I just picked up what has turned out to be so far beyond anything I’ve ever seen or known in a blade edge!!
I picked a custom San Mai camp/hunting 11.5” knife with (6.5” cutting edge) blade made by Rostislav Doslo and sheath/handle made by Cyril Nichols… ??? At least I hope I got this right?
The edge steel is Bohler K390 HRC 64-65 …
As this was my first time I spent a few weeks teaching myself how to use the TSPROF system and getting the some good sharpening stones to use with it.
I started with 320 grit with 14 degrees on each side then stepped up to Jende 15microns, then again Jende 3 microns and I finished using a smooth leather strop with .5 micron diamond paste and I’ve never seen anything cut like this!!!
I trained with Manaka Sensei in a traditional Japanese family Samurai system for almost twenty years and did quite a bit of cutting using Katana’s sourced from him and his top students… So I learned and am now proficient in how to set blade angles to get them moving in uniform lines so they have the best chance of cleanly getting through whatever media one may be testing or training on ie. Bamboo (green 2”- 4”), wrapped mat, or saplings and/or green branches…
With that said I took this new blade out and tested it on some softer saplings and quickly moved up to oak and was getting through 1/2” to 3/4” live branches like they weren’t really there… The Bohler K390 makes a very unique “tink” sound similar to modern alloy drivers make when connecting with golf balls.
I even cut some black locust with it and had the same experience where it got through them with ease, and after I took it home washed it off and was able to easily cut clean circles out of letter sized sheets of paper without any hitches or catching. no deformations nothing!! I am utterly flabbergasted!!? Completely blown away!!
I think what’s happened here is a combination of #1 phenomenal blade steel, #2 blade shape/geometry…
I think I got really lucky!!
And here’s what I “think” I did by choosing the sharpening techniques I chose???
I think by using the 320 grit and 14degree angle, the 320 grit possibility left high peaks and troughs in the edge steel, which the flatter higher grade Jende stones never got down to so those toothy troughs that heavy non-uniform 320 grit was left deeper in the edge??
Then I went ahead and mirrored the upper blade steel edge? Leaving it with a kinda toothy serration???? And that may be why this cuts so ridiculously well???
But as this was my very first time putting an edge on a super premium steel this is just a theory for me???!! .
I picked a custom San Mai camp/hunting 11.5” knife with (6.5” cutting edge) blade made by Rostislav Doslo and sheath/handle made by Cyril Nichols… ??? At least I hope I got this right?
The edge steel is Bohler K390 HRC 64-65 …
As this was my first time I spent a few weeks teaching myself how to use the TSPROF system and getting the some good sharpening stones to use with it.
I started with 320 grit with 14 degrees on each side then stepped up to Jende 15microns, then again Jende 3 microns and I finished using a smooth leather strop with .5 micron diamond paste and I’ve never seen anything cut like this!!!
I trained with Manaka Sensei in a traditional Japanese family Samurai system for almost twenty years and did quite a bit of cutting using Katana’s sourced from him and his top students… So I learned and am now proficient in how to set blade angles to get them moving in uniform lines so they have the best chance of cleanly getting through whatever media one may be testing or training on ie. Bamboo (green 2”- 4”), wrapped mat, or saplings and/or green branches…
With that said I took this new blade out and tested it on some softer saplings and quickly moved up to oak and was getting through 1/2” to 3/4” live branches like they weren’t really there… The Bohler K390 makes a very unique “tink” sound similar to modern alloy drivers make when connecting with golf balls.
I even cut some black locust with it and had the same experience where it got through them with ease, and after I took it home washed it off and was able to easily cut clean circles out of letter sized sheets of paper without any hitches or catching. no deformations nothing!! I am utterly flabbergasted!!? Completely blown away!!
I think what’s happened here is a combination of #1 phenomenal blade steel, #2 blade shape/geometry…
I think I got really lucky!!
And here’s what I “think” I did by choosing the sharpening techniques I chose???
I think by using the 320 grit and 14degree angle, the 320 grit possibility left high peaks and troughs in the edge steel, which the flatter higher grade Jende stones never got down to so those toothy troughs that heavy non-uniform 320 grit was left deeper in the edge??
Then I went ahead and mirrored the upper blade steel edge? Leaving it with a kinda toothy serration???? And that may be why this cuts so ridiculously well???
But as this was my very first time putting an edge on a super premium steel this is just a theory for me???!! .
