broadhead sharpening help

[nhbuck1]

i tried sharpening some vpa 2 blade heads and i cant get them razor sharp, i was using a flat file. can anyone give me some good tips or products for sharpening?
thank you all
kyle

[Zwickey-Fever]

I use this one. But KME makes a great sharpener as well. But I also use a jewel stick along with some small files. Gets them shaving sharp for me.
 http://www.3riversarchery.com/lil-shaver-broadhead-sharpener.html

[nhbuck1]

How do you know what angle to use? Says there's 3 settings. I might get this, decent price too.

[Saguache]

A $7 Rada sharpener is what I use for finishing and touch ups, puts a sticky,scary edge on in just a few strokes. Saves me a lot of time

[ChuckC]

First.....I firmly believe we put a lot of misplaced trust and felt need for a "shaving sharp" head.  I have, over time, come to realize that "shaving sharp" is not required and maybe not even desired.    Sharp yes.   Very sharp yes.  Very sharp and sturdy yes.  I can make a blade shave my arm.  Then, depending upon the metal, I need to resharpen it nearly every day because it won't shave my arm anymore.

That blade is traveling at 150 plus FPS as it engages the animal.  A piece of paper going that speed will cut your arm open.

Sharp yes....shaving sharp is not required.  There is way too much evidence, in the form of dead animals, over the course of time, to state otherwise.

Sharpen a very dull blade aggressively until you get the required angle.  Using a device, nearly any device, to hold a single angle helps.  

Once you have that angle, go soft, very soft, until you raise a burr.  Once you actually see one and know what it is, you will not forget.  Hone the other side and strop till the burr is gone, then use it.

With practice, it is not so tough.

There is another lil device I recently found, a plastic wedge shaped device with rollers on both edges.  I like it, a lot, especially for in my field kit (in the truck or at camp).  It is inexpensive and works very well (for me).  

Heck, I have gone to simply using a file with it, no stone ( then stropping).  

I can't recall the name of that little device. Someone else here can I'll bet.
ChuckC

[Jakeemt]

You can get that head shaving sharp. It's just take time and patience. VPA uses a strong tooling steel (D2 I think?). So once you have it pretty sharp finish it on a diamond stone. These sharpening that really hard steel best. Paper wheels do a good quick job too but, that's an expense. Finish it up with a strop or honing stick. Once it's shaving sharp use a honing stick or strop every now and then to keep them that way. Remember it is very hard steel so it will stay sharp for a long time but, it's hard to sharpen them so a little maintanece goes a long way.

[Msturm]

The StaySharp  Jig has upped my sharpening game considerably and is pretty cheap.
 http://staysharpguide.com/

[Zwickey-Fever]

Originally posted by nhbuck1:
How do you know what angle to use? Says there's 3 settings. I might get this, decent price too.

There'3 holes at different levels to slide the guide through. Each hole will give you a slightly different angle. Depends on what angle your looking for. It's truly simple to use. I would surely recommend it for those such as myself that are "sharpening challenged". But like I said, I also use a small fine file and a jewel stick to finish up.

[Charlie Lamb]

Sharpening by hand can be very challenging, but a skill every trad bowhunter should develope. Start with a broadhead of softer steel like an old Bear Razorhead. Keep at it till you've got it or you wear out the broadhead.
Once you've developed "the touch" work on your skills with hard steel.

Most of the time when hand sharpening the edge is rounded by inconsistent file control.

Here are some tips I put together in a video on the How To forum a while back.
   File Sharpening Tips  

I do believe that using a jig of some sort is the best way to sharpen. Time saving, doesn't remove too much extra steel (broadhead lasts longer), the very even edge seems to last longer and you can get the edge just as sharp as you want.

Here's an article I did on that.
   Sharpening jigs

[Charlie Lamb]

When chosing the proper angle color the edge of the head with Sharpie so you can tell what you are taking off. Usually a little more than the factory grind... broadhead manufacturers have gotten a lot better with their grinds than in the past.

 25* is the popular angle for double bevel heads.

[Mike Vines]

Check out this link to get your broadheads hair popping sharp...

 http://www.probowsociety.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2856

[Sam McMichael]

I have had varying success with different systems, but I got better when I learned to apply lighter pressure on the stone than I originally thought would be needed.

[Shadowhnter]

A lot that determines how sharp they can get, is the material type and quality.

[calgarychef]

Chuck C nailed it....read what he says.  I used to worry about shaving sharp but with the soft metal of broadheads it's not like sharpening a knife and that keen edge doesn't stay keen.  Get them sharp enough to kill and get hunting.

[Stump73]

Kme broadhead sharpener with the roller and use use the regular wet stones gets mine sharper than razer sharp.

[LB_hntr]

http://tbwpodcast.com/video-10-how-to-sharpen-broadheads/

[olddogrib]

Yes, knowing the factory grind angle and being able to reproduce it consistently are the key factors.  I was never a big fan of single bevels due to my frustration with old style Grizzlies.  The newer ones are a vast improvement and have a true 25 deg. bevel, although it's rough as a cob.  But I now find them one of the easiest heads to sharpen and maintain after you remove the nicks in the edge and true it up.  I use a Lansky system and built a jig to keep the head at right angles to the clamp.  The uneven surface where the braze is makes the head prone to twist in some clamp types.