All Emerson's Chisel Grind?

Joined
Jan 27, 2002
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From looking on Emerson's website, most of the knives I have interest in, appear to be chisel grind edges. Is this true of ALL of their knives? If not, which models DO NOT have chisel edges?
 
razorhunter,
just saw your post on trading the mini-commander, why don't you just return it to blade art for a refund. The mt mini can be had for just about $99 from various places. and I've seen the MOD for about $150. Shoot me an e-mail and I will send you the sites

droopy
 
droopy,
I know it, just dreading sending the knife back, and dealing with the hassle. I probably will do that if no one has a Tempest. I only have $125 in the Commander.
 
Originally posted by razorhunter
From looking on Emerson's website, most of the knives I have interest in, appear to be chisel grind edges. Is this true of ALL of their knives? If not, which models DO NOT have chisel edges?

The CQC7-B has a true chisel ground blade (flat on one side, beveled on the other), but all Emerson knives are sharpened on one side. It appears strange when you're used to conventional edges, but there is a reason why Emerson knives are sharpened this way. It produces a thicker edge that can stand up to harder use. On the plus side, they're easier to sharpen because you're only concerned with one side. This type of edge may not be suitable for those looking for an edge that will slice with little effort, but Emerson knives have earned a solid reputation in the knife industry. Give your Commander a try, it's a good knife. You'll find it will grow on you more and more. ;)
 
Originally posted by el cid
but all Emerson knives are sharpened on one side. It appears strange when you're used to conventional edges, but there is a reason why Emerson knives are sharpened this way. It produces a thicker edge that can stand up to harder use. You'll find it will grow on you more and more. ;)

el cid,

I just acquired a CBC-7A. This knife just feels right! So solid and secure in my hand. But, it is my first Emerson and first exposure to such a blade grind. I am hoping to use it for my EDC and general cutting tasks around the farm. Now, as compared to some other knives I have, this one doesn't "appear" to be as sharp. (It's a bit difficult to shave hair off my arm. Whereas my Marble hunting knife will easily shave hair.) But, you are saying that under hard use, this knife will really shine. Can you give an example of what "hard use" means? I really want to like this knife! Thanks.
 
with the right tools (ie spydie ceramic ultra fine and a good steel) and the right technique (ie keep the angle right) ya can get an EKI as sharp as anything, it just takes practice.

i used to think 'no way will this thing shave', i was wrong.

as far as EDC, i dont know if EKI is the hottest thing going, i think they are more for SD. they certainly will fill that role though.

i carry a CQC8 for a dedicated SD knife and a spydie delica SE for utility use myself. and ya dont scratch up the EKI cutting boxes/etc, kill 2 birds/one stone, lol

greg
 
SIFU1A,
I've got the Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker system, which includes the ceramic sharpener. Are you saying I should sharpen the ground edge at 30-degrees and then use a steel to just take the burr off the back edge? Or, do I sharpen both edges at 30-degrees?

My theory with using one knife for everything is simply to develop muscle memory of where that knife is and make it a reflex action to instantly put it into action if need be. I would prefer to carry it same place every day and make accessing it as thoughtless as getting my keys out of my pocket. I know some folks carry two (or more) knives, but I'd really prefer to carry one. If I can figure out how to get this knife really sharp, I'll be happy as I sure like the way it feels!

Thanks,
 
heres what i do when i sharpen an emerson.
i take either a medium or fine stone from my sharpmaker (depending on how much sharpening it needs)

then i take the knife in my right hand and point the tip of the blade towards my eye (think if i was gonna stab myself in the eye with a normal grip)
then i take the rod in my left hand
i hold the knife close (not TOOOOO close) to me eye so i can SEE what angle i need to lay the rod on it to sharpen it, then i lay the rod on the edge keeping it at that angle and sharpen (i sharpen in a stropping motion I.E. the opposite direction that was on the sharpmaker video, to form a burr on the back side.
then every 15 or so strokes i LIGHTLY run the rod along the other side of the blade holding it as close to zero degrees (as close to parallel) as possible

if your working with a tanto just focus on the tip section and the main secion as two seperate blaes.

and a strop REALLY helps but isnt necessary.



Edited to add: an important thing to remember is only move ONE thing, dont move the knife AND the stone, just start with the stone. (well at least not till you get really good) it also helps for stability if you rest your tumb on the spine of the blade
 
Here's how I sharpened my Mini Commander. It took a long time, but I got it so sharp I could cut a hanging hair with it. I used a DMT fine folding serration sharpener. If you haven't seen one, it looks like a butterfly knife icepick. I colored the entire edge with a black sharpie marker (this is absolutely necessary to keep a constant angle). Then I sat in a chair with my right foot on the seat, with my knee about at my chest. I supported the knife with the edge facing away from me with my left hand, tip pointing to the right. This position allowed me to hold the knife perfectly still. I then lightly stroked the edge, changing the angle slightly until the marker was wearing evenly. The ink of the sharpie is thick enough that you aren't removing any metal until the ink is gone, so you can adjust the angle without removing the edge. By the time the ink is coming off evenly, I was able to maintain that angle across the entire blade. I used a circular motion, and did several rotations in one spot after the ink was gone, then moved to the next spot. Once I got to the tip of the knife, I re-colored the edge and started over. Like I said, this was a slow process, much slower than I take to sharpen any other knife, but it worked. I would use a medium rod if I had it because the Emersons come with some heavy grind lines that are a beyatch to remove with the fine rod. It's all about maintaining the same angle. This is how I did it, and YMMV.

Mike
 
my method is similar to the above, is as follows:

*if the knife is new, and ya wanna get it razor sharp, take a spyderco ceramic ultra fine and stroking the blade away from you (to form the burr) at the correct angle until you polish the entire edge, look at it and it will be shiny and have no more machineing marks on it(after some work), i usually hold the knife w/2 hands and have my stone secured to my bench w/some bolts to keep it from sliding. once all the edge is shiny, and ya can feel a burr, LIGHTLY stroke the knife away from you till you remove the burr, you have to do this a time/2 to get it razor sharp, but i promise, my CQC8 will shave EASY after about 20 minutes work.

* if the knife is dull, take a norton fine india stone (or a soft ark, if its really dull) and do the same as above, then finish w/the spydie stone, then when the burr is very pronouncd, again lightly stroke away from you w/a good steel, or lightly stroke away from you on the spydie stone. you want to have the knife almost paralell to the stone, actually as close as possible w/out scuffing the blade finish.

this all sounds harder than it is, the std method EKI recomends works good except for the cardboard strop, the steel always worked better for me, but go figure?

but my EKI Spec-war,SOCFK,CQC8 and 7, BM 975, and my livesay woo neck knife all responded well to this technique. the curved blades on the CQC8 and the Spec war are harder to keep the angles right than the CQC7, for example though. and LIGHTLY on the steel, this seems to be were ya get the really sharp edge, lightly steeling the burr, imho anyway.

good luck/hope this helps ya............

greg
 
and rememeber, it takes practice, i about ruined a CQC7 before i figured this out, clamping on a GATCO (wrong angle/scuffed blade) and trying diff things, i bet i spent 40 hours sharpening the thing, even tried "V" beveling it freehand (ended up sending to EKI for a sharpening job, oops, that didnt work well for me) but finally, something 'clicked', and its not hard anymore, but i paid my dues, lol.


greg
 
Thanks for all the replies! I have printed them out and will make this my project to learn. Once I have figured this out, I am sure this will be my favorite knife.
 
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