I finally got ready to sharpen my Buck Hoodlum but I have been unable to get it sufficiently tight in the vise. I have tried double sided tape - what a mess -, cardboard shims, cloth and I recently sacrificed a ram to the sharpening god, but all to no avail. Has anybody sharpened one?

The second problem I had was the angle changed from 28* at the heel, 25* at the middle and 27* just before the curve starts at the front. This was with the cardboard shims and the tightest fit I achieved.

Any suggestions besides keep trying?

A 'before' pic of the factory edge.

Dmlevitt wrote:
Sacraficial lamb. That's lamb, not ram. There's your problem right there...




The blade looks to be 1.25" deep. You could try setting it deeper in the jaws since you aren't putting a 15° angle on it (are you?). Also, some have seen their jaws diverge near the tips. Make sure yours are parallel. I think cardboard would be too slippery, so would the wrong cloth. This is a long blade, too. The angle will change from front to back relative to a fixed clamping point. You might have to clamp in two spots. But the angle change isn't that critical. What's critical is that the edge is part of the same 'line' from front to rear. Still gonna be sharp. And since the angle changes are slow and not abrupt, not a problem that I see.

Once again Don, you have posted wise advice! Good stuff my friend!You obviously are a skilled and knowledgeable guy who knows his way around this kind of stuff. We may have to draft you as a tech advisor here on the forum. Thanks again!

Best regards
Leo

Rams, lambs...damn.

Will keep at it, may try one of those rubber grippy things for jars....

There's a FAQ on the sight where Clay demonstrates a stable angle using a long square followed by a diagrammatic proof of the stability of the stones until you enter a new plane from the curvature of the tip. ( See FAQ # But you're right, that slight variance pales to what I would get using stones or ceramic.

Thanks