Any advice on sharpening Zwicky Deltas? I have the KME BH sharpener but it seems to favor the front and back and miss the middle.... are these better sharpened with a file,etc ? Like the broadhead but would like to get them sharp for elk season! Thanks,
J
I used a file, a jewel stick and then an old belt to get them to shave hair.
I use a file and ceramic sticks ... works great
It shouldn't miss the middle Some things to look at... are you hitting the ferrule while trying to sharpen "the middle" ? When the sharpener gets to the middle, does it slide, not cut, as in that area is harder than the front and rear ?
RADA wheelie sharpener. Less then $10, best money I ever spend for double bevel sharpening.
I second the RADA!
Accusharp and a file. I usually hit them with a file to get the blade nice and straight when new and touch them up with the Accusharp when needed after that.
Wheel I love minus having to regrit the grind side
You can use the KME BH sharpener but you'll need to get some pretty coarse sand paper on a sheet of glass or a very coarse stone and work it until you get the tip and rear ground down enough for the middle section of the BH to make contact with the stone. When you're done the Deltas will loose about 8 grains and about 1/16-1/8" in cutting diameter. Basically what you'll have is a No Mercy. Once that's done though they are easy to get hair popping sharp with just a few strokes on the KME. They're also super easy to get shaving sharp with just a file and fine stone which is how I prefer to sharpen them.
the KME will miss the middle because the delta has a slight concave edge. You can work it down enough to where the blade edge is straight but it will result in a broad head that is not quite as wide as it should be.
I like to remove the extra stock off the tip with a file then sharpen it with an accusharp, after that I hone the blade with some leather or cardboard to refine the edge. It's easy for me to get a shaving sharp edge with this method and it is also something that can be done in the field.
What longtoke says. There is a bit of concaveness to the head from the factory. The bigger issue is it's triple thickness toward the front. I take the triple thick tip down with a file, keeping the bevel consistent with the rest of the blade and then use Tru-angle files and hones. Should work just as well with a KME sharpener, but need to get the edge straight its entire length, and the bevel constant, with a file before you use the sharpener.
Rada, works like a charm.
with the RADA how long does it usually take? Any specifics on how to sharpen or just pull through till sharp? Thanks
file/accusharp, then finish on lansky ceramic sticks grey, then white patiently until they shave hair
QuoteOriginally posted by pavan:
I used a file, a jewel stick and then an old belt to get them to shave hair.
Same here but I use a,sharpie and color,the edge before fileing. To monitor an even edge.
call ron at kme---he will help you.
With the Rada, point the tip down a little and pull back. I sharpened a dozen Grizzly double bevel heads from factory grind to shaving in about 10 minutes the other day. Use to be instructions in the how to section.
Agree with Orion, straighten the blade then use True-angle stones and add a tanto tip. I had very slight tip curl 27 years ago on a pass through, but the slight tanto tip solved that needle tip caused from excessive sharpening from a free handed file.
Stay sharp broadhead sharpeneing guide.
Keep it simple. File, stone, edge of car window, strop optional. The car window is where I really see it start to pop hair.
No matter which method you use, work the triple thick tip first. After that's done, sharpen like any other broadhead.
I do my straight edge 90 degrees to the bench on a mill bastard file to true it up perfectly straight. Then clamp into the KME and use it on the file to do the rough grind on the angles. Then switch over to the stones. Takes a bit of work but once done only needs touching up.
Great segment on this topic, among many others, on The Bowhintets of Tradgang DVD.
Used a Darex LLC "Worksharp, Guided Field Sharpener" on some Magnus with outstanding results. Would imagine it would work on any broadhead. $29.99 at Cabelas.
This will be useful...
Sharpening Deltas (http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000031)
I gound the bleeder blades off, turned them into two blades and use a file.
I just got a pack of Deltas this weekend. 5 minutes with a RADA wheelie sharpener and they were popping a few hairs. 5 more minutes with a leather belt and they were shaving. The hardest part was the transition from the triple thick tip to the main blade but once I hit it with a file a few times then followed up with the RADA it came out quite nice.
They fly great too! My field points are bare shaft tuned with 175gr tips and these big wide deltas hit right with them. I'm thinking It'll go through a deer with my 45lb longbow and 460gr arrows. Sure looking forward to trying!
Just an aside: I weighed them on a grain scale and in a 3 broadhead pack they ranged from 176.8gr to 172.4gr with the grain weight posted as 170. Not that it matters but I am OCD. My wensel woodsmans and grizzlys are +/- 0.5gr.