The steel in the DFLE is not particularly hard, 58 RC, I think. I used the belt grinder to sharpen it and just use the green compound to maintain the edge. It would take forever to reprofile an edge by hand. Why should I? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I am awaiting my paddles and compound from Bark River.....presently I am using a mouse board and very high grit to maintain the edge. I cannot wait for the paddles.....using them and the compound will work well in the field....the mouse board set up needs a flat surface and I am holding the knife using the board like a sharpening stone....being able to just use your hands will be MUCH better...

Nearly all the enjoyment I get from my knives is the satisfaction of the blades being hair flicking sharp....got to say for that reason I am becoming a fan of simple blade curves....re-curves need a lot of alteration in how you hold the blade or the strop....

My two hardest blades to get right are.....the Entrek Destroyer and the CS Kukri...what do you do to keep the edge on these HD? The same technique with the paddles? Having to alter so much on these gives me problems with consistency of "angle" when done free hand....

Almost giving up on these as the time taken when not doing it right/consistantly the same is so much it is easier to get out a Lansky system and use the clamp and finest stones to bring in a "razor" pinnacle to the edges near the choil and the tip...those bits benefit as being the sharpest.....the belly curve is then easy to do and keep a fully convex edge for chopping as the movement is a single fluid one and keeping the angle right is much easier....

Any tips on topping up Kukri/Bolo recurve shapes HD would be very welcome?

You can easy see why the Nepalese traditionally use one of the smaller knives of much harder steel like a Chef's steel.....moving the sharpener and not the knife is almost obligatory with a Kukri....but it is hard to get the consistency for a "razor" edge....

I seldom use the Destroyer so it never needs sharpening, just like a Ginsu. The final edge angle on the inside of the recurve is necessarily more obtuse than the belly or straight part on a kukri. It normally sees little or no contact in chopping, so seldom needs much touching up anyway. I find the 99 cent ceramic rods to be the best way to maintain a kukri edge. Consistency of edge acuteness is near impossible since the angle changes as you approach the sweet spot. Is it really that important? The nice narrow and flexible 1" 3M finishing belts in 15 and 9 micron are THE way to sharpen a kukri quickly and efficiently. It helps to remove the platen to give yourself maximum flex and even a little twist when doing kukris. I did a reprofile on a HI Ang Khola recently, and it was a job, but I learned to "go with the flow" of the blade and stopped worrying about maintaining a consistent angle from choil to tip. It really chops well and even the inside curve is great on draw cuts. More recently, I did a convex on the flat ground Ontario kukri, which is light and fast, like the DFLE. It is a chopping machine. Sometimes I think we worry too much about sharpening technique. Look at the blade's primary grind and shape. Those will tell you what to do.

ps On the "thinner" flat grind CS and Ont kukris, it IS possible to maintain the same edge angle on the final edge. Just always have in your mind "keep the rod or belt perpendicular to the edge and at the same angle to the edge". You will eventually get the technique and it will become second nature when you do the recurves. I found it near impossible to do this on the Entrek with its saber grind, but it came out much sharper and better than it had been.

Thanks HD....it is comforting to know the sabre grind on the Destroyer was also difficult for you on the belt sander...I thought I might be missing something...I am sharpening these knives to improve the edge for a bit of testing...that and wanting to develop an ability to "sharpen" using the sander...I have not "used" them all so they need it...not yet anyway!