How do I get a Sharp Edge on a Buck Knife?

D

Dogger

New member
I have a GATCO knife sharpening kit (5 different stones, sharpening oil, and a guide to position the knife at various angles) but I cannot get a sharp edge along the entire blade of a Model 119 Buck Knife. I get a reasonably sharp edge on the straight part of the blade towards the handle, but the curved half out towards the tip defies sharpening. Any ideas? Thanks!
 
It takes a long time to get an edge on a Buck. You need at least a 4' whetstone, honing oil and a GLASS Dr. Pepper bottle. Hear me out on this. I've been sharpening knives for over 30 years. SAchor the whetstone and maintain constant pressure at a 17 degree angle. Continue this until you can dry shave the hair from your arm, or can slice one of those packing peanuts in half with no resistance. This could take several hours. When it will sry-shave the hair, begin stropping with the Dr. Pepper bottle. It has the best countour for this. You strop it away from you just like you use a whetstone. More sharpening advice is available from www.agrussell.com or www.cutleryshoppe.com. Good luck. Greg
 
Reloader, thanks, but I couldn't make out the third sentence of your post. Looks like a portion of the electrons didn't make it through -- can you repeat that portion of the sentence before "...the whetstone..."? thanks!
 
I have found that the desert dust which becomes part of my slip-on boots is just right for that final honing. Like a razor strop with 1000 grit, I guess.
 
Many people have a difficult time sharpening the curved portion of a blade. This is because it is neccessary to change the position of knife as you stroke through the curve. Because you are getting an ok edge on the straight portion of the blade I suspect that you not changing the orientation of the knife as you sharpen the curved portion.

When sharpening the curve the face of your stone must remain in a plane which is tangent to the curve of the blade. The curved portion of the blade must also remain at the proper angle. When looking at the the straight portion of the blade it will appear as though you decrease the angle between the knife and the stone.

Hope this helps. Thank God for geometry.
 
The reason that I don't buy Buck knives anymore is because they were to hard to get sharp. The best way I found to sharpen a Buck is to take it to a professional and pay them to sharpen it...
 
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