Curved blades do not create a problem. At least I haven’t had any issues.
The biggest thing I had to get used to is that the clamp that attaches to the knife fits some blades better than others. I have learned not to put too much pressure on the guidance mechanism and the clamp holds fine.
I normally don’t like serrations because they are harder to get a really good edge on, but they are great for cutting things that can fit inside the serration groove, because then it locks the piece being cut into that groove. Works well on zipties and sticks. I myself tend to use my EDC instead of steak knives just because it’s sharper, and sharper is fun. For 6 months last year after christmas when I got my sharpening stuff, I was constantly cutting paper and hair in pursuit of the Perfect edge. Several hundred sheets….
It’s wierd, whenever you need a blade, it’s always the time you don’t have it.
BIGGEST USE FOR ME: Opening macaroni boxes, those things are annoying 
Nightcrawl, angle really isn’t that important, I can shave with a 40 degree each side knife, sure barely, but it still works. The main part about sharpening is consistent angle. Especially when going on any curves. As long as you do the same thing everytime (to both sides), your knife will cut well!
May I recommend Murray Carters videos? Great stuff, as is the keeping sharp section of knifeforums.
I myself mainly use the Smith Trihone, it’s $22 bucks on amazon, has An aluminum oxide (sandpaper cutting material) block, which is rougly 400 grit. Then, theres a medium arkansas stone, which is around 600. Then theres a fine, white arkansas stone, around 800-1000. The cool thing about arkansas stones, is that they also polish the blade. So, when I spend some extra time, I can get the whole bevel on both sides mirror smooth, reduces friction, and it looks COOL :).
Main guide to sharpening: Start with a rough grit, sub 500 at least. You want to maintain the same angle on both sides. I like to use one of those little binder clips as a guide, i’ll just place the spine of the knife on a certain part of the clip when it’s laying on the stone, then when you flip to the other side of your knife, put the spine on the same spot up the binder clip. Motion doesn’t really matter, I used to start out with a circle motion, it works well for moving alot of material, but now I like to rub back and forth in small sections, making sure to move the blade the whole time. I also, when trying my hardest, will slice back and forth, forward and then back down, never really moving the blade on the stone left and right. Most important thing about sharpening in general: Make sure to establish an even bevel at a low grit, that way you won’t have an old angle that’s different from the one you are currently using, on the knife as well. I recently went from around a 25 per side on one of my knives to 15 per side, so it took me about 10 minutes on the rough grit (I do like 1 minute each side for a few, then 30 seconds, then 10 secs, then 5 secs per side… Then, I moved to the 600 grit arkansas, and did about 5 minutes total tops. Doing about 30 seconds each side, slowly getting less strokes on each side. Doing this will eliminate the burr, which is just the shavings of metal on the very edge, and it is little micro serations that bend over and “dull” your knife because they are not a solid line, nothing really to support them. Also, this arkansas stone will polish the edge a little, which increases sharpness. I’m pretty good at keeping angles, so in about 10-15 minutes for a new angled edge, I can shave my soft blonde arm hair easy with no irritation at all. Of course, this is after I strop on just newspaper( i just cut a piece and put it on a stone) for 100 total strops, 50 per side. This gets the edge just a little smoother.
Once you have established that edge before and have sharpened it, remember what angle you sharpened at, and you can just touch it up on the medium stone. Or, if it’s only been used some, then just strop on newspaper.
I also bought some emery oxide compound from amazon for around 3 bucks, it’s a crayon type block that has fine emery oxide that starts out at around 5 micron, then goes down to 1-2 microns as it’s used. I apply this to newspaper, but strop plain newspaper after in order to get off minute amounts of the compound. I bought a $3 loupe on amazon too, really helps to see if you’ve established a new edge.
In order to get the curves, you just sort of tilt the handle of the knife up some, look at videos, you’ll get it easy.
Summary: Establish a single angle fresh edge with a rough grit. Then smooth that out with finer grit stones. The main thing is to not speed through the grits, make sure to spend enough time on each one, especially that first rough grit. Strop for a little bit smooth edge. And maintain the same technique throughout the whole sharpening.
As you get better, you can do your own thing, your own technique, and do it to whatever degree of sharpness you need.
The nice thing about sharper edges is they need less force to push through something, such as a tree branch. I’ve just gone to some buckthorn and cut off 1 inch thick branches in one firm swipe with a 3 inch knife, never any nicks in the blade.
Hope this wasn’t too much to read :). Just the main part is establishing the new edge, I used to try to spend only a minute or two on establishing an edge, and I’d look with my loupe, and see I had like 3 different angles on the edge from different sharpenings :(.
another thing, use very light pressure the finer the edge, meaning when stropping I almost just move the knife over the ne3wspaper, pressuring just the slightest. but when you are using the rough grit, feel free to use plenty of pressure, since I’m pretty experienced, I can maintain a good angle while still pressing down as hard as I can. Though when I first started out, I barely used any pressure, so everything took FOREVER.
My oldest son is a Sous Chef , so there’s a lot of knives , cutting & chopping happening around here. 
I generally use either whetstones or a sharpening steel. (depends on the knife )
My son has one of these Knife Sharpeners, Sharpen Knife, Electric Knife Sharpener – Knife Depot
and does a good job of sharpening.
It’s hard for me to imagine not having my pocket knife with me. 
Better to have & not need , than to need & not have. :bigsmile:
Oh Crap, just selected all my text and deleted it…woops. Well, I said that friends and I haven’t had good luck with the eletric sharpening systems grinding wheels, except for the presto eversharp. My friend had the chefmate, and his dad and him have never gotten a knife sharp with it, maybe it was defective, I hope not for the $100+ price tag, it actually made a knife I had so dull, it couldn’t even notch a piece of paper, was as dull as a butterknife. One thing people got remember is not to use these for long periods of time, only quick pull throughs for a couple times then wait, otherwise, the edge of your knife is heating up and you’re loosing temper and the blade is becoming softer, and therefore, will stay sharper not as long
ALTERNATIVE SHARPENING METHODS THAT REQUIRE ALMOST NO SKILL:
Worksharp Knife and tool sharpener-works great-but it’s $60
Pocket Pal Sharpener-Brother got one and it cuts paper somewhat smooth: Amazon.com $9 shipped only lasts for a dozen or two sharpenings though, actually really small, like, 2 or 3 inches long, weighs almost nothing too.
Pullthrough sharpeners: I have used these on machetes and boy do they take literally flakes of metal off, but it cuts paper
The pocketpal and pullthrough sharpeners use carbide wedges that you pull through to shape the edge, does the angle at a preset one, usually around 20 degrees, but the carbides fragment and lose their sharpeness and eventually wear out, but if you just want it for an edc blade, they will work fine if you don’t want to try to learn sharpening, or if you want something to use while you learn on another knife
Well, how do you sharpen a knife like that:
http://www.exduct.com//components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/sanrenmu-knife-T21.jpg
Its totally curved. I've got a double sided korund stone (240 / 800) and a piece of leather for the finish.
Believe me when i say that you will have no problems with sharpening that blade. Youtube some videos and you will get the idea and catch on.
My problem is not the curve at the tip but the one close to the handle.. I haven found any video on that and cant imagine how to sharpen that with my sharpening stone (20cm long, 5cm wide)..
Oh, that’s called a recurve, I avoid knives with a recurve due to the diffuculty of sharpening. Any type of rod sharpening system will sharpen that, such as the spyderco sharpmaker or lansky ceramic rods. If you are really in a pinch, you can just use the edge of a regular flat stone, it’s not ideal, but it will work! Belt sanders work for that too. You can get a harbor freight one for like 40 bucks and buy some belts for like 10 bucks.
Files work too.
I have a knife that my girlfriend gave to me as a Valentines Day present several years ago. She is now my wife, for obvious reasons. I use this knife primarily for food prep while camping/backpacking, though on our last trip I also used it to carve an impromptu chess set.
I used to EDC a (now long discontinued) spyderco copilot with a serrated blade, and used it to cut open boxes mostly, and to cut strings or cable ties at work. Admittedly, I haven’t EDC’d a knife ever since the German regulations had prohibited carrying one-hand folding knifes in 2004 or so. Same in the UK, I don’t even bother bringing a folding knife when visiting England.
However, I use my kitchen knifes daily to prepare food. I have a soft spot for filleting knifes with the thin, flexible blade.
I regularly sharpen my knifes every eight weeks using 800grit wet-sanding paper laid out on a flat marble tile (same technique I use to reface carburettor flanges)
This thread instantly made me think of that one Simpsons episode where they encounter this random guy on a train and he sings “Nothing beats the hobo life, stabbing folks with my hobo knife”
Back on topic, I use my knife largely for opening mail. Sometimes cutting apart boxes and cutting zip ties. I tend to baby my gear and not abuse it, which would probably sadden the audience of people I see doing hardcore tasks like cutting through metal and chopping wood (although I’m confident my knives could perform if such tasks were required of them)
I try to keep it on me whenever/wherever possible, but as stated previously, the times I need it are the times I don’t have it.
I’ve stayed with the “hiking stick” theme. Jacktheclipper, I’m originally from N.C. so maybe that Carolina Hillbilly you met and I share some of the same genes! 
I now stain them with a mahogany stain that has a polyurethane hardener in it as well. Next, I add a black rubber “cap” designed for chair legs and then I wrap part of the head of the stick (where your hands would grip it) with black electrical tape.
I’ve learned that the branches from a fast growing butterfly bush I have in my yard produce some of the straightest walking sticks. I carve the head to make it round and do something similar to the bottom before I pop on the rubber end cap.
I then drill a hole in the handle to attach a lanyard (shoe string). I’m staining these sticks with mahogany and sometimes with a second stain (black) as well for contrasting colors.
I do use the sticks while hiking but I think my primary motivation is just to have a reason to use my knives!
Rusty items are used to synthetic water dragon series equipment, such items, as if the magic inside a rusty knife, I have a nine knife number, I remember to call the rusty dagger, if you say yesthis, then is used to do water dragon knife 7C
Nice letter opener... but it's not OK to post pictures of tactical envelopes. They are clearly a weapon of mass distraction .... you know... paper cut and all.
I hope you enjoy your stay and keep coming back, Cathyly!
That, plus paisley.