A Question on sharpening 420 HC

J

James Y

Joined
Feb 18, 1999
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I own several Buck Knives, but because i rotate knives for carry, and consequently some knives are used little, I have not really had occasion to sharpen my Bucks except for my Minibuck.
I have heard that 420HC is difficult to resharpen. I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker, and when I say "resharpen," I mean maintain the edge, not letting it become dull. Is it true this steel type is diffucult, or is that just talk?
Otherwise I think the steel is fine, as it gets sharp and really seems to resist rust well.
Jim
 
That steel is very easy to resharpen. Anyone who has said it is hard to sharpen, has never sharpenned a hard tool steel knife like A-2, M-2, D-2, ATS-34, 440V and even the 440 B and C are harder.
 
James,
Cobalt is correct, The 420 HC is on the easier side to sharpen. Before our new Edge 2000 came out, Most of the problem with sharpening our knives was due to having a rounded edge from the burr removal with a soft wheel. We've corrected that condition by using a leather wheel. You use less pressure to remove the Burr than with a cloth wheel. The customer 1st had to remove the round bevel we put in and hone it flat before it even started to sharpen. So the difficulty wasn't in the type of steel, but in the initial edge shape. Our testing indicates Edge 2000 is 30% sharper out of the box than our old method.

Jeff

------------------
Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
Quality Supervisor

JeffH@buckknives.com
www.buckknives.com
Watch for Pete's Custom Knife Shoppe on www.buckknives.com

 
How can I make sure I'm getting Edge 2000 when I buy a knife? I would expect some older knives are in the supply channels. If I'm buying over the internet and can't look at the edge contours are there date code or model number distinctions? If I'm in a store or at a show, how can I tell by site?
 
There are two easy ways to tell if the new edging process has been used on the knife you are looking at.

The first is to look at the "date code". This is a mark that will appear next to the model number in the blade stamp. The 1999 blade stamp is like a capital "C" with 3 straight lines instead of a curve. Like a capital E without the middle line.

The second way is to look at the width of the ground bevel of the edge. We have cut in half our included angle on the edge. This gives a much wider blade grind. It will be noticeable compared to a non-edge 2000 grind.

Included angle is when you hold your knife edge down and draw a line right down the center of the blade. You then take the angle of that line in relation to the angle of the edge grind. An unedged knife has an included angle of 180 degrees.

You know the real key though, the edgers are so proud of these edges they ensure nothing goes past them that is not scarry sharp.
 
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