Trade Point Sharpening

[Butch Speer]

Need your opinion. I recently bought some trade points. Supposed to be carbon steel. Guess not. Won't take an edge. Even tried to temper them. Cherry red till a magnet won't stick, then into the  oil till it cools. Same softnest as before. A friend suggested I just file them till I get a wire edge &  let it go at that. Kind of like the three blade guys do. Never used that style of sharpening before. Any experience or opinions on this kind of edge? Would like to hear.


FYI, I normally file sharpen a broadhead till it shaves & I'm a woodcarver so, I can sharpen things. Any help would be great.

Butch

[Pat B]

Butch, I made a few trades a while back that were the same as yours. You can put an edge on them but it doesn't last. One thing I did was take the edge of your file and rake it down the blades edges. then file it once or twice like before. This will give you a fine toothed edge which gives you more surface area on the edge.
   You will have to sharpen each head you plan to hunt with each time you go out. Rub a bit of vasoline on the edge after you sharpen it. This will cut down on any corrosion that might dull the blade.
    Pat

[Butch Speer]

Thanks Pat. i can get a wire edge easy enough. It's just so soft, that when you try to take the wire off, it just folds back over. They're nice points. An inch x 2 1/2 & about 225 grains when ground for an edge. May have to give them a try.

Butch

[mullet]

 Pat, If you love the enviroment and possibly wounding an animal, try using vegetable oil instead of Petroleum Jelly. Also it is a better oil for carbon steel.

[Pat B]

Eddie, When I have use vasoline it is a very thin coat. Usually I use Montana Pitch Blend or veg oil...even nose grease. That was an old trick around salt water with take down fishing rods. Rub the ferrel on your nose(not in) before putting the pieces together. Pat
   

[mullet]

 Damn, I thought it was in, not on.

[Pat B]

Thats hide glue!

[FlintWalker]

Hey Butch, try quinching one in water. Some types of steel are meant to be oil hardened, others water.   You might also try heating your oil to about 140-150 degrees before using it.  I know it sounds crazy, but it helps.  Saw Filer

[Butch Speer]

Thanks Saw Filer. didn't occur to me. I'll give it a try now.

Butch

[Little John]

I have always made my trades from saw blades, I have had to soften them before to be able to sharpen them with a file but never had any too soft.  The ones you have might not be suitable for hunting. if you get them black hot(just before red) then throw them into cool water and they are still too soft I would use them for targets and get different ones for hunting.   Kenneth