How to Sharpen a Curved Blade on a Wicked Edge

Sharpening curved blades like karambits, hawkbills, and recurves may seem challenging at first glance, but with a Wicked Edge precision knife sharpener, it's simpler than you might think. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to sharpen curved blades using guided angle sharpening techniques and a few key setup tips.

Watch these helpful videos for visual demonstrations:

• Sharpening Curved Blades on Wicked Edge
• Sharpening Karambits and Hawkbills
• Sharpening Recurve Blades

Sharpening Karambits and Hawkbills

These blades have an aggressive inward curve, but with a few adjustments, they sharpen beautifully on a Wicked Edge sharpener:

• Clamp Positioning: Visualize a straight line connecting the heel and tip of the blade—this imaginary line should sit parallel with the top of the vise.
• Stone Movement: As you sharpen, the stone will naturally pivot slightly to follow the curve. Let it happen—this is normal and expected.
• Stone Type: No special curved stones are required. Wicked Edge’s standard flat stones work perfectly for these grinds.

Sharpening Recurve Blades

Recurves feature a subtle inward dip in the blade and require a slightly different approach:

• Clamp Location: Treat the blade like a typical knife. Clamp the blade at the point where the belly begins to drop toward the tip, ignoring the recurve at this stage.
• Natural Curvature: Your stones will naturally follow the curve without the need for curved abrasives.
• Sweet Spot Adjustment: Use the marker method to ensure full bevel coverage. If the marker isn't being removed evenly, tilt the knife slightly up or down in the vise and test again.

With practice and patience, even the most uniquely shaped curved blades can be sharpened to a razor edge using your Wicked Edge system.

Learn more about our Wicked Edge precision sharpeners here.