As Ground

G

Giuliano

Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
45
Forgive my ignorance but can someone please explain the meaning of the phrase "as ground"when applied to knife blades ?
Many thanks in advance
 
They have left the grind marks at what ever final belt/grit they used.

Some times called a machine finish as well.

The final finish can varry widely, depending on what grit they did the grind at. A 200 grit finish looks a lot different than a 600 grit, or an 800 grit.

Many blades undergo additional finishing. Be that a tumble in media, or polish.

Some customs are hand sanded to a higher finish.
 
There's also the term glazed, which was often used in describing the blade finish of old knives. It's pretty much equivalent to as ground but a little more fine. It can vary a bit.
 
This Case I've been carrying lately has "as ground" blades.

YgMEF5X.jpg


In this picture you can clearly see where the striated finish on the clip main transitions to the polished edge grind.

FUSg1K5.jpg
 
Railsplitter said:
Top knife has a polished finish. Bottom knife has the as ground finish. I like the as ground finish better myself. I wish Case would offer it on more of their knives. It's basically a satin finish but just a little but rougher.
View attachment 1093912
View attachment 1093913
View attachment 1093914
Click to expand...

I like those 090's Rick. Nice little jr cattle pattern.

The as ground is better in that it's not tumbled like the polished blades so they have sharp points, imagine putting sharp points on a knife, case. o_O
 
I usually like the 'as ground,' or glazed look. The old fellers could put a mirror or crocus finish on a blade and still keep the sharp edges. That was knice! Nowadays they have a tumbled polished finish with rounded-off edges that does not appeal to me.
 
I have a Case Carhart single blade Sowbelly and a Carhart Trapper that are "As ground". They are fine carrying knives but I like polished blades just a bit better.
 
I like the as ground finish as well. It tends to look better since it keeps a blade's tip pointy and the swedges crisp.

TheChunk91 said:
The as ground is better in that it's not tumbled like the polished blades so they have sharp points, imagine putting sharp points on a knife, case. o_O
Click to expand...

tongueriver said:
I usually like the 'as ground,' or glazed look. The old fellers could put a mirror or crocus finish on a blade and still keep the sharp edges. That was knice! Nowadays they have a tumbled polished finish with rounded-off edges that does not appeal to me.
Click to expand...

I think the ability to polish a blade has become lost. Even GEC can not do it properly. But when done right polished blades are a thing of beauty.

33661292296_cee757c4a0_c.jpg


32881025324_1637616924_c.jpg
 
GEC does ok but they do not have quite the fine polish as the premium old knives. They do a great job and make the best production knives on the market today with the most consistent fit of any traditional knives I've seen, but they are not quite like the old knives.

GEC's are mostly more like the premium post ww2 knives but pre delrin wave. Which were very good knives but the old world quality and attention to detail had started to drop off from what it had been, for the most part.
 
I own a Case Medium Jack in black delrin & as ground blades - I like it a lot. I personally prefer it over the typical polished Case blades.
 
I would enjoy Case's knives a lot more if they offered more as-ground products.
I've never carried for the shiny blades, or the rounding off that goes with it. Somehow it makes them feel cheap to me.
That's why I prefer Buck, and Tidioute over the Northfields. Love those crisp lines.
 
I’ve always been partial to the as-ground finish, probably because the first “real” knife I ever owned was an 18-pattern Case stockman with as-ground blades. I found over the course of time, those blades never showed rub or wear marks and - with the single exception of one knife I sliced a block of cheese with and forgot to wipe off - never took a stain. I wish Case offered them more frequently on their more premium quality knives.
 
To take the subject a bit farther, how about taking a pre-war beauty with some blade loss, tarnish, a few pits, and then buffing the 'you-know-what' out of it (uh... "Cleaned to mint?") gaaaahhh.
 
Railsplitter said:
Top knife has a polished finish. Bottom knife has the as ground finish. I like the as ground finish better myself. I wish Case would offer it on more of their knives. It's basically a satin finish but just a little but rougher.
View attachment 1093912
View attachment 1093913
View attachment 1093914
Click to expand...

Absolutely, and the second knife looks much much better.
I like my case Knives that have polished blades in spite of this, but sure would prefer the as ground finish.
It's much better for a working knife, and with the stainless so many of their options only come in it's even better because scratches don't jump out at you so easily.
 
The as ground finish is nice, but theres a few downsides that no one has talked about. The edges (all the edges) are sharp. Super sharp. So when its in your pocket it scrapes you and can be uncomfortable. I carried a Case American Workman Sodbuster with an as ground blade for a long time while working on the family farm and I always hated that sharp spine poking into me.
Not to mention, its a cost cutting measure for the company. It takes extra time and manufacturing steps to get those nicely polished blades. Polished blades prevent rusting too, and take a better patina (subjective) if theyre carbon steel. Polished also has an edge (ha) in slicing, since the blade is smoother and gives slightly less resistance. Polished blades also look classy in a fancier knife, though thats also subjective.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top