How do you sharpen your 4?

CoolBreeze135

CoolBreeze135

Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
376
Hey folks. Since I picked up a 4 recently, I've been thinking about how to sharpen it. I have little experience sharpening recurves, but I can get my other knives shaving sharp with a stone and strop. The dramatic shape of the 4 looks like it would make my regular methods difficult. My first thought was to pick up a ceramic rod and give it a try. I'd like to hear your success stories for sharpening those big recurves!

I've seen CM_rick's video with dowels and emery cloth, but I wanted to hear other ideas as well.

Thanks!
 
Keep your eyes out, I've got a standard WorkSharp going up for sale ;). Ceramic rods, crock sticks (angled dowels covered with sandpaper), convex strops.....they all work. I use my Ken Onion WorkSharp. Though, TBH, I strop on leather with DMT paste. The WS makes it super easy to do the job. Homemade crock sticks are way cheaper....but even the WS standard has a LOT more uses and is a kick ass value IMO. Mostly, have some fun with that Machax!
 
Any skinny stone works. I've used the ceramic rods to good effect, and the homemade ones are kinda nice because you can make it the length of your sandpaper and get more work done faster. Strop it out on some black compound, and you're good to go. But, all things said; the belly is there to cut with force and mass, any old apex works just fine there. So I spend more time on the recurve portion.
 
I have a 1/2" round diamond rod from Lansky and a 1/4" round ceramic rod.

Diamond for rough work ceramic for touch ups.
 
I use lansky turnbox. Works ok. Takes a lot of patience. Like days worth of it....still makes it shaving sharp


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Fine sandpaper around a Pringles can works for me. Richard J taught me this little trick.
 
I use my WorkSharp to put the edge on my beloved Machax, and a round sharpening steel (like you find in a kitchen knife set) to hone the edge when it needs it.
 
HF belt sander to set the convex(GOTTA HAVE CONVEX ON A MACHAX, GO CONVEX IT NOW!!!) and then maintained with a canoe carborundum stone, round ceramic and leather strop
 
Been using Spyderco fine and then ultra-fine ceramic triangle sticks, and giving it a few passes on the strop, works just fine.
 
tobiism said:
HF belt sander to set the convex(GOTTA HAVE CONVEX ON A MACHAX, GO CONVEX IT NOW!!!) and then maintained with a canoe carborundum stone, round ceramic and leather strop
Click to expand...
I understand why you would want this thing convexed, but I'm really lousy at sharpening convex bevels. I'll leave it flat for now.
 
CoolBreeze135 said:
I understand why you would want this thing convexed, but I'm really lousy at sharpening convex bevels. I'll leave it flat for now.
Click to expand...

I've been using the old sandpaper + mousepad trick, seems to work quite easily. Start from 220 grit, increase it after a few passes. I did it on my BK24, gone from 220 to 400, then 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000, then strop.
 
I use a Worksharp on all my large fixedblades because it's quick and easy. Still have to be careful to keep the edge perpendicular to the belt which is trickier with the BK4 and other recurves.
 
When I had one many moons ago. I convexed it on a 1x30 sander and then added a microbevel with a spyderco sharpmaker. The sharp maker allows you to follow the curve without making weird high and low spots.

Edit to add: you don't need to convex it for the sharp maker to work. I just did because it made it bite deeper imo
 
Sharpen?
Mine came with a pretty good edge, and I don't use it often.
I acquired extras, courtesy of the BK20.
When mine gets dull; I'll leave it in a stump somewhere, and open a new one :D

Then, I'll post a treasure hunt here, with clues & a vague map, so an aspiring Beckerhead can find it.
 
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