I'm looking to sharpen a lot of my blade edged weapons, I need some advice.?

Question

So as not to damage any of my weapons, (I have three straight edged swords, two Katana, and a machete.) I would like to know a great way to sharpen these blades without hurting the metal in any way at all. I've also got several knives, (Switch blades and the like,) and would like to give them a razor's edge. Where can I find a whetstone or a sharpening stone or something that won't hurt my weapons?

Answer 1

The Katana Sharpening will be expensive and you'll need to send both of them off to http://www.katanaedge.com/ with that said are these two Katana swords machine manufactured or hand forged?  Are the Katana Sayas ruined because you've held the saya upside down or mounted on a wall upside down? When I say upside down I mean the curve part face down.  I guess if you don't know the eight basic cuts of Iaido then you know nothing about sheathing and unsheathing a Katana and I'll bet your Katanas both rattle inside the saya huh?  As cheap and crappy as a "Masahiro" Katana is ( Made In China BTW ) it's still able to be disassembled can you disassemble your Katanas? If not I wouldn't even send them off to be sharpened because they're junk.  Have you ever used a Cleaning Kit or even know what a cleaning kit is? Have you ever disassembled a real "hand forged" Katana? if not don't waste your money shipping them off to have them sharpened.  As a matter of fact go buy two new ones and take up Iaido so that you can learn to handle the sword properly it's like finger nails on a chaulk board to me when I see some American kid holding a Katana turned over the wrong way just destroying the inside of the saya or sheathing it and unsheathing it like a clumsy ox.  Any one who's never studied Iaido will never know what what a actual sword is let alone what it's use is for or the great care put into one.  The toys that Americans call Katanas are junk Although I'll give "Masahiro" credit for their junk.  Here's a good website page to find a decent ( yet crappy ) real Katana that can be disassembled http://www.swordsdirect.com/masahiro-sam... for proper care and maintenance and here's a website for a decent ( yet crappy ) cleaning kit http://www.swordsswords.com/index.asp?Pa... It's the best that main stream Americans get bud because they lack real "discipline". I suggest that you take up Iaido though since you have an interest in swords and swordmanship.  The Masahiro sword is a good practice sword that will allow you to understand the various parts of an actual Katana that all need great care and maintenance ( every little part of the Katana that is SEE: http://www.trueswords.com/art_of_katana.... for research into the Katana.  Good Luck!!

I was given the honor of disassembling a wolrd war 2 Japanese Air force Katana ( Only Japanese officers were allowed to have ) a few years ago it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life knowing that I was holding such history in my hands.  I bowed while holding the sword straight out in front of me to pay homage to the original owner before and after disassembling and cleaning the sword.  This is how powerful Iaido can be on a man's mind.  It was a true honor with out a doubt.

Answer 2

I wouldn't shapen a Machete, just buy a new one. $5 at Wal-Mart. I also wouldn't use a sharpening stone on a Katana if it was a good one.

To be honest, I'd find a professional to do it for me.

As for your normal knives you can actually just buy stuff at Bed, Bath and Beyond or any cultery shop. You want something that is shaped like a 'V' where the blade would go into. Keept it straight and draw back. Anything else takes more work than it's worth.

Answer 3

well, i would say it depends on the quality you are looking to achieve... and the quality of your swords.. if its a traditionally made folded steel katana i wouldnt want to touch it myself and would rather have a proffesional take care of it... if its a cheap import and you dont care if it might take a few trys then you can go with a japanese waterstone and buy a few different grits.. just like sandpaper it goes from tougher grits to reshapes the bevel.. to finer ones to hone it.  as far as your machete goes... you might not want to put a razor edge on it.. .just keep it fairly sharp.. if you keep it at too thin of an edge it will chip and dull faster when it hits something tough like a rock, you can use a bench grinder or sander for a quick edge (just make sure not too burn the steel... it will turn rainbow and lose its tempering) or a file or wetstone... diamond files work ok too, i do not sugegst using one of those v shaped automatic sharpeners on anything but cheap kinve you dont care about.. the reason being is that every knife is unique in the angles and bevels used to shape the balde.. resharpening a knife on the wrong bevel just makes it weaker, the edge on a spyderco knifes if alot different to sharpen than say a machete.  sometimes you will want to put a different bevel on an edge, which is where your belt sander or bench grinder come in handy, but i would suggest having someone you has worked with this before to show you. i went through alot of trial and error as a teenager before learning hwo to do it the right way, hope this helps and dont foregt to oil and wipe your blade

Answer 4

Well, by definition a sharpening stone is going to grind away part of your weapon. That's what it does. I recommend taking your weapons to a professional to have them sharpened since it's very easy to damage them if you do it yourself. I also don't recommend sharpening weapons that you bought un-sharpened. Many times they are not designed to hold an edge if they are decorative weapons.