Sharpening convex blades with whetstones

A demonstration of how to sharpen convex blades with whetstones. Sorry for the extra long video on this one guys, there was lots to say and I wanted to show as much of the process as possible so that you don't get demoralized if you struggle to see results. Sharpening takes lots of meticulous checking of the apex to ensure you're apexing and deburring, that's where almost all the effort lies and where all the gains are made!
Go and get some Stroppy Stuff compound!
stroppystuff.com/

[@cedrics1220]

Finally a good video on convex sharpening! All the people having trouble with convex edges and using mousepads etc while they are really the easiest to sharpen bugs me out. So good Job showing how it is done!

[@stroppystuff641]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@davidrobinson8705]

I really can’t thank you enough for this video. I’m about 12 years deep into my journey learning the art of sharpening. This video clears up so much for me. Internet nonsense can cloud one’s judgement when it is spread so prolifically! I’ve been saving up to buy your diamond compound from the DBK store, I am instead going to order direct from your store as way of thanks. Good advice is scarce online so once again, thank you.

[@stroppystuff641]

Thanks for the support David! I'm really glad this video was helpful for you. I was considering not posting it because of the poor aesthetics of the blade, I was thinking that people wouldn't be able to separate the technique from the scratched up grind 👍

[@slipperysteve2513]

Came back to this video after beginning to reprofile a microtech UTX85 into convex. I wanted a slicer and the original v grind could barely shave at its best. I was hav informed trouble committing to the apex and was only getting a decent nail bitter after removing the burr. Your light trick was a revelation. I usually go by feeling but being able to see exactly when and where my burr was removed has allowed me to have a super keen edge. Previously I would blindly edge trail and go by feeling and instinct alone. I never ended up with such a sharp edge right off the stone. I’m able to whittle a hair now.

[@stroppystuff641]

That's excellent I'm glad you've had success and thanks for sharing your feedback on the advice I gave. I had the same issue as you used to when I was in the early stages of my sharpening journey, I didn't fully understand how important burr removal and detection was so I would blindly abrade it, as soon as I learned to deburr it all clicked into place for me too!

[@jtallday31]

Nicely done chap. Ty

[@bbkdmprops]

Good gooooood! Great instructive video!! As expected !😁🔥

[@dmitryk754]

Very good tutorial

[@stroppystuff641]

Thank you :)

[@isaiah_b_3798]

That Aurora is 🔥 🔥🔥. Great video.

[@stroppystuff641]

Thank you 🙏

[@alicedeen720]

That is sharp - wow nice job.

[@stroppystuff641]

Thanks! Once you get in the habit of sharpening frequently everything just comes together 👍

[@nilsl5629]

Awesome mate! really helpfull!

[@stroppystuff641]

I hope you found it useful 👍

[@kraftzion]

Very nice! I've used Marttiini fillet knives my entire life. I bought a Rapala shortly after they bought out Marttiini. Identical knife, did not work as well. Upon further review, Rapala went to a flat grind, original Marttiini is convex. Had to reprofile it. I use a 1x30 belt sander when they get real dull or I have to reprofile, maintain them with a steel. The 3m trizact and film belts work pretty good.

[@charliemaddock3459]

are the current marttiini convex??

[@arrowzen7433]

Would be great to se your rocking motion from the side instead of from up top. But thank you for a very informative video.

[@stroppystuff641]

Thanks for the feedback man, I'll make an add on video at some point

[@donaldpriebsch]

The mouse pad method is great, if you don`t use a thick mouspad. I build myself a little construction with a 1mm thick foampad underneath the sand paper and it works like a charme. Hairsplitting too and it polish like nothing else becaus of the give it has. I mainly work with this method on knives with 3V or CruWear.

[@RujioWR]

Im learning sharpening and made a regular knife convex by accident - well, it works.

[@daveyboy6985]

what do you think of falkeniven as a brand ? and quality control?

[@stroppystuff641]

The quality control is pretty dreadful and I don't like how they deal with customers after sale. Lots of issues with them. But I do like the functionality of all of the non X series designs. The A1 design in particular is a beast. The A1 pro with the stainless guard looks so good too.

[@russellverdin8339]

Where did you get your stones from and where did you get the little mechanism that holds your stone

[@stroppystuff641]

The stone holder was from Amazon, the cheapest one they had at the time. The stone is a Venev I got from Gritomatic

[@adelazzer]

Love your insights here. Can you comment on the pressure you're applying when on the stone? As it is, I can't believe how softly you strop...must be the world class compound. ;) Most folks I see are going to town stropping; pressure and # of passes. Yours is an almost indecent (lol) lover's caress. I can scarce believe it's doing anything. Appreciate the passion. All sub'd up.

[@stroppystuff641]

haha thanks for the support man! So pressure during sharpening will depend on the knife and stone etc. A large surface area requires larger pressure, a big convex like this I press harder than a small v edge on a folder. However as a general practice I usually use the weight of the knife, plus the weight of my hands and then maybe a little extra, when I'm finishing up I go ultra light as to not fatigue the steel behind the apex. Yeah people go way too ham on the stropping, just a gentle touch is all you need, especially if you've got the right compound :)

[@Mark--Todd]

Can I ask why you don't like Bark River knives? Very informative video, thanks

[@stroppystuff641]

The fit and finish is highly questionable, the edges are always burned and the HT is lackluster at best. Unfortunately still one of the best production bushcrafters around... Which isn't saying much. Thanks for the support!

[@Mark--Todd]

@@stroppystuff641 thanks for the reply. Appreciate the honesty.

[@martinocaputogar2183]

Hi, I don’t know if this is a stupid question, but I saw a lot of video where they recommend to use different stones (400-1000-2000-5000) for a good sharpening. My question is why they recommend so much stones if you can have a razor sharp only using a 400 stone and a strap?

[@stroppystuff641]

A larger progression of stones with intermediate steps can reduce the amount of time you need to spend sharpening in total. However you can have a super super sharp edge off a 1k stone and strop. Anyone who suggests you need to go to 5000 on a outdoor/bushcraft knife is mistaken. Knife which require a higher degree of sharpness (straight razors) will need to go to very fine grits, but you can get hair splitting off 1k

[@martinocaputogar2183]

Thanks for the answer, I saw the stones progression to 5000 on DBK channel, but watching your video I understood that I don’t need so many stones

[@stroppystuff641]

@@martinocaputogar2183 keep in mind this was a FEPA-F 400 which is around the 1.2k jis region

[@martinocaputogar2183]

Thanks for the information, i tried to use your technique with a fallkniven dc4 (too little, not very comfortable) but I had a good result, very useful video

[@stroppystuff641]

@@martinocaputogar2183 with the dc4 you can try using it like you would a sharpening puck on an axe, you might prefer that

[@ryanwalker1825]

How did you polish it with compounds

[@stroppystuff641]

I put a bit of compound on the convex and then scrubbed side to side with a thin foam polishing pad. Lots of people use leather belts or leather wheels on a Tormek or knife grinder etc.

[@sharpfactory3705]

Nice edge

[@stroppystuff641]

Thanks 🙏 I should have done a better job making it look good though 😂

[@user-cs3hi8zp7p]

I'm a knife, sharpening & steel whackjob...freekin LOVE it...but it jus hit me, what do we need our blades hair-whittling sharp for??🤔 What do we cut that needs this kinda sharpness? Other than the love & appreciation for our crazy sharp knives and the skill needed to get them there...why that far into silly sliceville?! Don't get me wrong here...I'm a junkie with this shizz, but getting my blades to 600grit & a quick strop cuts everything like a laser & lasts longer and is quick & easy til I need to do again. So maybe it's just the art & love of it🤷‍♂️ Great stuff brother, as always💪😎👍

[@stroppystuff641]

Thanks for the support man. Bushcraft blades do well with a polish for the push cut performance carving wood etc. Also if it's deburred well then the steel at the apex isn't fatigued. You're dead right that an edge like this wouldn't perform well for EDC etc

[@mikafoxx2717]

True Scandi with a polish.. whew. ​@@stroppystuff641

[@RemyLebeau1985]

So, what knife makers do you like?

[@stroppystuff641]

Spyderco and Kunwu for folders and large scale production. Kknives_switzerland, deep Cuts Cutlery and Zlknives for fixed blades but they're 1 man operations

[@RemyLebeau1985]

@@stroppystuff641 I'll definitely check them out.

[@lucasgarcia540]

Question why do you hate bark river ?

[@txokoil]

If he hates bark river I would like to know what he thinks of ESEE

[@lucasgarcia540]

@@txokoil he hasn’t responded I’m questioning my question now lol 😂 jk I want to know why the hate ?

[@txokoil]

@@lucasgarcia540 All I know, from other videos, is that he hates Bark River sheaths and that he tested 3V hardness and it was below 60HRC, wich is bad

[@lucasgarcia540]

@@txokoil huh really ? That’s wild I’d love to see those videos I’ll go snoop lol

[@stroppystuff641]

They're always run incredibly soft and the quality control is horrible. If you monitor the BRK Facebook group you'll see that lots of people have defects and Mike Stewart (the owner) is always horrible to the people in the comments and rallies his army to attack them. They'll obviously replace the knife regardless of his attitude but it puts a bad taste in my mouth. The knives do look very nice though so I see the appeal 👍 oh yeah the other guy nailed it with the bad sheaths too, they suck

[@Airik1111bibles]

Spending $300 on a knife to figure out ya hate it has gotta suck. I bought a Benchmade Bushcrafter a couple years ago , I don't hate it BUT I also don't love it either. I don't see myself ever buying another $200+ knife. Maybe an LT wright knife someday but honestly I prefer buying Brisa Enzo blanks and also Lauri Puukko blanks. Making my own handles is way more affordable and kinda fun.

[@stroppystuff641]

Yeah man the Benchmade handle is too aggressively shaped for me unfortunately. Getting blanks and making your own handles is so much more fun I agree! I just did one recently and made a sheath for it too

[@Airik1111bibles]

@stroppystuff641 Totally agree, I do like the design for certain carving positions but overall it's too much shape. My favorite knife at the moment is an Enzo Elver , DLT has the last kits left for only $49 here in the U S. I got ahold of Brisa and they said they are no longer going to make the Elver, kinda sad it's a sweet little knife. My next blank I think will be a Casstrom #10 that angled handle looks very comfy . You can save $100 building your own and buying their sheath. That's my new hobby saving plan 😁 I love that they are releasing blanks now . 🍻 cheers .

[@ElonaldTrusk]

Lt wright hasn't let me down on quality control.. they're great. I wanted to love bark river but too much slips past their qc. Bark river will address any issue though, which is great, but don't bring it up in any online groups because their fanboys get WAY too butthurt 😂.

[@Airik1111bibles]

@ElonaldTrusk Yep, I've seen their comments. I don't know who's worse, dedicated Mora fans or BR fans .

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@Airik1111biblesAt least mora is cheap! Minimum viable knife

[@shepleonard8695]

Why the hate for Bark River?

[@stroppystuff641]

The designs are nice. But the build... not so much.

[@hiramhaji7813]

I’ll pass on your way…. The scars on your blade tells me everything…

[@stroppystuff641]

Lol. Don't forget to tuck your knife into bed at night and read it a story

[@nerdskiii]

I hate Bark River also 😂 their designs are so 🥱🥱.

[@martinluggerphoto]

i find it way easier to sharpen my convex knives by using sandpaper. I get superp results in very short time

[@nightwalker2830]

I can never get convex to sharpen good

[@dmitryk754]

Did I hear “Hate bark river” 😱

[@stroppystuff641]

Yeah 🤣 they look good though

[@dmitryk754]

@@stroppystuff641 quality control has been atrocious lately, but they often do look good.

[@airiksknifereviews9548]

Sandpaper on a hard surface with no padding works great for me . Yes it takes longer if you reprofiling a blade, but I have way more control, esp with scandi grinds that need microVexxed edges. I would say a mouse pad method cause a blunt convex . It will cut paper great but horrible on wood. I've spent years using every method and have finally went back to sandpaper . "Sharpening" a knife fully is honestly not necessary if a person had to sharpen all the time they are abusing their blades. If you use a hard board and compound to strop your knife ya won't have to sharpen it almost ever. Bark River sucks , ive never owned one but have seen enough to know not to buy one.

[@computeronzin]

I have found a solution for all knives where the edge runs directly into the heel of the knife and therefore always causes a problem when sharpening. Convex sharpening is not really my thing, I like precision sharpening. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2XGiqypr8ySY6s Sharpening Tips and Tricks for Sharpness freaks..... Part 01

[@-I-Use-Punctuation]

Terrible method says who? Site your source sir.

[@stroppystuff641]

What are you referring to?

[@-I-Use-Punctuation]

@stroppystuff641 the mouse pad trick. Iv done it for years, works for me. One question while I got you. If you "wallowed" out the center of your japanese water stone, would that not maybe help you work that convex grind? Center it better in any way? Watching katana sword smiths in Japan profile katana edges on water stones (their stones are about 6*6*12") they grind and grind, wallowing out their stones without ever flattening them. Any opinions

[@stroppystuff641]

@@-I-Use-Punctuation oh the mouse pad thing. Yeah it works it's just full of downsides which I mentioned (SiC, slow, edge trailing only, etc). Imo the only benefit is low skill requirements to get started. Dishing out stones will certainly lead to convexity but it gives you less control over the precise angle, as the angle between the stone and apex will change as you go along the length of the dished section. If you're striving for a workable edge then this likely isn't a problem (neither is the mouse pad method). But if you're looking for a very high level of sharpness and specific geometry for maximum cutting performance then I think flattened stones or a water cooled slack belt are the best options. As you saw in the video I got a Bess score of sub 30g with 100g tensioned media. I doubt someone could readily achieve this with the mouse pad method

[@-I-Use-Punctuation]

The rolling paper demonstration was highly impressive sir, I was very impressed with the outcome and no, never was I able to achieve such results with the mousepad trick👍 LoL you have effectively shut me up sir.

[@stroppystuff641]

@@-I-Use-Punctuation I don't meant to disrespect other peoples way of doing things. I just like straight talking but I'm glad you might be coming around to a different way of sharpening :)

[@johnsanford3596]

Information presented was good. Demonstration SUCKED. Perhaps SS has so much muscle memory that he CAN'T slow it down so we can SEE exactly what he's actually doing. Instead, he's simply gone to town on it like he needs to get it done before a hot date. It looks pretty much like ANY other sharpening video using stones. Could be a Scandi grind, could be a FFG, the action LOOKS the same at this speed.

[@stroppystuff641]

🤣 sorry man, I'll try and go slower and change the camera angle to next time. I think the top down didn't help with the angle and depth perception

[@pomegranatepip2482]

@Stroppystuff, do you have a view on Lionsteel blades? Tossing up between a Fallkniven A1 pro and a Lionsteel T6….. if I could go into a shop and handle the Lionsteel it would be easy, but I have to buy it online. The Fallkniven I can go hold.