Any tips for 440C?

[CaptInsano]

I just got an old school mini-Grip in 440C. It was very dull to begin with. I've used sandpaper and my sharpmaker to bring it back to 15* per side, but it is still only a mediocre paper slicer, forget push cutting or shaving.Specifically, when slicing paper it appears to have some difficulty making the initial cut.

 

[Bucktool_02]

Sounds like you are not at the edge yet. All that work you've been doing so far has just been taking down the shoulder, or thinning just behind the edge. If you want to hit the edge in a hurry, just work only on one side. After a while of just working one side, you should see and feel a burr raised on the opposite side of the edge. That burr tells you you've reached the actual edge. Keep going until you have a burr running the entire length of the blade. Once you have a full length burr, work the other side until it forms a burr.

Once the other side has a burr, you have to remove it. Otherwise, it's just a wire edge, and it will not be a long lasting edge. Burr removal can be as simple as a few gentle swipes at the 20 degree setting. Go back to doing alternating strokes for finishing.

 

[knarfeng]

I agree with Bucktool 02, you may not be at the edge yet. Mark the edge with a sharpie, take a couple of swipes, then look at the edge under a lens. If there is black along the very edge, you haven't been sharpening the edge, but just the shoulder.


I keep working on an edge until I can look directly at it using a hand lens and not see any shiny spots. I have 440C and I have no trouble getting it shaving sharp.