Just bought a Machete

[Episteme]

I was at a flee market this weekend with my father and my girlfriend, and I came across what seems to be a decent quality machete, in good-new condition. So, I decided to purchase my first machete. The blade measures 18 inches, and it is black. Now, the task at hand is to sharpen the blade. I don't own a sharpmaker, but i will try sandpaper (I read about this in the archives for machetes). So, does anyone know how sharp a machete edge ought to be? I understand that it is mainly an over-sized cleaver, so the edge need not be polished, but rather "steep" and not "shaving sharp".
I must say, what an awesome concept of a knife though. I'd hate to fathom the sort of damage such a knife would inflict in an emergency self-defense situation in the event of a criminal intruder. :eek:
Mike

[StuntZombie]

If it's an Ontario, it's surprisingly easy to alter the edge geometry so it performs significantly better.

I used the info I found at this]link to sharpen the machete I bought a couple weeks ago. It wasn't too hard, even just using a Norton India stone.

[peacefuljeffrey]

Dude, machetes are awesome!

I bought one at a gun show several years ago -- an Ontario Knives machete with the saw-back.

My only complaint with it is that the handle contour is not great.

I had never put it to use (no call for it where I live) but last hurricance season I loaned it to my landlady's grandson for him to clear some fallen tree branches.

Dude, we were all AMAZED at the effectiveness of that thing. Much more that any hatchet would have done, since it is a lot easier to make sure that an effecting chopping surface is hitting the branch when there's so very much of it compared to a hatchet. That thing cut deep and hard with every stroke. I had previously had no idea how good a machete could be.

I have not yet attempted to sharpen it. I also haven't really thought about what I should use to do the job. That's a lotta blade to sharpen. I sure ain't gonna do it on my ProFile! :eek:

-Jeffrey

[Jordan]

Whenever I backpack in an area in which I expect to encounter heavy brush I like to buy a machete. My friends call them my "throwaway swords". I have never owned one for longer than perhaps a month... but they have on several occasions saved my life. You have made a good buy... particularly if it was an Ontario.

[peacefuljeffrey]

Jordan, would you explain why you treat them as though they are disposable? What's the reason for that?

-Jeffrey

[peacefuljeffrey]

I don't understand the instructions on the link to http://www.hossom.com/sharp/

He talks about bevel angles, but when he says 25°, I assume he is talking about each side, yes?

Also, I am not very clear in my understanding of making a "convex edge." How does one accomplish this? Does it mean that the edge bevel is actually curved from where it starts, to the point of the V?

I am starting to imagine that if and when I sharpen my machete, I'm going to have to satisfy myself with a far less refined edge than what Hossum shows... (And a lot of that is because I don't have motorized grinding wheels, buffers, etc.)

-Jeffrey

[Jordan]

Well Jeff, what it comes down to is that most of the time, after a week or two in the bush, the machete I use just isn't real useful anymore. The edge is always heavily burred, if not broken. I use the pommel and the back edge to hammer stakes and the blade itself to dig latrines or fire pits. It is just generally less expensive in time and money to retire the thing and purchase a new one next time. Plus, I like to experiment with different blade shapes and weights... I have found that different profiles work better in different areas, thus making one machete (even if it is of very high quality) less efficient for my purposes than several.

[zenheretic]

Machetes are the number one hand weapon prefered for putting down Zombie outbreaks...good score.

[StuntZombie]

Jeffrey,

I think when Hossom says 25 degrees, he means 12.5 degrees per side.

When I sharpened mine, I placed the blade flat on a Norton oilstone. Then I raised the back of the blade until just the bevel was on the stone. I sharpened the blade normally, removing metal from the whole bevel. I've attached a pic of what it looked like after I was done. It's not as polished as Hossom's results, but the edge is very sharp now.

You're right about the definition of a convex edge. The thing is, you're likely to end up with a convex edge if you freehand sharpen your knives, due to slight variations in how you hold the blade to the stone while sharpening.

[zenheretic]

For a tool used to hack brush, I would use a bastard file, with a handle and a fire hose crossguard to sharpen a machete. I would not worry too much about blade angle.

[hrdwrguy]

I second the file sharpening tip, it seems much easier to pull out a file and put a new edge on fast than mess with a stone or sand paper. Its not really meant to be a detail cutting tool so quick and easy is nice. That’s not to say it has to be a cheap edge but it doesn’t have to be fancy to work well. The edge will get beaten up so why bother with something complicated?

12.5 degrees sounds awfully thin for a machete blade, something like 22 or 25 per side sounds more like it.

Mike