CPM 15V Sharpening | Silicon Carbide versus Cubic Boron Nitride.

DeadboxHero

DeadboxHero

Joined
Mar 22, 2014
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crHhmcJ.png

Magnification 150x


CPM 15V Steel chemistry
Carbon 3.40%wt
Chromium 5.25%wt
Vanadium 14.6%wt
Molybdenum 1.30%wt
Manganese 0.50%wt
Silicon 0.90%wt

Carbide volume
~23% Vol. MC ( Vanadium carbide)

Vanadium carbide hardness
2800Hv (87rc)

CPM 15V hardness after tempering
65.0rc

Silicon Carbide Hardness
2500Hv (85rc)
Cubic Boron Nitride Hardness
5000Hv (94rc)

Figured my fellow edge nerds would like to see this.
 
Assuming proper Diamond or CBN abrasives, sounds like it shouldn't be any tougher to sharpen compared to something with slightly lower Vanadium content like S90V, S110V, or K390 then? I hope I can even get one of your Manix 2's though. The hype seems to be off the charts for it.
 
Are those bumps on the SiC-sharpened edge vanadium carbides that were not cut by the softer SiC stone?
 
I think it's more likely attributable to the difference in the physical shape of the abrasive. But also we don't know if the same grit grading system is used between the two. If, for instance, the CBN is 400 FEPA while the SiC is 400 ANSI then the SiC would actually be a larger grain size, of ~320 FEPA.
 
Blade Lab said:
I think so. SiC is basically wearing away the steel matrix around the carbides, leaving that ragged edge.
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Bevel was set from a square plateau (completely dull) to see the ability of SiC to cut a fresh edge, the SiC did more burnishing than cutting and caused what appears to be adhesive wear; rubbing/tearing at the steel surface rather than cutting. The carbides are much smaller than the size of the damage at 150x so its not a matter of "matrix is this and carbides are that"
 
The Knife Life said:
Great thread Shawn! Love this kind of stuff!

I'm really impressed with how clean that apex is on the 125 micron finish vs the 28 micron one. Not really a huge difference! Really shows how the superior abrasive (CBN vs SiC) can produce a much cleaner apex.
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Yes, it's very rewarding to look at things under a microscope.
 
Are you using a Dino-lite for these images? I use one at work and love it (costs about $1000) but our Mantis optical scopes at anywhere between 40x and 60x mag produce superior definition and lighting. They also cost 10x as much too, lol.
 
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The Knife Life said:
Are you using a Dino-lite for these images? I use one at work and love it (costs about $1000) but our Mantis optical scopes at anywhere between 40x and 60x mag produce superior definition and lighting. They also cost 10x as much too, lol.
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As far as I can tell, the current Mantis scopes top out at 20x. Any chance you meant the Lynx, from the same company, which has higher magnifications available, and is priced more in line with your description?
 
UncleBoots said:
As far as I can tell, the current Mantis scopes top out at 20x. Any chance you meant the Lynx, from the same company, which has higher magnifications available, and is priced more in line with your description?
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Yes, I did. I was mistakenly remembering the name on the older scopes we have. The new ones are the Lynx by Vision Engineering as you stated. Thank you for the correction!

If they weren't so doggone expensive, I'd love to have one for home use!

There's gotta be some pretty nice digital set-ups though for a more affordable price. Dino-lite is pretty nice, but something with a larger sensor would probably be a lot better.
 
Wow, these sold at BHQ in under a minute. 😂

I got an email alert that they were in stock, clicked the link, added to my cart, processing, and .... nope! Maybe next time.
 
i am new member canadian french sorry my writing fault,i am avid hunter from quebec,your site is a very good resources for a collector and hunter like my ,personnaly i use tormek t4 with japan stone 4000grit the result is ansome on all kind of steel thank is my firt message
 
jim20 said:
i am new member canadian french sorry my writing fault,i am avid hunter from quebec,your site is a very good resources for a collector and hunter like my ,personnaly i use tormek t4 with japan stone 4000grit the result is ansome on all kind of steel thank is my firt message
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Welcome! I'm a Tormek guy myself, but I don't think the Japanese wheel would put much of a dent in 15v, being aluminum oxide based.
 
hunter only need good 440c refresh after the hunt for next year ,no need more is good for 1 moose and resharp for your next hunt is always fun began new hunt with a fresh sharp knife
 
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