KME sharpening issue

[droptine82]

I just got a KME broadhead sharpener last night.  I am going to have a field point the way I am going.  I can get it to cut hair with the coarse stone.  When I go to the finer stone, I lose it all.  I try going from coarse to arkansas and lose it.  What the #$%$# am I doing wrong?  I read that these things are fool proof but this fool is humbled.  I have always been a poor sharpener but this thing holds the same angle.  Can a person apply to light of pressure?  I go for hair cutting/shaving to very light strokes on either of the lighter stones and it wont even pull hair.  If you tell me to just buy presharpened heads and sell the KME I will go with it but hopefully someone can tell me what I am doing wrong.  I would blame it on the head but Ron told me that these 2 blade vented magnus were easy to do.  Someone rescue me!

[pronghorn23]

Are you going just forward on the light stone and not forward and back?
Also, use a piece of corrugated cardboard to strop it with when your done....just slide it backwards on the cardbboard.
I had the same problem last year when I bought mine. Frustrated as could be because it seems foolproof. If you call Ron he'll talk you through it.

[OkKeith]

You know what Jarred, I am having the same problem. It's not the sharpener. I got mine last year and had every broadhead in the house scary sharp in no time.

I got everything out before season to touch up the edges and it seems like I'm going backwards. I have a really old diamond stone (most likely not a great one even when new) that I have used for 10 years. I just figured it was worn out or too clogged up. I managed to get them to passable with a crock stick.

I don't THINK I'm doing anything different. Same broadheads, same stones, same 3-in-1 oil on the stones. Not sure what my problem is.

Like I said, I know it's me. I had it working great last year.

OkKeith

[slivrslingr]

This seems to be a fairly common issue, myself included.  I found that I was using too much pressure and too many strokes on the finer stones.  If all else fails, call KME, they will spend however much time is necessary to help you out.

[Hud]

Their video makes it looks pretty simple. Sounds like the KME is doing the job, and you have a burr on the edge, that needs to be remove by stropping on a leather belt, and once done, it should be shaving sharp. You might use a fine oil to keep the stone clean, or water on the diamond sharpeners.

Use the coarse less and the medium and fine stones for best results. Coarse is intended to put the right bevel on the head that has been lost in practice. Same for the diamond; save the coarse for really dull heads, shot into sand etc.

[Real Buckmaster]

mine worked well last havent dug it out yet

[Sharpster]

If ANYONE is getting less than great results with either the broadhead or knife sharpeners, please call us!!! You spent good money on the sharpeners and kits... and I know that they do exactly what we claim they do. I would much rather spend 10-15 minutes on the phone with you than have you throw it on the pile of other sharpeners that didn't work. I find that most "sharpening challenged" people aren't really lacking in skill or hand-eye co-ordination so much as they generally lack a bit of critical knowledge. Sharpening is a series of steps and we need to understand what it is we're doing and why we're doing it at each stage in order to have any hope of success. Here's a link to a piece I wrote that goes into a fair amount of detail and attempts to simplify the how and why of sharpening anything:
 
  KME FAQs and sharpening tips  [/URL]
 
Droptine, if you're getting the blades to shave on the coarse stone, you've got it licked. That's the most important tip I can give anyone-  make sure the blade is shaving or trying very hard to shave before leaving the coarsest stone you have . You probably just need to strop the heads on some cardboard after finishing up on the finer stones to remove the micro burr. Try that and let us know.

okKeith, It could be that your diamond stone is worn out (all diamond stone wear out eventually)or maybe you just need something more aggressive to get started with. Again, the coarsest stone in our arseal is our best friend.

The best general tips I have are: 1) Start very coarse, and 2) the pressure used when sharpening is measured in  ounces not pounds .


Again please call us if you need help. We enjoy meeting and helping people.

Ron

[George Vernon]

Do the jaws that grip the broadhead have a rubber liner?  I have their knife sharpener with the rubber liner and had the same issues with 'dullness'.  Turns out I was using too much pressure which apparently caused the knife blade to wobble a bit with the rubber liner so I wasn't using the same angle from stroke to stroke.  Made sure the grip was tight and backed off on pressure and things worked well.

[Steve O]

I am the poster child for calling Ron...I was frustrated as heck the first time I used the knife sharpener (and the first time I tried to set up my Double Bull, and the first time I tried to set up my Lone Wolf, and the first time I tried a Tree Saddle...are you starting to see a pattern...   :D )

I sent him a note asking a few questions and HE called me within 5 minutes.  It was very early on a Saturday morning and he spent a long time helping me figure out what was going on.  THAT is good customer service!

And the KME system is one of those things that makes perfect sense and is very well thought out.  It does take just a   little skill to use.  Once you find that little something, it is AMAZING!

Don't give up and do call Ron.

I just sharpened up a knife I got from Stickshooter; it didn't take 5 minutes and it peeled hair off my forearm in a 10" swoop--the kids love that!

[Onehair]

Any time I get close with a file or KME I stop and strop. Solves all that head ache. I took a 12" 1 X 2 and gued down a piece of leather. Keep it dressed with jewelers rouge and hide it from your buds cause they will steal it.

[OkKeith]

Ron, I am definite that the problem is me or the stone, it is VERY well used. I will pick up a new one and see how that helps. I am in a  ground blind right now but will check out your link when I get in this evening. Thanks for the help. OkKeith

[Kapellmeister]

Originally posted by OkKeith:
I am in a  ground blind right now...

How "traditional" is that?  Out huntin' and on the 'net!   LOL!     (Not 'knockin' ya... I take a cell phone with me.)

[droptine82]

I got one sharp.  Hopefully the next one will be a little easier.  I read the tutorial and I think it will help for my next head!  I do love their customer service and planned on calling on my next day off.  Hopefully I can lick it before then!

[Paul WA]

My knife sharpener should be in the mail today, planning on using it on all my broadheads but mostly grizzlys. I would imagine to remove the burr on a single bevel you hone the backside flat on a coarse flat stone...Paul

[GMASIUK]

Ron was a great help to me on the phone when I first got my knife set up, call him. My problem was I was using to much pressure, try going lighter with the pressure. By the way the knife set up works great on two blade broad heads also. Good luck

[OkKeith]

Hey Gene,

Your right, that is pretty funny. A contradiction like the Scot-Korean guys in the commercial.

I carry the phone for obvious phone type reasons and to check the time. It's pretty cool to watch the weather (satalite, radar, baro pressure, etc.). When not much is happening I use a text or two to check-in with Buddies in their stands/blinds.

When it turns warm (86 degrees today) and I am having trouble staying awake, I browse my favorite archery site.

It got a little tough to keep from sweating so I bagged it and went back to the truck. I hung up the hammock in the shade and opened a cold beverage. My nap carried me through until time to head back in.

It's a rough life but someone has to do it.

OkKeith