subject: Common Knife Sharpening Mistakes [print this page] Sharpening Bowie knives, and other fine blades, is truly an art. While there is a bit of engineering involved where maintaining the bevel is concerned, most of the task revolves around the precision and care usually associated with arts. Maintaining a blade, in fact, is a foundational element of any martial art that makes use of edged weaponry. Sharpening a knife is not difficult but it takes time to learn and time to do. Without investing both, you'll end up ruining your knife. But with a little practice and patience, you'll be a pro in no time.
Bowie knives come in all different edge grinds. How you sharpen your knife will depend upon the grind and the quality of the steel. If you have a cheap, soft knife with a chisel point, a few strokes along a sharpening stone will do the trick. If you have the more common double bevel or saber ground blade, you'll need to be precise and patient about getting the best edge on your knife.
The most common mistake where sharpening Bowie knives is concerned is using a swirling or "scrubbing" motion on the stone. There are some sources that recommend this. This is bad advice for a large blade, unless you're very, very experienced with sharpening knives and don't care if you wreck your bevel. Sharpen your blade one edge at a time, using precise, slow and attentive strokes to get the edge right. It may sound a bit overly-romantic, but if you're not sharpening your knife with genuine pride, you're probably wrecking it.
Never sharpen your blade on the stainless steel rods that come with kitchen knives. Those are made, not surprisingly, for kitchen knives, not for Bowie knives. Your Bowie is no common ham slicer. Always use a high-quality sharpening stone and oil to sharpen your Bowie. It will reward you with many years, and, in some cases, generations, of reliable service. Remember to clean your sharpening stone after you're done. Dirty stones are a major mistake.
Where Bowie knives are concerned, a razor edge is possible, provided the steel is good. Remember to use a reliable means of testing your edge. You can try to cut paper via the blade weight or run your finger across the blade opposite the direction of the edge to test for friction. If your knife doesn't seem sharp, give your hands a rest before testing it so the sensitivity in your fingers is restored.
