Lifetime Of A Blade and Over Sharpening?

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oXObsidianXo

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So like a lot of other people, I like to keep my knives SHARP. Lately I purchased a Wicked Edge, and sharpened/re-profiled most of my folders. For edge upkeep I usually do a few swipes on a strop to keep them good a sharp.

So I'm just wondering, has anyone here ever actually sharpened a knife to the point where the blade shape had actually changed dramatically? As in so much material had been worn away from many sharpenings a that you could see that the blade was noticeably narrower (than when it was new)? If so, did you over sharpen it? Or was it just through stropping and upkeep that the steel wore away? If so, how long did it take, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?

If you still have a knife you sharpened to such an extent, could you post some pics?
 
Yes. A 3 bladed traditional case knife. One of my own and my grandfather did the same.

I don't have pictures of them right off, but the primary long blade was the one it happened to. One case and one queen.

At the time, both were sharpened on a fairly coarse whetstone that took off much more metal than more modern type stones and systems.

Edit: time for me was maybe 5-8 years. I over sharpened and did not just strop. I was young and wanted my knife to be as sharp as Grandpa's. His was many, many years of use in a farm setting, at least 20.

They are tucked away in a box of keepsakes, or I would get a few pictures.
 
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Regular maintenance is the key. Strop often, 2-3 times a week, and when the strop no longer returns the edge use as soft a stone as possible. I use a medium or fine Arkansas stone.

If you catch it before the edge is badly rounded you can return it to sharp over and over again without removing much metal.

And yes I have seen knives with blades whittled down to nothing after years and years of aggressive sharpening. My grandfather passed down an old Trapper knife with the clip blade worn down to a nub.
 
Aggressive and frequent sharpening, along with improper technique will get you from this...


...to this...


....in very short order.
 
There have been numerous photos posted in the Traditional Forum of old knives with blades that look like needles due to decades of use and sharpening. Older traditional knives generally had softer steel than today's stainless steels so the blades got used up.

Personally, the longest I ever carried one knife was around 10 years...probably a little more. That was a Spyderco Endura with a serrated edge. After this use and frequent resharpening, the serrations were pretty much gone by the time I retired it but there was still a lot of blade left.
 
I carried a Buck 110 every day for well over 20 years.Early 70's thru mid 90's.This was my one knife and I used it for EVERYTHING:eek: .The blade was eventually sharpened down to about a half inch width when I tossed it.Later I found out Buck would have rebladed my old friend for $10 and I still regret throwing it away.
 
Yes, I've seen blades like that. I did a Victorinox like that back in the early 90's. Some like that has softer steel. I've done my Leatherman Surge like that. You can strop it once maybe twice before needing to take it to a stone. Which helps. My Leatherman I use everyday, it's soft and it took from 2008 to it's nearly 2015. So, it can occur. I mostly use a Norton fine India stone. So, not so aggressive. DM
 
Back in the day I didn't use a strop and sometimes sharpened my old Buck by any means at hand.I'm sure it could have lasted even longer had I been more careful.:o
 
Lee48 said:
softer steel than today's stainless steels
Click to expand...

Just wanted to correct this, sorry OP.

Just due to something being stainless, doesn't necessarily mean it is a "harder" steel, or can be hardened to a higher hrc over a comparable carbon steel.

Back on topic: Plus, if a knife had a "harder" steel and someone lacking the skill to sharpen it tried to do so, they would likely remove much more material than was required due to not being able to get a fine edge on it. As opposed to a "softer" steel that would get worn down from the frequent need to sharpen.

They would both wear quicker than they should have, but each knife is and would be on its individual timeframe that the owner sets, be it intentionally or not.
 
Here's a recent picture of the knife I've carried and used everyday for the last 15+ years.
It's field dressed and skinned alot of deer & squirrel, and 1 elk.
It's cleaned hundreds of fresh water fish, and a few dozen salt water ones, right there on the water.
Been used in the kitchen, sliced alot of meats, onion, potatoes, carrots, apples, oranges, etc.
My job requires the use of a knife almost everyday, where it gets thoroughly abused, by most peoples standards.
The edge comes in contact with other metals, ferrous & non-ferrous quite often.
I've sharpened it alot, but still has plenty of blade left. Don't have a new one to compare it to.
No other blade steel of it's time, or most of the present time, would still be in working condition.
My point is, if you want a hard working knife that will last, choose wisely, giving special attention to what the blade steel is.

IMG_4442e.jpg
 
I have a few showing a bit of recurve now, esp. a couple of my bush knives. But each is decades old. I try to stay concious of over sharpening and strop when necessary. I don't spend a lot of time on the stones either once it's sharp. Also, I try to only use a hard Arky stone, ceramic or fine diamond surface...only use the carborundum when necessary.

It's like keeping any gear in good shape ... just requires a bit of maintenance now and then.
 
There are numerous examples of life-exceeded blades floating around.

While some are the product of decades of use and honing, others (more frequently) are modern knives that were mistreated with varying degrees of inexperience and sensibility (either during use, honing, or both).

A well honed blade can be maintained at a very high level of sharpness without removing an appreciable amount of steel. If you see need to grind off appreciable damage, it is probably advisable to review your tool selection;)
 
I lived in the wilderness of the Swedish alps for many years and carryed two knifes daily. One chopper and one ordinary sized. That knifes Hold dor me 5 years, after 5 years about 1/3 of the blade was grinded and used away - and I was careful with my knifes and sharpen them carefully also.

I can show you pictures of two of the knifes I used if youbare interested.

If you use a knife a lot, you also need to sharpen the knife a lot. In that type of life the only tool you have is your knifes and you use it to everything. That is bad for the knifes, they live a hard life. In the same time, your knife must be sharp and I must trust their sharpness with my life. So, they are allways sharp in the same time that they are hard working tools - and that wear down blades.

Thomas
 
I've seen old knives sharpened to a splinter in museums and junk shops. I always wonder if some skilled but thrifty working man or woman used it well for decades or if some unskilled person destroyed it quickly.
 
I see this in a lot of restaurant knives which have been sharpened using one of those hand held carbide "V" devices.

If the knife is cheap, it's probably not such a bad thing, but In general, proper sharpening requires very little metal removal to maintain.

Then only time you take off lots of metal is when there is a chip or damage, and generally that means you are either using the knife incorrectly, or you have set too thin a bevel for the work the knife is doing.
 
If you sharpen carefully, a knife will last a long time. The most worn blade I own is a Spyderco ladybug which is used pretty much daily since it is on my keys. (And is not "scary" for use anywhere!) it has been sharpened probably 10 times, but still has plenty of life left. I remove as little metal as possible, and when compared to a new ladybug I have only removed about a cm of steel.
 
This camp kitchen knife has filleted a few buzzards in its time.
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And here are a couple of pictures I took at the museum of the American Fur Trade, in Chadron, Nebraska. You can imagine that these guys used their knives hard, and that steel was expensive, back in the day. Not much was every thrown away.

 
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