How I sharpen my fleshing knife

[thorsmightyhammer]

Just for you Gary.

Gary and I were talking about sharpening fleshing knives the other day.

What I do is get a guy who sharpens scissors to put a good edge on it. Not very often, once every couple years.

When I get it home all I use after that for the most part is the back of my knife to roll the bur on the cutting edge back over.

What I do first is run the backside of my JL Dakota skinnin knife down the dull side to roll the bur back over.





Than I run it right down the cutting edge at a 90 or almost 90 degree angle. Seems weird but its what I do.



Important note. The skinnin knife has to be of a harder steel than the fleshing knife.

[Scott W.]

I like a bur on mine too.

[thebeav2]

The burr Is what makes your knife sharp with out It your knife won't cut.

I have a real fine butchers Steel. I stroke the back side of the bevel a few times then make one pass across the front of the bevel. But I pretty much make the pass at or about the same angle of the bevel.

[Scott W.]

The burr I make is on the sharp side of the knife, and you can feel it with your thumb, just like a wood scraper. The edge on the dull side is more of a square profile, like a scissor blade. I learned how to make the burr on mine after feeling Greg Schroeder's knife, and it is not like any sharpening job I have ever done on any skinning or fleshing knife before.

[thorsmightyhammer]

I dont do the front side of the bevel much gary.

Only when I want to change the pitch.

One or two time down the back to roll the bur back than straight the cutting edge to roll the bur over to the beveled side.