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Keeping Em Sharp

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Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Swede » 02 06, 2021 •  [Post 1]

Just how good are you at keeping your knives sharp? And for you bow hunters, what about your broadheads?

To be honest, I am just so-so at it. I think it is WW that says our eyelashes should fall off just looking at our broadheads. I take a three blade broadhead out of the quiver every time I climb into my stand. That is usually twice a day, so they get just a little dull over time. After a while I just replace the blades on a broadhead, but I am in no hurry. I never reuse a blade for hunting after it has been shot.
I mostly hunt elk. I am not sure the level of sharpness from one manufacturer to another, or from a brand new blade to one that has been in and out of the quiver numerous times, really makes a difference. What is your experience on this?

I sharpen my knives when I get back from a hunt and they are good for another season. I use a Lansky sharpener and it does a good job, but even there I am only so-so as a knife sharpener, and it takes me a long time to get the knife where I can shave a little with it. Sometimes I just give up and call it good.

I have watched a lot of You Tube knife sharpening videos, and am not looking for another. I just wonder how good you believe you are, and if you have some particular trick to make your blades super sharp?
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby 7mmfan » 02 06, 2021 •  [Post 2]

1 word. Worksharp. I have the Worksharp Ken Onion version. Has several different belts of different grits. There are different angled guides for different kinds of blades. I can adequately sharpen all my knives, kitchen knives included in about 20 minutes. If I really take the time to go to the smoothest belt and work it I can make the blades scary sharp. It's stupid proof though, because I am not good at sharpening knives. If I used a basic steel or ceramic, I'd make it duller most of the time.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 02 06, 2021 •  [Post 3]

I am good at sharpening. The biggest hinderance to a sharp blade is my own impatience. I switched to a guided system a few months ago, with diamond stones and a clamp. That was really taking things to the next level for me. I still need to explore strops for finishing edges, but I don't like blades that don't shave.

HOWEVER... I don't worry about shaving edges with a 3 blade machined broadhead like the VPA's I shoot. I slap it on a file, get it toothy, then clean it up on a diamond stone, and stick it in the quiver. The angles aren't right for a shaving edge on that type of broadhead.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Billy Goat » 02 06, 2021 •  [Post 4]

7mmfan wrote:1 word. Worksharp. I have the Worksharp Ken Onion version. Has several different belts of different grits. There are different angled guides for different kinds of blades. I can adequately sharpen all my knives, kitchen knives included in about 20 minutes. If I really take the time to go to the smoothest belt and work it I can make the blades scary sharp. It's stupid proof though, because I am not good at sharpening knives. If I used a basic steel or ceramic, I'd make it duller most of the time.


I'm not worth a darn sharpening a knife, so the Worksharp is my friend too! I love that thing.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Swede » 02 06, 2021 •  [Post 5]

Ok, you admitted knife sharpening cheaters: is the Worksharp Ken Onion sharpened easy to operate, easy to set up, durable and easy to change belts on? Also Do you get super sharp blades on your quality knives? I want something that is bullet proof and foolproof; not that I need it. :D

Swede: The Sharpening Cheater 2

P.S. Did you get the one with the attachment for more bells and whistles, or just the regular unit?
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Lefty » 02 06, 2021 •  [Post 6]

No no no.
I just lost another post after I wrote a half a book. As a kid it was a big deal with my dad to sit down with the wet oil stone and a strop to make sure our knives were sharp before deer hunting We probably as kids always had the sharpest fillet y .knives on the lake.

As a young man I was a fairly decent machinist and sharpened all the big blades in southern Minnesota knife blades that weighed 50 to 150 lb some of them an inch thick and by the time we were done were sharper than your razor blade . Wii machine some blades that we sliced veneer 1/100 of an inch thick and you could read text through them from a newspaper.
At home I have a slow wheel that used to be used for woodworking tools I flatten the top and do kitchen knives and my broad heads.

I broke my good file for hatchets and axes about 10-12 years ago and since my dad's not around I can get by with this but I use my Porter-Cable or DeWalt grinder.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby 7mmfan » 02 07, 2021 •  [Post 7]

The Worksharp I got, the Ken Onion model. Doesn't allow for attachments of other gizmos indent believe. I'll have to check on that. And far as setup, it comes setup. Use and changing belts, extremely easy. The angled guides ensure you pull your blade through at the right angle every time. For a guy that has struggled keeping knives sharp for a long time I really can't speak highly enough about that tool.

I have 3 knives that I co sider to be quality. A custom skinning knife made by a friend and 2 fillet knives. I can make them all extremely sharp. If I took the time to use the finest grit belts essentially a leather strap with no grit, I could get them scary sharp. I don't usually take that time though
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Lefty » 02 07, 2021 •  [Post 8]

My father in law gave me a decent folding knife for gutting.
Once the knife was sharp I wanted to see how far I could go without resharpening and skinning and gutting properly.
I think the knife had six antelope two elk however it was on my daughter's moose where the blade got to the point where I thought I better sharpen it. The main thing was not to cut any hair grind it through bones just soft skin from the inside out I think the knife was only used on skinning one antelope otherwise it was just used for gutting. And a handful of grouse
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby >>>---WW----> » 02 08, 2021 •  [Post 9]

If you have a good knife, you should very seldom, if ever have to re sharpen it. When I make a knife, I make it with a steel that is designed to cut. I put a good edge on it and I use it for what it is designed for. I strop my knife after every use and never have to re-sharpen it again. A hunting knife is designed to cut. It's not a pry bar or a wire cuter or are some tool you can abuse and expect it to keep it's original edge. Treat it with care and it will be there to take care of the task you bought it for to do.

Broadheads are an entirely different animal. Oh I know, there are a few out there that are made of supposedly super steels. But you will pay an arm and a leg for them. In reality, broadheads are designed to make one cut when you shoot them. If you are lucky and don't hit bone or shoot them in the dirt, you might get an extra shot or two out of them if you are lucky.

Three blade heads are the easiest of all to sharpen. The good ones are set at 120 degrees. So all you have to do is lay them on a good flat fine hone and a strop to get them shaving sharp. Two an four blade heads are a little harder to sharpen but there are a lot of good jigs out there that will do a good job for you. And of course there are always the replaceable blade ones for those that may be a little more sharpening challenged individuals.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Swede » 02 08, 2021 •  [Post 10]

>>>---WW----> wrote:And of course there are always the replaceable blade ones for those that may be a little more sharpening challenged individuals.


You are talking about me with that line. :D
I use replaceable blade broadheads for that reason. I get things respectably sharp, but can go no farther with my sharpening. I know of some people that are legends in their own mind. They think they are good, but really they stink. I know of some excellent sharpeners. I fit somewhere in between.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Elkhunttoo » 02 08, 2021 •  [Post 11]

I hate taking the time to sharpen knives and I’m not not that good at it. Then the Havalon was born. Solving all my problems 8-).

As for my broad heads I always do my best to keep shape new heads on and ready to go. I put styrofoam insulation in my attic last year. It is amazing how a new blade will cut so good but with not very many cuts it starts pulling and tearing. I can only imagine how dull some of the broadheads I shoot at my target get.
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Re: Keeping Em Sharp

Postby Old school » 02 09, 2021 •  [Post 12]

I’m not very good at sharpening knives or broadheads either - I bought a KME 3-4 yrs ago and ..... I’m still not very good at sharpening.
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