Picked up 6 200gr RW Grizzley El Grandes at the ETAR. Went over to the KME booth and was talking with the guys about how to sharpen. Now heres the question....
I followed their instructions on starting with a file. I really worked it down, taking off a good amount of metal. Keeping the angle at about 25 degrees. ( I basiclly ran the BH on the file as close as i could get to the ferule without hiting it) I did that until I obtained a wire piece then flipped it over and ran it on file flat to remove. I Them worked it with the KME BH sharpener as was instructed using finer and finer stones. Flipping to remove the bur.
Now when I finished I have an edge that feels wicked sharp, but doesnt shave. Almost like how an obsidian point feels. I did the rubberband test and it passed with flying colors. It def has the feel like "I dont wanna cut myself"
Is that ok? I feel very confident using it personally but it is not like the ones they had at the KME booth.
I read many posts on here about guys getting BH's shaving sharp, I personally never have and have almost always had easy pass throughs. Fred Bear always talked about his BH that had that serrated feel.
The other question is; bc they are not shaving sharp am i wasting my time using them, bc they are not being used to there fullest potential?
strop it on a little cardboard or leather and see if it shapes up
They will kill animals and do a nice job of it. I always like the extra insurance that razor sharp provides but it is just that extra insurance. Definately use them. And as mentioned definately strop the. This is how you normally get the razor edge.
I've got 12 of these coming from a buddy of mine in the NW Territories.
mine never shave until after I strop them on my leather belt.
I just cant seem to consistently get them sharp. My 2nd is a dull butter knife after 3 hours of sharping...
Do you strop both sides on leather or just the beveled side?...
Just beveled.... I cant figure out what Im doing wrong... I thnk im just not consistent...
I strop them on a leather wheel and they go from sharp to shaving. I strop both sides, and get after it, don't be shy on the angle and pressure to get that leather working for you. My leather wheel is great for that final touch.
strop both sides, one side will not work to complete the process. You are basically taking the remaining wire edge that you can't see and working it back and forth until it breaks off and just a hell of a sharp blade point is left. If you do it only on one side, you are just pushing/bending it over and it never breaks off. You can get some compound to help with the process, just smear on the leather lightly and work them a bit.
Maybe you are using too much pressure,as you go to finer and finer stones, use lighter and lighter pressure.
What kind of compound do you use?
Excuse me!!! I meant rubbing compound valve grining compound or jewelers rouge or what else?HEAVEN FORBID COMPOUND BOW... :eek:
I dont have a leather strop... I was using cardboard..... I will give it another try tonight and see how it goes. But I think truthfully I will probally go back to my ACE 200gr with 75gr inserts. They sharpen up really well, are really tough and accurate.