Sharpening Outdoor Edge Zip/Swing blade

[GunsAreFun]

So I’ve used this blade on 2 or 3 deer and found it super handy when doing gutless. I was a bit disappointed to only get 2-3 animals before it needed sharpening though. Last weekend I had to toss it aside as it wasn’t cutting it.

I’ve been working on this thing on my Work Sharp following a YouTube knife sharpener guy (linked below), but I cannot get an edge on this thing that can even cut paper. Anyone have tips? I’m missing something. Normally I can get a good edge with the work sharp with no effort.

 

[hereinaz]

I always stick with the goal of making a burr/wire edge on one side, then flip to the other side and make a wire edge. Then keep going finer and finer grits until I strip. If you can make the burr, then you can sharpen it.

I really liked that blade for opening animals.

 

[TX_Diver]

I do mine on the spiderco sharp maker. Little slow but it works well

 

[Thegman]

I use a rod type sharpener and leather strop on those types of blades (all blades, actually, I guess). I've been using those for opening hides for years.

I lay the rod on the flat formed by the cutting edge to keep the edge as fine as possible. Same idea as sharpening a scandi grind. I pull away from the edge, not into it, but that can work too with ceramic rods.

If it needs a lot of work, I'll use a diamond rod, otherwise (90+% of the time), a ceramic rod. I follow with stropping on a stretched taught leather boot lace, though that's not totally necessary. Usually takes no more than 3 or 4 minutes.

These blades generally have a concave, almost razor edge and the worksharp is going to attempt to convex the edge. I don't think that will work well.

To add: The way he's using his worksharp on an almost flat belt and laying the cutting edge almost flat looks like it would work well. That's essentially what I'm doing with rods.

My worksharp mostly uses guides. I don't think that would work well.