Bladesmithing 101 (Episode 9): Knife Sharpening with Stones and Stropping

Welcome to the final episode of our Bladesmithing 101 series at Sword Wolf Forge! Today is the big day where we finally finish our knife by putting a razor-sharp edge on it. I have wasted more money trying to figure out how to sharpen than any other area of knife making, often falling for gadgets that scratch the blade or give inconsistent angles. Instead, I am going to show you how I sharpen in my shop using the old-fashioned way. In this video, we begin by setting the initial bevels using a belt grinder running in reverse at a low speed. We then refine the edge through a stone progression, starting with a DMT extra coarse diamond stone and eventually moving up to a Spyderco medium ceramic stone. Throughout this process, I demonstrate how to maintain a consistent angle using the thumb method to build muscle memory. I also explain how to feel for the burr so you know exactly when to progress to the next grit. Finally, we finish the edge by stropping on leather with compound to polish it to perfection. It has been a massive journey from drawing our design on paper to holding this completed knife. If you have been following along and making your own knife, I would love to see pictures! You can send them to the Sword Wolf Forge Facebook page. You can also check out pictures of this completed knife on my website at www.swfknives.com. Please like, share, and subscribe so I can start doing more stuff, and let me know in the comments what you want to see next—maybe a series on making pattern welded steel or Damascus! Thank you for sharing your time with me, and stay sharp everybody. Product Links DMT 8" Dia-Sharp Diamond Stone https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/co... Naniwa Natural Leather Strop https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/co... Green Honing Compound https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/co... Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish https://a.co/d/0iK8wFUK Spyderco Bench Stone https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/co... Full Series Playlist:    • Bladesmithing 101: A Beginner's Guide to t...   Sword Wolf Forge Website: swfknives.com Video Services provided by WebCraft: vvebcraft.com #blacksmith #bladesmith #bladesmithing #forging #swordwolfforge ‪@vvebcraft‬