Elmax takes a beating...interesting

[Jason B.]

How acute is that edge? Do you find that Elmax creates a larger, tougher-to-remove burr at that angle and at that wide an edge?

Maybe 18 per side, it's a thick blade so the bevel is convexed high just to make it cut well. It's the first run of ELMAX from ZT so it's a point or two softer than their current production but still has excellent performance. I do not find ELMAX to produce much of a burr and is fairly easy to remove.

For most customers I finish ELMAX with a Chosera 3000 grit stone and in most cases I don't need any further steps of stropping or burr removal, it comes off the stone very clean. With mine off the 1500 it's a bit tougher to get a clean edge off the stone and I typically use my hanging strop which is bare (no compound).

 

[DTOM 1776]

Please let's not stir this pot...

I wasn't offended in any way by the OP. This is the sort of information I want to read about!

 

[TheChunk91]

Interesting the way it performed, I have limited experience with elmax but I like it so far. Fiberglass types indeed kill an edge rather easy, I cut alot of fiberglass insulation off water pipes being a plumber. Just last week I used my rat 1 with aus8 to cut some old, nasty fiberglass off some copper pipe and it totally killed the edge after just 2 relatively short pieces, but aus8 doesnt last very long in my trade anyways, s110v is the reigning champ.

 

[james terrio]

I cut fiberglass tape at work and have used many different knives/ steels to do it. It dulls them ALL rather quickly, even m390 and s110v. Serrated knives seem to tackle it the best.

I am not generally a fan of serrated edges, but I agree that's the sort of application where they do shine... in terms of durability.

How acute is that edge? Do you find that Elmax creates a larger, tougher-to-remove burr at that angle and at that wide an edge?

I can't speak for the OP, but I find that Elmax does not tend to produce a large burr, simply because it can be HT'ed to a lovely balance of good toughness and hardness, and high wear-resistance. So it doesn't easily "raise" a large burr... I view this as a good thing.

In my experience, once you notice the very beginnings of a small, even burr on fine high-alloy/high-carbide steels like Elmax, CTS-XHP and even "lowly" CPM-154, it's time to either go to a finer stone, or strop and call it good. As Jason B. alluded, with a bit of care there's not really a "need" to raise a burr/wire edge at all.

Fiberglass can be devastating to an edge.

No question about that! When I was insulating my previous shop, I took a 4" CPM-154 blade of mine (definitely not a big chopper) that had whittled/hacked through a 2x4 without losing the ability to shave cleanly, and was able to dull it very noticeably with only a few cuts through normal R11 pink fiberglass rolls of insulation.

 

[Twindog]

I can't speak for the OP, but I find that Elmax does not tend to produce a large burr, simply because it can be HT'ed to a lovely balance of good toughness and hardness, and high wear-resistance. So it doesn't easily "raise" a large burr... I view this as a good thing. In my experience, once you notice the very beginnings of a small, even burr on fine high-alloy/high-carbide steels like Elmax, CTS-XHP and even "lowly" CPM-154, it's time to either go to a finer stone, or strop and call it good. As Jason B. alluded, with a bit of care there's not really a "need" to raise a burr/wire edge at all.

I was wondering because I don't usually have trouble with burrs, but when I reprofiled a Microtech DOC in Elmax to 30 degrees inclusive, I had a difficult time getting rid of a the huge burr that formed. I thought maybe the burr came about because it was a thick blade; and the edge bevel was wide, like Jason's photo shows, meaning each pass was grinding down a wide swath of metal, creating a large burr. Must be a different issue, given what you and Jason are saying.

 

[Jason B.]

Burrs have a direct relation to pressure.

 

[Twindog]

Burrs have a direct relation to pressure.

That's true, and I lightened up the pressure as much as I could -- and also progressed to finer stones. But I could not get rid of the burr. I scraped it off a couple of times, but it just came back.

What finally worked was to add a microbevel, which also reduced the amount of metal surface the stones were contacting.

I've read about people having trouble getting rid of a stubborn burr, but this was the first time it was an issue for me.

 

[Kai Winters]

...and makes perfect sense. Landscaping, at least the way I do it, is rough! The fabric is tough and there's no telling how much grit you ran into just cutting bags. That's what disposable blade box cutters are perfect for. It's certainly not a situation of what your EDC is capable of, but more what it's ideal for (or what your ideal use for it is). Thanks for the report:thumbup:

I finished putting down the fabric today and used a razor knife I had on my tool bench...one of those that the blade slides out and you can snap off a piece when it dulls. It worked great and I heard my 566 mumble "shoulda used it the other day moron"...