Asymmetric Edge Resource Thread

Just a bump and a bit of trivia. I remember my Busses in all of 1999 being Asymetric edge. I remember first hearing of it in early 99.
 
Just to add to the post below as these words from Jerry are not the total story when selecting an ASM Edge and also you need a bit more info to get the best out of the Knife -

1/ Left handed use - the ASM edge does not work as well when pointing or whittling if you are left handed. The convex edge next to the wood needs more control to stop it rolling the sharp pinnacle away from the wood. In contrast the use of the edge in the right handed manner has the flat edge biting deep. You can use the knife left handed but it needs more control. Ideally to derive the benefit of the edge a left handed person would need the convex and flat sides the other way round. Useful to know if you are left handed because altering a flat ground V edge to a left handed ASM grind would loose less steel than altering a right handed ASM grind to a left handed ASM grind. Cutting meat there is no noticeable difference. On chopping you again need a bit more control. The edge needs to be angled slightly more severely to the wood if chopping at an angle or it can bounce. Left handed use with an ASM edge is however doable. I have used my Basic 9s for a lot of years now and am happy using the knife in both hands. If I was a "leftie" I would prefer to create a left handed grind from a V ground blade though.

On the sharpening tip of using the ceramic stick solely on the left hand side - if you have a razor sharp edge created and use if predominately right handed the edge pinnacle is likely to roll to the left hand side and you can feel the burr created by this with a finger nail or the tip of a finger depending on how calloused your fingers are. A ceramic stick works a treat here when used as described but be careful if using a diamond impregnated Ezelap brass sharpening hone. I carried one of these for a while and found it too aggressive but as they unscrewed and fitted together for ease of carry I was initially sold on their practicality. No comparable ceramic stick design exists but you do only need a ceramic stick or stone to re-align the roll. The edge is then back to perfect in no time as you have not removed metal or otherwise made it jaggered. A tip here is that if you cannot find a ceramic stick when out in the field - using a leather belt or rifle sling with a bit of compound applied as a strop akin to a straight razor and pull the blade back to you only on the left hand side works very well. As I say - stay away from stones or sharpening hones as you only need to centralise the roll of the edge and do not want to remove metal. I now carry one of my white spyderco sharpmaker ceramic rods in an old cigar tube padded with emergency tinder so it does not rattle and have this taped to one of my rucksack straps. Easy to get to and a few strokes after use is all that is needed. A bit like a butcher who gives a knife a few licks every now and again. This makes the edge last an awfully long time between true sharpening needs as it only needs sharpening when actually dulled from wear. This prolonged edge retention when compared to the same attempts to keep a convex edge up to the same standard ( as these seem to need more time to bring back ) is perhaps the greatest attribute of the edge design. My convex Kukri's need a fair bit more skill and time on a leather strop to sort out the same issue of the edge rolling. The ASM edge is sorted in three or four back strokes. Really handy when in the field and not wanting to wait till camp to bring back an edge. :thumbup:



This is what Busse says about sharpening knives supplied with their assym. edge grind:

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When the asym B11s were released at Blade ??, my proxy was able to score one for me. After later stripping it, I cleaned it up with a ScotchBrite wheel and messed up the factory edge. :eek::(

Recently scored a user asym B9, and stripped it, of course.

So, both went back to Garth a little bit ago, and they just came back home.

THANK YOU BEEF!!!

Back to factory specs, and shaving sharp. :thumbup: All ready for zmbhntrs's camping weekend, along with other toys.....
 
Let's take this to the top again. I'm going to be trying this out on a couple blades this week (eventually on my TGLB). Glad this resource is here!
 
The tglb with an asymmetric edge would be interesting. I'm curious how it will work with a hollow grind as opposed to full flat.
 
Let's take this to the top again. I'm going to be trying this out on a couple blades this week (eventually on my TGLB). Glad this resource is here!
And 4 years later I still haven't done it on my tglb :(

I did do it on a test knife (seal pup). But alas, I haven't used that knife since. Seems something else always comes up.
 
Awesome thread. Thanks resinguy resinguy for the reminder . I still have a brand new tanker grey Basic-11 with the factory edge. Never used!
 
 
my OG Steel Heart Ergo still has the asymetric edge. It makes it extremely easy to maintain the edge.

Grind the big side strop the other.

E
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