@@holyknightthatpwns It's sacred geometry, it's called the Metatron's cube. The version I use is a stylised original version made for me by Shad from Shadiversity channel, which uses the Metatron's cube as a basis.
Here in Colombia, we use a stick shaped like a check mark symbol to pull the grass or bush an set it before the blow. Also, we use short continuous soft cuts with the wrist. That way you can do it for a longer time.
You know I'm currently looking at motorized brush cutters and despering at the overwhelmingly bad reviews modern power tools of all brands and price ranges tend to get, so I might end up doing just that :b
A toothy edge bites better than a smooth one. That's why you sharpen scythes with a coarse grindstone. I remember being yelled at by my father when I was young for sharpening the scythes with a fine oilstone afterwards. I just wanted them to be really sharp but he told me that the edge need to be toothy to better catch and cut the blades of grass. :)
Just to avoid confusion, I guess you speak about the laminated steel British/American scythes, don't you? With Euro-style monosteel blades you reprofile the edge with peening, then use a fairly smooth sharpening stone just to keep it right there. I've been told that people used to use an oaken hone initially, all to keep the most edge for as long as possible. But obviously, when it gets dull you use a coarse stone.
@@bakters These were swedish forged scythes, not sure if they were laminated or not. But where I live we've always used local grindstones made from a fairly coarse sandstone, and sharpening stones made from the same stone to touch up the edge. For knives and the like, a harder finer stone is used to put the final edge on the tool but with scythes, axes and the like it seems they preferred a rougher, more toothy edge.
@@Immopimmo I did a search and it seems that Swedes tend to use laminated blades. By that I mean that a layer of high carbon steel is sandwiched between two layers of mild steel, so you sharpen the blade by grinding off the soft layers to uncover the hard core. Those scythes can't be peened. You'd mash the soft with the hard together, and the hard core would crack. Most of Europe uses monosteel blades, which you harden by peening the edge. The advantage is simpler construction, lighter weight and (I think) ultimately better sharpness you tend to get. The disadvantage is that peeining is a skilled job. Anyway, using a smooth or even wooden "stones" at time does not mean that toothy blades don't bite better. They do. It's simply that peening by itself provides enough irregularities for good purchase, so using a coarse stone is initially not necessary.
A piece of coarse sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood is the best axe sharpening tool when you're out camping. Lightweight, takes no space in the backpack and does the job.
Alternatively, a puck and strop...? Sandpaper can lack a great deal in longevity and you still need a flat, hard surface to mount it on. It also lacks the cutting speed of other mediums, such as cbn or diamond.
6:03 "A toothy edge is actually very good at getting through certain materials including…" … tomatoes! … … Oh, clothing, yeah, right, that's probably more useful in battle.
When I used to work in a butcher shop I learned the trick of using the unfinished bottom of a ceramic coffee cup to sharpen knives from some of the older butchers. I do it at home a lot and it works great.
I've heard of this trick too, but what does "works great" really mean? Because I tried this trick and... I didn't see any special effect, I couldn't cut the hair on my arm with a knife or do other "miracles".
@@odoakerx5260 It's a quick 'n dirty way to make something sharp enough to cut meat in a pinch. But not something you'd use to get a blade sharp enough to pop hair.
Matt, try a scythe stone. I was introduced to them in Belize. I've sharpened with every tool imaginable and the scythe stone is nearly ideal for post filing/grinding, edge correction. It's handy to carry with you too. Because it has rounded corners it won't adversely blunt the angle of concave blades which is handy for recurve or that machete you have.
“Surrey Police, can I help you”.... “Yes..there’s a bald man in a pink t shirt attacking the bushes with a big sword” “Okay madam, well send some officers over straight away...do you think he might have any other weapons in the house.....?” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I use sandpaper almost exclusively for sharpening. I have a little quick-change sanding block that holds 1/8 of a sheet. I step up through grits from 60 to 1500 then two stages of buffing compound for a beautiful hair-popping edge.
I do the same at work to touch up the industrial paper cutter blades. They never get really DULL......but you can make they insane sharp with sandpaper a block and a bit of love.
I kept a old file as part of my kit when in the field.. This is exactly what I sharpened my bayonet,my pocket knife ,and my Etool with .. Razor sharp ..
Been handsharpening small blades by hand since i was 6 years old and this is the best how to hand sharpening video i have seen and i even learned something new. keep up the good work Mr Easton.
I would definitely agree that hand sharpening is superior. As mentioned you dont mess up the heat treat but its also easier to get less secondary bevel. I working on sharpening my favorite side sword as we speak. Already sharpened my rapier, which i hate sharpening b/c narrow flattened diamonds are not the easiest to sharpen imo. Lol
As someone who sharpens professionally, I commend you Matt for a magnificently well informed and experienced video with a great deal of appreciation. I'm amazed by all the bases you covered for folks that might be new to the sharpening community- foil edges/burrs, overheated factory edges, etc. Just something else, toothy edge are not usually inferior in edge holding to a fine edge! That almost always comes down to chemistry of the blade, heat treat, carbide formation, cutting, etc. Then cutting medium. New alloys allow for 'toothy' edges to cut for extreme performance. Also, hand sharpened edges almost always have a natural convex to them- this can be very good!
I know this is an old comment, but where do you begin when it comes to sharpening a factory unsharpened sword? It seems daunting and I can't find any info on it
Interesting! I have a Cold Steel Cutlass Machete that's likely nowhere near cutlass quality (though I do manage the 6 cut drill with it surprisingly well), but was dirt cheap and I do have a fair amount of brush that grows around the yard, so figured why not. One thing I have heard about it is that it lose its edge quickly, so it's nice to know that I could sharpen it with a file.
Thanks for your video. I was applying those methods already with some small addings (personal preferences). I have been trying to sharpen decently knives and axes for several years and as you said in your video it can take some time to get a result. I remember 2 years ago I persevered spending 30 minutes to sharpen an axe and I got it for the first time hair shaving sharp. This encouraged me to have more perseverance and learn the skill better. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Finally someone agrees with me about the toothy edge! When using a knife to cut thread or rope the tooth is extremely valuable as it allows effective sawing. Smooth polished edges tend to just slide off harder fibers like polyester or mercerized cotton.
Theres just something about sharpening manually by hand that always seems to produce feelings of greater satisfaction, compared to when relying on a machine. Crazy looking back and thinking about how many times ive just sat around hand sharpening my tools/blades that didnt need to be sharpened, or how many edges that ive dulled from being overly aggressive with my tools, giving me another opportunity to practice and improve my sharpening. Time well spent in my book haha.
Brilliant presenter with real experience, so many great videos but this one stands out to me as a very useful intro for blade fans who don't enjoy or feel comfortable trying to sharpen their blades. Lots of solid advice here. I was a terrible sharpener before I tried experimenting with inexpensive wet/dry sand paper glued to solid blocks. I started with some bushcraft advice on stropping wood carving knives but soon progressed to axes and chisels. With a little practice and patience wicked edges are easy with so many tools. Smooth, sharpen, enjoy, they are your tools...
You know, i made a video showing how to sharpen a katana using sandpaper, but for most katana lovers it was a sacrilege. For me what matters is to keep the blade cutting.
In my experience a thin bevel of about 15° per side works best for machetes, including those used for chopping woody targets. Even very inexpensive machetes--providing they're of good base quality--will hold up just fine for that purpose. When sitting with a machete one may put one end under the thigh and the other end atop your remaining one for a vise-like grip on the tool while filing/grinding it. Coarse scythe stones do well for maintaining edges or ironing out minor damage, as well as raising a slightly more refined (but still toothy) edge after the use of a file. Draw filing works well as a method of establishing the initial bevel.
Just one thing missing from this rather nice and practical presentation: the good old natural stone. Whenever you're hiking or working in some remote area with a tool knife or a machete you can sharpen it on virtually any stone or boulder you can find at the site that has one reasonably flat side on it. Flat river stones work best, as running water polishes them to a fine regular surface, that's what our ancestors used before the advent of purpose made sharpening stones. Regarding steel quality in modern machetes you're generally right, but there are exceptions, one being what I'm currently using: Tramontina blades. This Brazilian company uses 1045 tool steel which has quite good edge retention and is strong enough for the job, they keep the price down by using very basic wooden handles which is a great idea i.m.o. as it doesn't take much to refine or even replace it at home if you want to.
A file is my go to for tools like axes and machetes. Very easy to touch up and minimal tools to cary around. The lansky puck stones are pretty decent too.
You begin the fit the role of sensei more and more - you have a garden. When your students are endlessly carrying buckets of water to your plants, doing digging and weeding, etc - you'll be there. It's physical conditioning! "How can you swing a sword when you cannot dig a hole?"-SwordMaster, Afro Samurai. I think the shovel is the foundation of the spear. With a machete that size I can beat a chainsaw at chopping down spruce and cottonwood trees for a few trees. I've done it against people who know how to use a chainsaw, it wasn't a large one but not a mini-chainsaw either. Eventually I get tired and fall behind, but for most things most of the time man > machine. Especially if taking time to fuel, oil, prime, start, and perhaps fix the machine is taken into account. I can cut a lot before most people get their saw started. Since I was 8 or 9 I've been chopping down trees adults can't wrap their arms around with a machete, which I think works better than a hatchet or wood-cutting axe. The bite is deeper because of the thin blade, so you can surgically remove the pieces needed to reach the middle by cutting diagonal 45s up and down, which is actually how I learned to throw those attacks. A claw hammer is best tho, rip with the part for removing nails and large chunks come out from deep parts of the tree and are removed as the hammer is withdrawn. When I would put false edges on machetes or sharpen them on a grinding wheel at the shop I quickly saw what I called "poisoning the blade" with heat. So I would "quench" them in the snow outside (which can be 20+ feet deep in my town), and eventually just kept a 5 gallon bucket of snow water by the wheel. I like blades to be ice cold before I grind on them, and I move them quickly on the worksharp and use a finer grade than I should by throwing more time at it. I had no idea the entire heat treatment could be ruined tho! I'll be careful, thanks.
This is a killer video. I have been sharping my blades from the age of 14 I'm 50 now I make knives swords and Tomahawks on a hobby becoming a second income basis . If done by hand? Once YOU have ground an edge profile on your blade and have it sharp . Never let anyone else say. "Lemme sharpen your knife". Unless they can repeat the angle of attack you use. They will end up dicking your edge up.. Even if they sharpen it it'll take them a while . Then what will happen is. Once it needs sharping again. And you put the edge to what ever medium you use. You will have to start from zero and reprofile your blade again. I have done it so long. I can take any of my blades from dull to shave sharp in less than five minutes. There used to be What we called Tinkers here in the US in the larger cities. That's all they did was push a cart around. Yelling out Sharpen your knives scissors axes. Ladies would stop them and they would sharpen their knives. They came by regular and did this. Here in the South and smaller towns The blacksmith often did this. Or the man of the house did all the edge work. I have 4 or 5 folks who bring me their hunting knives skinning and gutting blades I also do their carry knives I profiled them from new and keep them sharp for a buck or two. Five to ten for a reprofile after they either let someone else ruin the edge or if they dent or bend the edge and I need to do file work. Here is something that not alot know. When you want to use a ceramic stone. To finish up after your stone work on your carry blade?. The bottom of a Ceramic Coffee or Tea cup. When they fire the cups in the kiln to glaze them. The glaze never makes it to where the very bottom touches the kiln surface . This leaves a very smooth raw ceramic ring. That will take your knife from sharp to cut your eye if you look at it to hard sharp. Just a few pulls the same angle you used on your last stone. That's if your last stone was fine and got the blade sharp but not shave or cut paper sharp. This is one of the best finishing stones I have ever found. Best of all everyone has several already. Make sure to wipe it down once you see the black or grey color.That's actual microns thick of blade on it. That fine tinfoil thick edge that formed from the stone work. It takes the blade to scalpel sharp if done right at the same angle you used.
Watched tons of Machete sharpening videos before this with a lot of not very competent people which also where not very likeable. Now I watched yours and everything is exactly the opposite to all the other videos I watched. Thanks a lot!
As far as I'm aware, axes, despite common internet heresay, are not any less dull than a knife if they're meant to be used for heavy chopping tasks with the exception being swamping axes used near the ground. A reference for this can be seen in Dudley Cook's "The Axe Book". The angle most commonly found in his experience at the edge is 30 degrees, a similar angle to many machetes, but that is typically for only a 16th of an inch behind the edge less than most primary bevels on machetes. After that, it rounds over to 15 degrees, then 5 degrees. These are average figures mind you, not specifics or needed qualifications. On page 80 of Dudley Cook's "The Axe Book" he states that a sharp axe is sharp enough to shave with, criticizing dull axes as being unsafe. Similarly in a 1999 manual released by the US department of agriculture it states that a sharpened axe should be able to shave. This is not a statement on grit or toothy edges, to be clear. Files were and for many people still are the primary way to sharpen an axe, and the 'grit' or 'tooth' of an edge is independent of its ability to shave. People have been able to reach shaving sharp on a 60 grit cinderblock before. This is more a statement on edge angles and the supposed "wedge" like nature of axe edges. From personal experience in cutting a moderate amount of wood (two cords, as of now, from standing tree to bucked and split wood with just an axe, no saw.) I am able to push the angle of the edge extremely low, ie 20 degrees with no ill consequences even in the toughest of woods such as osage orange, hickory, and black locust. Anything beyond 15 degrees and below tends to roll on the first hit. Two others who, to my knowledge, have similar opinions are Steven Edholm and Ben Scott -- both of which are far more skilled and experienced with an axe than me. Anyway that was a long post about something you briefly mentioned as an aside.
I feel like it is really complicated topic. At least more complicated then Matt presented it. Also important point is that nowdays steel used for axes is supposed to be much tougher and/or harder. On other side, I doubt you can do shaving sharp on a 60 grit cinderblock if steel is hard enough, and even with soft steel it is, probably, those teeth that are biting in that give false feeling of sharpness.
I sharpen my Cold Steel Trail Hawk and Estwing hatchet to shaving sharp . I don't do axe work much , so my axe stays moderately sharp with a carborundum stone .
I cut down bamboo a lot for firewood, and I sharpen my machete with... a big rock. Any nearby rock. I just look for a flat part and grind against that. I was half-expecting this video to chastise me for that lol.
A simple rock is an excellent choice, especially when the goal is not to make an everlasting razor edge... Glad to hear the basics are not completely forgotten.
I have one of those downward-curved machetes. Mine was made in Ghana, probably in the 70s, and it was given to my by a Ghanaian man who had been living in Minnesota for 25 years or something. He sold his house to a friend of mine, because he was going to move back to Ghana, and he was cleaning out his garage, and here was this rusty old blade, one of the handle scales missing. I cleaned it up a bit and made new handle scales out of African mahogany, which seemed an appropriate choice. It's a good springy blade and keeps an edge pretty well.
I've used the back of another blade as a steel when working in a volunteer kitchen. Astonished the owner of the blades, as i did them all over a morning's work, as he'd never sharpened them himself. Taught him how to use a steel and told him to go buy one.
My wife grew up in East Africa cutting brush with a panga a lot like the first one with the outside edge was sharpened. They were sharpened with a cheap Chinese file, usually to a chisel edge. The toothy edge was pretty much universal, and they get used on everything from rough butchering to cutting down African ebony.
@@GabrielfoBR I own two 18" Tramontinas and they're my favorite machetes . I'm American , but Trammys beat American machetes hands down in my opinion . I gave one to a friend as a wedding gift as she wanted me to teach her bushcraft and survival skills . I also gave her a Mora Knife .
Condor and tramontina are ok blades, have four, two machete (one of each) and two condor knives, all decent edges and hold them about same as mora knife, that is ok workblade but not superior, and for 95% it is just what you need.
The idea that an axe does not need to be very sharp is only correct for splitting. For cutting across the grain you will really benefit from a good polished edge.
It should be noted that depending on the steel and heat treatment even a proper file may be dulled because the material hardness may be in the same range as the file. However chainsaw files are made harder than standard mill files to work on the hardened teeth of chainsaws.
Isn't that more to do with modern files being shoddy quality, about the only mill files worth bothering with now are Bahco. The chainsaw files are a good call, especially for a hooked blade.
My uncle used to work on looms in a cotton mill and kept Nicholson files in his tool boxes . Modern files are trash for the most part . My uncle taught me to never draw a file backwards , that ruins the teeth in no time flat . He also taught me to use a file card and oil to keep the files clean and rust free .
I remember using a strong blade about 6 inches long fixed to a stout wooden handle above 30 inches long. Not especially sharp to the hand, but good for cutting Briar and other bushes. Also made it possible to defoliate an old Rhododendron bush and then cut into the place where the 4 inch branches came from. Sound changed from "Pang" to "Whach".
I prefer a low carbon steel machete, although they do dull kind of quickly they are much easier to sharpen than stainless. I have a stainless machete out in my garage and several stainless knife blades that have convinced me that stainless steel is a pain in the rear end to sharpen. So I keep my kiw carbon knives nice with a good CLP and I sharpen them regularly and they remain nicely sharpened with a just a little bit of maintenance.
Hi Matt. I've cut and fitted a file like yours to the same size than my honing stones. It fits perfectly on my edge pro apex. Ideal for grinding a blade to the edge geometry without wasting my precious stones.
I have a few really cheap, stainless 'steel' cooking knives, which lose their edque rather quickly. After I run the blade over the back of another knife 20x in either direction, it's good enough for cutting onions and tomatos
Thanks Mat, have been sharpening with a basic lansky sharpener for years (bought in 1992), but avoiding doing my swords as it seemed insurmountable with my small kit. you've given me ideas on how to fix my collection. Thanks!
Safety Tip. When swinging at low foliage don’t stand with opposite side leg forward. Good chance of the blade swinging through and burying itself in your shin bone. I seen some horrible leg injuries from this. Or you can hold a wooden pole /staff in your off hand and position in front of the offside leg.
Old comment but it's pretty great because the stone he does use is a dry stone. The fallkniven dc4 is a combination diamond / synthetic sapphire stone that needs no lubrication, no water no oil, It is a super dry stone.
One of my favorite things for sharpening is sandpaper. It's critical that you have a smooth, flat surface to lay it on however. I use either a 12"x12" 'quarry tile', a floor tile cut from stone that is very hard, smooth, and flat. Or, a thick piece of glass of a similar size. (big enough to hold a full sheet of sand paper. I like a piece that is 3/8" thick so it is not easily broken) If the blade is really dull, I can use very coarse grit to get a quick edge that I can then refine with finer grits. Typically though I start with 600-880 grit for knife sharpening and then move up through1200, 1600, and 2000. When you get to 2000 grit you are basically 'honing', polishing the edge for durability and a razor finish. For a machete or similar implement, you are absolutely correct, a bastard file is perfect. keep it in your back pocket for quick touch ups. For blades that I don't care about, but need to keep quickly sharp, sometimes I'll even stoop to using one of those carbide sharpeners, the ones with two pieces of carbide set in an angle. You drag it along the blade and in just a couple of passes you have a usable 'toothy' edge.
I have always used a flat file and different grades of sand paper. With the machetes I sometimes used in the American south, the flat file would keep you going all day. A fine edge on something being used like a machete, would just turn, or so I think. A slightly ragged edge tears as much as it cuts, which is why it gets through clothing and leather when slashing. Some sand paper is now coated with aluminium oxide. That is for the final shiny finish. I use those for finishing my lock picking tools.
The ability to hand sharpen is a 'must have' skill for knife folks. Reason being, the Work Sharp, and, belt grinders, in general, don't travel or work well out in the field. 🤪 Nice machete, Matt! 👍 I'd love to add one of that pattern in my machete collection.
I found for saplings my WW2 Collins bush knife worked very well- fairly short but very sturdy- read heavy-blade. It was decent with a relatively dull edge- by my standards, anyway- but once I took it to the belt grinder it was superb, much less effort.
Now I'm thinking about building a sharpening system like the "edge pro apex" but scaled for swords. Having a constant angle really helps to achieve high quality sharpening and allows you to put more pressure on the stones, thus gaining time.
I think that the instructions for maintenance of a sabre were taken from De Brack who went on to say that if the edge angle was wrong, essentially you're better off swinging a club. He made a point npi mentioning how troopers carried a stone or fine file and mentioned specifically sharpening in a direction that the sword would bite better in a draw cut.
I've seen very a good edge put on tools and "corn knife" and machete with a pair of fine double basted files. Actually sharp enough to shave the hair on your arm. And for sand paper the metal version is called emery paper for one name. These go to extremely fine grit. 3000 is the highest I've seen and is used to polish. With a little creativity making a sharpening guide you can get a remarkable edge. As you keep emphasizing, the angle or geometry is important. For a test get an old beat up spade shovel and a new shovel. Put a 30° edge on the new shovel and polish the entire head. Go dig a hole and anyone can see how a properly sharpened tool makes work easier.
Personally Iv'e never come across any difficulty with belt sanders. All you need to do is check the blade every now and then by touching it, so long as it's not uncomfortable to touch from the heat your fine.
I used to carry my sharpening kit in my rucksack when I was in the army. It consisted of 2 files (coarse and fine mill bastards), a stone with 2 kinds of grit, wrapped up by a piece of old denim that was used enough to provide more grit. No need for oil, the Canadian Army always had plenty to keep our antique MGs operating. I added the coarse mill bastard after I had to repair something, and the fine bastard took too long in the middle of nowhere. I never regretted carrying the weight, and it save my ass a number of times.
I have gotten a hatchet shaving sharp with a file. First, do not use a a file with a diamond pattern to sharpen anything. You aren't sharpening anything, just removing steel and scuffing up the edge. If you are going to scruff the edge then just buy a saw. Second, apply even pressure and comparatively a lot. It's a file, not a stone. Third, sharpen at an angle. You want the lines of the file to contact the edge parallel. Fourth, strope the blade. Wood usually does the trick. Fith, a curved bevel makes the edge last longer. I prefer a flat bevel because my elbows, shoulders and back are screwed so a smooth, easy cut is worth touching up the blade. That is also why a rough edge seems crazy to me. A smooth edge and bevel, preferably smooth enough to see your reflection, cuts faster and smoother than wackiness it with a saw because you don't know how to make it sharp. Saw with a saw. Cut with a sharp blade. Sand paper is as good as a stone. Glue it to something flat.
second that. You can also apply fibrous gypsum (translated it by a dictionary so i hope that is the right word) or chalk (the one you wite on blackboards with) to the file and thus making the surface you create even smoother.
just bought a tramontina machete a few days ago. has a nice edge, but the very tip of the blade (~3 inches) was absolutely blunt. i mean the grinder they use didn't even come in contact with it, it was essentially a flat piece of metal. found an old file i had laying around and put a proper edge on that machete. dont know where i'm going with this comment, just wanted to share my experience. but other than that i csn really recommend tramontina!
I've had three Tramontina's and they all had the unground tip, still took less effort to get a good tool than most of the stuff coming out of Sheffield these days.
Dont sweat the tip section being unsharpened. In use it will get blunted by striking the dirt , stones , roots , etc... the time and effort spent sharpening it is wasted . The tip can be used as a shovel anyways , use it one handed or " half sword " it for more digging power . Sharpen about a hand's breadth of the edge closest to the handle to razor sharpness and you've got a whittling blade at your disposal . Three tools in one package .
I´ve noticed three mistakes that beginners do: 3) using the wrong grit: You don´t want a too rough one, as it makes it near impossible to get a fine edge and it wears down the blade fast (but also makes nasty scratches with every mistake of yours). However, if a blade is blunt as a butter knife and it´s made of tough steel, then you can spend hours with a normal sharpener and you´ll wonder why it isn´t working... 2) jumping to fast between grits: you can make a nasty sharp edge fast by using a rough and then a fine grit, but it won´t keep the edge (I had a sword that lost its edge through resheathing into the wooden scabbard!). You need to get a consistent edge first before you change to the finer grit. Eventually, you´ll notice a difference in sound and resistance. 1) The most challenging part is getting the angle right and maintaining it. You can dye the edge to check if you get it right, but even if you mostly got the angle right, you may still wobble a lot with each stroke. That way you get a very inconsistent edge and it cuts usually worse than if you make mistake no. 2.
I usually use a butcher steel or a ceramic rod on large blades. May use them on smaller blades. You can use what ever you want. I do have a couple of hockey pucks.
Do you ever strop swords, machetes, or other large blades? I got a question from a viewer on my channel about stropping a 19" knife and I wonder if you have any advice, perspective or opinion on the stropping such large blades? I do have machetes too but I have never stropped them for the same reason you give, a toothy edge is preferred on it. Your response is appreciated.
I have a very similar machete which was sold as a cane cutters tool for the sugar plantations they were made by martindale in birmingham for the british empire I always found the best way to sharpen is with a flap disc on a hand grinder- a quick stroke along the blade on one side then the other- don't let any heat build up or the temper is ruined.
I normally use a butcher steel or a ceramic rod for what I use outside. Throw in a strop for stuff I use inside. Of course if you lack all skill at this you can get one of the little v shaped sharpeners and use it. You'll still get a decent working edge.
As a knife affectionado, I usually use a fixed system for my knife blades. I also do a bit of cutting, bottles, mats etc with a couple of katanas I have, a Tinker Peirce bastard and a basket hilt backsword. I have always sharpened my swords freehand, it is an always a PITA. Works best though. PS learned to sharpen bigger things by watching HM Ghurkas long time ago.
A couple suggestions for safety especially amateurs: 1 you can wad up something made of cloth like a teeshirt or towel between you and the tip of the blade. 2 if using a small stone makes you nervous you could wear leather gloves for protection .
Just a quick tip I get a slightly higher angle each time i use finer abrasive it gets your edge convex and not the best looking. But you can get from dull to shaving sharp much faster
Wgg Wfg People forget how important edge geometry is. Simple things like that can keep your blade from getting stuck in targets to sailing/cleaving through them. Excellent tip!
This exact shape and make is a traditional blade in Tamil Nadu, India called Aruval. Literally translated to Chop Blade. It's used for almost everything from cutting wood, opening coconuts, butchering goats, settling disputes with people, etc. It is usually depicted as the weapon of the God Ayyanar in villages.
I you have it a little bit backwards with the sandpaper vs stones, the reason you would go with a stone instead sandpaper is if you sharpen a lot and you want to save money. Where I live I can get a stone for about 40-50 times the cost of sheet of wet and dry and you get way more than 50 sheets of sharpening with a stone. On the other hand if you absolutely have to get something flat it's pretty hard go past a sheet of wet and dry attached to a sheet of glass.
I often sharpen my kitchen knives with the bottom of a dish. You know, the slightly rough circular ridge where it normally stands. It works like a charm.
With the Goloks we use to be issued with a mill file. Use that and when we needed a better edge we just used a rock pointing out the ground and wet it.
For a utility edge, concrete, asphalt or any brittlish semi-hard stone will work fine. Or so I say when half my house is weighed down by sharpening stones... 👍
Down here in south america we use an angle grinder to sharpen machetes, the file is on the backpack to retouch the edge while on the field, but our main way of sharpening them is the grinder If you can get your hands on one, the best machetes out there are the Corneta, from El Salvador Republic, believe me i've had literally dozens of machetes until i've got one of them and it is still with me after over 20 years of use (and abuse) Really neat spring steel. Argentine, brazilian and colombian machetes are horrendous steel, no possible point of comparison
A machete is a great tool for brush trimming. I have two good long ones. One that rings like a singing sword, one so stout that with a guard would be a not too short cutlass. Every good boy and girl should get a good machete for their 12th birthdays. With practice they're quicker than clippers at taking large branch's limbs off for bundling (I have too many trees in the first place). In addition, the arm swinging athletics of machete use are more invigorating than most other yard tools. There's also that it's a tool where skill maters. A miss-use can end in stitches. I did a little slash on my calf back in the 1980's while building a wikiup. That's all part of the virtue of this great yard tool.
Hey Matt, I'm in the abrasive aisle for sand paper and I'm debating between buying the wet, the dry and the super dry papers. Which one would you personally recommend?
I still use a whitestone at times, but have found the convenience of a file and wet/dry paper on a wood block very good, especially if you need something while out in the field... the variety of grits and the affordability make it very worthwhile, especially for a novice... with practice you can get pretty well any type of edge you are looking for
Wow. A UA-cam sharpening video with correct advice. That sir, is a bit of a rarity. I myself prefer sharpening my swords with sandpaper. Like you mentioned, it's essentially the same as a high priced whetstone. Thanks Matt Easton.
A good quality mill file, like a Pferd, will eat metal very quickly and with a great deal of control. Great for establishing a bevel on a newly forged blade.
It is also good to keep a whetting iron at hand if you have just bent your edge! You simply straighten back up the edge with it! It saves much time and material, since you are not sharpening it off and what not! (especially with a fine edge)
I find gluing the Sandpaper down to Glass helps me to keep a finer Edge for my kitchen blades and using wet dry sandpaper on glass helps to keep my block planes square and true then again I have three boys using my stone to their rarely straight
I would highly recommend someone new to sharpening to not go back and forth with your sharpening tool unless you're completely realigning your edge, which is good if you have a lot of material to remove. It's a lot easier to mess up your edge by both rolling the edge and messing up your flat edge. Your edge will end up wavy side to side and make it quite difficult to cut even if the edge is sharp. I know I didn't exactly say it right but I hope I got the point across
I like to use a long handled slasher myself, basically a socketed billhook of questionable quality steel on the end of a pole. What it lacks in finesse it makes up for in punch. Even though the blade is a relative lightweight it has the power to take down a small sapling, and sometimes I will use it more like a machete with my hand choked up further towards the blade. I just use a cheap tungsten sharpener on it to tidy up the edge now and then.
If you're looking to buy a machete, parang etc get an old one, as Matt says or if you can't find one you can do what I did and order one from Malaysia. It was cheaper than a bad quality one in UK stores including postage :)
You are so right about a sensible approach to sharpening a blade after due consideration of what the blade does. Machetes are soft... like Rockwell 45 - 50. A razor sharp, polished edge with 10 degree bevel will roll over dull almost immediately. I spent 2 years running the small motors / tools shop in a very busy rental yard. thus, I was the "go to" sharpening guy for everything from planer blades to chainsaws, to buck saws, to skip loader buckets (yes, they get hard faced and then "sharpened"). Files for scythes, machetes, and shovels. Belt sander for Rotary mower blades, froes, and Mattocks. Stones for wood chisels, planer blades, reel type lawn mowers, and all other scissor type things. Golf courses demand and require very sharp reel mower blades to cut bent grass for the putting greens. I sharpened a lot of these things... tally a pain.
I wonder if the wife asked Matt to clear something out in the garden? Then instead of just doing it he decided to make a video.
Haven't we all been there?
Could have used a modern garden tool too, but where’s the fun in that?
Pretty sure if his wife really wanted it done she would use it as an excuse to get a few backsword swings in lol
A modern one if you want to hand in your penis licence.
Or the opposite... she's been nagging hum for the last 6 moths to do this, and he's been using this "planned video" as an excuse to put it off.
Cool machete! I love spring steel. Thanks for the tutorial pal.
Yo metatron, where'd you get the design for your profile picture? I love the look.
@@holyknightthatpwns It's sacred geometry, it's called the Metatron's cube. The version I use is a stylised original version made for me by Shad from Shadiversity channel, which uses the Metatron's cube as a basis.
Based the Symbol not of the star of David ?
@@metatronyt nice! I love the color scheme as well.
I was an early fan of your channel, I think I may get back into watching your work :)
@@holyknightthatpwns do or do not,there is no try.
Here in Colombia, we use a stick shaped like a check mark symbol to pull the grass or bush an set it before the blow. Also, we use short continuous soft cuts with the wrist. That way you can do it for a longer time.
You know I'm currently looking at motorized brush cutters and despering at the overwhelmingly bad reviews modern power tools of all brands and price ranges tend to get, so I might end up doing just that :b
I learned to do that the hard way lol
Come on...what could Colombians possibly know about machete bush craft???
What do u mean by.. to pull the grass or bush.. an set it before ... What do u mean by that???
@@strydyrhellzrydyr1345 You pull it to a side and hold it.
A toothy edge bites better than a smooth one. That's why you sharpen scythes with a coarse grindstone. I remember being yelled at by my father when I was young for sharpening the scythes with a fine oilstone afterwards. I just wanted them to be really sharp but he told me that the edge need to be toothy to better catch and cut the blades of grass. :)
Good to know when my scythe needs sharpening next time
smooth one good to hack bone.
Just to avoid confusion, I guess you speak about the laminated steel British/American scythes, don't you? With Euro-style monosteel blades you reprofile the edge with peening, then use a fairly smooth sharpening stone just to keep it right there. I've been told that people used to use an oaken hone initially, all to keep the most edge for as long as possible.
But obviously, when it gets dull you use a coarse stone.
@@bakters These were swedish forged scythes, not sure if they were laminated or not. But where I live we've always used local grindstones made from a fairly coarse sandstone, and sharpening stones made from the same stone to touch up the edge. For knives and the like, a harder finer stone is used to put the final edge on the tool but with scythes, axes and the like it seems they preferred a rougher, more toothy edge.
@@Immopimmo I did a search and it seems that Swedes tend to use laminated blades. By that I mean that a layer of high carbon steel is sandwiched between two layers of mild steel, so you sharpen the blade by grinding off the soft layers to uncover the hard core.
Those scythes can't be peened. You'd mash the soft with the hard together, and the hard core would crack.
Most of Europe uses monosteel blades, which you harden by peening the edge. The advantage is simpler construction, lighter weight and (I think) ultimately better sharpness you tend to get. The disadvantage is that peeining is a skilled job.
Anyway, using a smooth or even wooden "stones" at time does not mean that toothy blades don't bite better. They do. It's simply that peening by itself provides enough irregularities for good purchase, so using a coarse stone is initially not necessary.
A piece of coarse sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood is the best axe sharpening tool when you're out camping. Lightweight, takes no space in the backpack and does the job.
a Accu sharp is good and not over Expansive
Alternatively, a puck and strop...? Sandpaper can lack a great deal in longevity and you still need a flat, hard surface to mount it on. It also lacks the cutting speed of other mediums, such as cbn or diamond.
The thumbnail made me chuckle thinking, _I gotta get me one of these "machete knife swords"_ !
now i know how to sharpen my machete knife sword
I think you just described a messer.
6:03 "A toothy edge is actually very good at getting through certain materials including…"
… tomatoes! …
…
Oh, clothing, yeah, right, that's probably more useful in battle.
When I used to work in a butcher shop I learned the trick of using the unfinished bottom of a ceramic coffee cup to sharpen knives from some of the older butchers. I do it at home a lot and it works great.
I've heard of this trick too, but what does "works great" really mean? Because I tried this trick and... I didn't see any special effect, I couldn't cut the hair on my arm with a knife or do other "miracles".
That's really clever. Thanks for the tip
@@odoakerx5260 It's a quick 'n dirty way to make something sharp enough to cut meat in a pinch. But not something you'd use to get a blade sharp enough to pop hair.
Matt, try a scythe stone. I was introduced to them in Belize. I've sharpened with every tool imaginable and the scythe stone is nearly ideal for post filing/grinding, edge correction. It's handy to carry with you too. Because it has rounded corners it won't adversely blunt the angle of concave blades which is handy for recurve or that machete you have.
“Surrey Police, can I help you”....
“Yes..there’s a bald man in a pink t shirt attacking the bushes with a big sword”
“Okay madam, well send some officers over straight away...do you think he might have any other weapons in the house.....?”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Oi, he's got unloicensed gardening tools in there!
* C O N T E X T *
What did he say on Twitter?
Not funny, not realistic. Who calls the cops on someone waving a blade in their own back yard?
@@Likexner My neighbours.
Bring me a SHRUBBERY!
I use sandpaper almost exclusively for sharpening. I have a little quick-change sanding block that holds 1/8 of a sheet. I step up through grits from 60 to 1500 then two stages of buffing compound for a beautiful hair-popping edge.
I do the same at work to touch up the industrial paper cutter blades. They never get really DULL......but you can make they insane sharp with sandpaper a block and a bit of love.
Same. I use a scandi edge on all the knives I make so they're pretty much getting polished and sharpened during the final step.
I kept a old file as part of my kit when in the field.. This is exactly what I sharpened my bayonet,my pocket knife ,and my Etool with .. Razor sharp ..
Been handsharpening small blades by hand since i was 6 years old and this is the best how to hand sharpening video i have seen and i even learned something new. keep up the good work Mr Easton.
I would definitely agree that hand sharpening is superior. As mentioned you dont mess up the heat treat but its also easier to get less secondary bevel. I working on sharpening my favorite side sword as we speak. Already sharpened my rapier, which i hate sharpening b/c narrow flattened diamonds are not the easiest to sharpen imo. Lol
An Englishman with a billhook. Has anyone warned the French?
Toadies be like, "Sacrebleu!!"
The french cannons are unimpressed
I burst my pimples at you and call your 'door opening request' a SILLY THING!
Never mind the frenchies, what about the Scottish knights? ( Reference to Flodden)
I thought they were called "Frogs".
As someone who sharpens professionally, I commend you Matt for a magnificently well informed and experienced video with a great deal of appreciation. I'm amazed by all the bases you covered for folks that might be new to the sharpening community- foil edges/burrs, overheated factory edges, etc. Just something else, toothy edge are not usually inferior in edge holding to a fine edge! That almost always comes down to chemistry of the blade, heat treat, carbide formation, cutting, etc. Then cutting medium. New alloys allow for 'toothy' edges to cut for extreme performance. Also, hand sharpened edges almost always have a natural convex to them- this can be very good!
I know this is an old comment, but where do you begin when it comes to sharpening a factory unsharpened sword? It seems daunting and I can't find any info on it
Interesting! I have a Cold Steel Cutlass Machete that's likely nowhere near cutlass quality (though I do manage the 6 cut drill with it surprisingly well), but was dirt cheap and I do have a fair amount of brush that grows around the yard, so figured why not. One thing I have heard about it is that it lose its edge quickly, so it's nice to know that I could sharpen it with a file.
Thanks for your video. I was applying those methods already with some small addings (personal preferences). I have been trying to sharpen decently knives and axes for several years and as you said in your video it can take some time to get a result. I remember 2 years ago I persevered spending 30 minutes to sharpen an axe and I got it for the first time hair shaving sharp. This encouraged me to have more perseverance and learn the skill better. Thanks for sharing your experience.
while using a Machate, your opposing leg must back in you pivot using the leg of your working hand. That avoids accidents.
Finally someone agrees with me about the toothy edge! When using a knife to cut thread or rope the tooth is extremely valuable as it allows effective sawing. Smooth polished edges tend to just slide off harder fibers like polyester or mercerized cotton.
Theres just something about sharpening manually by hand that always seems to produce feelings of greater satisfaction, compared to when relying on a machine. Crazy looking back and thinking about how many times ive just sat around hand sharpening my tools/blades that didnt need to be sharpened, or how many edges that ive dulled from being overly aggressive with my tools, giving me another opportunity to practice and improve my sharpening. Time well spent in my book haha.
25 mins without saying context once, I'm impressed.
Brilliant presenter with real experience, so many great videos but this one stands out to me as a very useful intro for blade fans who don't enjoy or feel comfortable trying to sharpen their blades. Lots of solid advice here. I was a terrible sharpener before I tried experimenting with inexpensive wet/dry sand paper glued to solid blocks. I started with some bushcraft advice on stropping wood carving knives but soon progressed to axes and chisels. With a little practice and patience wicked edges are easy with so many tools. Smooth, sharpen, enjoy, they are your tools...
You know, i made a video showing how to sharpen a katana using sandpaper, but for most katana lovers it was a sacrilege.
For me what matters is to keep the blade cutting.
Luciano Silva I’ve seen your video Luciano. Very good and guess what? It works. It works very well.
If the sword cuts, it cuts.
In my experience a thin bevel of about 15° per side works best for machetes, including those used for chopping woody targets. Even very inexpensive machetes--providing they're of good base quality--will hold up just fine for that purpose. When sitting with a machete one may put one end under the thigh and the other end atop your remaining one for a vise-like grip on the tool while filing/grinding it. Coarse scythe stones do well for maintaining edges or ironing out minor damage, as well as raising a slightly more refined (but still toothy) edge after the use of a file. Draw filing works well as a method of establishing the initial bevel.
"...and also if you're having a cutting party".
You've got some weird parties mate.
I knew some 'goth' kids in high school that had cutting parties but not the kind Matt is talking about.
Just one thing missing from this rather nice and practical presentation: the good old natural stone. Whenever you're hiking or working in some remote area with a tool knife or a machete you can sharpen it on virtually any stone or boulder you can find at the site that has one reasonably flat side on it. Flat river stones work best, as running water polishes them to a fine regular surface, that's what our ancestors used before the advent of purpose made sharpening stones.
Regarding steel quality in modern machetes you're generally right, but there are exceptions, one being what I'm currently using: Tramontina blades. This Brazilian company uses 1045 tool steel which has quite good edge retention and is strong enough for the job, they keep the price down by using very basic wooden handles which is a great idea i.m.o. as it doesn't take much to refine or even replace it at home if you want to.
I reccomend Tramontinas .
A file is my go to for tools like axes and machetes. Very easy to touch up and minimal tools to cary around. The lansky puck stones are pretty decent too.
You begin the fit the role of sensei more and more - you have a garden. When your students are endlessly carrying buckets of water to your plants, doing digging and weeding, etc - you'll be there. It's physical conditioning! "How can you swing a sword when you cannot dig a hole?"-SwordMaster, Afro Samurai. I think the shovel is the foundation of the spear.
With a machete that size I can beat a chainsaw at chopping down spruce and cottonwood trees for a few trees. I've done it against people who know how to use a chainsaw, it wasn't a large one but not a mini-chainsaw either. Eventually I get tired and fall behind, but for most things most of the time man > machine. Especially if taking time to fuel, oil, prime, start, and perhaps fix the machine is taken into account. I can cut a lot before most people get their saw started. Since I was 8 or 9 I've been chopping down trees adults can't wrap their arms around with a machete, which I think works better than a hatchet or wood-cutting axe. The bite is deeper because of the thin blade, so you can surgically remove the pieces needed to reach the middle by cutting diagonal 45s up and down, which is actually how I learned to throw those attacks. A claw hammer is best tho, rip with the part for removing nails and large chunks come out from deep parts of the tree and are removed as the hammer is withdrawn.
When I would put false edges on machetes or sharpen them on a grinding wheel at the shop I quickly saw what I called "poisoning the blade" with heat. So I would "quench" them in the snow outside (which can be 20+ feet deep in my town), and eventually just kept a 5 gallon bucket of snow water by the wheel. I like blades to be ice cold before I grind on them, and I move them quickly on the worksharp and use a finer grade than I should by throwing more time at it. I had no idea the entire heat treatment could be ruined tho! I'll be careful, thanks.
This is a killer video. I have been sharping my blades from the age of 14 I'm 50 now I make knives swords and Tomahawks on a hobby becoming a second income basis . If done by hand? Once YOU have ground an edge profile on your blade and have it sharp . Never let anyone else say. "Lemme sharpen your knife". Unless they can repeat the angle of attack you use. They will end up dicking your edge up.. Even if they sharpen it it'll take them a while . Then what will happen is. Once it needs sharping again. And you put the edge to what ever medium you use. You will have to start from zero and reprofile your blade again. I have done it so long. I can take any of my blades from dull to shave sharp in less than five minutes. There used to be What we called Tinkers here in the US in the larger cities. That's all they did was push a cart around. Yelling out Sharpen your knives scissors axes. Ladies would stop them and they would sharpen their knives. They came by regular and did this. Here in the South and smaller towns The blacksmith often did this. Or the man of the house did all the edge work. I have 4 or 5 folks who bring me their hunting knives skinning and gutting blades I also do their carry knives I profiled them from new and keep them sharp for a buck or two. Five to ten for a reprofile after they either let someone else ruin the edge or if they dent or bend the edge and I need to do file work. Here is something that not alot know. When you want to use a ceramic stone. To finish up after your stone work on your carry blade?. The bottom of a Ceramic Coffee or Tea cup. When they fire the cups in the kiln to glaze them. The glaze never makes it to where the very bottom touches the kiln surface . This leaves a very smooth raw ceramic ring. That will take your knife from sharp to cut your eye if you look at it to hard sharp. Just a few pulls the same angle you used on your last stone. That's if your last stone was fine and got the blade sharp but not shave or cut paper sharp. This is one of the best finishing stones I have ever found. Best of all everyone has several already. Make sure to wipe it down once you see the black or grey color.That's actual microns thick of blade on it. That fine tinfoil thick edge that formed from the stone work. It takes the blade to scalpel sharp if done right at the same angle you used.
A terra cotta flower pot works too.
Watched tons of Machete sharpening videos before this with a lot of not very competent people which also where not very likeable.
Now I watched yours and everything is exactly the opposite to all the other videos I watched. Thanks a lot!
Turning chores into wonderful and informative lessons. A man after my own heart.
As far as I'm aware, axes, despite common internet heresay, are not any less dull than a knife if they're meant to be used for heavy chopping tasks with the exception being swamping axes used near the ground. A reference for this can be seen in Dudley Cook's "The Axe Book". The angle most commonly found in his experience at the edge is 30 degrees, a similar angle to many machetes, but that is typically for only a 16th of an inch behind the edge less than most primary bevels on machetes. After that, it rounds over to 15 degrees, then 5 degrees. These are average figures mind you, not specifics or needed qualifications.
On page 80 of Dudley Cook's "The Axe Book" he states that a sharp axe is sharp enough to shave with, criticizing dull axes as being unsafe. Similarly in a 1999 manual released by the US department of agriculture it states that a sharpened axe should be able to shave. This is not a statement on grit or toothy edges, to be clear. Files were and for many people still are the primary way to sharpen an axe, and the 'grit' or 'tooth' of an edge is independent of its ability to shave. People have been able to reach shaving sharp on a 60 grit cinderblock before. This is more a statement on edge angles and the supposed "wedge" like nature of axe edges.
From personal experience in cutting a moderate amount of wood (two cords, as of now, from standing tree to bucked and split wood with just an axe, no saw.) I am able to push the angle of the edge extremely low, ie 20 degrees with no ill consequences even in the toughest of woods such as osage orange, hickory, and black locust. Anything beyond 15 degrees and below tends to roll on the first hit. Two others who, to my knowledge, have similar opinions are Steven Edholm and Ben Scott -- both of which are far more skilled and experienced with an axe than me.
Anyway that was a long post about something you briefly mentioned as an aside.
I feel like it is really complicated topic. At least more complicated then Matt presented it. Also important point is that nowdays steel used for axes is supposed to be much tougher and/or harder. On other side, I doubt you can do shaving sharp on a 60 grit cinderblock if steel is hard enough, and even with soft steel it is, probably, those teeth that are biting in that give false feeling of sharpness.
I sharpen my Cold Steel Trail Hawk and Estwing hatchet to shaving sharp . I don't do axe work much , so my axe stays moderately sharp with a carborundum stone .
Thank you for the informational post
I cut down bamboo a lot for firewood, and I sharpen my machete with... a big rock. Any nearby rock. I just look for a flat part and grind against that. I was half-expecting this video to chastise me for that lol.
A simple rock is an excellent choice, especially when the goal is not to make an everlasting razor edge... Glad to hear the basics are not completely forgotten.
You can grind two flat rocks together to make them even smoother
I have one of those downward-curved machetes. Mine was made in Ghana, probably in the 70s, and it was given to my by a Ghanaian man who had been living in Minnesota for 25 years or something. He sold his house to a friend of mine, because he was going to move back to Ghana, and he was cleaning out his garage, and here was this rusty old blade, one of the handle scales missing. I cleaned it up a bit and made new handle scales out of African mahogany, which seemed an appropriate choice. It's a good springy blade and keeps an edge pretty well.
I've used the back of another blade as a steel when working in a volunteer kitchen. Astonished the owner of the blades, as i did them all over a morning's work, as he'd never sharpened them himself. Taught him how to use a steel and told him to go buy one.
My wife grew up in East Africa cutting brush with a panga a lot like the first one with the outside edge was sharpened. They were sharpened with a cheap Chinese file, usually to a chisel edge. The toothy edge was pretty much universal, and they get used on everything from rough butchering to cutting down African ebony.
brazilian machetes are really good
i myself would recommend you the tramontina brand they make really good machetes and knives
A 14" Tramontina Bolo is my favorite. Great little chopper!
I'm Brazilian and I had no idea our machetes were liked abroad. Good to know.
@@GabrielfoBR I own two 18" Tramontinas and they're my favorite machetes . I'm American , but Trammys beat American machetes hands down in my opinion . I gave one to a friend as a wedding gift as she wanted me to teach her bushcraft and survival skills . I also gave her a Mora Knife .
Condor and tramontina are ok blades, have four, two machete (one of each) and two condor knives, all decent edges and hold them about same as mora knife, that is ok workblade but not superior, and for 95% it is just what you need.
@@najroe yep
The idea that an axe does not need to be very sharp is only correct for splitting. For cutting across the grain you will really benefit from a good polished edge.
It should be noted that depending on the steel and heat treatment even a proper file may be dulled because the material hardness may be in the same range as the file. However chainsaw files are made harder than standard mill files to work on the hardened teeth of chainsaws.
A fairly fine toothed chainsaw file is what I use to keep my machetes sharp in the field. Very handy
Isn't that more to do with modern files being shoddy quality, about the only mill files worth bothering with now are Bahco. The chainsaw files are a good call, especially for a hooked blade.
My uncle used to work on looms in a cotton mill and kept Nicholson files in his tool boxes . Modern files are trash for the most part . My uncle taught me to never draw a file backwards , that ruins the teeth in no time flat . He also taught me to use a file card and oil to keep the files clean and rust free .
Perfect I need to sharpen my gardening machete.
I remember using a strong blade about 6 inches long fixed to a stout wooden handle above 30 inches long.
Not especially sharp to the hand, but good for cutting Briar and other bushes. Also made it possible to defoliate an old Rhododendron bush and then cut into the place where the 4 inch branches came from.
Sound changed from "Pang" to "Whach".
I prefer a low carbon steel machete, although they do dull kind of quickly they are much easier to sharpen than stainless. I have a stainless machete out in my garage and several stainless knife blades that have convinced me that stainless steel is a pain in the rear end to sharpen. So I keep my kiw carbon knives nice with a good CLP and I sharpen them regularly and they remain nicely sharpened with a just a little bit of maintenance.
Hi Matt. I've cut and fitted a file like yours to the same size than my honing stones. It fits perfectly on my edge pro apex. Ideal for grinding a blade to the edge geometry without wasting my precious stones.
I have a few really cheap, stainless 'steel' cooking knives, which lose their edque rather quickly. After I run the blade over the back of another knife 20x in either direction, it's good enough for cutting onions and tomatos
Thanks Mat, have been sharpening with a basic lansky sharpener for years (bought in 1992), but avoiding doing my swords as it seemed insurmountable with my small kit. you've given me ideas on how to fix my collection. Thanks!
I have used files for many years to sharpen axes and machetes. A very good tool.
You should give as a tour of your new garden, seems quite lovely!
It is so great to finally hear someone say all of this.
Safety Tip. When swinging at low foliage don’t stand with opposite side leg forward. Good chance of the blade swinging through and burying itself in your shin bone. I seen some horrible leg injuries from this. Or you can hold a wooden pole /staff in your off hand and position in front of the offside leg.
I always thought Matt used a super dry stone to sharpen his blades.
Old comment but it's pretty great because the stone he does use is a dry stone. The fallkniven dc4 is a combination diamond / synthetic sapphire stone that needs no lubrication, no water no oil, It is a super dry stone.
@@-Zevin- yo appreciate the comment. that's cool.
Talked to much about about sharpening stuff, completely missed the sneaking enemy at 9:01 in the trees behind! :D
I didn't see anything...
@@johnhanley9946 There is a mouse or squirrel or something in a tree.
One of my favorite things for sharpening is sandpaper. It's critical that you have a smooth, flat surface to lay it on however. I use either a 12"x12" 'quarry tile', a floor tile cut from stone that is very hard, smooth, and flat. Or, a thick piece of glass of a similar size. (big enough to hold a full sheet of sand paper. I like a piece that is 3/8" thick so it is not easily broken)
If the blade is really dull, I can use very coarse grit to get a quick edge that I can then refine with finer grits.
Typically though I start with 600-880 grit for knife sharpening and then move up through1200, 1600, and 2000.
When you get to 2000 grit you are basically 'honing', polishing the edge for durability and a razor finish.
For a machete or similar implement, you are absolutely correct, a bastard file is perfect. keep it in your back pocket for quick touch ups. For blades that I don't care about, but need to keep quickly sharp, sometimes I'll even stoop to using one of those carbide sharpeners, the ones with two pieces of carbide set in an angle. You drag it along the blade and in just a couple of passes you have a usable 'toothy' edge.
Thanks very much for this - this was just what I needed.
I have always used a flat file and different grades of sand paper. With the machetes I sometimes used in the American south, the flat file would keep you going all day. A fine edge on something being used like a machete, would just turn, or so I think.
A slightly ragged edge tears as much as it cuts, which is why it gets through clothing and leather when slashing.
Some sand paper is now coated with aluminium oxide. That is for the final shiny finish. I use those for finishing my lock picking tools.
The ability to hand sharpen is a 'must have' skill for knife folks. Reason being, the Work Sharp, and, belt grinders, in general, don't travel or work well out in the field. 🤪
Nice machete, Matt! 👍
I'd love to add one of that pattern in my machete collection.
I found for saplings my WW2 Collins bush knife worked very well- fairly short but very sturdy- read heavy-blade. It was decent with a relatively dull edge- by my standards, anyway- but once I took it to the belt grinder it was superb, much less effort.
Now I'm thinking about building a sharpening system like the "edge pro apex" but scaled for swords. Having a constant angle really helps to achieve high quality sharpening and allows you to put more pressure on the stones, thus gaining time.
I think that the instructions for maintenance of a sabre were taken from De Brack who went on to say that if the edge angle was wrong, essentially you're better off swinging a club. He made a point npi mentioning how troopers carried a stone or fine file and mentioned specifically sharpening in a direction that the sword would bite better in a draw cut.
I've seen very a good edge put on tools and "corn knife" and machete with a pair of fine double basted files. Actually sharp enough to shave the hair on your arm. And for sand paper the metal version is called emery paper for one name. These go to extremely fine grit. 3000 is the highest I've seen and is used to polish. With a little creativity making a sharpening guide you can get a remarkable edge. As you keep emphasizing, the angle or geometry is important. For a test get an old beat up spade shovel and a new shovel. Put a 30° edge on the new shovel and polish the entire head. Go dig a hole and anyone can see how a properly sharpened tool makes work easier.
I actually used sandpaper to sharpen some kitchen knives. Worked a treat! However dont do it in the kitchen...
Personally Iv'e never come across any difficulty with belt sanders. All you need to do is check the blade every now and then by touching it, so long as it's not uncomfortable to touch from the heat your fine.
If it uses a cloth belt, I guess you could arrange a dripping garden hose above it for additional cooling?
I used to carry my sharpening kit in my rucksack when I was in the army. It consisted of 2 files (coarse and fine mill bastards), a stone with 2 kinds of grit, wrapped up by a piece of old denim that was used enough to provide more grit. No need for oil, the Canadian Army always had plenty to keep our antique MGs operating. I added the coarse mill bastard after I had to repair something, and the fine bastard took too long in the middle of nowhere. I never regretted carrying the weight, and it save my ass a number of times.
For sharpening ice axes and crampons, a file is perfect and what I always carry on trips.
I have gotten a hatchet shaving sharp with a file. First, do not use a a file with a diamond pattern to sharpen anything. You aren't sharpening anything, just removing steel and scuffing up the edge. If you are going to scruff the edge then just buy a saw.
Second, apply even pressure and comparatively a lot. It's a file, not a stone. Third, sharpen at an angle. You want the lines of the file to contact the edge parallel. Fourth, strope the blade. Wood usually does the trick. Fith, a curved bevel makes the edge last longer. I prefer a flat bevel because my elbows, shoulders and back are screwed so a smooth, easy cut is worth touching up the blade. That is also why a rough edge seems crazy to me. A smooth edge and bevel, preferably smooth enough to see your reflection, cuts faster and smoother than wackiness it with a saw because you don't know how to make it sharp. Saw with a saw. Cut with a sharp blade.
Sand paper is as good as a stone. Glue it to something flat.
second that. You can also apply fibrous gypsum (translated it by a dictionary so i hope that is the right word) or chalk (the one you wite on blackboards with) to the file and thus making the surface you create even smoother.
just bought a tramontina machete a few days ago. has a nice edge, but the very tip of the blade (~3 inches) was absolutely blunt. i mean the grinder they use didn't even come in contact with it, it was essentially a flat piece of metal. found an old file i had laying around and put a proper edge on that machete.
dont know where i'm going with this comment, just wanted to share my experience. but other than that i csn really recommend tramontina!
I've had three Tramontina's and they all had the unground tip, still took less effort to get a good tool than most of the stuff coming out of Sheffield these days.
Dont sweat the tip section being unsharpened. In use it will get blunted by striking the dirt , stones , roots , etc... the time and effort spent sharpening it is wasted . The tip can be used as a shovel anyways , use it one handed or " half sword " it for more digging power . Sharpen about a hand's breadth of the edge closest to the handle to razor sharpness and you've got a whittling blade at your disposal . Three tools in one package .
I´ve noticed three mistakes that beginners do:
3) using the wrong grit: You don´t want a too rough one, as it makes it near impossible to get a fine edge and it wears down the blade fast (but also makes nasty scratches with every mistake of yours). However, if a blade is blunt as a butter knife and it´s made of tough steel, then you can spend hours with a normal sharpener and you´ll wonder why it isn´t working...
2) jumping to fast between grits: you can make a nasty sharp edge fast by using a rough and then a fine grit, but it won´t keep the edge (I had a sword that lost its edge through resheathing into the wooden scabbard!). You need to get a consistent edge first before you change to the finer grit. Eventually, you´ll notice a difference in sound and resistance.
1) The most challenging part is getting the angle right and maintaining it. You can dye the edge to check if you get it right, but even if you mostly got the angle right, you may still wobble a lot with each stroke. That way you get a very inconsistent edge and it cuts usually worse than if you make mistake no. 2.
*To easily sharpen a Machete*
You must soak it first with the blood of your enemies
and i thought that would be inbetween to cool the blade down...
DON'T TEMPT MEXICANS LOL
Don't tell that to MS 13.
I usually use a butcher steel or a ceramic rod on large blades. May use them on smaller blades. You can use what ever you want. I do have a couple of hockey pucks.
double sided diamond hones are amazing, expensive but worth every penny.
Do you ever strop swords, machetes, or other large blades?
I got a question from a viewer on my channel about stropping a 19" knife and I wonder if you have any advice, perspective or opinion on the stropping such large blades? I do have machetes too but I have never stropped them for the same reason you give, a toothy edge is preferred on it. Your response is appreciated.
I have a very similar machete which was sold as a cane cutters tool for the sugar plantations they were made by martindale in birmingham for the british empire I always found the best way to sharpen is with a flap disc on a hand grinder- a quick stroke along the blade on one side then the other- don't let any heat build up or the temper is ruined.
I normally use a butcher steel or a ceramic rod for what I use outside. Throw in a strop for stuff I use inside. Of course if you lack all skill at this you can get one of the little v shaped sharpeners and use it. You'll still get a decent working edge.
As a knife affectionado, I usually use a fixed system for my knife blades. I also do a bit of cutting, bottles, mats etc with a couple of katanas I have, a Tinker Peirce bastard and a basket hilt backsword. I have always sharpened my swords freehand, it is an always a PITA. Works best though. PS learned to sharpen bigger things by watching HM Ghurkas long time ago.
i use a accu sharp and Keramik sharpener why i dont be good at Sharpening .
Another DC4 fan! I love mine, I'm glad that they finally released the DC52, a full bench sized version. Makes my life easier lol
A couple suggestions for safety especially amateurs: 1 you can wad up something made of cloth like a teeshirt or towel between you and the tip of the blade. 2 if using a small stone makes you nervous you could wear leather gloves for protection .
Just a quick tip
I get a slightly higher angle each time i use finer abrasive it gets your edge convex and not the best looking. But you can get from dull to shaving sharp much faster
Wgg Wfg People forget how important edge geometry is. Simple things like that can keep your blade from getting stuck in targets to sailing/cleaving through them.
Excellent tip!
This exact shape and make is a traditional blade in Tamil Nadu, India called Aruval. Literally translated to Chop Blade.
It's used for almost everything from cutting wood, opening coconuts, butchering goats, settling disputes with people, etc.
It is usually depicted as the weapon of the God Ayyanar in villages.
I you have it a little bit backwards with the sandpaper vs stones, the reason you would go with a stone instead sandpaper is if you sharpen a lot and you want to save money. Where I live I can get a stone for about 40-50 times the cost of sheet of wet and dry and you get way more than 50 sheets of sharpening with a stone. On the other hand if you absolutely have to get something flat it's pretty hard go past a sheet of wet and dry attached to a sheet of glass.
Every time I watch a Schola video, I always wonder: what kind of existence must one lead to dislike this?
I often sharpen my kitchen knives with the bottom of a dish. You know, the slightly rough circular ridge where it normally stands. It works like a charm.
With the Goloks we use to be issued with a mill file. Use that and when we needed a better edge we just used a rock pointing out the ground and wet it.
For a utility edge, concrete, asphalt or any brittlish semi-hard stone will work fine.
Or so I say when half my house is weighed down by sharpening stones... 👍
Down here in south america we use an angle grinder to sharpen machetes, the file is on the backpack to retouch the edge while on the field, but our main way of sharpening them is the grinder
If you can get your hands on one, the best machetes out there are the Corneta, from El Salvador Republic, believe me i've had literally dozens of machetes until i've got one of them and it is still with me after over 20 years of use (and abuse) Really neat spring steel. Argentine, brazilian and colombian machetes are horrendous steel, no possible point of comparison
A machete is a great tool for brush trimming. I have two good long ones. One that rings like a singing sword, one so stout that with a guard would be a not too short cutlass. Every good boy and girl should get a good machete for their 12th birthdays. With practice they're quicker than clippers at taking large branch's limbs off for bundling (I have too many trees in the first place). In addition, the arm swinging athletics of machete use are more invigorating than most other yard tools. There's also that it's a tool where skill maters. A miss-use can end in stitches. I did a little slash on my calf back in the 1980's while building a wikiup. That's all part of the virtue of this great yard tool.
Yeah, don't take your swords to a 'professional' sharpener, he'll put it on a belt sander and ruin it. He doesn't have hours to do it by hand. : o
Hey Matt, I'm in the abrasive aisle for sand paper and I'm debating between buying the wet, the dry and the super dry papers. Which one would you personally recommend?
SeemsLogical must be superdry with Matt.
I still use a whitestone at times, but have found the convenience of a file and wet/dry paper on a wood block very good, especially if you need something while out in the field... the variety of grits and the affordability make it very worthwhile, especially for a novice... with practice you can get pretty well any type of edge you are looking for
Outstanding TUTORIAL !!!
Thx Matt !!
The sharpening starting at 22:37 is strangely calming...
I agree..I dont mind toothy edges for wood work tools..Polished edges are better for precision flesh work (skinning deer)
I can imagine a toothy edge would be more liable to nick the skin instead of just cutting the fat
@@SonsOfLorgar that and it kind of grabs and hangs on to fur, tendons, etc..
Wow. A UA-cam sharpening video with correct advice. That sir, is a bit of a rarity. I myself prefer sharpening my swords with sandpaper. Like you mentioned, it's essentially the same as a high priced whetstone. Thanks Matt Easton.
A good quality mill file, like a Pferd, will eat metal very quickly and with a great deal of control. Great for establishing a bevel on a newly forged blade.
It is also good to keep a whetting iron at hand if you have just bent your edge!
You simply straighten back up the edge with it!
It saves much time and material, since you are not sharpening it off and what not! (especially with a fine edge)
I find gluing the Sandpaper down to Glass helps me to keep a finer Edge for my kitchen blades and using wet dry sandpaper on glass helps to keep my block planes square and true then again I have three boys using my stone to their rarely straight
He kept talking for so long, that I was starting to worry the bush was going to get away...
I would highly recommend someone new to sharpening to not go back and forth with your sharpening tool unless you're completely realigning your edge, which is good if you have a lot of material to remove. It's a lot easier to mess up your edge by both rolling the edge and messing up your flat edge. Your edge will end up wavy side to side and make it quite difficult to cut even if the edge is sharp. I know I didn't exactly say it right but I hope I got the point across
I like to use a long handled slasher myself, basically a socketed billhook of questionable quality steel on the end of a pole. What it lacks in finesse it makes up for in punch. Even though the blade is a relative lightweight it has the power to take down a small sapling, and sometimes I will use it more like a machete with my hand choked up further towards the blade. I just use a cheap tungsten sharpener on it to tidy up the edge now and then.
Some folks call it a sling blade, i call it a Kaiser blade
If you're looking to buy a machete, parang etc get an old one, as Matt says or if you can't find one you can do what I did and order one from Malaysia. It was cheaper than a bad quality one in UK stores including postage :)
You are so right about a sensible approach to sharpening a blade after due consideration of what the blade does. Machetes are soft... like Rockwell 45 - 50. A razor sharp, polished edge with 10 degree bevel will roll over dull almost immediately.
I spent 2 years running the small motors / tools shop in a very busy rental yard.
thus, I was the "go to" sharpening guy for everything from planer blades to chainsaws, to buck saws, to skip loader buckets (yes, they get hard faced and then "sharpened").
Files for scythes, machetes, and shovels. Belt sander for Rotary mower blades, froes, and Mattocks. Stones for wood chisels, planer blades, reel type lawn mowers, and all other scissor type things.
Golf courses demand and require very sharp reel mower blades to cut bent grass for the putting greens. I sharpened a lot of these things... tally a pain.