posted
I can not get my zwickey no mercy 4 blades to shave. I get them "sharp" but no where close to what I am use to. I can't shave with them, all my knives shave, my machete shaves, my wetterling axe shaves, and my magnus shaves...
What can I be doing wrong?
I can feel the bur going from one side to the other. What do i do next?
I bought the accusharp to follow Terry's how to but I get a burr and but no better.
I have files, spyderco triangle, accusharp and smiths sharpener...Someone walk me through this.
-------------------- Combo Hunter 46@28
I came from nothing and I brought it with me. Posts: 601 | From: Texas | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
I will say this, I am not trying to shave with my broadheads!! I am trying to kill stuff, I never get my Snuffers to shave, not that they won't but I never try. They are plenty sharp to punch through critters and tonight with a light touch slice through my finger pretty easily and cleanly. Someone will come on to help, but I don't get it. A burred edge has kill plenty of stuff for years. Ever try and shave hair with a knapped head, not easy but man it slices thru hide,hair and even soft bone pretty easy. Shawn
-------------------- Firefly Long Bow James 4:14 60" MOAB 54@29 James 1:17 Michigan Longbow Association Posts: 3621 | From: Kalamazoo, MI | Registered: Jan 2009
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posted
Thanks for the reply Shawn. I guess I'm just not familiar with what people refer to as sharp or sharp enough to hunt with.
When I refer to something being sharp I mean, handle with extreme care can, shave a patch with one or two swipes. So i guess I was just assuming that is what others were doing also.
So how do you tell when your heads are ready to hunt, if not shaving a patch of hair?
-------------------- Combo Hunter 46@28
I came from nothing and I brought it with me. Posts: 601 | From: Texas | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
Whenever I get something that is hard to get sharp I really "dig" into what I'm sharpening. I use a 12 inch file and on my first pass I hit it hard 8-10 times then just light strokes to clean it up. Hope this helps you out brother.
Posts: 220 | From: Chattanooga, Tennessee | Registered: May 2011
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posted
Try a leather strop to remove the burr or rub the edge of blade away from you on a piece of soft pine if you dont have leather. These techniques have worked for me. A fine diamond stone has also worked. All three are great, its just a matter of what you have.
-------------------- "A Fear Of Weapons Is A Sign Of Retarded Sexual And Emotional Maturity." Sigmund Freud Posts: 5989 | From: latham, new york | Registered: Dec 2006
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IMHO all broadheads should be able to shave hair. If you have already gotten the bur on each side then the hard part is done. Without knowing exactly how and what system you are using it is hard to give any suggestions. However, I will try to explain my system, I will use flat stones for an example. I will start with my lowest grit stone, typically some type of low grit diamond stone or a file. I will work one side of the broadhead until a bur is raised the full length of the blade, I will then work the opposite side until a bur is raised again, I will also use some pressure during this phase. Once a full length bur has been raised the hard work is really done. At this point I will then work each side in light alternating strokes. The key hear is to use light pressure. I will do this for a total of ten strokes, you should have a sharp edge at this phase, but might not be able to shave with it. I will then move to higher grit stones, somewhere around 400 to 600 grit. You can either raise a bur again at this point or not. It really does not matter, just keep in mind that you need to use light strokes, really all that you are doing here is trying to refine the edge and polish it up a little bit. If you want a extremely polished edge you can keep moving up in grit.
Shaving sharp broadheads are not all that hard to accomplish once you get a feel for it. Check out the tutorials posted by JimB and Landshark in the how to resources, I use both of these systems and let me tell ya they work. If I can't shave with it, I don't use it, their is no reason to use a broadhead that won't shave in my opinion.
Posts: 143 | From: Colorado | Registered: Jan 2011
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posted
You might just be pushing the burr over from one side to the other. Either try very light strokes with a file, crock stick etc.. to take the burr off. Or you can strop on a piece of cardboard or leather.
I don't care if the edge will shave either. If it will pop a rubber band with minimal effort, it's good.
Posts: 791 | From: Raleigh, NC | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
After you get the burr, finish up with VERY light pressure -- just the weight of the file (or crock stick, or butcher's steel) -- for a few strokes.
It sounds to me like you are pushing the burr from one side to the other. You can do that all day and wonder why you never get completely sharp. You just need light pressure to knock the burr off without forming another burr.
Posts: 1194 | From: North Carolina | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
So how do you know you have a burr? What do you look or feel for and how do you check it to make sure your are ready to work the burr? I wonder on my three blades if I am getting one or not.
-------------------- Firefly Long Bow James 4:14 60" MOAB 54@29 James 1:17 Michigan Longbow Association Posts: 3621 | From: Kalamazoo, MI | Registered: Jan 2009
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posted
Lots of ways to knock off the burr. But first things first...removing the burr is not something you do just at the end of your sharpening session. It should be done in between every change in stone grit or abrasive you use as you progress. So if you start with a 400 grit stone be sure to remove the burr at that point before you move to the finer stone. I promise that you will end up with a finer edge and have less trouble removing the burr you raise with the finer stone than if you try to do it all at the end.
As you determine that you have established the edge (by raising a burr) you need to lightly "strop" both sides of the edge using the same stone you used to raise the burr. Light pressure and only a few strokes are required here--finesse! You should be able to feel the burr go away. But you are not done yet. Run the edge through some cardboard, or a cork from a wine bottle. I like to use a hard felt block. Then strop the edge again on the stone and repeat the above until you are confident you have removed the burr. Now move on to your next finer grade stone, raise the burr again, and repeat the above. The final step for me is to simply strop the edge on either a leather or felt pad that I have treated with a diamond spray abrasive.
The key again, is to strop at each step. When you run the blade through the cork or cardboard you should be able to feel the difference between your stroppings and the blade should move more smoothly through the material.
I hope I'm clear enough for you to get it.
This is a link to one of Murray Carter's sharpening videos. He uses a cinderblock and cardboard to sharpen a knife but its the technique he is demonstrating that is important... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLaE1JvQ94Posts: 316 | From: KY | Registered: Jun 2011
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quote:Originally posted by xtrema312: So how do you know you have a burr? What do you look or feel for and how do you check it to make sure your are ready to work the burr? I wonder on my three blades if I am getting one or not.
You should be able to feel it as you run your finger along the edge. You want to be able to feel the burr along the entire length of the edge. Then you know you have established a new edge the entire length of the cutting surface. Then you work on the other side and raise a burr in the opposite direction. Once you have established a burr on both sides you can begin reducing the burr to establish a fine edge.
BTW, the above holds true for single bevel broadheads as well... You need to establish an edge on the opposite side of the bevel...its a smaller, very fine edge mind you. But you need to establish an edge on both sides of a single bevel as well...
Posts: 316 | From: KY | Registered: Jun 2011
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