Educate me about Scandi...

[Quirt]

Okay so I'm really ignorant about the Scandi. I'm reading with great interest the Skookum thread and hearing about the enthusiasm about it and how well it performs for whittling and shaving tasks which I do a great deal of. I understand it is a Scandi - correct?

I current own a Mora knife. I'm "assuming" after reading all the discussions about the Skookum the Mora is a type of Scandi grind.

Before I plunk down some serious cash on a Skookum or other scandi knife can someone explain to me the process of sharpening it. My Mora I'm just using a Spyderco V sharpener and it seems to work fine. But if I'm going to purchase a higher end knife like the Skookum then I don't want to destroy the intent of the grind.

Thanks!

 

[tonym]

The beaty of a scandinavian grind is the lack of 2ndary bevel. It bites into wood very deep and that is why it preffered by most for carving wood. Your Mora is certainly a scandi, and as long as you maintained the original angle and didn't add a 2ndary bevel or convex it ; it is still a true scandi grind.

This is the way I sharpen my scandi knives. However I substitute glass for the edge of a very hard table.

So, I have been playing with my 2nd Generation Bushcrafter (Cocobolo, 3V, Stainless hardware) and I have been experimenting with sharpening that harder than rock 3V. My current method that is cheap, easy, and produces (frankly) great results. For those of you new to Scandi's, 3V, or Dan's work - here is that method:

1) Get a piece of glass (12x12 should do fine).

2) Tape it to a flat surface - at the edge of the table.

3) Get a selection of good (3M works great) Wet/Dry sand paper. (I get 220, 600, 800, 1000, 2000) from your local hardware or auto parts store.

4) Tape whichever grit you want to to the surface of the glass at the edge of the glass.

5) Lay the blade flat on the glass, tip it up to being flat on the Scandi grind and push the blade over the Wet/Dry - being careful to tip it slightly at the point so that the entire flat of the Scandi grind is being abraded.

6) After a few strokes (alternating in either direction) take a look at your results. You should be making sanding marks across the entire flat of the scandi grind and not leaving any shiny or dull spots on the bevel. If you are, adjust your movements to ensure a flat bevel.

7) I continue to alternate strokes with whatever grit I am using until I get a good wire edge across the entire blade and I have an absolute flat surface on both sides of the Scandi Grind.

8) I then go up grits until I terminate with 2000 grit. At the end of 2000 I have a fairly good edge on my knife and the polish is looking pretty good. 3V takes the bite out of your wet/dry pretty fast so at the end of using the 2000 grit - it is probably more like 3000 or 4000 grit that is actually being used.

I then grab my strop. I use a JRE Strop Bat loaded with black, green, and pink compounds.

9) I lay the Strop Bat on a flat surface and lay the blade on the black compound strop. I then PULL the blade toward me ensuring the Scandi grind is fully contacting the surface of the strop. This does not take much pressure - so don't bear down. You don't want to convex the edge that you just took so long in sharpening (although this process will convex the very edge just a bit).

10) Go through black, green, pink, and then no compound strops until you have a VERY sharp and mirror polished edge.

Shave your face or cut a tree - this baby is ready!

Here is my edge after sharpening today - The entire process took about 15 minutes, and after working with it, I would not bother with the wet dry unless I had a nick to take out or my knife was VERY dull:

TF

 

[Dannyboy Leather]

Post expired.

 

[me2]

The other benefit of a Scandi-ground blade (or zero bevel, or any of the other terms used) is that it is easy to add a small secondary bevel if you need it for strength. You have already been doing this with the Mora. If you find the edge rolls too quickly or chips, you can add this very small secondary bevel, commonly called a microbevel. If the original bevel is too thin and the steel too soft for the material being cut, the edge can roll to one side, requiring a butchers steel to straighten or a full sharpening to remove the deformed and weakened metal. Too thin and too hard a metal/cutting material will lead to chips taken out of the edge, which require quite a bit of work to remove.

Adding the microbevel takes about 10 strokes per side on the Sharpmaker at each grit, using only the flats of the stones. I think most scandi ground blades are ground around 10 degrees per side, so either setting on the Sharpmaker would work. I add this microbevel after full sharpening on my water stones. The microbevel is barely visible, even in good light.

Most people sharpen their scandi ground blades like the one in the post above. As long as the edge is not taking damage, the original grind is fine. Microbevels are just faster and I really have no desire to polish a full flat bevel on a blade made of M2 steel at a hardness of 64-65 HRc, so shaping starts at 17 degrees, the angle of the main bevel, and the high polish just goes on the micro bevel up to 0.3 micron lapping film. Its still just barely visible and can cut through a folded standing piece of paper and leave the bottom on the table. This is the only scandi ground blade I have, and its a home-made special, so keep in mind my experience with this blade grind is somewhat limited. I just wanted to point out that you don't have to stick to the original bevels if you don't want to, and if you want to switch back, the microbevels are at most 0.5 millimeters wide, and are easy to remove if you start with a coarse stone and work your way up.

 

[shecky]

I can't think of too many end user advantages of Scandi grinds. The zero edge is very nice, but not universally used on Scandi grinds. Some Scandi knives have significant secondary bevels. It may be easier to sharpen freehand if a flat grinding medium is used. Some folks claim advantages for whittling, batoning, etc. I think these advantages should come with a disclaimer: YMMV.

However, there are some advantages for manufacturers. It's simple to manufacture. And it allows thinner, less expensive stock to be used while retaining more lateral stiffness than a full grind done with the same stock.

You probably won't find a knife with a better Scandi grind than a plain old Mora. However, you may find a Scandi knife with fancier steel or different ergonomics from a higher end maker.