A sharp knife ... a not sharp knife ?

[Tim Finley]

Maybe you blade gurus can help me . I have 2 knives that I can get so they shave hair but as soon as I start using them they get dull . One is a Randall that I have to sharpen about 4 times just to skin a deer and the other is an old Marbels from the 1930s that I had to sharpen about 20 times to skin an elk .
   The other knife I have is made by an unknown knife maker it is a custom and I can skin a whole hog with it and not even have to touch it up. Am I getting the wrong angle and sharpening the blades wrong on the Randall and the Marbels or are they just poor steele ?

[OkKeith]

I would be suspicious of the steel. I have a few knives that are very easy to sharpen but don't stay sharp and a few that take a lot of effort to sharpen but stay sharp a very long time. It all has to do with the composition of the steel. If both are vintage knives they may be a less well developed metal. It could also be that along the way in their life the temper was ruined.

For skinning chores anymore I use one of the replaceable, scalpel blade knives.

OkKeith

[Tim Finley]

Randall has such a great reputation I thought I really had something and would never need to purchase another knife . It belonged to a friend of mine and I think he bought it in the 70s . I bought the Marbels off the big auction site it is 80 years old but I don't think it had ever been sharpened. It was like new they said it came from an estate sale .
   I have a Havalon knife and have used it for skinning they work ok a little scary changing blades but I do like a little bigger fixed blade knife .

[Bladepeek]

What kind of angle are you putting on the edge. I've had both an older Marbles and a new Randall. Both hold edges very well. If it's a knife I don't plan on hitting bone with, I put a 17 degree edge on it. For general hunting use, I stick with a 20 degree edge. Either one will do a lot of cutting before I have to touch up the edge.

[Tim Finley]

I don't know what degree I use I have been sharpening knives for over 50 years and these two were kind of special and I was disappointed in them. I use a old Sharade hone steele for sharpening my knives and broadheads, I can usually get them shaving sharp but that's what I am wondering if on these two I may have to find a way to put a different bevel on .

[tippit]

I've found that some really scary sharp edges that are honed very fine won't keep that sharp edge as well as a medium grit stone edge.  Meat cutters are continually using steel on their knife edge to keep ahead of it going dull.  Both those knives have very good steel.

[Wampus]

I've found those honing steels only work well on softer steels like those found on cheaper knives.  For harder steel found in high quality knives, you'd probably get a better edge with a Norton pink India stone or a diamond sharpener.

[kenneth butler]

Lots of advancement in knife steels since the 30's. The Randall should be good if someone didn't destroy the temper in a campfire or something. I would suspect sharpening angle but what works for you with other knives should be fine. >>>----> ken

[Butch Speer]

Might be a dumb question but, did you try a file on it? Just to see if it digs in or skates off.