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Posted: 12/14/2011 7:36:59 PM EDT
| What the heck is the best way to sharpen an extremely dull Kabar?? Much Thanks |
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Beetle,
I used to sell Cutco knives and the same company makes the Kabar... or so they told us. They are both made from the factory at Olean, NY. Contact these guys and see if they will do it for you - I just sent some knives back and it cost $6. Pretty good deal. I don't work for them anymore and am not trying to solicit. http://www.cutco.com/customer/sharpening.jsp Hope this helps, Rabbit |
| I'll have to try the edge pro. I like the idea of sending it off but do you know the chances of them just sending me a new one? I've heard of people sending broken swiss armies to get fixed and just receiving a new one on return. I'd like to keep my original. (gift from a friend) |
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Quoted:
I'll have to try the edge pro. I like the idea of sending it off but do you know the chances of them just sending me a new one? I've heard of people sending broken swiss armies to get fixed and just receiving a new one on return. I'd like to keep my original. (gift from a friend) buy a proper stone? |
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Quoted:
What the heck is the best way to sharpen an extremely dull Kabar?? Much Thanks DB there is a great book on Amazon.com called "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening." The cover has a pic of the author shaving with a double-bitted logging axe! I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who sharpens their own blades! Essentially, you MUST sit down and spend some quality time with your beloved blade. Get a fairly coarse stone and grind the 'primary angle' into the blade, on both sides. Once both sides have this 'primary angle' ground in (and both grinds meet in the middle, forming a sort-of-sharp edge,' raise the heel (the trailing edge of the knife) just a few degrees and grind the 'final edge' into the blade. When this final edge meets in the middle you will have a wire edge. This is good for sharpening but NOT good for cutting. Now is the time to switch to finer and finer stones. Keep grinding the final edge, two or three strokes at a time on a side, until the wire edge goes away. Finish with a sharpening steel and if done correctly, you should be able to shave the hairs off the back of your arm with no pressure on the blade at all. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I'll have to try the edge pro. I like the idea of sending it off but do you know the chances of them just sending me a new one? I've heard of people sending broken swiss armies to get fixed and just receiving a new one on return. I'd like to keep my original. (gift from a friend) buy a proper stone? Yes this is a good idea but it will take months of practice to get a useable edge... Buy an edge pro to get you buy and if you like the idea transition into hand stones. |
This is what happens to your edge when you employ "lazy" sharpening techniques. Basically, you keep raising the "heel" (the trailing edge of the knife) to get a sharp edge. Eventually, you'll have an edge that is ground too obliquely to cut.
You will grind a 'primary' angle into the blade. You'll also notice a wire edge forming; this is good for sharpening but not good to keep on the edge, it has to come off. 
After the primary grind is complete on both sides of the knife, start the 'final grind' which will provide the cutting edge. 
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Take or send to a professional knife sharpener. I am fortunate to have a buddy that sharpens knives. (shameless plug http://www.knifesharpeningseattle.com/) He gets them retarded, scary sharp, and they hold edges very well. Not sayig send you're stuff to him specifically, but find the equivalent guy in your area, and have it initially sharpened by who you find (Or send them to my buddy Albert, he did My Ka-Bar (Iraq), and a Vietnam Vets Ka-Bar at the same time, and they came out RIDICULOUS. You could get all the stuff and do it yourself, but if you don't have the knack for it, you'll end up wasting the material of the edge. By having a legit pro do it, you save more material, as they get it re-profiled correctly, and sharp with less effort. From there it makes it easier to maintain the edge yourself as well. http://www.knifesharpeningseattle.com/big_baa_gau.jpg The above link is a BIG picture showing the difference between the sharpening of a master knife smith (bottom left) and someone who sharpens knives like a boss (lower right). |
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