Help me make up my mind

NM08SRT8

NM08SRT8

Joined
Dec 11, 2011
Messages
1,242
Trying I figure out what I want. Torpedo or Bowie blade.

Why? Recurve and sharpening. I love the look of the Bowie, but I'm worried about sharpening with a recurve since I have ZERO sharpening experience.

Why are YOU chosen Torpedo over Bowie, or vice versa...
 
Spearpoints, such as Darrel's Torpedo blade, are my favorite blade shape: they're good for pretty much any cutting task imaginable, and I find the tip much more useful and versatile (e.g., for detail work) than that of bowie-style blades. I also don't like cutting with or sharpening recurves, so the lack of a recurve on the Torpedo is another point in its favor as compared to the Bowie.
 
If it needs sharpening, remember that HTM (and DDR) knives come with life time sharpening. Just mail it in.

FWIW, if you have a Wicked Edge, sharpening a recurve is no problem. I sharpened a radian recurve which is way more over the top in recurve-ness than a bowie. It worked just fine.
 
Yeah, I have an Edge Pro and have had no trouble sharpening knives with more pronounced recurves than the HTM GH Bowie with it (even using the standard 1" wide stones). My main reason for preferring non-recurves is that I simply don't like cutting with them.
 
I also have a Edge Pro. The slight recurve on the Bowie should be no problem. The tip on the Torpedo is said to be a bit stronger. Having said that, I went with the Bowie mainly because of eye appeal for my taste.
On another note, I have a email in to Darrel regarding what we can expect in terms of the HRC, starting edge angles for sharpening and his thoughts on heat treating to get the best properties out of the S90V.
I really look forward to hearing the plan to get the best out of this high end steel.
Cheers...
 
Ray Allen said:
I also have a Edge Pro. The slight recurve on the Bowie should be no problem. The tip on the Torpedo is said to be a bit stronger. Having said that, I went with the Bowie mainly because of eye appeal for my taste.
On another note, I have a email in to Darrel regarding what we can expect in terms of the HRC, starting edge angles for sharpening and his thoughts on heat treating to get the best properties out of the S90V.
I really look forward to hearing the plan to get the best out of this high end steel.
Cheers...
Click to expand...
I sent the specs to Darrel earlier today and specified a target HRC of 61. I remember in conversation Darrel mentioning that the factory edge on HTM Gunhammers is 17.5° per side (so 35° inclusive), and that's consistent with what I've experienced with my Edge Pro.
 
neuron said:
I sent the specs to Darrel earlier today and specified a target HRC of 61. I remember in conversation Darrel mentioning that the factory edge on HTM Gunhammers is 17.5° per side (so 35° inclusive), and that's consistent with what I've experienced with my Edge Pro.
Click to expand...
I take mine down to 20-25 inclusive depending on blade shape. 25 for radian. 20 for bowie. Even Darrel was impressed with the level of sharpness of my radian. He has pics somewhere.
 
The real issue here is that at some point in your life, you are going to have to just learn how to sharpen your own knives. It's a part of owning a knife, as much as carrying it in your pocket. Just like cooking or doing laundry, you can't have someone else wash the dishes or folding your undies forever. Whether you pick paper wheels, an edge pro, or go free hand on stones, it is a good thing to learn regardless of the edge of the knife.
 
harkamus said:
I take mine down to 20-25 inclusive depending on blade shape. 25 for radian. 20 for bowie. Even Darrel was impressed with the level of sharpness of my radian. He has pics somewhere.
Click to expand...

An actual realized HRC61 sounds good. I think the highest I've seen is~62 for S90V and of course the heat treat is going to play a key role. After all, this is not a 10" chopper, so the higher end HRC makes complete sense. Spent some time today on the horn with the Edge Pro guys (Ben was not in) and they are not recommending diamond stones (except for ceramics) for long term use on the S90V. They say you can do it but the stones won't last long. Kinda strange as others say it is the way to go. Any thoughts??
 
harkamus said:
I have zero experience with s90v. Can't help ya there. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Me either but thats what has made this very interesting. There is info on line going back a few years, but it is somewhat sparse outside one production company using it a fair amount. Of course there have been some custom guys using it, but they don't always share inside info. Fair amount of stuff here on Blade Forums from insiders. It has been a good research.
Cheers...
 
RevDevil said:
The real issue here is that at some point in your life, you are going to have to just learn how to sharpen your own knives. It's a part of owning a knife, as much as carrying it in your pocket. Just like cooking or doing laundry, you can't have someone else wash the dishes or folding your undies forever. Whether you pick paper wheels, an edge pro, or go free hand on stones, it is a good thing to learn regardless of the edge of the knife.
Click to expand...

I know.. I'm very aware.. I just don't want to mess up a $360 semi-custom..
 
TriviaMonster said:
According to Phil Wilson, an Hrc of 60-61 is perfect for S90V.

Source:

http://www.seamountknifeworks.com/articles/CPM_S90V_Update.pdf

: I now heat treat all my S90V blades to RC 60/61 and have no ductility
problems even at that high hardness (2006) Phil


If 60-61 Hrc is good enough for Phil Wilson, and he says it works, then it is plenty good for me. I would like to mirror this and have our GH's run at 60-61Hrc.
Click to expand...

If you notice that was 2006. I may be mistaken, but I think he now runs up to ~62. At any rate HRC 61 should be about ideal on a folder I would believe.
Best.
 
+1 for the 60-61 Hrc heat treat. I chose a Bowie because it is such a classic blade design. The slight recurve assists with cutting in most situations. Sharpening the slight recurve is not really any harder than properly sharpening the torpedo edge. If you are going to go after the edge with a pretty good file, then get the torpedo to make life simpler. Any good sharpening tool should handle the bowie edge with ease. All my fixed hunting blades are drop point style, like the torpedo (but not as well done). For a folder, I think the Bowie is a good utility blade shape for every day chores. I like the look. Picking a blade shape is like shooting at the ground - heck, you just can't miss! They are both winners.
 
I'd go for the Bowie blade in your place, since you seem to like that one best. I personally chose Torpedo, because I like that blade style more, and evidently it has a stronger point. But they're both great blade shapes. I have and love all 3.
 
NM08SRT8 said:
I know.. I'm very aware.. I just don't want to mess up a $360 semi-custom..
Click to expand...
Since you'll have a few months until the knife is ready, start practicing now on some cheap knives, and by the time the S90V forum GH comes, you should be more comfortable with whatever sharpening method you choose.

As for the hardness on the S90V, I think I may have mentioned this in one of the other threads, but when I sent the specs to Darrel yesterday, I included a note requesting that the target hardness be 61 HRC.
 
neuron said:
Since you'll have a few months until the knife is ready, start practicing now on some cheap knives, and by the time the S90V forum GH comes, you should be more comfortable with whatever sharpening method you choose.

As for the hardness on the S90V, I think I may have mentioned this in one of the other threads, but when I sent the specs to Darrel yesterday, I included a note requesting that the target hardness be 61 HRC.
Click to expand...

I support the HRC at 61.
Here is a 2011 ref that Phil Wilson has bumped his custom work up to HRC 61~62 for S90V.
Taken from Blade Forums.
Early this year, Stuart said he had been thinking about doing another one, and of course, I got very excited. As we began discussing particulars, I remembered that a few years ago my good friend Phil Wilson offered to heat treat a CPM blade for me if I ever needed one, and in my mind this was a perfect opportunity to call upon the “Wizard of CPM” for that blade. Stuart agreed to give S90V a whirl if Phil would do the heat treat, and the project took off.

I just received the knife from Stuart and this is the closest I can imagine to my mental ideal for the pattern. It is simply amazing to hold my actual “idea” in my hand, rendered in desert ironwood burl and CPM S90V, heat treated by Phil to 61-62 HRC:

On top of my original sketch:
Best...
 
61-62 is what Darrel has agreed upon in another thread. This sounds ideal, as HT has improved in that past few years for this steel I am told.
 
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