Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Broadhead sharpener?

I can if I want to sharpen my broadheads. Magnus 2 blade stingers. What kind of sharpener would you reccommend? Thanks CD

Just use a cheap small stone. Rest it against the ferrule to keep a consistent angle, if you cannot hold it steady enough.

The little pocket ceramic V sharpener by Gerber will sharpen a 2-blade all the way to the tip.

Mr. Death,
Three Rivers Archery (there on the web) makes a sharpening setup for two blade broadheads that works pretty slick. It has two stones set up opposite each other at angles to put the edge on. They also sell a similar setup with two files on it to knock off the high spots and put a rough edge on the broadhead. I have done a bunch of my Magnus broadheads on it and it works great. I have developed a technique that works well for me and if your interested, let me know and I will tell you about it.
And what a beautiful bulldog you have pictured next to your posts! Is he yours? I have an 8 month old bulldog running around the house as I type. It's like somebody crossed a hippo with a dumptruck and made a dog. He is a tank, but what a good natured, loving tank. I will probably never buy another breed of dog.

Justin

I am very interested in your sharping technique! I did sharpen one on my landsky and it will cut your eye's just to look at it! But it takes forever. Yes I too have a part hippo,rino,gorrila! He's indestructable! Like a bull in a china hutch! And absolutly the most loving, grateful, critter on the planet! They say that once you go bullie you never go back! He makes us smile and laugh every nite! He sleeps in a different bed every night! We plan on getting another one soon!! Enjoy your Rino!! CD

By far the easiest method on 2 blade heads is a cardboard sharpening wheel setup. You can google McKenzie Taxidermy supply and they sell the setups.

They are very dangerous too. YOu have to be very careful but these work so well on knives, and 2 blade heads. All you do is hit the knife or head with a file to get a good angle on it and then use the wheel as suggested. It'll put a shaving edge on the head or knife blade in under a minute.

Heed all warnings!!! Make sure if you go this route that you have your grinder with the wheels reversed and sharpen on the top of the wheels so that IF you catch the very tip of knife or head into the cardboard it will flip the item away from you and not into you. Thats why the setup is dangerous. But man does it work. Once you use one you won't want to be without one IMHO.

Jeff

CD, For years, I have used a bench grinder motor(double shafted on both ends) equipped on each end with a 3"x8" expanding drum commonly used by the lapidary.
I put 200-600 grit diamond or silicon belt on one of the expanding drums and a leather belt on the other.
The belts simply slip on loosely and when the 'grinder' is started, the rubber expanding drum expands and holds the belt tight.Belt moves away from the operator, who wears eye protection.
Most quality blades have a pretty decent angle ground already.The silicon or diamond belt makes a perfect edge in about two slow passes EACH SIDE OF THE BLADE at modest RPM.
Then the edge is polished on the leather which is imbedded with green jeweler's rouge..
The final polish adds a microscopic edge which holds far longer than one done by most other methods.
Start to finish on the Magnus type BH is about one minute and one can literally split a hair when done.
There is a good lapidary store west of I-205 on Sandy Boulevard who has all the stuff.
Axes, hatchets, kitchen knives, broadheads, scissors,hunting-fishing knives..anything with an edge can be quickly and properly sharpened with such a setup.The belts last a long time..
I've never had a mishap or close call with mine..
Here's what an expandible drum looks like..jim

http://www.gravescompany.com/grinding.htm

and belts or leather belts:
http://www.gravescompany.com/beltsand.htm

Jim

Cool link too. What speed is your shaft running at?

The cardboard wheels are 1750 IE normal. They aren't dangerous unless you aren't paying attention and snag the tip into the wheel, which seems possible with your setup also.

Do you use any lube like Wax etc to help kinda keep the heat down a tad and less wear on the wheels?

Jeff

Jeff, I use an adjustible speed controller on my benchtop 'grinder' when I sharpen-polish..
The expanding rubber drums are 'softer' at 500-900 rpm allowing one to clean or polish irregular surfaces and get harder-firmer as the rpms increase..
I don't worry at all about cooling when sharpening B-heads or smaller edges..If I'm doing more serious removal- prep( like with 100 grit on an axe head that's been nicked up, or a larger drawknife), I keep a pan of cool water and rag at hand so as to maintain temperatre down and hold the temper of the steel.

If you have a decent benchtop grinder, the lapidary items ( two of the 3x8" drums and leather and belts in several grits) will run you about 200.00, depending on whether you buy diamond or silicon belts.
You can use a smaller expandable drum, but the 8" diameter works well so the body of the bench grinder never impinges on the tool or knife handle.
You can also get by with a single expandable drum, but you need to do the operations on all the B-heads separately and then change to the next belt or leather for the stropping..
The belts I have have been in use for five years and are still serviceable..Lapidary quality stuff may be a bit spendy, but it lasts very well.
And yes, I can still field sharpen, hone edges on B-Heads, knives etc as required..:)
I like the diamond impregnated flat stones in several coarsenesses for the hunting pack.Jim

I've used the same antler tine and small mill bastard file to maintain my arrows in the field for decades. The antler tine has a small divit drilled into one end to use as a spinner. Place the broadhead tip into the divit, rest the shaft on the fingernails of your thumb and middle finger, then blow air across the flethching to make the arrow spin. If you detect any bends in the shaft you run the main curve of the tine against the high spot and the shaft will straighten out. Take the mill bastard and touch up the broadhead. It takes all of a couple minutes to straighten a crooked arrow and put an edge back on the blade that will go clean thru a whitetail. The mill bastard can also double to sharpen a hatchet and help start fires, etc.

Jim

Very nice. I'll have to look further into it. Cardboard wheels are cheaper but don't last that long and can be resurfaced also but a larger invesment with less labor would be nice.

Jeff

Creepingdeath,
Per your request, this is how I sharpen my broadheads. It may not be the best way, but it has worked for me.
First, I put the broadhead on a piece of short arrow shaft, as I find having the broadhead mounted on a full length arrow unwieldy. I then put machinists layout blue on the edges so I have an easily visable gauge of how things are progressing (one could use a Magic Marker instead of layout blue). I first start with the opposing file setup, which slightly changes the factory edge angle (for the better they say), and file away on both sides until the blue is gone, leaving the new angle on the edges. One must do this filing in an even, smooth and consistent manner, keeping the broadhead flat on the files, or you'll just booger up your angles. And occasionaly, you'll get the recalcitrant broadhead that you have to file on forever, and you'll still be seeing the layout blue/magic marker...those become practice broadheads. Keep the files clean...some kerosene brushed on to the files helps. Once satisfied with the freshly filed edge, I switch to the stone sharpener, which is set up just like the file sharpener. I usually do 15-20 passes aside with fairly hard pressure on the broadhead. Then do 10 or so passes on both sides with moderate pressure, and then 2-5 passes with very light pressure. Again, even, consistent, flat passes are a must. At this point, you may have a real good edge, or close to it. I then take my Henkels kitchen steel and run the broadheads across that a few times, which straightens out the edge, and viola! If done right, you'll get that edge that makes hairs jump when you test it out on your arm. If you don't, I usually go back to the stone, and run the broadhead through the procedure again. Something else you can try with the stones is before making you last few light passes, clamp up the stones on your vice, and gently tighten. As the stones are mounted on a block of wood with a cut right down the center of it, a slight squeezing of said block gives you a little sharper angle on the stones, so your just sharpening the very edge of the broadhead. If your familiar with grinding turning tool bits for lathe work, your familiar with the concept. The above method works well for me, and if you have any further questions, fire away! And oh...I'm jealous that your bulldog sleeps on a different bed every night. Mine sleeps on MY bed, usually on top of ME every night...where he blissfully farts and snores the night away.

Justin

Oh my, sweet is the smell of a bulldogs ass in your face while trying to sleep. He loves his whole family and feels the need to sleep with everyone! If he had it his way all six of us would sleep in the same bed. He lays his head on a pillow just like a person and snores all night long! Thanks for the sharping info!!! CD