Can a member explain to me why the BOS Heat Treat is always labelled legendary?

cchu518

cchu518

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Mar 6, 2013
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What aspects or qualities about the HT make it so likeable? To date I have found it very difficult to sharpen and would love some tips on how to sharpen as well. I am using a smith's tri-stone for sharpening. In steels such as S30, ATS, 154CM, other 440C's I can feather edges to hair whittling sharpness but I can't seem to be able to do that on a script Buck 709 Yearling from the very early 80's. I love the pattern and want to get the blade to hair popping sharp vs a toothy edge that is utility blade sharp need help!
 
What aspects or qualities about the HT make it so likeable? To date I have found it very difficult to sharpen and would love some tips on how to sharpen as well. I am using a smith's tri-stone for sharpening. In steels such as S30, ATS, 154CM, other 440C's I can feather edges to hair whittling sharpness but I can't seem to be able to do that on a script Buck 709 Yearling from the very early 80's. I love the pattern and want to get the blade to hair popping sharp vs a toothy edge that is utility need help!
 
I merged your double post thread. I am not a heat treat expert, we do have several members who have studied it carefully. Being the Holidays it may take a little extra time for them to reply. I can say this from experience, 420HC is most easily sharpened using diamond stones, etc. Its only an educated guess but I think your 709 may not be 420HC, but could be 425m during the early 80s. Experts that can talk Buck sharpening will be along in a bit.

300Bucks, Moderator
 
You have several questions going here, I'll attempt to answer some. 1)Paul's heat treating is a cutlery industry standard. 2) Your Yearling is most likely of 425M steel. The 700 series is no harder to sharpen than many other Buck models. Are you using a black marker to make sure your scraping the edge at the bevel? DM
 
Thanks for the help. Here is a photo, I thought it was one of the 440C versions and not 420HC.

20130923_0914131.jpg


So here is the deal. I LOVE this pattern. I had found the Buck 709 Yearling by accident one day after looking for Buck 309's and the like. So I found one on ebay and ordered it up. It's an awesome size and the blade is super strong, you could pry with this blade. But it's a bear to sharpen for me.

That said I ended up selling it, but I missed the pattern so much that I almost immediately regretted selling it and just this weekend found another one in good condition on ebay for $13. I would love some tips on how to get the blades hair popping sharp without having to get a diamond stone. It's very easy to get a utility/toothy sharp edge on it but I have yet been able to get this steel to be hair popping sharp with a very fine edge. Would love some help from someone in the know!
 
Your 709 came out in Sept. 1981. Did you go to your coarsest stone first in sharpening? DM
 
I did not say your model had 420HC steel. I thought your Smith's Tri-Hone was diamond. If your Smith's set is Arkansas stones you'll have problems. You need at least a Norton SiC or India stone. They can be had at most hardware stores for 15$. A 2X6" stone and use with oil. DM
 
The best way I can explain it is think about getting a steak from McDonald's and one from s fine steak house. Both are the same cut but Paul is at the grill in the steak house. :thumbup:
 
Yes I normally go from a course stone to medium to fine and I finish off with lightly feathering the edge on a fine stone and then a super light stropping on cardboard or paper.Usually an left wit no discernible burr even under a 10X jeweler's loupe.

The only thing that I could guess that might help would be to make the angle of my sharpening more acute in setting the bevel?
 
Thanks for that David, do the Norton's come in different grits and which grits can you suggest? The smith's trihone is a regular Arkansas stone version!

David Martin said:
I did not say your model had 420HC steel. I thought your Smith's Tri-Hone was diamond. If your Smith's set is Arkansas stones you'll have problems. You need at least a Norton SiC or India stone. They can be had at most hardw

are stores for 15$. A 2X6" stone and use with oil. DM
Click to expand...
 
I enjoy the Norton India a combination stone, a coarse (150 grit) and a fine India (320 grit). This is available at http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/ This type grit will cut the steels you mention and offers good economy, lasting a user perhaps 30yrs.. The fine India gets finer after break-in, perhaps to 400 grit. A blade sharpened, coming off this stone will shave every hair it touches. Then stropping (as you mentioned) will bring the edge a little finer. Work at removing the burr entirely on the stone. Utilizing edge leading lighter and lighter strokes. DM
 
Two completely different subjects in your thread.

Bos heat treating is so likeable because they have state of the art equipment, extensive knowledge on heat treating and they don't cut corners or use guesswork. IMO they have higher quality control than any other heat treating outfit. It is the only outfit I use.

That aside, there are many things behind sharpening besides the HT.

If you don't have problems sharpening your other knives, you should be fine. Can you explain what "feather edges" entails?

Hard to tell from the picture provided, but I suspect this has edge damage or has been over sharpened and needs to be reground. Can you take a better photo of the blade?

For the final question, try stropping to get it to shaving sharp.
 
The main blade on your 709 could have been over sharpened and wound up thick at the edge. Thus, you'll need to grind that down and re-bevel the edge. Are you using a black marker? Making a line along the bevel will tell you whether your hitting the correct angle during sharpening. DM
 
How long has buck been using the Bos heat treating?

Why wouldn't you want diamond stones? That's all I care to use.
 
I have been using a Lansky on all my knives and never worry about angle. I started off with the stone version and now have the diamond system. I also strop my blades as a final step and use a piece of belt leather on a piece of wood. I read that a barber's strop is for a razor and a knife strop must be flat. And i do use a rouge on the strop. I also have sharpened knives for people I work with and should give them band aids because they always seem to cut themselves.
 
I spent a couple hours with Paul Varner the guy that runs Bos and he is a very cool and knowledgeable guy. Very willing to talk. Give him a call. Davey
 
Thanks folks...I was afraid that I needed to reset the bevel on the old 709 that I sold. I will check it out on the new to me one that is coming in and look into a new stone. My Smith's arkansas trihone was gifted to me so it has sentimental value. But I think its time to add a new stone to the sharpening stable!
 
Just like knives, you can't have just one sharpener.
My current favorite is the DMT Aligner.
 
Everything going well here keep going. But, as a helpful suggestion to the OP, isn't there a forum where sharpening is talked about extensively. I know David goes somewhere to discuss such. Anyone have a suggestion for cchu518 to dig deeper in a specialized forum.

I myself have tried 'many' different angles in sharpening. I understand most well 'enough'. Know what David is talking about with black marker and know what the thick blade talk is. But, I guess 300's and small vantages can get sharp enough for me using a black/white lansky sticks. I have said I was going to get a diamond sharp-maker, just haven't. I got a Work Sharp an quickly realized I did not like the way it tapered the end of edge at the tangs. With big knives and kitchen knives it is not as much a problem. I think I have used the thing to sharpen every family and church womens kitchen knives. Some were in a sad state. I have a strop I made from a old recycled oak board, one of my old unused gun belts. Put cork sheeting on bottom so it won't slip and use Mothers Mag wheel polish on it. (easy to get in small town)

In the end I have noticed everyone sort of works out their own way, and if you get a good edge they all work.
300
 
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