I want to Sharpen without marking up my knife in any capacity

S

Succman01

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Feb 28, 2024
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So I have an all black SMF, and I want to sharpen the blade, but I'm unsure how/if the PVD coating will trap anyone the metal shavings and cause them to mark up my blade. This is my favorite knife in my collection, and I want to keep it as pristine as possible, as factory fresh as humanly possible, with no scratches, snail trails or anything else. I want to sharpen it because although it it sharp, I would prefer for it to be hair whittling. So my question is if I should even sharpen it in the 1st place?
 
So you basically are saying you're never going to use the knife...but you want to sharpen it so you can whittle hair.

I think you are going to be disappointed.

If you sharpen, you are most likely going to need to tape the blade...and then you'll need to remove any residue left behind. I don't know of any perfect method of sharpening which is guaranteed of not leaving any telltale mark on a knife.


(Alternatively, if you must, I'd send it to Josh at REK Knives...)
 
Don’t sharpen it. You will mark it up. Just try to be happy that you can’t pop hairs with it.
 
Succman01 said:
This is my favorite knife in my collection, and I want to keep it as pristine as possible, as factory fresh as humanly possible, with no scratches, snail trails or anything else.
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With the above as your stated desire, No, you should not sharpen it. You cannot sharpen it and have it remain factory fresh because you will have changed its condition. Plus, there is always the risk of creating some type of blemish during the process.
If you want it pristine, factory fresh, and with no blemishes, leave it in its original packaging.
 
First off, welcome to Bladeforums, and secondly as others have indicated and you have rightfully guessed, it will be hard not to leave any telltale marks after sharpening, but with care it can be done.

Black blades, depending on the coating used, will show some differentiation along the edge if you use water to clear the stone off during sharpening, it can very subtly lighten that dark area.

Sending it off to one of the professional sharpener guys/gals on the forum would be a good start, just to get you to the initial hair whittling edge you are looking for.

See this thread here

I've seen some of his work up close, Petunia D. Feeble Petunia D. Feeble it's very good!
G2
 
Get a Work Sharp and a similar, cheaper knife to practice. I have a special Fairbairn Sykes that I wanted to try sharpening so I got cheaper daggers on ebay to practice.
 
It can be tough to, "run with the foxes, AND howl with the hounds".
Do you enjoy carrying and using it; more than you fear marking it up?
 
first off, welcome. If you plan to ever resell the knife as an investment piece for profit, leave it as is in the box without Sharpening. People on the secondary market don’t know how well you sharpen or anybody else and it’ll be a potential turn off.
Secondly, if it’s your favorite knife, use it. Scratches and such leave stories and memories and will be more enjoyable than looking at a knife you’re afraid to touch. Each time you handle it you open it up to scratches. Each time you wipe it, scratches. It again, id recommend you use it. I carry $500-800 knives to use at work breaking down cardboard, cutting tape, tie straps, etc. I’m not rich by any means but if I’m spending that much on a TOOL you bet I’m using it. I carry a hinderer xm-24, sebenza 21,31, Inkosi, etc and love them all. They’re well taken care of and maintained but also do have light scratches and use on them. Never dropped or abused. Most of the wear is either from going in and out of my pocket or any dirt on what I’m cutting. Nothing deep enough that it can’t be polished out though. The black coating on most expensive blades is something like DLC or a similar process and is very difficult to scratch or damage with normal use. Your edge will need touching up but once you learn how it likes to be sharpened it’s easy. I still tape my blades or sharpener clamps because I don’t want to do any stupid looking damage. I want it all earned on the job!
 
Blues said:
So you basically are saying you're never going to use the knife...but you want to sharpen it so you can whittle hair.

I think you are going to be disappointed.

If you sharpen, you are most likely going to need to tape the blade...and then you'll need to remove any residue left behind. I don't know of any perfect method of sharpening which is guaranteed of not leaving any telltale mark on a knife.


(Alternatively, if you must, I'd send it to Josh at REK Knives...)
Click to expand...
^ this is the answer right here.
 
If you are that anal about the knife buy 2. Use one and sharpen it and they other don't use.
 
I've always felt that a prize collection piece should always have a perfect, polished, and very sharp edge. Few people on this forum will agree. Most collectors want the crappy factory edge left in all its crappy glory.

If you want to clean up that edge without marking up the blade, I'd suggest getting a good guided system and learn to use it. Then sharpen with only fine-grit stones, cleaning the edge after each few passes.

You can also send it to a professional sharpener, who can accommodate your wishes easily.
 
Twindog said:
I've always felt that a prize collection piece should always have a perfect, polished, and very sharp edge. Few people on this forum will agree. Most collectors want the crappy factory edge left in all its crappy glory.

If you want to clean up that edge without marking up the blade, I'd suggest getting a good guided system and learn to use it. Then sharpen with only fine-grit stones, cleaning the edge after each few passes.

You can also send it to a professional sharpener, who can accommodate your wishes easily.
Click to expand...
You sure seem to be an expert on what everyone seems to think...(not to mention the effects of heat treating).

Just an observation. Could be I'm wrong, along with pretty much everyone else around here...apparently. 🤣
 
If your game is to keep them pristine. I recommend that you avoid black blades altogether.
 
To answer your question (rather than preaching to you about how pointless the idea is):

I would recommend light strokes on Spyderco's Sharpmaker, a sharpening steel and/or a leather/linen strop (with a light abrasive rubbed on the linen) as your best options. Don't use a flat stone and obviously not a grinder if you don't want to leave a trace.

If you do this, you should be able to keep/maintain a decent edge on your knife w/o touching the DLC.

Good Luck! :cool:
 
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