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Sharpening Tips
There is an old saying "There's
more than one way to skin a cat". The same is true with sharpening
broadheads. We acknowledge that there are numerous ways to sharpen
broadheads. The tips that follow are simply what works for us. These
are sharpening tips, not the sharpening bible.
First lets talk about the factory grind. The factory grind is only
intended to save you a little elbow grease by removing some of the
metal. It is not intended to be ready for use out of the package or
even at the correct angle. We feel broadhead sharpening is a
personal thing, a ritual of the hunt if you will. It is something we
enjoy doing. It's part of preparing for the hunt. There are lots of
opinions regarding sharpening angle, direction of filing, file
versus stone, etc. By only removing some of the metal with the
factory grind, we are allowing you full flexibility in sharpening
your broadhead to your personal taste.
It is absolutely imperative that you use a sharp file. You can't go
out in the garage and grab that big rusty bastard you use to sharpen
the blade on your lawn mower. Buy yourself a good sharp file,
maintain it well, and replace it at regular intervals. File
maintenance includes chalking your file, that is, to simply rub
chalk on the cutting teeth, this helps keep the shavings from
becoming "welded" in the grooves. It also prevents your file from
becoming "loaded up" with shavings. A file card is also handy to
have around to clean the teeth out in case you file does become
dirty. This will save you a lot of time, frustration and elbow
grease. Good files are readily available through most archery
dealers or hardware stores. Kustom King Archery sells the file we
use. It's called the Kustom King Broadhead File and sells for about
$8.00.
We like to sharpen our broadheads after they are mounted on arrows.
We also like to employ another useful little gadget called the Arrow
Grabber (see Photo No. 1). The Arrow Grabber is a small molded
plastic tool that holds and supports your broadhead and allows you
to hold on to the arrow while filing. Again, these can be purchased
from most archery dealers (see the links on the Purchase page).
Now that you have your sharp file and arrow grabber in hand it's
time to get started. It's here where we (Blake and Brad) do things
slightly different. As we discuss our sharpening techniques we are
going describe both of our styles. Try them both, one may work
better for you than the other. Both result in a shaving sharp
broadhead in approximately 15-30 minutes.
Blake's Way
Brad's Way
The Dan Macut Way
1)
2)
3)
4)
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