I'll keep that in mind, currently trying to work out some burnt looking discoloration in my Sandvik 12C27 helle knife tip
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
440C steel--- i think its about time
- Thread starter ShaiHulud
- Start date
Wild Willie
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2018
- Messages
- 4,368
That bites man... What do you use for your coarse stone? The guys in MTE will be the first to tell you that's the key.I'll keep that in mind, currently trying to work out some burnt looking discoloration in my Sandvik 12C27 helle knife tip
Dmt but the knife is new, about ready to say (I don't care and use it) how many people nitpick about the stains and discoloration of their potware and flatware? No one reasonable
Being years old and still work despite all the surface rust, stains and discoloration and no one bats an eye, should be the same here. Should, lol
Wild Willie
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2018
- Messages
- 4,368
So it's a burnt factory edge?
Dr Rez
Pisser of the Couch
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2012
- Messages
- 760
Perhaps you dont realize that steel is always a compromise of some type. No steel is perfect and every steel has pluses and negatives. What is your perceived issue with 440c?
Just the tip, worked some of it out, maybe leftover from the heat treatment or the buffering process
Correct, I'm a professional at dulling 440c at the speed of light and never getting it to cutting shape again.
Dr Rez
Pisser of the Couch
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2012
- Messages
- 760
What are you using to sharpen, and whats your methos for doing so? (How do you determine edge angle, grind, etcetc)
Hmm. I will give this a go and try to explain via text
I tend to start from sharpening choil (if there is one) if not, base of the knife
I draw backwards, starting at the top right of the stone, and arriving at the bottom left , with knife tip in contact with stone. When sharpening other side I repeat process in reverse
Sometimes I'll attempt apexing the edge but I only have coarse, medium and fine grit
Can't tell you exactly the grit number, it is a Dmt set of 3 stones in a wooden box, blue, green, red
Nope.
I own knives in all kinds of steels. I've had good luck with the 440C knives from Spyderco (Meerkat) and Benchmade (Griptilians, TSEK) that I've owned and used.
Personally, I would never suggest getting rid of a particular steel because I didnt like it, or because there are "super steels" in existence. If I didn't like, or had a perceived problem with a particular steel, I simply wouldn't buy any more knives in that steel.
I also happen to like Victorinox's steel, which works very well in its SAKs and kitchen knives. I've read some online comments from people who suggested that Victorinox should upgrade their steel to at least S30V, which is silly, and makes absolutely zero economic sense.
Jim
Thinking about it in the opposite let's get rid of all those "useless" old steels such as those terrible simple carbon steels, 51200, 5160, 80crv2, the old Sandvik steels, 420hc etc...
Then you could pay 500 for a large machete in a "super steel" or similar for an Axe or Parang. Would they be any better "in the field" than a 20 dollar Tramontina, which if chipped is a doddle to reprofile?
The more I think about it the more stupid the question is.
Many of these steels and I'd include 440 series steels in the list are used for hard use working blades, cheap to manufacture durable and easily maintained (often more important someone who uses their knife/tool daily). This will also make up the vast majority of products from larger companies who may sell many thousands, "our" market is tiny in comparison thus our opinions don't really matter.
I use tools (carpentry) daily for hard use, my hand tools (chisels, planes etc..) are made up of old tools from the early 1900's up to Veritas and Lie Neilsen chisels, planes and saws. I use them all and the older tools I often prefer perhaps for reasons you may not find in the "Knife world" such as certain patterns aren't made anymore and come in extremely useful.
Then you could pay 500 for a large machete in a "super steel" or similar for an Axe or Parang. Would they be any better "in the field" than a 20 dollar Tramontina, which if chipped is a doddle to reprofile?
The more I think about it the more stupid the question is.
Many of these steels and I'd include 440 series steels in the list are used for hard use working blades, cheap to manufacture durable and easily maintained (often more important someone who uses their knife/tool daily). This will also make up the vast majority of products from larger companies who may sell many thousands, "our" market is tiny in comparison thus our opinions don't really matter.
I use tools (carpentry) daily for hard use, my hand tools (chisels, planes etc..) are made up of old tools from the early 1900's up to Veritas and Lie Neilsen chisels, planes and saws. I use them all and the older tools I often prefer perhaps for reasons you may not find in the "Knife world" such as certain patterns aren't made anymore and come in extremely useful.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2003
- Messages
- 6,778
I was under the impression that drawing a blade backwards while sharpening a knife has a tendency to round the edge, and that to avoid doing that one should sharpen forward as if slicing away the top of the sharpening stone.
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2001
- Messages
- 4,306
If your technique is sound, there is no right or wrong way.
Consistency of maintaining angle is what's important, and not allowing the tip to slide off the stone at the end of your stroke - that is what rounds the point.
I do that because I'm lousy with maintaining an angle going forward, some guy on YT suggested it so I tried it and never really stopped
I heard someone say a long time ago you should have the mindset as if you're trying to slice layers off the stone, sort of worked, kind of didn't
It's still a solid steel in 2022, IMO. My old Benchmade Grip in 440C is a solid performer. It's easy to sharpen, easy for a user with very limited tools to get a razor edge on, does acceptably well in all the categories, and is tough.
In 2022, it might not be acceptable for an extremely expensive knife considering some of the alternatives, but it's still a very respectable steel in its own right.
In some ways, I think the demise of 440C wasn't even due to the steel itself, but due to a lot of cheap imported knives labeling their blades as being "440C" (even though it wasn't actual 440C), potentially leading many consumers to assume 440C automatically meant poorly-performing steel. (E.g., "why is this $100 Benchmade using 440C?! I bought a 440C folder off of eBay for $10 and it was terrible!")
In 2022, it might not be acceptable for an extremely expensive knife considering some of the alternatives, but it's still a very respectable steel in its own right.
In some ways, I think the demise of 440C wasn't even due to the steel itself, but due to a lot of cheap imported knives labeling their blades as being "440C" (even though it wasn't actual 440C), potentially leading many consumers to assume 440C automatically meant poorly-performing steel. (E.g., "why is this $100 Benchmade using 440C?! I bought a 440C folder off of eBay for $10 and it was terrible!")
Got to that that true 440c. Wont find it inna 10 dollar folder
Not too many makers use them, boker solingen uses them a lot and condor, but every now and then you'll see a model in the steel, not an entire line
Correct me if I'm wrong