There’s a lot of videos about sharpening convex blade where they are in fact simply honing the edge. Finally a real sharpening video making sense. Thank you for your clear explanation of your process.
A lot of thanks from France - I've been trying to convex one of my knives, without much success ... until I viewed your video and decided to adapt my hardware (reforming a cheap leather pad) AND my work ! Time and frequent observation are the essence indeed. Keep on, I'm always looking at your work with pleasure / interest.
This is my favorite grind and process to keep um sharp. Convex blades are so easy to maintain esp a scandvex blades. Reprofiling a grind this way is so forgiving, I think it's the safest way to learn with the most gratification when done. I just convexd my Tops Tanimboca Puukko and WOW is it so much better now. I also did this to my Condor Trivitatta puukko cause condor sent it to me with a butter knife edge . I gotta say that Trivitatta and Tops Tanimboca puukko are amazing knives, I highly recommend it. I'm now considering convexing my Benchmade Bushcrafter, I think the thickness is just right for making that blade a modified high scandi/ convex.
You and Murray Carter have the best way and knowledge on how to properly do the convex and not only the final edge part but the whole side so that no blunt edge is achieved after few more sharpening , thank you for the setup idea looks very effective
That was a great lesson. Thank you. I just made my bark river mini-bushcrafter like new using your technique. Thank you God bless and the word is sharp.
thank you for letting us see the master at work. the end cleaning with acetone is a step i never used before but will now. I thought of three reasons for v grind 1) easier mass production 2) easy resharpen for customers (like me without your skill and use sharpmakers) 3) Able to use harder steels and keep them honed better or with less work and skill. may be wrong but just a thought . thanks again for a peek into your skillls.
i also use this technique hard to find good hard smooth leather at times. sturdy leather is essential in my opinion. i have a hard piece if rubber i use and it good. sharpening is great for free time and concentrating on one artful hobby, also i do agree that the table top strop is way better than the hand or paddle, for this kind of sharpening and polishing, thank you
You are working the knife like me, learning over long time and feeling he grind develop. This is not a quick fix, it needs learning and it seems to me you know what you are doing, and dooing it good. Nice too see real good work by someone who know what hes doing. And, always there will always be a tip to pic up if one is willing too learn. Thnks for great video. LRH, Norway
You could speed things up by having a fixture for each grit save you time in swapping sand paper each time then you only have to swap it out when it is warn out.
Well done to excellent! The length of this video tutorial was too short for me. I enjoyed it and was very entertaining and I also learned something from your video. Thanks for sharing 👍
I watched this guy when I was a kid sharpen my brothers oldtimer so sharp he split hair with it. I have tried to learn to sharpen better ever since but not been fully committed. I think he finished it with news paper. I Am going to learn as many methods as I can and see what works best for me. I do love my powered whetstone first. I can get long knives nice and straight especially badly made and sharpened blades. I like saw blade knives. I like to steel them every day. But I'm ready to learn better.
Thank you very much. I just bought a bark river bravo EDC I love it but it came less then perfect. It seems that who ever profiled it and sharpened it didn’t take care and put a small dip in the edge just in front of the handle. I thought I was gonna have to send it back then I watch this video. I made a board just like yours and fixed the blade perfectly it’s more polished straighter and so sharp you can even look at it. Remember the movie bodyguard the seen where he cut the silk handkerchief? YEP that sharp thank you so much you are the man I just subscribed and liked.
Thanks to you AP for making this vid. Such good stuff. I always sharpened my Bark Rivers just on a stone like all my other knives. Will have to try this method.
I struggled putting a keen edge on my new Condor Hudson knife. It arrived very dull, with a thick radius profile. I worked on it for a couple hours, my first attempt at honing a convex blade I should add, with little positive gain. I then put the blade in my Lansky fixture and put a 20* fine bevel on it. Scary sharp, and a much thinner lead edge. I may try subsequent sharpening/honings to use the techniques demonstrated here. I do feel I could still bring it back to a decent radius, which would be thinner and I feel better than the original. Thanks for the video!
First of all, just love your text from James. Thank you Rob for that instructive and highly entertaining video( a creamy edge?).I am a razor strop on top of my sharpie box kind of stropper, not the greatest but it works for me. As I am just starting to find out about the benefits of convex edges, it was all very educational for me, thanks again. By the way, Windex is a bit dear here in the UK(you have to buy it on Amazon) so for all you UK knife knuts I recommend Mr Muscle window cleaner, its got the ammonia that Windex has, and its quite cheap. God bless all.
I like using white compound. It really ads a good final apex on a convex. I have always just used green but started using white recently and am very happy with it. I've never used the diamond spray, but I stay away from super steels in my life.
I have used all kinds of stones 3000 chroma, 8000 coticule yellow, extra extra fine Arkans Translucent, 12000 Naniwa S2, vzt my straigt razor Dovo is dull. Where is the problem? I need a machine grinder befor? Or what is the problem?
This video is so great. I knocked up a sharpening jig just like yours and after a bit of practice and a watching the video a few times I have achieved my first shaving sharp knife with a Opinel no.8! Thanks so much for your knowledge. On a side I was wondering how many knifes can you sharpen out of your lower grit paper? I had 400 as my lowest but I find the grit is gone after one knife sharpening. It just feels like 800 after. Should I switch to a new sheet if that's what I'm feeling or keep using the paper for a bit longer?
Would be much lighter weight to bring some leather strops with you than sharpening stones lol. Those cheap pull through sharpeners are small and light though
How can we acquire these strops? On my edge pro i have sharpening tapes up to 6k (this is of course for "v" ground blades) and then i move to strops that are .05 micron and .02 micron. I feel that there is a significant cap between the 6k and the .05 micron, and i was curious what strops you would recommend to close that gap and polish up the edge more.
What incredible information. You have such confidence going at that blade. Of course experience is unmatched. I need to set up and try this method. You you tell me is there a particular type of sand paper you use. Example: for wood or automotive. Thanks.
in my experience i found stones to work better than soft backing and sand paper .sand paper method does some extra grinding in spots you may not want ground and you can't avoid that . with stone you are in total control freeing you from having the same grind face and not thinning the portion that really needs thinning to get superior edge. i will want to try sand paper to restore to a nice satin finish after my water stones and water stones do a fine job in having a more mirror polished edge than the edge face. you would need three grits, 400, 1000 and 5000 . the finer grit are quite expensive but last for many years.
Thanks for this. I too don't feel as comfortable using a belt system as opposed to this process. However I strop across the sandpapers as I do later w/ the strops, where you're more exact in regard to which part of the blade your affecting. I also go up to 3k grit on the paper. Somehow I manage shaving sharp w/ an even apex.
Hey Rob, love the video! Very helpful as I purchased a Rockstead with a convex grind! The only trouble is matching a perfect mirror! Thanks again for the tips, If I ever need to sharpen I'll know how!
If I were to send out a knife for sharpening, and it is a v grind, could you transform it into a convex, and if so, would there be an extra cost associated?
It will cut fir sure after all that good work. I'm sure it would shave as well. What do you think about stones? I use the professional chosera stones and love them. Would like your take on them.
I do have individual blocks made with firm tool box drawer liner glued to them and different grit sandpaper lightly glued to that to speed up the process and then my Edgewright has the final grit for finishing before I flip it over and begin stripping
Just curious if you have since made multiple copies of this Convex Fixture, so you don't have to change grits while sharpening. If I did this as often as you, I sure would not want to mess around with constant grit changes.
Great video! I have a question on when you got to stropping. I have always been under the impression that you should go light and steady. It looked and sounded like you were actually going rather heavy handed on stropping. Advise?
Ah and you see I'm studying up on my convex sharpening skills. I will need them next time I go batoning on some wood that doesn't want to split and I'll remember not to beat on the tip. 😂
You should think about buying a DLT convex sharpening block that way you don't run the blade into your brackets. That's what I use, they are only a about $30 if I remember correctly and there would be no chance of nicking the blade, especially the tip. I understand that its the spine making contact, but it could nick the tip depending on the stoke. Just a suggestion. Great vid.
So how would you go about sharpening, without thinning? I like the sound of thinning but i dont trust myself to be able to replicate the finish on Bark Rivers. So if i just wanted to sharpen it, how would i do that? Just start on 600 grit on the apex and make it one solid, convex apex?
JDubKnives Pretty much. You'd just start at a more elevated angle, replicating that final, tight, apex radius they put on at the factory. You'd be holding the blade at about a 20 degree angle.
TheApostleP awesome thx! Purchasing a BRK Featherweight Fox River with green canvas micarta and red liners. With this video I'll be able to put a nice edge on it.
Great video, I have a convex Busse blade I want to get scary sharp. This vid is great but I wish I could see your technique with a larger blade. 12" edge or so.. is it just a matter of a big long leather blocks? Would you still use single big long strokes?
This is very similar to how I have been teaching myself to sharpen, but I have been wary of the lower grits and it is taking me ages. I'll have a go at the 220 next time I'm out in the shed. I've got a Gerber LMF2 that I've given a slight convex, but it is unsatisfyingly fat behind the edge, the 220 will help sort that.
Rob I watch this video over and over again. Love it. Question. When you begin you say to keep the tip trailing the blade in your stroke but I noticed when you switched to the flatter side you began to sweep the tip well ahead of the heel on the 220 grit or beginning while reshaping. Is there a reason for the change. Any help always appreciated.
Could you please explain again how to avoid rounding out the tip? I made a every similar setup, but ive been rounding the tip. Any advice is greatly appreciate. This is one of the best RU-vid sharpening tutorials ive found and believe me, ive looked!
So the real trick is to be consistent with what you do with both sides but avoid being too consistent with the angle so you don't end up with an unwanted secondary bevel. You're slowly raising the angle as you progress while taking care to make both sides of the blade symmetrical.
I am a bit confused about a convex edge? on a flat grind that is thin behind the edge won't I get a better angle of attack then on a convex blade where the bulge of the blade prevents that better angle? If I wanted a very thin strip of something I would usually reach for a thin flat ground or even better a hollow grind. If cutting through something thick wont the convex blade cause more separation then a then blade so that I would need more force not less. Then why are razor blades flat? Now you see why I am confused, is there a way to test any of this?
For thin slices a chisel grind is the best. Flat ground vs convex it depends how big the bulge on the convex is. They both can do well at slicing. I find that a full convex glides through material easier because there are no sharp shoulders (like a v bevel) that would hang up. If you took two blades of equal stock thickness and blade width, one full convex other flat, with equal angle at the apex, the convex would be superior. It would glide through the material more gradually with less resistance. Razor blades don't need to slice deep, they just need to have a sharp edge, thus no difference in convex vs flat.
Don't get confused by mixing up thickness and grind profile. They're two separate variables. If two blades are if similar thickness top to bottom, with similar tapers, one flat ground with a V-bevel and one convex, the convex grind will slice better because it has no corners for material to hang up or snag on. Obviously, if the FG blade is thin and the convex blade is very thick, the same would not be true. Hollow grinds are great, until the material reaches the abrupt shoulder at the top of the hollow grind, which can be more in a problem that on FG blades because it's sharper and more abrupt. But on very limp material, the HG profile is excellent. Razor blades cut well because they're super thin with a very acute V-bevel. They are ground this way because a machine does it and it's cheap. If I convexed a razor blade very acutely, it would cut better than the original V-bevel. But how much would that 29-cent blade cost if it were convex ground by hand?
Wow! Thanks for the clearer picture of what is going on, I have mistakenly stayed away from convex blades, guess it's time to buy one and learn something new
1 micron is about 14k grit, 0.5 micron is about 60k grit, 2 micron is somewhere between 9k and 13k grit, from what I've read. I finish on a 1 micron boron carbide semipaste on the strop :D
Do the grits on sandpaper correspond exactly to the grits on stones? Very cool video. I really appreciate that you took the time to make something so detailed and in depth.
Awesome work Rob! I love the fixture with the leather! I've had pretty good luck using Balsa wood and diamond paste for the apex. I just HATE having raw finger tips after doing a Convex grind. I cringed when you went for the acetone! LOL Thanks for the great video!!! God bless my friend
i watched another sharpener hold his knife with 2 fingers on the handle and let the edge drop down on the paper without any pushing and it went thru the paper like butter looked like you were having problems just trying to push it thru
pretty decent vid overall. only issue I would think is when you stated something about contamination with paper towels yet the sandpaper was all stacked on top of each other. probably should have washed hands too when you washed blade between strop grits. or maybe I'm just too OCD. still glad I watched video
That's why I think free hand is superior to any fixed System. Even tho In today's age ppl are told how different is and you need to buy my product for $300 to $900 if u want sharp knives
very nice, apostle. i'm going to try this method on something cheap, until i get good. do you have a recommendation as to how thick the leather should be, underneath the sandpaper? y'know, to give a nice parabolic action without accentuating the risk of going too obtuse at the apex.
Thank you for this video, it is VERY informative.. If you were doing larger convex blades, such as a Bark River Bravo Survivor, Crusader, or Tope Recon, would you do exactly the sames process on the same fixture? Would you do the blade in sections or maybe make larger fixture? Thank you
@@tomcat5284 Tried it. Don’t like it as much as this method. It’s all touch either way, but I don’t prefer the idea of creating a curved bevel on a hard flat abrasive surface. It takes far more passes to achieve the same level of consistency in the final finished edge. When you get to the end with stones, you have to make MANY flat micro-passes to achieve a consistent micro finish on that convex profile. With paper on rubber, if you’re pressure is relatively consistent, one pass touches the entire bevel. Make sense?
