KME: Knife or Broadhead

[Bear Heart]

I bought the KME broadhead sharpener and still stink a sharpening.  I the knife sharpener easier?  I know KME is about the easiest you can get but I have been trying to get a sharp Tusker for a while and it is not going well.

[oneshot-onekill]

Tim,

I got the knife sharpener and love it...check my thread...shout out to kme...I added some pic's to show the sharpener as well.....terry

[jacobsladder]

I think the key to the broadhard sharpener for some of the 2 bladers is that you need a course diamond stone to do the main beginning work..it will take much more metal off faster...then finish up with the other 2 stones to polish things up...I'm sure Ron will be by to add on this...

[Steertalker]

Bear heart...

If you are having trouble getting BH's sharp with the KME call Ron.  I'm sure he will be glad to coach you on how to get the job done.  Believe me...his BH sharpener works.  Check out Oneshot-Onekills thread.  I posted some pics.

Brett

[Dave2old]

Ron will likely say to start with the knife sharpener then go to the broadhead sharpener to finish. I have both and can't disagree ... but am reminded of my Dad's advice on the first fishing trip I can remember in my life: "You can't catch a big fish with a small hook, but you can't catch a small fish with a big hook." Which, come to think of it, is a stretch in this case. I always say, if you can afford only one, go with the knife sharpener. If you can afford both, you're that much better off. The broadhead sharpener will not efficiently sharpen a really dull head ... it's for fine-tuning. My 2 sents. dave

[Doc Nock]

Ron has taken me under wing as a charter member of the "Can't sharpen Shix" international order of Sharpening Impaired Persons (SIPS).

Ron has sat on the phone with me...working with hs Broadhead Sharpener, using wet/dry automotive (seems that last part is key) black, 150 grt sandpaper, soaked and laid on glass...and in 15 min...took a BLANK STOS and had the extra metal on the laminate ground off and was shaving sharp, reading to proceed to the finer grits and polishing.

I have some older STOS that I'd sharpened with a pull through X sharpener that put a 20* bevel on them that wouldn't hold up..(sharp, but flimsy)and I can't get the results. Conclusion: I don't have the right paper or a COARSE enough diamond stone.

Jacobsladder has it nailed. That first layer of laminate on so many broadheads...requires tremendous effort to get through. And patience...

The BH Sharpener requires little technique learning..it's proper use of proper materials.

Talk to Ron. Follow his suggestions for materials such as the automotive body wet black sandpaper...and you'll be able to do what needs done with BH's witht he BH Sharpener.

I had ruined the holding edge on my knives with the X sharpener and had too thin a bevel, which didn't last...so I got the Knife Sharpener to reverse that... went slick with the diamond kit...

The extra metal on laminated Broadheads is the stinker... Either sharpening system WILL work, as Ron proved to me sitting on the phone using the BH sharpener to carve off the laminates using the right material and technique!

Call him...he'll set you straight! View his clips on the website...then call. It's just that first time grinding throught he extra metal...

It's worth it!

[Bear Heart]

I might have to call him and get some tips.  The sandpaper might be the key.  That way I can hit the  whole head at once.  I have them pretty sharp where they slice through nylon serving without  pressure but I can't shave hair.  Feels like pulling hair.

[Bear Heart]

Ron talked me through it on the phone today.  By the end of our conversation my left arm was looking pretty strange with all the bald spots.  KME = the best in customer service.    I am terrible at sharpening so this is truly a phenominal product.  Someday I might still get a knife sharpener for my knife but for broadheads I have all I need.

[Bear Heart]

I was using Tusker Concords.  This is the secret.  Do not progress to the next finer grit until the one you are using has the broadhead sharp enough to shave hair.  If the two plane don't intersect then all you have is shiny metal.  I used the coarse side of my Norton the the finer side and lastly my Dan's Arkansas stone.  The process was 30-60 seconds on each side of the broad head using the coarse side.  Use a back and forward strokes as you are just getting the initial grind.  Then ten each side. Five each side. 10 sets of 1 each side.  If it shaves hair go to the next grit.  Work your way through the entire process again except for the 30-60 seconds part.  At the end give it  some back stroke on card board.

[jacobsladder]

[Sharpster]

Thanks very much everyone,

Bear Heart (Tim's) phone coaching session was one of the easiest ever for me. He was right there but, not quite shaving.

As Tim mentioned, the secret to sharpening anything is that you must get the broadhead or knife blade as sharp as you possibly can with the coarsest abrasive you start with, be it a file or a stone. This is absolutely critical and is without question the single most common mistake that people make when learning to sharpen anything. (progressing through the grits too quickly).

The bevels of a double bevel blade have to be ground/filed until a true intersection is formed at the cutting edge... if this is not accomplished at the coarsest stage, progressing through finer grits will only polish the bevels of the dull edge, and not make it one bit sharper.

Since the cutting edge itself is microscopic, the only way to tell that you're ready to move to a finer grit stone is by seeing if the blade will shave or at least try very hard to shave. It may not mow hair cleanly but, it should aggressively grab the hairs and cut at least a couple of them when you test it. If not, stay with the file or coarse stone until it does. Only then you can move on to finer grits to refine the edge created by the coarse stone or file.

The laminated tip heads are the toughest to sharpen the first time because so much metal needs to be removed from the triple thick tip section. I recommend filing the tip section first to save time but, if you (like me) are not very good with a file, then the next fastest way to set the bevels is with an X-coarse or coarse diamond stone or as some have suggested some 120 grit wet/dry auto body sandpaper. (use lots of water). Same deal, get the blade to shave with the coarsest grit then progress to finer grits to refine the edge to hair mowing sharp.

As for which sharpener is the better choice, that depends. The broadhead sharpener is the workhorse of the two and would be my choice for very dull heads or laminated tip heads, and with the right stones it will get a broadhead just crazy sharp. Just remember the above rule- sharp as you can get on the coarsest grit before moving on to finer grits.

The knife sharpener is more of a finesse tool and while it will absolutely "tune" heads that have been previously sharpened, I wouldn't want to do an out of the pack laminated head start to finish with it. If you can file them first, then the knife sharpener will finish them up beautifully. The knife sharpener is quickly becoming my sharpener of choice for resharpening very large heads like the Grizzly El Grandes and Ace broadheads that have been filed or sharpened previously.

Thanks again to everyone for helping out with good advice and if any of you are having trouble getting the results you're looking for with either sharpener, PLEASE don't hesitate to call me. I answer the phone till 8 PM Eastern, 7 days.

Ron
80 561-4339