AUS 8 steel and my headache

williamsld8

williamsld8

Joined
Sep 19, 2010
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not really a question, or advice to anybody, more or less just thinking out loud here. so i spent the last week and a half trying to sharpen my SOG twitch II. read online that the blade is AUS 8. found out AFTER a week and a half of effort that the amount of vanadium in this steel prevents a soft arkansas from being able to cut it, or at least almost makes it impossible. bought a generic little pocket stone from norton, advertised as medium grit. 20 minutes and a little wd40 later and i have bald spots on my arms using ONLY that norton stone. from now on ill do a little more research on the hardness of certain steels compared to my arkansas before i waste a week or more on them...or just save my arkansas for kitchen knives and old school soft steels. otherwise its just gonna collect dust. - Williams, L. D.
 
The arkansas should have worked but it never hurts to use a better abrasive. Looks like it time to upgrade the sharpening equipment ;)
 
While I don't know a whole heck of a lot about Arkansas stones, I will say this.

Use what works best for you.

If you get excellent and consistent results freehand, I wouldn't listen too much to anybody that extols the virtues of <Insert Sharpening System>. The key is consistency, in more ways than one.
 
A arkansas hardstone is what I use on my AUS8. Works like a charm, SUPER easy. I'm having difficulties with SR101 right now, the only thing I have that will touch it is wet and dry sandpaper.... thinning out my new Howling Rat is going to be a long and arduous gig.
 
I hate sharpening this steel. The burr doesn't come off. And this is with diamonds.
 
I've had some extended sharpening sessions with that steel on a Arkansas (washita, soft) . A lot depends on how dull it was and sharpening technique . But the results with the med. grit Norton doesn't suprise me . DM
 
AUS8 steel is a pretty easy steel to sharpen and most all makers have the heat treatment of this steel optimized. Unlike a lot of modern alloys that can be like completely different steels depending on maker, AUS8 varys little so you usually know what to expect when getting a knife with this steel.

Cold steel, SOG, and Ontario are the companies that I've used AUS8 from and its always seemed the same to me. Cold steels Kobun was the first blade I had in AUS8 and at the time my sharpening stone of choice was a smith's medium Arkansas. I was always able to get it very sharp but it took some time because Arkansas stones as I found out in later years cut very slow.

PR, sandpaper is actually on of my preferred method of sharpening SR101 (aka 52100). You can also go to home depot where you will find the Norton economy stone for about 5 bucks that will make quick work of that steel, paving the way for your Arkansas stones to finish up.

THG, your diamonds are well broken-in correct? AUS8 should sharpen exceptionally well on diamonds and as always if correct pressure is used the burr should be minimal to non-existent. If you use similar pressures as you would with something like a Arkansas stone then you are using to much. Think of it as if you only want the tips of the diamonds to touch the bevel and not the bevel touching the hone.

To the OP, your basic problem is probably because you are not working on a uniform bevel to begin with. Using the HD stone like I suggested above to establish a even bevel would probably help getting your knife sharp with your finer Arkansas stones. The HD stone is about 120/320 grit.


Coarse creates the bevel Fine cleans it up ;)
 
knifenut1013 said:
THG, your diamonds are well broken-in correct? AUS8 should sharpen exceptionally well on diamonds and as always if correct pressure is used the burr should be minimal to non-existent. If you use similar pressures as you would with something like a Arkansas stone then you are using to much. Think of it as if you only want the tips of the diamonds to touch the bevel and not the bevel touching the hone.
Click to expand...

They should be broken in just fine. I was using my XC, and I can usually get any burr off with that. AUS-8 is the only steel I've ever had this problem with.
 
At that grit and because of the reaction of the steel to the abrasive you might not. I usually don't get complete burr removal until EF both freehand and with aligner clamp, rare occasions at F.
 
Actually, I might eat my words on that. I'll be getting the rat1 folders in for touch-up in a few days, we'll see what 200x can tell us :)
 
Well I moved onto F and EF after that anyway to see if it would go away, and it wouldn't.
 
I have always found AUS-8 to be very easy to sharpen and it takes a frightening sharp edge. :)
 
Ankerson said:
I have always found AUS-8 to be very easy to sharpen and it takes a frightening sharp edge. :)
Click to expand...

I have two rat-1 knives and in my pre diamond era I had great succes in getting them sharp. Last time I sharpened them was with dmt diafolds and it was a breeze, frightening sharp indeed and quick to get there...
 
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