# whos the best at sharpening?



## devolve (Sep 17, 2017)

I haven't hunted with my recurve yet cause I cant get these dang things sharp. I'm not hunting with the muzzy BH anymore because there is lack of a half way decent blood trail on 3 deer. 

I've been through all the videos, the tutorial's and even a one on one how too. 

Somehow A single bevel grizzly is only thing on the planet I cant get sharp. I'm the guy my buddies bring their knives too to sharpen. I have successfully gotten 2 of these things sharp enough to hunt with over the last 7 or 8 years. 

I have 5 of the new style that are "easier" to sharpen. I can't get them to shaving sharp. 

Who can I ship them too with a quick turn around to get sharp?

thanks!


----------



## Dennis (Sep 18, 2017)

I don't think it has to be shaving sharp just pretty sharp and in the right place will get the job done. That's what I've always been depending on since I'm not real good at sharpening things


----------



## bam_bam (Sep 18, 2017)

I just use a files and strop it on leather afterwards. Only head I've ever had trouble getting sharp is a zwicky no mercy single bevel. I think there are two schools of thought on sharpening. One being not necessarily shaving sharp but a somewhat rough edge and the other a keen edge that pops hairs. Both get the job done.


----------



## devolve (Sep 18, 2017)

I can get any double bevel shaving sharp. That's how I always knew it was ready to go. This is just frustrating beyond words.


----------



## Hillbilly stalker (Sep 18, 2017)

Its all about the angle. Try using sandpaper instead of a crock stick or file. Unless the edge had been trashed on a rock or leg bone, sand paper works for me and then a strop. Go to the dollar store and get one of those old type window scrapers that used a razor, they will hold the BH for you and save some cuts. You can sharpen them off the arrow that way.  P.S ( it wasn't the muzzy) shot placement and some deer just don't bleed.


----------



## SELFBOW (Sep 18, 2017)

Dennis said:


> I don't think it has to be shaving sharp just pretty sharp and in the right place will get the job done. That's what I've always been depending on since I'm not real good at sharpening things



Right. I stink at sharpening but know they are sharp enough to do the job.


----------



## sawtooth (Sep 18, 2017)

I wouldn't get too caught up on the "shaving sharp" part. Honestly, in my experience, If you achieve razor sharpness- then you have gotten your edge too thin. Remember, different tools are designed for different jobs. Why don't you carve a turkey or cut your steak with a straight razor? Because it's not the tool best suited for that job. I don't need reminding that a sharp edge cuts and slices cleaner than a rough edge, but this ain't an operating room scenario that we're talking about either. I've never had to "shave" an animal that I shot at. All I want my broadhead to do is poke two holes.  Sharpen your heads with a file, and then strop them on something like leather or cardboard. Drag the blade down your thumbnail- if it catches then that's plenty good.


----------



## Pointpuller (Sep 19, 2017)

Im gonna have to disagree a little.  My heads are gonna shave the hair on my arm with no resistance or they are not going in my quiver.  Ive sharpened the same Phantom heads for nearly 30 years, long before Muzzy bought them out.  I use a butchers steel to sharpen the main 2 blade head.  I put the bleeder blades in vice grips to sharpen on the same sharpening steel.  
Y'all can say what you want about punching holes through both lungs with anything but Im not buying it.  I once shot a doe with my dull snake arrow(4 blade)broadhead by accident. Center punched her through both lungs.  DULL Broadhead. Trailed her up after sitting in tree for another 3 hours.  She was badly sick but still alive.  Had to shoot her again  with a sharp head to finish her off.  If it aint shaving hair easily you don't need to be shooting it.  Just my opinion from lots of experience.


----------



## SELFBOW (Sep 20, 2017)

Pointpuller said:


> Im gonna have to disagree a little.  My heads are gonna shave the hair on my arm with no resistance or they are not going in my quiver.  Ive sharpened the same Phantom heads for nearly 30 years, long before Muzzy bought them out.  I use a butchers steel to sharpen the main 2 blade head.  I put the bleeder blades in vice grips to sharpen on the same sharpening steel.
> Y'all can say what you want about punching holes through both lungs with anything but Im not buying it.  I once shot a doe with my dull snake arrow(4 blade)broadhead by accident. Center punched her through both lungs.  DULL Broadhead. Trailed her up after sitting in tree for another 3 hours.  She was badly sick but still alive.  Had to shoot her again  with a sharp head to finish her off.  If it aint shaving hair easily you don't need to be shooting it.  Just my opinion from lots of experience.


You reckon primitive man shaved w the heads he used?
A field point will kill when placed in the right spot. 
I find it extremely hard to believe you center punched one and it didn't die quickly, sounds like a bad shot instead.

I've got enough "experience" to say it doesn't have to be hair shaving sharp to kill.....


----------



## oldfella1962 (Sep 20, 2017)

bam_bam said:


> I just use a files and strop it on leather afterwards. Only head I've ever had trouble getting sharp is a zwicky no mercy single bevel. I think there are two schools of thought on sharpening. One being not necessarily shaving sharp but a somewhat rough edge and the other a keen edge that pops hairs. Both get the job done.



I've never owned a single bevel - maybe I won't now if they are hard to sharpen. I use Zwicky Eskimos and they are easy to sharpen with a file, leather strop (I use the back of my shooting glove) and a final strop on cotton jeans. You can definitely shave with them!


----------



## Pointpuller (Sep 20, 2017)

SELFBOW said:


> You reckon primitive man shaved w the heads he used?
> A field point will kill when placed in the right spot.
> I find it extremely hard to believe you center punched one and it didn't die quickly, sounds like a bad shot instead.
> 
> I've got enough "experience" to say it doesn't have to be hair shaving sharp to kill.....



Ive killed over 120 big game animals with a bow so yes I would say Ive got a little experience.  Since you questioned my shot placement on a center punched double lung shot with a dull broadhead Ive got to call you out.  Maybe those limb rats you like to post pics of can't handle a dull head but I can promise you a deer I shot broadside, through the center of both lungs with a dull BH was still alive 3 hours later.  If you don't have enough respect for the critters your hunting to learn how to sharpen your heads or to get off your wallet and buy new ones each shot you get zero respect from me.

P.S.  Its pretty sad when you get called out on the traditional forum with a disrespectful and ignorant/uninformed post.


----------



## SELFBOW (Sep 21, 2017)

Pointpuller said:


> Ive killed over 120 big game animals with a bow so yes I would say Ive got a little experience.  Since you questioned my shot placement on a center punched double lung shot with a dull broadhead Ive got to call you out.  Maybe those limb rats you like to post pics of can't handle a dull head but I can promise you a deer I shot broadside, through the center of both lungs with a dull BH was still alive 3 hours later.  If you don't have enough respect for the critters your hunting to learn how to sharpen your heads or to get off your wallet and buy new ones each shot you get zero respect from me.
> 
> P.S.  Its pretty sad when you get called out on the traditional forum with a disrespectful and ignorant/uninformed post.



Go back to biology class so you can understand what happens to a lung when a broadhead passes thru it and why it can no longer function and the deer dies. If one is clipped, that's another story but "center punched" has no chance of functioning for very long.

That's for the ignorant/uninformed so they can learn......
Ive only got 80+ deer, pig and bear kills w a bow so I'm still learning.


----------



## Hillbilly stalker (Sep 21, 2017)

If you ever grab ahold of a obsidian head "primitive man " made, you will find out what sharp is.  Nothing can touch it, just saying.


----------



## SELFBOW (Sep 21, 2017)

Hillbilly stalker said:


> If you ever grab ahold of a obsidian head "primitive man " made, you will find out what sharp is.  Nothing can touch it, just saying.



Flakes are razors!  I've made some pretty decent blood trails w obsidian, coming from my hand...


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman (Sep 21, 2017)

devolve said:


> I haven't hunted with my recurve yet cause I cant get these dang things sharp. I'm not hunting with the muzzy BH anymore because there is lack of a half way decent blood trail on 3 deer.
> 
> I've been through all the videos, the tutorial's and even a one on one how too.
> 
> Somehow A single bevel grizzly is only thing on the planet I cant get sharp. I'm the guy my buddies bring their knives too to sharpen. I have successfully gotten 2 of these things sharp enough to hunt with over the last 7 or 8 years.




With a single bevel, you're only sharpening one side of the blade, but are you removing the burr formed from sharpening.  Sharpening only one side will cause a burr to form on the opposite side and cause a little micro curl to the edge.  If you're not removing the burr, it will never shave.


----------



## Nicodemus (Sep 21, 2017)

Some of the Native American tribes resharpened their newly acquired steel blade knives on a single bevel. They noted that they cut better that way.

As for obsidian, freshly knapped it is about 600 times sharper than the finest surgical scalpels.


----------



## NCHillbilly (Sep 21, 2017)

With steel points, I prefer a ragged filed edge to a shaving edge, myself. Just when the burr starts to form, but before it starts to curl. It makes wicked cuts. You can't hardly touch one without springing a leak.


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman (Sep 21, 2017)

NCHillbilly said:


> With steel points, I prefer a ragged filed edge to a shaving edge, myself. Just when the burr starts to form, but before it starts to curl. It makes wicked cuts. You can't hardly touch one without springing a leak.



In my experience, that burr can be best utilized with a sharpening steel.  When the burr begins to curl, a few licks on the steel will stand it straight up again.  Its like thousands of tiny serrations.   

That's what stropping does.  It folds the burr over, first one way, then the other until it breaks off, leaving a polished razor's edge.

Or at least that's the way my mind sees it.  I've got really good vision, but I can't see at a micron level.


----------



## NCHillbilly (Sep 21, 2017)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> In my experience, that burr can be best utilized with a sharpening steel.  When the burr begins to curl, a few licks on the steel will stand it straight up again.  Its like thousands of tiny serrations.
> 
> That's what stropping does.  It folds the burr over, first one way, then the other until it breaks off, leaving a polished razor's edge.
> 
> Or at least that's the way my mind sees it.  I've got really good vision, but I can't see at a micron level.



Yep. I like it just before it's ready to break off, with the thousands of tiny serrations. You get one shot with it, but it does some wicked, wicked damage. I also sharpen my stone points with a really fine pressure flaker to get those micro-serrations.


----------



## Pointpuller (Sep 21, 2017)

SELFBOW said:


> Go back to biology class so you can understand what happens to a lung when a broadhead passes thru it and why it can no longer function and the deer dies. If one is clipped, that's another story but "center punched" has no chance of functioning for very long.
> 
> That's for the ignorant/uninformed so they can learn......
> Ive only got 80+ deer, pig and bear kills w a bow so I'm still learning.



Selfbow I strongly disagree with your assessment but Im going to Pm you with my response as I don't want to bring the traditional thread into the muck that the rest of GON gravitates to when there is a difference of opinions.


----------



## sawtooth (Sep 21, 2017)

I once shot a doe with a field point and it zipped right through her and she piled up 80 yards from where she was hit. The blood trail was as good as any I've ever seen. I was planning on shooting an armadillo under my stand when a small group of does showed up and in my excitement I failed to put a broadhead on the string. Not very responsible of me, I admit, but it proves a good point. I didn't even realize what I'd done until I pulled the arrow out of the dirt on the dead side of the deer. That was over 25 years ago. 
When I started shooting trad bows in 1999 I talked to a fellow named Robert Carter on the phone and he told me how to sharpen broadheads. I've always used heads that I had to sharpen myself, I've never used a pre-sharpened head with trad bows. I'm sure that there are guys with way more experience than me, but I've knocked over a few big game animals. I've averaged about 5 deer per year since I started shooting a traditional bow back in 2000- and a pig here and there- 22 big game animals in one year back in 2015 I think it was- every one of them with a file sharpened broadhead, finished with a strop. Like I said before, all I need for my broadhead to do is poke two holes and so far the way I sharpen my heads has worked out fine for me. There's more than one way to skin a cat.


----------



## Todd Cook (Sep 22, 2017)

I haven't killed as many critters as Dendy or Martin, and nowhere close to the number RC's piled up. But I've killed several with file sharpened heads and know how effective they are. To say otherwise is silly. I file them to a burr and lightly strop them till the burr breaks off. They will cut you BAD. And they will stay sharp in your quiver. 

I think filed heads get a bad name by people that don't really know what they're trying to accomplish. If you get a quality head filed straight to the edge it will do some awful damage.


----------



## Clipper (Sep 22, 2017)

Todd Cook said:


> I haven't killed as many critters as Dendy or Martin, and nowhere close to the number RC's piled up. But I've killed several with file sharpened heads and know how effective they are. To say otherwise is silly. I file them to a burr and lightly strop them till the burr breaks off. They will cut you BAD. And they will stay sharp in your quiver.
> 
> I think filed heads get a bad name by people that don't really know what they're trying to accomplish. If you get a quality head filed straight to the edge it will do some awful damage.



I had my heads shaving sharp two weeks ago using my Lansky sharpening system.  Put them in my bow quiver and have been toting them around for several hunts and practice shooting.  I tried all three this afternoon and not one of them would cut a hair.  Guess I need to learn to file sharpen if they will stay sharp with that method.


----------



## Hillbilly stalker (Sep 23, 2017)

Most are carbon steel. A fine coat of rust that you can barely see will form on the sharpened edge. You can simply pull it backwards against your jeans or pants leg like a stroke and Walla ! Good as new.


----------



## Rich Kaminski (Sep 23, 2017)

After sharpening I use a flat leather strap to remove any unseen burrs. They will shave hair off your arm.


----------



## Mudfeather (Sep 24, 2017)

another trick is used to keep mine sharp..I wear a leather arm guard to keep my sleeves out of the way but I coat it with silver polish and I always have a leather strop with me


----------



## devolve (Sep 24, 2017)

so back to original question........

"Who can I ship them too with a quick turn around to get sharp?"

I gave it another go, with a file and with a lansky system. I now have 5 broadheads that are 100% worthless to hunt with. I can rub my finger down each blade and not get cut. 
I don't want anymore tips because they don't work for me. I want a person who is willing to sharpen them for me. I will pay you, 

thanks


----------



## Stump Shooter (Sep 24, 2017)

devolve I have used a Rada wheel sharpener and it works great, sounds like you have nothing to lose and it only cost around $8. This would also be quicker than shipping them off to someone else to sharpen, and once they get dull you can resharpen them yourself. I know something so cheap sounds to good to be true but it works and puts a good edge on a broad head.


----------



## SELFBOW (Sep 24, 2017)

Stump Shooter said:


> devolve I have used a Rada wheel sharpener and it works great, sounds like you have nothing to lose and it only cost around $8. This would also be quicker than shipping them off to someone else to sharpen, and once they get dull you can resharpen them yourself. I know something so cheap sounds to good to be true but it works and puts a good edge on a broad head.


That's all I ever use!


----------



## Dennis (Sep 24, 2017)

Rada does work pretty good


----------



## eman1885 (Sep 24, 2017)

Where the heck is jasperGA? If you are anywhere near Athens, stop by with your bow, we can shoot some, maybe have a taught, if that's your thing, and I will sharpen your heads. I know I can, cause I have some grizzlies of my own...they will take the hair off your arm with ease when I'm done. PM me if you are interested


----------



## eman1885 (Sep 24, 2017)

That was supposed to be a taughty but whatever


----------



## AllAmerican (Sep 24, 2017)

You hunters talking about this?

https://youtu.be/HyPCO4yOTtE


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman (Sep 25, 2017)

Stump Shooter said:


> devolve I have used a Rada wheel sharpener and it works great, sounds like you have nothing to lose and it only cost around $8. This would also be quicker than shipping them off to someone else to sharpen, and once they get dull you can resharpen them yourself. I know something so cheap sounds to good to be true but it works and puts a good edge on a broad head.




Wouldn't the Rada sharpener ruin a single bevel?


----------



## Stump Shooter (Sep 25, 2017)

I am sorry thanks for clearing this up, was not paying attention. I "CAN NOT" get the Rada sharpener to work very well on a single bevel head, but it has sharpened everything else I have tried it on.


----------



## longbowdave1 (Sep 27, 2017)

I just picked up a four pack of Rada sharpeners delivered to the door for 22$. I never heard of them before, just tried one out on my pocket knife and it did a great job of sharpening. I'll have to try it on the Eskimos next...

Thanks for the tip.It will be a great help in my pack. I'll give one to my brother, and one to my son also.


----------



## devolve (Sep 28, 2017)

longbowdave1 said:


> I just picked up a four pack of Rada sharpeners delivered to the door for 22$. I never heard of them before, just tried one out on my pocket knife and it did a great job of sharpening. I'll have to try it on the Eskimos next...
> 
> Thanks for the tip.It will be a great help in my pack. I'll give one to my brother, and one to my son also.



let us know how it works! it sounds like its easy on a double bevel


----------

