Home Forums Campfire Forum more BH sharpening help

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    • Brennan Herr
      Member
        Post count: 403

        Doc,
        I got a lot out of your description on how you sharpen your BHs. Is there anyway u could video tape the process at the end. The final touches to remove the burr and polishing. If that isn’t possible could you maybe describe the burr removal in greater detail? Thanks in advance and sorry for being a pain about sharpening.

        Brennan

      • Ed Ashby
        Member
          Post count: 817

          Brennan, I’m afraid I don’t have a video camera, and wouldn’t know how to use one if I had it, so I’ll just have to take a stab at describing burr removal again.

          Let’s start with that picture on the burr again.

          From the point shown we begin to polish the edge bevel. We’ve already trued AND POLISHED the back side (the flat side of the edge); that was the very first step in the sharpening process; and we’ve set the bevel at 25 degrees and made sure it is uniform. I do some of the initial polishing of the edge bevel on large bench stones, but unless you’re good at free hand sharpening it’s best to do all the sharpening of the bevel side of the edge on something like the KME knife sharpener (NOT the broadhead sharpener; it’s for double-bevel broadheads), so we’ll describe how to proceed on the KME knife sharpener.

          With the broadhead in the KME’s clamp, start with a course grit stone or steel and, using light pressure, begin to polish the beveled side of the edge. Once you’ve polished the bevel as fine as you can get it with that grit move to the next finer grit stone or steel and polish again. Continue until you’ve worked your way through each of the grits, all the way to a fine/extra-fine stone or steel. I work down through the surgical Arkansas stone.

          Now remove the broadhead from the KME. Using a very fine stone or steel, something like a surgical Arkansas stone, and working with VERY LIGHT PRESSURE, take ALTERNATING STROKES on each side of the edge – one stroke on the bevel side then one stroke on the flat side of the edge; going back and forth between the sides of the edge. On the bevel-side you’ll be matching the bevel-angle; 25 degrees. On the reverse side you will be working flat on the blade; at zero degrees. What you are doing here is bending that wire edge back and forth until it comes free of the edge. Continue until all visible wire edge is gone.

          Now it’s time to go back into the KME for a final edge polish. Here you want to use the very finest stone you have and VERY light pressure. This is where I use my ruby stone. Working only on the bevel side, polish the bevel as smooth as you can get it. Now flip the blade over (still in the KME’s clamp). You’re now working on the flat side of the edge. Using EXTREMELY light pressure with that same fine stone, AND WORKING AT THE SAME 25 DEGREE ANGLE you used on the bevel side, make JUST ONE OR TWO STROKES along the edge’s flat side. BE CAREFUL; DON’T OVERDO IT. THE PRESSURE I USE IS VIRTUALLY THE WEIGHT OF THE STONE SETUP ALONE. All you’re trying to do is remove any vestige of microscopic wire edge by bending it back and forth. Now flip the broadhead (still in the clamp) back to the bevel side and take JUST A COUPLE OF EXTREMELY LIGHT PRESSURE STROKES ON THE BEVEL. Flip the broadhead back to the flat side of the edge and take JUST A COUPLE MORE EXTREMELY LIGHT STROKES along the edge. Now back to the bevel side for a couple more extremely light pressure strokes. This removes any microscopic wire edge. From there strop the edge, using light pressure.

          Hope that helped,

          Ed

        • Brennan Herr
          Member
          Member
            Post count: 403

            Doc,
            Thanks again, and I really appreciate your reply with such a detailed discription. I think I might be able to get the job finished now. thanks again!

            Brennan

          • Ed Ashby
            Member
              Post count: 817

              My pleasure, Brennan.

              Ed

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