Damascus Steel - Best Blade Angle

Z

Zedgeezer

Joined
Apr 28, 2020
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I have a Damascus steel kitchen knife (Handmade, no core metal). Is there a best ground angle for the blade. I'm currently using a spyderco 20 degree setup. but seem to be loosing the edge every couple of days. Would I be better with the 30 degree angle or is 2 days household use pretty average?
 
I would suspect that the edge holding has more to do with the steel and heat treat than the edge angle. If you like the knife, then just keep a hone handy and touch it up with a few strokes before using it -- common practice with sushi chefs, I believe. I generally sharpen our kitchen cutlery every week or two -- common stainless steels mostly.
 
You only need to go more obtuse if the edge is rolling or chipping. A more acute angle like the 15 dps (30 degrees total) would cut better and longer.
 
Way too little info to give a solid answer.

Are you apexing on the Sharpmaker and then de-burring?
 
Larrin said:
You only need to go more obtuse if the edge is rolling or chipping. A more acute angle like the 15 dps (30 degrees total) would cut better and longer.
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Thanks for your reply, I'll go with 30 degrees and see how it performs
 
IMO I would go about 15 degrees each side. The edge retention will just depend on the steel used and heat treatment. Damascus steel is just a generic term of metals mixed, it doesn't have any bearing on edge retention per se. But sharp for only 2 days seems very short lived. Perhaps it wasn't sharpened properly??? If it was maybe just accept you have to hone it often. Or look to get a different daily user for the kitchen?

Happen to know what steel was used in the blade?
 
The_Knife_Man said:
IMO I would go about 15 degrees each side. The edge retention will just depend on the steel used and heat treatment. Damascus steel is just a generic term of metals mixed, it doesn't have any bearing on edge retention per se. But sharp for only 2 days seems very short lived. Perhaps it wasn't sharpened properly??? If it was maybe just accept you have to hone it often. Or look to get a different daily user for the kitchen?

Happen to know what steel was used in the blade?
Click to expand...
The steel used is a 3 way high carbon mix of 15N20 / CS80 / EN42J made from the zero by a man I greatly respect. Believe me it was sharp to begin with, I mostly fear that my lack of sharpening knowledge has dulled it by naivety.
 
I think you aren't putting a proper edge on it. Either not keeping a consistent angle or sharpening at a different angle than it came with and you are left with 2 edges if that makes sense. Like the new edge didn't take off all of the old one. Pictures might help.
 
Alberta Ed said:
If you like the knife, then just keep a hone handy and touch it up with a few strokes before using it -- common practice with sushi chefs, I believe. I generally sharpen our kitchen cutlery every week or two -- common stainless steels mostly.
Click to expand...

This is precisely what I do with my main chef knife, a 10 inch K Sabatier in xc75 (1075) carbon steel. It's treated to about 54 Rc or so. I steel it whenever it seems to drag, so maybe a couple of times a day. I only sharpen it every couple of months, and then it's just a few passes over the 4k stone and some time on the 12k.
 
The_Knife_Man said:
I think you aren't putting a proper edge on it. Either not keeping a consistent angle or sharpening at a different angle than it came with and you are left with 2 edges if that makes sense. Like the new edge didn't take off all of the old one. Pictures might help.
Click to expand...
Since the first sharpening of this blade, I assumed because the Spyderco triangular sharpener (that the knife maker recommended for every day sharpening) had a 30/15 degree & a 40/20 degree option, I should take the shoulder off then use the 20 degree to hone. As Larrin suggested earlier in the thread I am going to try going with a full 30/15 grind for a few weeks and see if this works.
I would attach photo but I'm never going to be able to show the edge in a meaningful way.
 
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