpen it I am gradually restoring the correct shapes on both blades. But I’m not bothered enough over its flaws to sit down and reshape it in one sitting. I’ll likely get at least a year’s use out if it before its blades are restored to the proper shape.

Ken

[eveled]

Sounds like we are on the same page, you have more patience than I do. Enjoy the new knife.

[1967redrider]

My only sharpening pet peeve is when people use grinders to do so.

[OLDE CUTLER]

My only sharpening pet peeve is when people use grinders to do so.

Especially when the grinder has a 36 grit stone or belt.