How to Sharpen a Japanese Sickle - An In-Depth Guide

Don't settle for a dull sickle. Not only will your work be easier and more enjoyable with a sharp tool, but you'll feel great satisfaction in knowing how to maintain your own tools.
In this video I'll show you step by step how to take a dull sickle and make it sharp again.
This is a fairly long, in-depth guide, so feel free to use the table of contents to skip around.
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Table of Contents:
01:33 - Rust Erasing Block
04:02 - Marking Bevel
04:53 - Sharpening Begins
08:18 - Feeling for a Burr
12:52 - Sharpening Standing Up
14:24 - 2nd Pass with 1000 Grit Stone
17:36 - Why Sharpen the Whole Bevel?
19:30 - Removing the Burr
20:51 - Stropping With Your Pants
22:15 - How do you know when it's sharp
23:02 - Other Sharpening Options
24:05 - Diamond Stone
24:47 - Ceramic Stone
25:04 - Carbide File
26:13 - Mill File
26:42 - Blade and Handle Care

[@jsmxwll]

leather has micro silicates and will lightly abrade the metal even without stropping compound. yes, you can get rid of a bur by folding it back and forth but you will get a finer edge that will last longer with a strop. when you break the bur off you can get little flat spots that concentrate force and further flatten or fold the bevel edge around them over. a polished bevel will do less flatening and folding as it cuts and you will get to go longer between sharpenings.

[@shamusbowker]

Useful video, thanks for taking the time :)

[@clivejones7921]

Thanks for the video. Really useful. I've recently bought a Japanese kawa and I really like that extra thick double-sided stone that you are using. I'm in the UK and although I can buy double-sided stones they are nowhere near as thick as your little compact stone. It feels a lot more hazardous using the thinner stones.

[@clivejones7921]

Sorry - I meant Kama

[@ΗλίαςΜάλφας-ψ2β]

Are you still sharpening your sickle like this? Where did you learn this way? I saw several videos on youtube but only you sharpen like this

[@_wormlet]

Can you recommend a good video?

[@ΗλίαςΜάλφας-ψ2β]

@@_wormlet kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXLHdpqneq2iqK8

[@plakor6133]

Is peening an option for these blades?

[@mroctarine]

Why are you sharpening both sides? Surely a single edge with the burr taken off the back at 1000grit is enough?

[@hidatoolhardware1141]

This one is beveled on both sides :)