Work Sharp with after market,very fine grit, belts.
Imagine your grave on a windy winter night. You've been dead for 70 years. It's been 50 since a visitor last paused at your tombstone..... Now explain why you're in a pissy mood today.
The easiest way for me was to let my father and neighbor sharpen them. They both used stones and they were deer gutting sharp when they were done. They are both gone now so i bought a jig to hold the blade at the right angle. Still can't get them as sharp as Dad and neighbor did.
Work Sharp and finish with a pull through ceramic. I know that a super sharp knife is a point of pride for many guys but one a little less sharp does the job just fine and requires less messing around. It just works. If it'll cleanly slice a fresh garden tomato without squeezing out the juice , it'll handle any hide or meat.
βIn a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.β β George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I have tried for years to properly sharpen my knives, but can never get that new knife edge. I have the lanskys, and Arkansas stones and several other gadgets that are suppose to work. Finally gave up last year and bought a Outdoor Edge knife with replaceable blades and really like how easy it is to gut and skin now.
Writing from the gateway to the great BluMtns in southeastern Washington.
Just remember, "You are the trailer park and I am the tornado". Beth Dutton, Yellowstone.
What process do you use to get your hunting knives razor sharp? You use just a stone, strop, rods, electric, one of them slide your knife sharpeners.
I freehand sharpen on oil stones which I encourage people to learn. It takes time and a little practice but once you have it, you have it forever and will never be in need of a gizmo to put an edge on something. I have several stones but my go to "system" is a two sided coarse/fine Norton India stone which I use to get a really dull edge back in shape. I follow that up with a Soft Arkansas and sometimes a hard translucent Arkansas if I want a super polished edge. This "system" works great for me because I have a lot of knives with low end basic steel like Buck 420 and 1095. IF your knives are made of a harder steel with Rockwell somewhere in the 60s, you would likely need to use diamond or Silicon Carbide stones to avoid a great deal of frustration.
As you can see there are many different paths to a sharp knife, each with advantages and disadvantages. People have to find what works best for them.
"Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants". --- William Penn
None of mine would be considered razor sharp. Never got the hang of using the stone or hone rod. I seem to be the only one that uses a Smith brand sharpener. I follow that with a strop.
Edge pro, crock sticks and steel. If you take the time to change grit all the way down to polishing tape with the edge pro you can get chit skeeery sharp.
But I donβt like fing with changing stuff out so I use the 3 pieces of gear I listed
I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.
I use a Dozier and I prefer a toothier edge with his D2. It will still shave but it's not as hair popping sharp the way I sharpen it. A really hair popping edge is smooth and will dull easily. I prefer a toothier cutting edge. It will bite quick and keep that edge a long time.
I use a Red DMT diamond. It only needs touching up every couple deer.
This.
I have DMT Diamond stones in blue (coarse) red (medium), and green (fine). I only use the blue on knives that are in really bad shape, and do most of my work with the red. I rarely use the green. I'll hit one side of the blade 10 strokes with medium pressure, then hit the other side 10 strokes. Then I'll repeat that with 8 strokes, then 6, and so on down to one. If the edge still needs help, then I'll repeat the sequence using lighter pressure.
The key is not letting a blade get too dull in the first place. It's easier to keep a knife sharp than it is to get it sharp.
Okie John
Originally Posted by Brad
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.