Another broadhead sharpening issue!

[huntin_sparty]

I have always been well below average in the sharpening (and maybe spelling) category so I bought the KME broadhead sharpener.  Anyhow in getting ready for the season I have repeatedly shot my Aboyer bonehead broadhead into foam and sand for practice and dulled it up a bit.  I read the instructions and watched the video on you tube then tried to sharpen it back up.  Anyhow 20 minutes later the broadhead is actually worse!!  What could I be doing wrong?  Thanks,

[longarrow]

Angle,,,put the BH in the jig and let the sharpening stone lay on the BH cutting edge.  You're see the stone's angle doesnot match the BH cutting angle.

[DHR]

You may need to use a coarser stone for a bit to re-establish the edge.

[huntin_sparty]

Doesnt the jig swivel to the right angle and make it idiot (Andrew) proof?

[Bob B.]

Call Ron at KME ( 800-561-4339).  He will talk you through it, he will sharpen the same time as you over the phone.  WHen doen, his and yours will be very sharp.  

Bob.  ( Ron has helped me a ton!)

[vermonster13]

You need the knife sharpener for single bevels.

[Zradix]

What long arrow meant was ...
The KME always sharpens to the same angle. To that effect it is idiot proof.

Now..Your broadhead may have (most likely) been sharpened at a different angle earlier (before KME)

You will most likely need to do a lot a grinding to set the initial angle. That will be only time you'll have to do that.

Once the edge angle is set with the KME it'll be just touch ups from there on out

The KME broadhead sharpener works fine on single bevels. There are videos of this and I have used it on them.

Good luck

[Ragnarok Forge]

Use permanent black marker on the blades and then use the sharpener.  I think you will find that the angle is a bit off from the sharpeners.  Once you true them up it is easy to get them sharp.

[huntin_sparty]

Originally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
Use permanent black marker on the blades and then use the sharpener.  I think you will find that the angle is a bit off from the sharpeners.  Once you true them up it is easy to get them sharp.

Clay
You are right on.  I did that from my old Montec sharpening days and only the outer 1/16 is getting sharpened or dulled with my skills.  So I should aggresively grind the bonehead down til its bevel is more in line with the KME?

[Charlie Lamb]

Use the coarsest stone you have for initial work. Once you have raised a burr, change to finer grit.

Until you've raised a burr it's all about removing material as quickly as possible.
Reduces the amount of time spent A LOT.

[vermonster13]

You're going to need to remove 3degrees of metal angle. Use a file to remove the bulk of material if you're determined to use the broadhead sharpener. If you want to sharpen it on the angle it is intended for get the knife sharpener.

[Jake]

If you need to remove alot of material you are better off using a file for the initial grind.  You are trying to raise a burr with the BH sharpener  and if you are pushing too hard you will roll the burr.  Lots of good advice here.  The knife sharpener does work very well on the single bevels too.  Give us a call if you need anymore help.

[huntin_sparty]

Originally posted by vermonster13:
You're going to need to remove 3degrees of metal angle. Use a file to remove the bulk of material if you're determined to use the broadhead sharpener. If you want to sharpen it on the angle it is intended for get the knife sharpener.

Man!  I wish I would have known that before hand.  The knife sharpener would have been multi purpose too!

[Pete McMiller]

I have had the KME broad head sharpener since April and have sharpened all my single bevel Grizzly El Grandes with it.  The difficulty with using a file to get an angle closer to the KME is that you aren't fixturing the BH so all your angles will be different.  Even the course stone isn't course enough to take down that much steel quickly.

After struggling for several weeks, I eventually went to a piece of glass and several grits of wet/dry sandpaper and it has worked absolute wonders.  All my edges are exactly the same angle and very sharp.

I started with 100 grit in order to take metal down and form the first burr and then moved through 180, 320 and 600 as the edge became more and more polished.  I stopped at 600 only because that was the finest grit I had available.  The last operation is to strop lightly on a piece of regular notebook paper.

The KME fixture with glass and sandpaper is MUCH faster than a stone and leaves an edge that you don't want to even get close to - scary sharp.

[JimB]

Excellent advice Pete.I'm not sure why the broadhead sharpener isn't contacting more of the bevel on the Abowyer.Abowyers are advertised as having a 25 degree bevel and the KME broadhead sharpener is close to that.

I have the knife sharpener and the broadhead sharpener and have found,like Pete,that the broadhead sharpener makes a very flat,straight and true edge.It is impossible for me to hand file as precisely as the broadhead sharpener.I have steel diamond hones so I start with a 120 grit hone but the sandpaper would work as well.The 120 grit hone is very agressive and probably as fast as a file.

I have sharpened a couple dozen Grizzly El Grande's with the broadhead sharpener and it does a great job.Once you have established that flat,even edge,it takes minimal work to resharpen because it is so repeatable.I resharpened one the other day that passed through an antelope,cutting one rib and stuck 4" into rocky soil.I was able to start with 325 grit and the edge was back very quickly.

[Sharpster]

Thanks everyone!

Andrew, Because you have shot the Boneheads into sand repeatedly, they've likely become very dull, which is really no big deal but as mentioned above you'll need to start with the coarsest abrasive you have access to. Step one is to work only the bevel side till you can both see and feel a light burr running continuously from tip to heel. Don't leave the coarsest grit till you've raised the burr. Then continuing to work only the bevel side, progress through your finer stones. Then when the bevel is thoroughly polished, flip the clamp and using strictly forward passes, do the absolute minimum necessary to remove the burr from the unbeveled side. Then finish up with just a few more forward passes alternating between the beveled and unbeveled sides of the blade.

The angle you'll be sharpening at will be slightly higher than the factory bevel. So as you pointed out, you'll only be working the very cutting edge. That's exactly how it's supposed to work. If you need help, give me a call. I'll walk you through doing one on the phone and it won't take 10 minutes, even with me stopping to explain the how and why of each step. BTW, It's really personal choice but I think you have the right tool for the job. While the knife sharpener can perfectly duplicate the factory bevel angle, the BHD sharpener is much faster and you'll be able to do 2 or 3 heads in the time you could do 1 with the knife sharpener.  Thanks,

Ron
800 561-4339

[Sharpster]

Originally posted by JimB:
Excellent advice Pete.I'm not sure why the broadhead sharpener isn't contacting more of the bevel on the Abowyer.Abowyers are advertised as having a 25 degree bevel and the KME broadhead sharpener is close to that.

I have the knife sharpener and the broadhead sharpener and have found,like Pete,that the broadhead sharpener makes a very flat,straight and true edge.It is impossible for me to hand file as precisely as the broadhead sharpener.I have steel diamond hones so I start with a 120 grit hone but the sandpaper would work as well.The 120 grit hone is very agressive and probably as fast as a file.

I have sharpened a couple dozen Grizzly El Grande's with the broadhead sharpener and it does a great job.Once you have established that flat,even edge,it takes minimal work to resharpen because it is so repeatable.I resharpened one the other day that passed through an antelope,cutting one rib and stuck 4" into rocky soil.I was able to start with 325 grit and the edge was back very quickly.

Thanks for the help and kind words Jim,

And congratulations on the speed goat!    Did you get pictures?... and how was the bloodtrail?

Ron

[longarrow]

About using a "black marker" on your BH to see the angle.....I tryed this...didn't see a deer for 2 days (where I see MANY everyday) now maybe the deer here just have better smell than most. I figured it out the next mornin' when I picked up my arrow with BH's and could smell the "marker" across the room!

[huntin_sparty]

Ron
Is the man!  In a show of great customer service I spoke with Ron 8:30 at night after running kids around town to learn to sharpen.  After 20 minutes I CAN sharpen!!!!!
Thanks Ron great guy and excellent customer service!