Rockstead Sharpening Help

evilgreg said:
There is absolutely nothing magical about the shape of Rockstead edges. Approximated clamshell convex, actual convex, I'm pretty sure most knife nuts know how to handle a convex edge. It's not magic.

Their convex approximation consists of two top secret angles--no wait, they tell you right on their website. Thirty degrees for the steep outer angles, twenty-four degrees for the wider edge angle. You can sharpen these knives because they're just knives, not magical light saber katanas imbued with mystical power. Just knives.
Click to expand...

Nobody here in this post stated once that Rocksteads were Mystical or Magical. You're preaching to the choir, bud. Since day one I've had the mentality that no matter how nice or pricey the knife; they should be used. I'm not putting the Rockstead on a pedestal, believe me.

So, after all that rambling I still haven't caught a suggestion on how to sharpen the knife from you. All you basically did was state facts that we already knew. You haven't offered a suggestion on how to sharpen it yet.

Is your suggestion for me to just sharpen my Rockstead like any other knife? That's it? The grind and blade geometry doesn't matter? Just lay out a diamond stone and start sharpening away at it, huh? Just sharpen it like a Benchmade or a Sebenza?
 
Last edited:
it's not two distinct separate angles, the edge continuously tapers from one to the other: "continuous, gradually reducing angle"
 
ginaz said:
it's not two distinct separate angles, the edge continuously tapers from one to the other: "continuous, gradually reducing angle"
Click to expand...

Yep, I believe this is called a zero grind. There is no secondary bevel. So, from the flats of the blade there is only one continuous slope to the edge.
 
Here is a pic of a 3M product, called TRIZACT, available at many auto-parts stores. It is a special foam-backed sandpaper available in several grits...including this one in 3000 grit. This is an ideal product for stropping purposes...

 
Last edited:
yes, zero grind but the zero tapers from base to tip according to rockstead. does the angle at the tip seem more acute?
 
W_cole said:
On a lighter note, I received the knife today. Like I stated before that this isn't my first Rockstead I've owned. However, this will be the first one I use and abuse myself. I picked it up New from BladeHQ and I was amazed to see a Rockstead cloth that I've never seen before. This may not be a new thing but it's news to me.

Here are a couple pics to spice up the thread.

IMG_20170228_093820_856_zpsrtgnmjfw.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Here are some pics of the DLC coated blade with the Convex grind that I'll be taking on here after some use.

20170228_171056_zpsr8pdgegs.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

20170228_171033_zps9jrzg5w6.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Now, here are some things I picked up for sharpening. I seen a YouTube video of a guy sharpening his Rocksteads using these tools.

20170228_170922_zpssnhossbc.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

2000 Grit Wet or dry sandpaper and a hand held sander with a foam backing. The only thing I couldn't find was Mineral oil for the sandpaper. The guy in the video used mineral oil when sharpening but I could not find any in the hardware store. Any suggestions on where and what type of mineral oil to use? Maybe a specific brand? Would I be better of purchasing the mineral oil online?
Click to expand...

The YouTuber you're referring to is our own BluesBender. I'm surprised he hasn't commented on this thread yet.
 
I would hate to use sandpaper on a Rockstead edge. That thin edge bevel you see is not really a bevel, but just the diamond coating that was removed to sharpen the edge. There is no secondary bevel, just a zero bevel that is a thing of beauty.

Sandpaper is likely to leave a more ragged edge along the blade coating.

Certainly, you could convert the edge to a V edge or a secondary convex edge and make it sharp, but that edge is part of the beauty of the knife and is one reason why the knife costs to much and performs so well.

I'd stick with Rockstead's recommendation and gently strop the edge with metal paste. The idea is to prevent it from getting dull. When that strategy no longer works, send it back for a new grind.
 
Mineral oil can be bought in any pharmacy. It's used as a laxative to lube up your guts.

I think I would be pretty hesitant to do something that might mess up that mirror polish. Since it has a DLC coating it may be much more durable than I'm thinking but I know I would go at it really slow until I found out.

I think I would see if I could take a piece of masking tape and put on the side of the blade and pull it over the edge to cut it flush? Never had anything that nice so I haven't tried.

I don't imagine you will be using it very hard so if you touch it up on a strip after you use it a bit, you should be able to keep it razor sharp for a really long time. This is what I mainly do and with the more wear resistant steels I don't have to use a stone hardly ever.

When I started stropping I had little luck and if you didn't hold the blade at the perfect angle each stroke, it was easy to dull the edge instead of refine it. I tried many of the more common compounds like green chromium oxide, red rouge, metal polish, etc. I gave up for a while until I finally got some diamond spray and everything changed. It made just about any semi sharp edge razor tree topping sharp and it seemed like the angle wasn't as important. With that expensive knife I would highly suggest investing in some 1 micron diamond compound to strop with. If you want to get crazy you can get some of the smaller sizes but 1 micron should be good to start with. Plus it's fine enough that it shouldn't scratch up that pretty blade much. I don't know if it can make a perfect mirror finish but it shouldn't leave any noticeable scratch marks either and maybe just make a mirror finish a bit hazy. But again, with the DLC it should be much more durable.

Anyways, that's what I would do to start to get a feel for the knife and to touch it up and give you some time to figure out what you will do if it ever gets real dull and needs a more aggressive sharpening.
 
You can use the Wicked Edge to strop the edge and keep it convex... I did this years ago on a Bark River knife...

7905fc4258c3b75261177aac6e1fdcac_zpscjjwci5g.jpg


...it looks like a defined "flat" bevel, but that's just because it's controlled stropping. It's convex and no detectable shoulder. You can also tape sandpaper to the strops (removable double sided scotch tape works well), if/when it needs more than stropping. (That's what the strips are in the top right pic.). Obviously, practice on another knife first... see if it comes out to your liking.
 
Sonnydaze said:
Here is a pic of a 3M product, called TRIZACT, available at many auto-parts stores. It is a special foam-backed sandpaper available in several grits...including this one in 3000 grit. This is an ideal product for stropping purposes...

Click to expand...

I've used both the 3000 and 5000 grit trizact on my Higo and it left a noticeable scratch pattern. I'm not sure what standard their grit rating is, but if you want to preserve the finish, I would avoid them and go for something with a defined micron rating.
 
I've owned several Rocksteads including a TEI ZDP.
OP congrats on your purchase
I met Mr Isihida a couple yrs back and he gave me a vial of the paste they use and showed me how he strops on denim.
I made my own denim board.

As a part-time maker, I can sharpen most knives by hand.
I would not want to reprofile a Rockstead edge and I would not do it.
My advise is to read the attached from their brochure and follow the Rockstead advice.
The English translation isn't perfect grammatically so interpret carefully.

I like hearing that this knife will be a user and that you will maintain it.
But as you know all knives have limitations and have their designed use.
For it's designed use I suggest that there is no need to reprofile the edge.
I would suggest maintenance of the edge per Rockstead advice.
it should be good for 2-3 years just just using the denim strop.

Before I was a maker, I was a collector, and the Rockstead Higo is the knife that I keep coming back to
For me it's near perfection is so many ways.

regards

77864aa9bea0d633ae545cc20e79b78c.jpg


10fb95969234277084efc31f52410a5e.jpg
 
Last edited:
I used to use the sandpaper method in the video I made, but it's time consuming. I just sharpen my Rocky's with a ceramic pocket stone very carefully. I've resharpened mine many times this way and the finish still looks fine.

I promise you that it doesn't affect the sharpness or cutting ability of the blade if you know what you're doing.

I have tons of PMs with people asking about Rocksteads, so if anyone has questions, please email me instead. I am not online much due to illness, but I'll try my best to respond to emails.
 
I would just strop it for regular use.

Picked up a nice double-sided strop from Brommeland Gunleather for about $35. Load one side with fine compound for routine use and the other side with coarse compound for when the edge really starts to dull. Should be enough to keep you going for a long while.
 
Can you use this method on any blade or just these ultra hard ones like rockstead ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top