am I sharpening S30V wrong

Jason B.

Jason B.

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
11,179
could not wait to get a knife made of S30V so i purchased a kershaw spec bump. I rebeveled the edge on a oval diamond then used spyderco pro files to sharpen, and finished with 1.8 micron boron carbide and 0.5 micron chromium oxide on a leather pad. I cannot seem to get it as sharp as you think a steel like this should be, yes it pops hairs but not like my commander and if I put a mirror finish on the edge it shaves very well but looses all ability to cut. please help me
 
Do both knives have the same edge angle?

A smaller angle cuts better.

You might have stropped a rounded edge with the leather belt. Shiny but to dull to clearly cut paper.

At least you may start a new round of resharpening and finish with carefull strokes. A finer edge needs finer touches on stones or leather.
 
It sounds like you are leaving a burr which is getting cracked off on the final polishing.

-Cliff
 
I had a lot of problems learning to sharpen S30V right. So far, I've found the best method for me is to take it up to the DMT X-Fine finish and stop.
 
the edge angle on the commander is around 15-18 degrees and the spec bump is around 12-15. I spend about a hour with each ceramic cleaning them often. the leather is glued to a hard peice of oak that is rounded on one side I use light pressure as to not round the edge but even after 10 or so sharpenings of this knife the results are always the same. I have also sharpened it using just diamond but i prefer a polished edge
 
Here is something to try:
If you are sharpening at 30 degrees on the sharpmaker, then try applying a microbevel with your finest abrasives with light strokes at 40 degrees. I had a similar problem and that approach seemed to help. Just a guess.
 
hmm, similar to my progression. I use a 600 grit diamond steel, Profiles, an ultrafine rod, 2.5 micron silicon carbide, and 0.5 chromium oxide loaded leather on wood. I had to sharpen an S30V paramilitary several times before I got to good steel that did not chip on sharpening or use. You may have a bad heat treat.
 
I took the advice on using a lighter touch and got the results i was looking for this thing is scary sharp now thanks for the help
 
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