Thread: Knife sharpening for different tasks

Would like to know what grit you like to finish your knife edge to for hunting in particular. I’ve really enjoyed getting into sharpening and have heard that a course toothy edge is better for breaking down an animal. I have used both toothy and polished but haven’t reached any conclusions yet. Any experience in comparing edges would be appreciated. Cheers

Raw for gutting. Blunting comes from cutting skin and bone. Keep your edge up with MD's steeling. It really works. Polished edge ...ask Shelley. He has the real fancy machine.

Just use my carpentry oil stone on the fine side. My knives just cut

What grit.....doesn't matter ,I've used piece of river rock on more than one occasion.sharp is sharp. As above,don't cut dirt or bone and gentle angle on the steel and things just cut.

Ive personally found a fine edge loses that initial sharpness very quickly, where as a toothier edge isnt as screaming sharp but holds on to the bite a little better. Not that much in it though to be fair. For my hunting knives I generally sharpen to 600 grit and strop, which works well and is quick only needing the 1 stone. Personally dont see the point of going to a high polish for an edge that will be resharpened often.

A lower edge angle has a bigger performance boost over grit choice ime. If you have a steel that can handle a 17 degree edge this definately cuts more aggressively and for longer.

If you have good steel, the right angles and it's properly polished you won't need to sharpen or touch up that often - but that edge won't handle a lot of hair or running into or down bone that well. The toothier edge is basically minute serrations - it's not really an 'edge' as we would call it.

Most don't really get a polished edge up when sharpening, and in most cases it's not actually fully necessary either. As far as breaking down a deer or two, most hunting knives will do that - but it's also why butchers have a couple of knives on the go at a time. One for the rough heavy work, one for fine work and a general purpose one that gets most of the use and also a fine stone and a decent steel.

The hardest bit with sharpening is getting and holding the right angles on the blade's edge - wrong angles will create heartbreak and tears and it doesn't matter what you do from that point onwards. That's where the guided sharpeners are so good, they have the control to get the angles right from the get go.

https://www.zanvak.co.nz/products/ts...b-4b8c7c362c8c

Shelleys machine.

Originally Posted by TeRei

https://www.zanvak.co.nz/products/ts...b-4b8c7c362c8c

Bloody hell, that’s more expensive than a Tormek T8.

Depends on the grind and steel used.

If you use a knife, best know what the grind in (hollow, scandi, convex etc) before trying to sharpen it.

I've seen someone ruin, or at least set back a few years of use, a nice knife on one of those cheapie 'Sharpal sharpeners' (which remove way too much metal and are meant for cheap hollow ground knives.

Don't forget that 'good steel' often means really difficult to sharpen properly in the field. In the UK you can spot the poser/fair weather stalker by their use of an Emberleaf or similar knife which is so prized that it is sent back to the factory for sharpening every season as their owners fear they might scratch it...

Those in the know usually use a cheap knife...

You mean a Bahco? Who's the Bahco crew. c'mon haha!

Thanks for the feedback, yeah I’ve been running the 600 grit edge too as a general working edge off a diamond plate but I also quite enjoy sharpening them up to a 3000 then strop just because… found some great info from outdoors55 on YouTube which goes into the geometry, edge angles and how to choose what will work best for your intended use although it’s not hunting specific.
Sometimes I wonder what another man’s idea of sharp is though as I’ve hunted with a lot of people and it seems like there’s a few different levels of sharp. How do you tell if your knife is as sharp as you need it? Any tests?
Cheers.

Don't know about grit, depending on my mood I use my lanskeys or a waterstone and finish off with a few strokes on my steel and a strop, if it's taking the hairs off my leg I call it job done, works for me and I can usually field dress an animal without re-honing. If I'm breaking it down further then yeah it gets a few wipes on the steel to freshen it up. I can appreciate those who aim to get the finest edge on their knives but that ain't for me. I save that caper for my Two Cherries chisels.

Originally Posted by Mjcbows

Thanks for the feedback, yeah I’ve been running the 600 grit edge too as a general working edge off a diamond plate but I also quite enjoy sharpening them up to a 3000 then strop just because… found some great info from outdoors55 on YouTube which goes into the geometry, edge angles and how to choose what will work best for your intended use although it’s not hunting specific.
Sometimes I wonder what another man’s idea of sharp is though as I’ve hunted with a lot of people and it seems like there’s a few different levels of sharp. How do you tell if your knife is as sharp as you need it? Any tests?
Cheers.

hold up a sheet of paper and try to cut slices of it if it cuts cleanly its sharp now some on here I dont doubt will jump in and say that's to sharp - well likely more damage done to owners of a blunt knife than a sharp one

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

hold up a sheet of paper and try to cut slices of it if it cuts cleanly its sharp now some on here I dont doubt will jump in and say that's to sharp - well likely more damage done to owners of a blunt knife than a sharp one

I got taught that test many many moons ago at ag college, that and shaving hairs are the benchmark for sharpness imo

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many times I have passed a knife to a mate who wants a look at it and the first thing they do is try and do a check of sharp by using their thumb - well my japanese chefs knife try that and there could be blood its quite capable of taking couple of millimeter of the top of ones thumb trying that silly trick