Knife sharpening and angles question

K

Kustom Kutz

Joined
Oct 17, 2016
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79
Sup BF!

I am having trouble finding a sticky or list. I think we all know some steels are better polished, some toothy and some with more or less of a bevel angle. Is there a list anyone has found or compiled for which steels like what? I am pretty comfortable with most of the common steels but some of the super steels gaining more of a following like s110 or M390 and such I do not have much experience with yet.

Sorry if I missed it somewhere And thank you!

Cheers
Matt
 
There's too many variables at play for any such definitive list. A steel from one plant with a certain heat treat may behave differently than the same steel from a different plant with a different heat treat.

In my experience, you'll never notice the subtle differences in the real world anyway. 500 cuts seems like a lot in a lab setting, but it probably only translates to a couple boxes in practical use.

If it's a knife you own then play with it and see what works for you. 18dps and 1000 grit tends to be pretty safe.
 
Hmm ok good to know. I have my WE set at 19 and that’s what I found I like with most of my S30V and s35vn knives so I guess I can start there.
 
Beyond differences in heat treatment, thickness, & grind, the purpose and actual usage of the blade will determine the "ideal" angle.
Just because two people use the same knife for the same purpose doesn't mean they treat it the same way. Some will abuse it. Beyond simply taking the knife from them, giving that knife a more obtuse angle would be a good idea.
IIRC, there are bushcraft knives in S35VN, the same steel used in the Kizer Feist - a gentleman's knife. Nobody should sharpen them the same.
 
We had mentions of this in some recent threads, but Buck did some extensive testing and they recommend here that a general range of sharpening angles to use on all knives is 13 - 16 dps. Obviously one could go higher or lower depending on what you're using the knife for. I have a couple of large chopper knives that I keep around 18-20 dps. But all my folders, kitchen, and smaller fixed blades I'm sharpening much lower, in the 12-15 dps range. And there are some folks here in the forum going as low as 8 dps.

Point is, you may be able to go to a lower angle than you've been thinking and still have very durable edges, which will also give better cutting performance.
 
My thoughts is harder the steel acute can be the angle and higher stone grit can be the finish stone.
There is also blade geometry that is discussed in this thread:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/insane-performance-boost-in-cutting-ability.1257278/
For my kitchen knives when thickness behind bevel is around <0,8mm I use to go to 19dps with a 25dps micro.
When thickness behind bevel is equal or over 1mm then I grind it at <15dps with micro at 25dps.
But my kitchen knives aren’t super steel made.
There is a lot of scientific studies about angle but I believe the truth is: is more a empirical (what works better for you) than scientific experience just like T.L.E said there are lots variables on same steel.
Steel type
Steel quality
Heat treatment
Blade geometry
Blade thickness
Bevel angle
Stone finish
All of this factors define the cut quality and the durability of the edge.
 
Hi,

metallurgist Dr. Roman Landes says, if carbide volume is 0.5-5%, to both take and hold a high polished sharpness, you need 8-12 degrees per side

metallurgist Dr. Roman Landes says, if carbide volume is 5-15%, to both take and hold a high polished sharpness, you need 12-20 degrees per side

metallurgist Dr. Roman Landes says, if carbide volume is greater than 15%, to both take and hold a high polished sharpness, you need 20-30 degrees per side

Spyderco Sal Glesser says all their blades can take 15 degrees per side, so the steels they use must be under 15% total carbide volume :)

D2 is more than 15% carbide volume, see chart below

marthinus quotes the the original post with updated pdf link and other good ones, I embedded image of pdf below
cpm-m4-at-low-angles-my-experience-recently.1086828/page-2#post-12414439
roman-landes-knife-edge-diagram-angles-carbides-schneiden.png
Patent US5830287 - Wear resistant, powder metallurgy cold work tool steel articles having high ... carbide volume chart
 
I sharpen my D2 up pretty acute. Back in Dec I set my Eskabar up with a 26 bevel/29-30° microbevel. It still shaves some armhair after being used pretty much every day. By now its cut a couple hundred feet of cardboard, maybe a dozen plastic skid wraps and about 60 assorted pears and apples using my desk as a cutting board.

Good info in the above post.
 
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