How does everyone sharpen their swords

I generally don't. Not that it's a bad thing to sharpen them up. Our late friend, Dannyinjapan, used to talk about how some Japanese swords used in full combat were not all that sharp to keep the durability of the blade in check. I have no way to verify that, but it makes a little bit of sense.

My HI kat and Manjushree aren't the sharpest, but those beauties will cleave with lethal effect.
 
I hope to never have to sharpen my Katana either, it's scary sharp now and I've very careful and respectful of it. If it ever needs it there's a place in Seattle that supposedly is really good at all kinds of sharpening. I think it's Seattle Edge or something like that. I'll take it there and wait for it. Not leaving it ever.
 
long blades I use King Japanese water stones. They have many grits but i use a two sided. One is course grind 1000 (IIRC) grit I believe and the other is 8000 grit. I have used it to the point where the middle is about worn through to the other grit but for convex edge it sure does a fine job once you get it rounded out. "They" say keep them ground flat but I dont do that for convex grind. I sharpen folders on the ends of the stone to keep wear more even. Mine is 8". The ones you have linked may not last very long but would probably work great for Khuks. Careful with the cho hitting the edge of your stone. I usually put my finger in the cho (except chitlangi and other closed cho) when sharpening so I dont tear up the edge of whatever im using. That is what works for me. Funny cause after "the fire" the only thing that survived was my japanese waterstone and a T-shirt because they were in the bottom of the pool. Thats where I sharpened my blades. I would hold it under water for fast cutting and above water for building up a slurry and finishing. Swimming pool is my redneck sharpening station!
Thats a guide tool for flat grind Jens. You sure you want flat grind on swords? Im no sword expert by any means but wouldnt a convex edge be the norm for swords. I have seen many Katana sharpend on stone. I do like the look of a finely honed blade. Quite different than belt, paper wheel or stropping. They are beautiful after years of honing. I sharpen every blade I have. Kind of like marking your property.
 
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Steely_Gunz said:
I generally don't. Not that it's a bad thing to sharpen them up. Our late friend, Dannyinjapan, used to talk about how some Japanese swords used in full combat were not all that sharp to keep the durability of the blade in check. I have no way to verify that, but it makes a little bit of sense.

My HI kat and Manjushree aren't the sharpest, but those beauties will cleave with lethal effect.
Click to expand...

In the Nova about Ulfberht swords, John Clements from the ARMA uses a blunt bastard sword for tameshigiri. I can't say I'd willingly weather the blow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58NVoTocUOk
 
I agree that swords don't need to be all that sharp to do damage or cut, and i also think it makes sense that this may add to its durability. My Manjushree and fighting sword are unsharpened but if swung even with a moderate amount of force would cut with ease. I have sharpened my Wajaski though, because i have used it quite a bit and i do that the same way i do my khuks, with diamond stones. I just do it by hand and put a good working edge on it. I use a small Falkniven stone to carry around with me, and iv also got some DMT stones i use.
 
Where do you guys get your stones? I know Harbor freight carries some as do other places like bass pro and hardware stores. Any suggestions? All I have is a Laskey two sided puck.
 
Any of the big online knife retailers will have lots of good quality stones to choose from. I like the DMT diamond stones. Not cheap if you're buying a whole set but they work like a charm on my folders.

For my khukuris, though, I like to sharpen with my Worksharp to keep the convex edge.
 
I use various fine grit sandpaper wrapped around a wooden dowel or sometimes even the sheath of whichever blade I'm sharpening. I get great results.
 
All of my swords have convex grind and that is what I like. i would love to learn how to maintain that level of sharpness that they came with. I just dont want to mess them up practicing
 
The Edge Pro is great for knives, but it will put a secondary bevel on swords and hinder their cutting ability over time. The belt sander will keep the convex shape. Swords have a zero-edge.
 
BladesB4Firearms said:
This is what I find most effective for mine.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mh6XthJCEuc&desktop_uri=/watch?v=mh6XthJCEuc

This guy helped me out a lot. This is ony part B, but part A should be in the suggestions. I've used this method and it is definitely the fastest and will give you an ultra-sharp, yet very strong, convex edge. Which is ideal for katana or other cut-oriented swords. Hope this helps.
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This is my method as well. I've owned swords sharpened by Tom (guy in the video) and they are wicked sharp. This method may require repolishing of the blade, though. If you have a really nice katana do not sharpen it yourself send to a skilled togoshi for polishing. I have yet try this with a kukri, but I have taken blunt swords to sharp with it. The key is patience; take your time and keep the blade cool so as not to mess up the heat treat.
 
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