cannot make griptillian sharp

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  • netsecurity

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Oct 14, 2011
    4,201
    48
    Hancock County
    I have a new Griptillian Mini. It was so sharp it would shave my arm and slice cleanly through 8 sheets of thick paped just by barely pressing down (not see sawing). I put it through some paces, a little hard use and then tried to sharpen it. I cannot get it sharp enough to even cleanly slice a single sheet of paper! I've been working on it for foir hours, and it won't improve. I thought my diamond sharpener was nof fine enough, so I got a three stone set today, and have tried it several times to even less success.

    Need ao.e advice.
     

    7.62

    Master
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    26   0   0
    Jul 9, 2011
    2,013
    99
    Hamilton County
    Hard to tell whats gone on without seeing you do it...could be a lot of different things. Not establishing a good bevel, wrong angle, progessing through stones too quickly, etc. Hope you figure it out. If you dont figure it out and need it sharpened send me a PM I can get the edge back for you.
     

    rhino

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Mar 18, 2008
    30,906
    113
    Indiana
    I have a new Griptillian Mini. It was so sharp it would shave my arm and slice cleanly through 8 sheets of thick paped just by barely pressing down (not see sawing). I put it through some paces, a little hard use and then tried to sharpen it. I cannot get it sharp enough to even cleanly slice a single sheet of paper! I've been working on it for foir hours, and it won't improve. I thought my diamond sharpener was nof fine enough, so I got a three stone set today, and have tried it several times to even less success.

    Need ao.e advice.

    It's about maintaining the right angle when you are abrading the metal. One trick that helps is to use a Sharpie on the primary edge bevel. If you're not wearing it away quickly, you will see that the marker is not disappearing, and whether your angle to to high or low.
     

    netsecurity

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Oct 14, 2011
    4,201
    48
    Hancock County
    I am going to send it to Benchmade's Life Sharp service this time, since it is only a couple weeks old and I want it restored to like new condition. In the future I'll be a lot less gung ho, and then stick to gentle sharpening. I think the basic problem is that the steel is too hard for me to work with, and I'm afraid to push down too hard. I have a lot to learn, and this is definitely not the best knife for learning on.
     

    nate77

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Apr 15, 2009
    1,366
    63
    Bunker Hill
    One word, Sharpmaker. I can't sharpen a knife to save my life on a stone, but with the sharpmaker it's a breeze; especially on a non-recurve edge like on your mini griptillian
     

    Tnichols00

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Nov 24, 2012
    739
    18
    Columbia City
    Did you get the 145CM or the D2 Blade?
    Is this your first really nice knife?

    The nicer blades are a lot harder to sharpen, and if you are not matching the current edge that BM put on the knife you will be spending a lot of time putting a whole new edge on it.

    What you need is a true sharpening kit to be able to get that sharp, as mentioned above a sharpmaker, or I have a Lansky Professional kit that works well. You need a more abrasive stone to get it where you want it and a honing stone to get it razor sharp. I suggest not sending it to BM, I dont think they do a great job sharpening a knife.

    KnifeHog - Lansky Professional Sharpening System LKCPR
     

    jdhaines

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Feb 24, 2009
    1,550
    38
    Toledo, OH
    I've got a D2 griptilian. I could never put a decent edge on mine either. I am hand-sharpening challenged. I had a 5 stone lansky system that would put a useable edge on it, but it was never shaving sharp. This year I broke down and bought a wicked edge. Now it's screaming sharp without any effort. It really is an amazing system. Everything comes out scary sharp.

    D2 is a very hard steel and one of the more difficult steels I've tried to sharpen. If I could do it again, I'd go with a softer steel that could sharpen more easily. I bought the D2 because I wanted to avoid sharpening as much as possible. I can go three months sometimes between sharpening, which is nice. Before I got the wicked edge I would let it get very dull and dread the 3 hours on the Lansky it would take me to fix it.
     

    netsecurity

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Oct 14, 2011
    4,201
    48
    Hancock County
    Did you get the 145CM or the D2 Blade?
    Is this your first really nice knife?

    The nicer blades are a lot harder to sharpen, and if you are not matching the current edge that BM put on the knife you will be spending a lot of time putting a whole new edge on it.

    What you need is a true sharpening kit to be able to get that sharp, as mentioned above a sharpmaker, or I have a Lansky Professional kit that works well. You need a more abrasive stone to get it where you want it and a honing stone to get it razor sharp. I suggest not sending it to BM, I dont think they do a great job sharpening a knife.

    KnifeHog - Lansky Professional Sharpening System LKCPR

    Yes, this is my first knife that was not from Walmart bargain bin. It is 154CM metal. I think I didn't match the angle the first time, and pushed down too hard, and did nothing more than remove the thin edge. Now it needs some serious work to make it sharp again, and I am not up to it, even with a proper sharpener. It took me forever just to figure out what I was dealing with, but I guess having too hard of steel is a good problem to have. Learning the blade's strength this way is an interesting, although unintended, outcome from my testing.

    I will definitely send it to Life Sharp, but I'm still interested in obtaining a nice sharpener for future use. I would like something like a Wicked Edge system, but I am not going to spend $300. The Lansky link above is only $30, which seems like it might be too cheap. Is there a reputable sharpener in the $60 range?
     

    shootersix

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 10, 2009
    4,280
    113
    Yes, this is my first knife that was not from Walmart bargain bin. It is 154CM metal. I think I didn't match the angle the first time, and pushed down too hard, and did nothing more than remove the thin edge. Now it needs some serious work to make it sharp again, and I am not up to it, even with a proper sharpener. It took me forever just to figure out what I was dealing with, but I guess having too hard of steel is a good problem to have. Learning the blade's strength this way is an interesting, although unintended, outcome from my testing.

    I will definitely send it to Life Sharp, but I'm still interested in obtaining a nice sharpener for future use. I would like something like a Wicked Edge system, but I am not going to spend $300. The Lansky link above is only $30, which seems like it might be too cheap. Is there a reputable sharpener in the $60 range?

    you should be able to get a spyderco sharpmaker for about that price, but if you want the really sharp edge you'll have to but the ultra fine rods and they are about 25.00 each(both on amazon)

    now the best advice i ever heard on sharpening a knife, dont make it sharp...KEEP it sharp, dont wait for it to get dull before you sharpen it, i use a sharpmaker, and i put the extra fine rod in and about once a week i just make 10 or 20 passes (on each side) just to keep it hair popping sharp!
     

    traderdan

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Mar 20, 2009
    2,016
    48
    Martinsville
    I just finished sharpening a mini griptilian that belongs to my son..We have had this knife for a couple of years..154CM..And it is pretty hard.I am not sure that D2 is all that much harder. I use only a 12 inch kitchen diamond stick,then finish on a steel. It takes a while,when he gets it really dull. Like Shootersix said...maintaining that edge is the best way..
     

    Tnichols00

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Nov 24, 2012
    739
    18
    Columbia City
    I've got a D2 griptilian. I could never put a decent edge on mine either. I am hand-sharpening challenged. I had a 5 stone lansky system that would put a useable edge on it, but it was never shaving sharp. This year I broke down and bought a wicked edge. Now it's screaming sharp without any effort. It really is an amazing system. Everything comes out scary sharp.

    D2 is a very hard steel and is by far the most difficult steels I've tried to sharpen. If I could do it again, I'd go with a softer steel that could sharpen more easily. I bought the D2 because I wanted to avoid sharpening as much as possible. I can go three months sometimes between sharpening, which is nice. Before I got the wicked edge I would let it get very dull and dread the 3 hours on the Lansky it would take me to fix it.

    The D2 is the most difficult blade I have ever had to sharpen, it was the only one I could not get sharp so I bought the Lansky and it works great for me. The trick I found is that I just rough up the blade where I want it with the 120grit and then I take my time and only grain it one way with the other stone. Light and easy, grab a beer and take your time.

    I have only heard great things about the wicked system but for the price I had to try the Lansky first and it has been working well for me. I can shave with it and now that its actually getting sharp they seem to hold an edge a lot longer.
     

    Tnichols00

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Nov 24, 2012
    739
    18
    Columbia City
    Yes, this is my first knife that was not from Walmart bargain bin. It is 154CM metal. I think I didn't match the angle the first time, and pushed down too hard, and did nothing more than remove the thin edge. Now it needs some serious work to make it sharp again, and I am not up to it, even with a proper sharpener. It took me forever just to figure out what I was dealing with, but I guess having too hard of steel is a good problem to have. Learning the blade's strength this way is an interesting, although unintended, outcome from my testing.

    I will definitely send it to Life Sharp, but I'm still interested in obtaining a nice sharpener for future use. I would like something like a Wicked Edge system, but I am not going to spend $300. The Lansky link above is only $30, which seems like it might be too cheap. Is there a reputable sharpener in the $60 range?

    It sounds like you just need a sharpening system. If you get the Lansky its 25degree will match BM edge on the griptillian.

    You can get the Lansky with diamond stones, I think its about that price then, both the diamond and the regular stones will do the job. The trick to it is you are able to hit the same angle every time and finish off with a high grit stone. Here is a link to mine on a crappy kitchen knife.
    https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/cutting-edge/319667-new-knive-sharpner-thanks-brad.html
    If you want I can sharpen my 154cm griptillian tonight and take pics for you to help with your decision. It has no problem putting a mirror finish on the 154cm
     
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