Knife Sharpening - Bark River Bravo EDC - Convex sharpening
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Knife used - Bark River Bravo EDC
Steel type - CPM154
Stones used
Gritomatic Silicone Carbide - 240 grit
Gritomatic Silicone Carbide - 1000 grit
Gritomatic Silicone Carbide - 2500 grit
Shapton Pro - 5000 grit
DLT Leather strop loaded with white Chromium oxide
Not much talking through this video. Wasn't really one I intended to post, but figured someone might enjoy the process. If you are curious as to how I sharpen convex edges, search my channel. I have multiple videos up, walking through the process.
Really nice work @Jef thanks for sharing brother 👊🏼
@@glockgaston2922 as always thanks for checking it out and commenting 👊
It isn’t as sharp as most, but it is a work horse. I tend to beat the hello kitty out of it. Been using 15v recently so figured I’d give this one a make over in the meantime.
Great job.👍🏻
Using sand paper to even out the the finnish on the blade is something I haven't tried yet. I will be doing that from now on, at least when I sharpen for someone else. Thanks for the tip
👊🏻
@@norwegiantinkerer yes you can get a nice satin like finish with it 👌
Turned out good mate
@@knifesharpeningnorway itll do work 🤘
Hi, Jef
Convex knives are the most enjoyable to shape and sharpen. I really like doing them. You have a preference for doing different grinds?
I pretty much do the same method of grinding the whole blade in one arcing motion as you’re doing here, but with one small difference to allow for plateau sharpening.
Before I grind the whole thing I adjust just behind the cutting edge to a geometry that will allow the degrees I want on the apex/micro. So, if, for example, I want the apex at ~28° inclusive I need to grind quite a bit less than 14°ps slightly behind where the apex is. The reason I do this is with use, and over time, the geometry thickens and so I reset it all beforehand; and also to keep the behind the edge thickness thinner than standard and so cutting performance rises significantly without taking away from strength and toughness.
Then I blend that small portion into the rest (takes a few minutes) and grind as normal, being careful not to hit the apex, and taking the whole blade to the finish I want; usually a full mirror on stones up to 12k then powders and pastes to finish (it can be tedious); or up to about # 1500 on stones then do a simple # 600 sand paper or belt grinder job (literally a few seconds per side for a factory finish on the 2x48”) for a satin finish after all shaping is done.
Finally, I’ll apex it on the grit I want the cutting edge to be; usually # 600 and around 3-4pps very lightly on 6μ Diamond paste on hardwood just for a little refinement but keeping the aggression. There’s no secondary edge with this method as the micro is so small it can’t be seen and so it’s one continuous arc from spine to edge.
Side note:
One might ask “if you have a 2x48” belt grinder why use stones at all?” and the answer is simple: I can get far better results with sharpening by hand on stones. I always apex by hand without exception but will sometimes shape and finish on the 2x42”, especially if I need to remove a lot of material.
Wolf
@@Wolf_K lol i was just about to ask…. If you got a grinder?….
Yea I totally get apexing on the stones vs machine. Esp considering the way you describe your convexing.
I have several methods. My preferred method, is what i refer to as, staircasing. Just doing my long sweeps, always changing the angle between passes. Thus creating a staircase like pattern, on the bevel. Then i blend it in.
This method that i show here of course. Just back and forth, not allowing for my wrist to lock. Then finally blending, after i apex. In the end, i usually do a combination of all of em.
@@Jef
Cliff was an advocate of the method you use, creating multiple facets and then blending. I tried it but never took to it, aside from what I wrote above regarding near the apex. It just felt like I was making it more complicated than necessary. I suppose it all depends on people’s joints, movement, muscle memory, and internal visualization of what’s happening. Other factors, too, I’m sure.
I find it quite strange that people have an aversion to grinding convex bevels, I mean the bevel itself _is_ the guide, you just need to hit all of it to remove metal fairly equally. It’s the most natural feeling bevel to grind of all of them; far easier than trying to maintain a constant angle on a 2mm wide bevel you can barely feel on the stone.
Belt grinders….a lot of fun, a lot of power, a lot of potential, but also a lot of caution/forethought is required when going to them from being a freehand sharpener as it was all counterintuitive to me. I found myself still wanting to scrub the knife on the belt as if it were a stone. 😂
Do you use a belt grinder?
Jigs I found absolutely terrible. The worst grinding I ever done was with a jig. As soon as I ditched it I was getting good results even with full flat grinds. I have mine permanently set up for wet grinding.
Slack belts for convexing suck, they produce obtuse geometry like BRKT so I looked for a solution and found one from Gavkoo by using felt or other backing on the platen, which has some give. You can get _really_ shallow convex grinds that way, depending what you want. They’re ok for some of the work but then you get to the point where even 6” of unbacked belt set fairly tightly has too much give for grinding a convex knife under 15°ps.
My grinder is made here in Australia by 84engineering, has a VFD, 1.5hp motor, fully adjustable work rests, platens, etc. The whole thing can flip 90° on its side for other work, takes numerous specialized attachments etc. It was expensive, but well worth it. I didn’t get the 72” model as I don’t need it, nor do I have the space. The 48” model is a bit more compact, as powerful as many 72s, and just as capable of pumping out multiple knives a day.
I’ve done quite a few regrinds since I’ve had it (scandi to flat, scandi to Finn…or higher scandi, BRKT obtuse convex to shallow convex, etc) and will be making some fixed blades this year. 52100 is the primary steel I’ve chosen due to its balanced properties, capable of reaching good HRC, and being highly recommended by Cliff.
I’ll be getting the heat treatment done to my specs by professionals as I’m not set up for that.
I’ve come up with numerous designs, my favorite is a mix between the Spyderco Proficient Blade and a modified Skookum Bush Tool handle…in fact, that’s pretty much what it is. These will be ground shallow convex, full hidden tang with a single bamboo pin to retain the handle as I like to remove the handle so I can sharpen them right up to it as they have no plunge line…cutting edge ends right at the handle.
I’ve tested this method of attachment on another knife and it’s solid. The only thing is you need to chisel out the tang shape perfectly in each piece of wood that becomes the handle, then glue them together. If you do that, it fits like tight a glove and so the pin is only preventing the blade from coming out, it’s not structural.
I’ll make some videos when I get around to making these knives. Things are chaos here right now and so I have no time for much.
@@Wolf_K no i live in an apartment now so no room for a belt grinder. We should have stayed at Connie’s old house but things went south there and i decided we needed to gtfo. So we have been in the market for a place since then. Prices are just ridiculous. 100k houses are now 250k. I’m not spending that kinda dough on a home that ill be having to replace stuff in immediately. We have made steps on a few new homes that were being built but ultimately things fell through. We are still prospecting, and saving in the meantime.
My buddy chris, the one who loaned me his rex121 and ordered those dmd diamond stones, has a pretty decent setup. He has a manual mill and several grinders. Heat treat oven will prob be next. He has invited me multiple times to come over and try my hand at things. I just havent taken him up on the offer. I want to. Just never any time.
@@Jef
Ha! I know about that. I can’t afford a house out here, stupid expensive; and where I am now I have limited space.
If you ever get the chance take it; you’d love grinding knives. It’s fun and hours pass by without even noticing. (If you have hours available) lol
Time…never enough.
😂
Jef has an open invite :) Awesome work as always. And, @Wolf_K I am trash at sharpening on a belt. lol. I’d be curious as to your wet grinding setup. I want to do the same. I get the same type of enjoyment from using the grinder that I get from freehand sharpening. The grinder is just a bit more angry than the stones that used to rub our thumbs raw when we were getting started (still happens from time to time :)).
I found that sticking with edge leading strokes toward the end made a big difference in the finish. Back and forth strokes made the finish very uneven.
Wet and dry paper will be the next step in the future, maybe someday.
@@mtu-engineer3220 yea when i use a fresh piece of sandpaper i finish with edge trailing/leading. I tend to flip flop which direction but i agree it makes a big difference. This piece is basically shot. Eventually it did what i wanted. I show the process in my other convexing vids, edge trailing.
I have to do my bark rivers thx
@@SurvivalSavvvy 😁👌
Haro knife people
My convexing could use some practice.
@@adanma17 its the most natural way to sharpen for me. Just happens with minimal effort. No wrist locking or worrying about holding consistency.
Plateau, then blend. Do that a few times, then use the muscle memory to incorporate it into a single action.
That's what really helped me.
I personally just constantly change my angle. I have a shallow angle to get the primary grind, and a maximum angle for the apex. I just start at the shallow angle and gradually increase it every few passes, saving the fewest passes for the apex. If you do it right, it can easily be blended together on a strop loaded with relatively coarse compound like 6 micron DMT Diapaste and then some 1 micron or Chromium Oxide etc. I do not attempt to rock my wrist back and forth in single passes. That way can work as well, but I find it makes getting the belly and tip accurately more difficult. It's just about breaking your muscle memory for holding a steady angle at all times like you would for a V edge
Think of the blade as the guide. The geometry is the guide and so you just arc it naturally to remove metal fairly equally. Don’t over think it.
When done shaping, raise the angle slightly and do a few light passes per side on the apex. Done.