Editor's brief: In addition to having a full-time job, the author has been an editor in the field of blades for many years and has held several sharpening workshops and blade university courses on the subject, and the author also runs a sharpening service. All the sharpeners in the story are in his collection.
Let's face it – recurve blades aren't just plain sexy. The way the edge is contoured with a strong profile is different from most other blade styles and is definitely eye-catching.
An interesting fact about recurve blades is that the blade is always longer than a standard blade of the same size. How so? If you straighten the recurved blade and compare it to a conventional blade of the same length, the recurved edge will be longer. Why? For the same total blade length, the curve contains more steel. Curves are also practical because the curved part is at an angle to the object being cut, so it is more efficient to cut.
We outline how to cut the edge of a recurve knife in both manual and automatic ways.
While recurve bows are attractive and practical, some people tend to avoid them because they think the edges must be difficult to sharpen. It's the curvature that throws them off track. I'm here to tell you that if you have the right sharpener, a recurve bow isn't hard to sharpen at all. Once you have the right sharpener, the steps you follow are as if you were sharpening a standard blade.
The type of recurve blade
These rounded-profile manual sharpeners are not only suitable for serrations, but also for recurved blades. From top to bottom: DMT FSKC Diafold Serrated Abrasive, Coast SP245 and GATCO Scepter 2.0.
What abrasives are used for recurved blades? There are actually quite a few sharpeners that are best suited. There are people you may already have but don't know they will do the job. A suitable sharpener has a rounded profile because the rounded part is always in contact with the cutting edge, no matter how bent the blade is. I recommend a diamond coating for the sharpener because the diamond works very well with the harder, more wear-resistant steels that are popular today, such as, but not limited to, the CPMs of the S30V, 20CV, S35VN, S45VN and MagnaCut.
Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker的“V”方法是手动锐化反曲的另一种有效方法。
In this article, I will first show you how to properly sharpen a recurve knife using a manual sharpener. No matter what kind of sharpener you use, the technique is the same. I then demonstrated how to sharpen a recurve blade using the electric method. As the editor points out, I also run a knife sharpening service part-time, and I have years of experience sharpening all kinds of blades. My method is reserved only for more advanced and accomplished grinding techniques.
How to sharpen a recurve knife
Sharpen manually
Manual Step 1: Use a black permanent marker, preferably one with a chisel tip, and color the entire length of the blade on both sides of the blade.
Manual step 2: Take a round sharpener – the author is using an EZE ring folding diamond sharpener – hold the blade at an angle of about 20 degrees, starting at the shank and moving down to the tip in a fluid motion.
Manual Step 3: Stop after a few operations and see where the marking ink is left. This is an indicator that requires more or less adjustment of your angle. Friends, that's how to sharpen the recurve. Simple, safe and effective. This is a reliable method.
Auto-sharpening
Automation Step 1: The author sharpens the recurve using his Ken Onion Elite sharpener from Work Sharp and the blade grinding attachment. The belt deflection shown helps the belt conform to the cut edge when bent.
Automation Step 2: The author sharpens the recurve blade like any standard blade by pulling it from the choil on both sides to the tip. The same action is used when sharpening a recurve bow on a manual sharpener.
Automated Step 3: After sharpening, the author scrapes the edges with a leather spatula to wipe off any tiny burrs that have formed.
Automation Step 4: After scraping, the author gives a few recurves on the hanging kitchen knife steel to give the edges additional bite force.