HD's disposal of his re-worked DFCG has probably sent ripples out all over Bussekin World...

I keep promising myself I will narrow down the knives I own to the few best for each application....

Got to offer praise to HD for deciding the DFLE would always be chosen before the DFCG.....AND SELLING THE DFCG....I keep forgetting to do that bit!

I will bet his hands were shaking and his knees were knocking before he finally dropped it in the mailbox and sent it to Dogbert. No regrets Vic,thats the motto. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

For many months I worked on my DFCG off and on. I never quite got around to sanding the ricasso smooth. Once I got the full flat grind .25" thick LE, I realized that I much preferred its lighter handling to the CG. The DFCG is a fine chopper, but since I have a Busse FBM in that size, I let the DFCG go. The DFLE is my favorite bowie chopper. I may sell some of my other Scrappers, since I have swamp rats and Busses in those size knives. But I will not part with the DFLE. It is perfection.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

It was not easy to part with after I had put so much work into it, but I had Busses to finance. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Guess I'll have to do a Horn Dog Scrapper ganza to pay for the NMFBM! Some guy in Nevada bought the DFCG. I guess Dogbert got it from him.

Back to the sharpening topic, I have recently been using the BRKT strop and compound to keep my DFLE sharp. It is easier to move the paddle along the blade than move the blade along the strop. But it works well.

Interesting, I'd never thought of doing it that way to my DFLE. When you're doing the stropping, do you go straight down, working a bit of the edge at a time... or do you slide the strop at an angle like you would a hone, working a larger section of the edge?

I keep the paddle perpendicular to the edge and simultaneously strop away from the edge while moving the paddle from the choil to the point in one long stroke, being careful to maintain the same angle of the paddle to the edge. In other words, I do it exactly the same way I strop the edge with a finishing belt on my sander, except this time the sharpener is moving and not the knife. As I approach the point and go around the curve of the belly, the paddle stays perpendicular as much as possible to the edge, but not perpendicular to the knife.

What do you use to keep the blade from moving? I was considering a couple C-clamps with rubber inserts on the side of my work bench.

I think I'll try this on my cheap no name bush beater bowie and see how well it works before moving over to my DFLE. Sounds like it would work really well though.

Very cool; thanks for the info HD.

If you do screw up, it can be fixed right?

I hold the knife in my left hand and the paddle in my right hand. It doesn't matter one bit if the knife moves a little as long as I maintain the same angle relationship between the paddle and the edge. You guys are making this harder than it is. On the right side of the edge I am pulling the paddle toward me and on the left side I am pushing the paddle away from me. In both cases, the paddle is moving away from the edge and sliding toward the point. Ever watch a chef with a butcher's steel? Something like that.

All right, I see how you're doing it now.... My bad, sometimes I think too much! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

BTW, How did you find sharpening the hard steel in the DFLE with a strop? I assume you used honing compound?

I like the sound of that paddle thing. I've been thinking about that for a little while. I've already got the leather and also a few different polishing compounds. I'll have to make myself a paddle and do some experimenting and see what happens. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />