Best 440C and 9CR18MoV Edge -- Toothy or No?

afishhunter

afishhunter

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Which is better for general all-round use (no batoning) for a 440C/9CR18MoV blade?
"Toothy" "400 grit"* or "polished" "1000 grit"*?

* What the two sided diamond plate that came with my new guided rod sharpener is marked as.
I don't know how accurate the rating is.
View attachment 1503075
 
On traditional knives such as the one pictured, I've liked a 320-400 finish on them for all-around EDC usage. My frame of reference for this is finishing with a Fine India stone, which is my favorite for these.

With a diamond plate, the 1000 side might come closer to that type of 'Fine India' 320-400 finish. Plated diamond hones always cut & finish much more coarsely for their rated grit as compared to other stone/grit types, and even more so in simple steels like this.

If in doubt, I'd start with the 1000 and see if you like it. I'm betting it won't polish as much as you might think, and the 400 diamond might leave the edge rougher than you might like on a small traditional pocketknife's blade.
 
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Hello, how much did that sharpening system cost? It is currently available? Traditional knives seem to be left out in guided systems. That one looks like it actually works.

afishhunter said:
Which is better for general all-round use (no batoning) for a 440C/9CR18MoV blade?
"Toothy" "400 grit"* or "polished" "1000 grit"*?

* What the two sided diamond plate that came with my new guided rod sharpener is marked as.
I don't know how accurate the rating is.
View attachment 1503075
Click to expand...
 
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unklfranco said:
Hello, how much did that sharpening system cost? It is currently available? Traditional knives seem to be left out in guided systems. That one looks like it actually works.
Click to expand...
found it on the big river site, just under $40.
It does work, though for some of the smaller secondary blades, setting the diamond plate on the magnet with the rod in the hole for the angle you want, and holding the blade parallel to the desk/bench works better tank trying to put a tiny blade on the magnet.
Ezwares is the brand.
 
440c with good heat treat is excellent steel...9cr18 too....depends on ht...for edc these steels are perfect...
 
Thank you for the info.
afishhunter said:
found it on the big river site, just under $40.
It does work, though for some of the smaller secondary blades, setting the diamond plate on the magnet with the rod in the hole for the angle you want, and holding the blade parallel to the desk/bench works better tank trying to put a tiny blade on the magnet.
Ezwares is the brand.
Click to expand...
 
HeavyHanded said:
Back when I really favored toothy (60-120 grit max) edges, 440c was my steel of choice. It can take a finer edge for sure but man can it do a brutal, long lasting coarse edge.
Click to expand...
Did you really say 60-120 grit? I hope that’s a typo. I would love to see you sharpen on a 60 grit stone and leave the edge like that. It would be a horrible basically chips down the edge. You would ripe through anything you cut. It would go dull extremely fast because your basically one step from being dull with a 60 grit edge.
 
Rt88man said:
Did you really say 60-120 grit? I hope that’s a typo. I would love to see you sharpen on a 60 grit stone and leave the edge like that. It would be a horrible basically chips down the edge. You would ripe through anything you cut. It would go dull extremely fast because your basically one step from being dull with a 60 grit edge.
Click to expand...
60 would be some big teeth. It might look cool?
If I'm correct, toothy edges work because on said knife the teeth tear out during use that creates more teeth. I suppose at some grit size the chunks would cause the edge to become blunt.
The late great Vadim Karichuck, from Australian Knife Grinders, stated and was confirmed by Todd in his "Science of Sharp" blog I believe, that 600 grit created the longest lasting edge by a slight margin. Something to consider...
 
Rt88man said:
Did you really say 60-120 grit? I hope that’s a typo. I would love to see you sharpen on a 60 grit stone and leave the edge like that. It would be a horrible basically chips down the edge. You would ripe through anything you cut. It would go dull extremely fast because your basically one step from being dull with a 60 grit edge.
Click to expand...
HeavyHanded hasn't posted in several years, his last comment here being posted over 4 years ago.

He was very active on the site prior to that. Very knowledgeable and he had real skills for sharpening. He did at times comment about the very coarse edges he liked for certain uses. If anyone had the skills to make an edge like that work, he did. I imagine a lot of it comes down to matching a coarse finish to particular steel types, probably steels with greater toughness, i.e., less prone to chipping, in particular.

I know from my own experience, some knives in simple stainless like 420HC can be vicious, effortless slicers with edges cleanly finished on something like a 120-grit belt, straight from the factory. I've never tried anything coarser than that, but I can see how it might be possible with certain steel types.
 
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