Many thanks to all the INFIholics and Jerry

S

swede79

Joined
Jan 30, 2001
Messages
813
I just want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who replied and helped me getting my new Steelheart "broken in".

I received it a couple of weeks ago (and thought, dang, this thing ain't thick enough, it's gonna break as soon as I squeeze it too tight ;) ) and was concerned about the edge holding. I had sharpened (dulled) it myself, and was a little concerned. The forums were a tad rowdy at the time, so I sent off some private emails asking for advice. I got some great tips, then I get an email and phone call from Jerry telling me a great deal about INFI, and saying, "Send it back! I'll sharpen it for you or send you a new one!" Wow, I'm really not used to that refreshing attitude...

To make a long story short, Jerry spent a LONG time on the phone with me talking about INFI and how it should be handled. Well, he was right, and after I sharpened it (correctly this time) using his tips, whooee... :eek: Edge holding ain't the problem, keeping a first aid kit in the truck is now essential...

Anyway, thanks to all who helped, but most especially, thanks to Jerry. This knife is just unreal, and has GREATLY exceeded all my expectations. Also, it really is nice to see great customer service because people actually care. That's rare these days, but GREATLY appreciated.

Now, on to more pressing matters... Groovemaster or BA 3? :p
 
Swede,
Glad Jerry took care of you. Nice to see a company that stands
behind their products.
 
So Swede.... would you be inclined to share the tips and information you got from Jerry? I'm having fair luck with the ceramic rod / stropping routine described in the FAQ at Bussecombat.com, but man - I just can't get the scary sharp edge out of it that I can put on a conventional edge.
 
Swede
Glad everything worked out. :D:D

IF you can only buy one, get the GM, once you handle it you'll know why :D:D

Otherwise get BOTH :D
 
Thatmguy,

Sorry, no digital camera yet, but I am shopping for one.

Thanks Eric and Uncle, I'll save my pennies....

Rainmaker,

Basically, what I think happened was that I put a wire edge on at first, and while it seemed sharp, it would dull very quickly after chopping a couple of logs 2 - 3 inches in diameter. Jerry explained that the wire edge is incredibly tough and hard to get rid of. Some of his suggestions were to use the ceramic rod lightly in a stropping direction (away from the edge) to remove the burr. I did this, but also removed the edge (did I mention my hands aren't steady?). Anyway, the suggested technique was to use good light, and lower the edge down to the rod until the shadow goes away, and that's the angle to use. A couple of passes are all that's required.

What I tried next (and worked) was Buzzbait's (and others) suggestion of using a leather strop on a block of wood. I don't have any CrOx compound yet, but I went to Home Depot and got some SiC sandpaper in 320, 400, and 600 grit. I put a nail into a 2 x 4, cut a section off an old leather belt, and hooked one of the belt holes over the nail. Then I wrapped the sandpaper around the belt, and stropped the convex edge away from me. I went up in grit to the 600 until I was satisfied with that side. One note, however. I used a Sharpie marker for all of this, and my belt didn't have quite enough "give". It is trying to make my convex edge into a flat edge, so next time a mouse pad is going between the 2 x 4 and the belt. I am also tempted to try Cliff's idea of a free hanging slack belt.

Then I turned the knife over and used my Edgepro! :D Sorry, no magic there, except that provided by Mr. Ben Dale. Take that edge up to the 3000 grit tape. I didn't have a burr problem after that, but it would be easy enough to raise the angle on the Edgepro slightly and use the polishing tape to remove it (I think). Then I steeled it, and I was done. Jerry also recommended steeling backwards (away from the edge) due to the burr posibilities). Being an astute user, I of course forgot that tidbit until after I steeled it, but no problems. Then I did some wood chopping, probably a dozen 4 inch logs. While the knife wasn't JUST as sharp as after I sharpened it, 20 steels later, it was. Yes, those 20 steels were conventional steels, not backwards like Jerry recommended. I can only plead old age...

Anyway, that did it for me. This Steelheart will now sing in that most special way when I test it on leg hair. It will push cut copier paper ok, slice it in semicircles very well. This is a very sharp knife now, especially considering the grind angles. I have learned the importance of having Superglue and Wet Ones in my truck...

I really like being able to steel it back after playing Paul Bunyan. I was able to do that with other knives, and am confident that this Steelheart will outlast them in edge holding. But the testing is thirsty work, and there's beer in the fridge...

Sorry this is so long, I hope it helped!
 
Thanks Swede! Got some great tips there. I'll try them out when my knife gets dull, if ever!
 
Thanks Swede -
I've been about the same route then. I don't have an EdgePro, but I use(d) a Lansky on the flat side, then stropped the burr off with a loaded Lee Valley strop. That edge didn't last as long as I thought it should have (ok - it was still sharp, but it wasn't SHARP) so I next tried the ceramic rod and stropping routine. My angle coincides pretty well with your description, probably a little steeper. Stropped that burr off, now the blade will easily shave leg hair, and it'll pushcut newsprint... but it's just not that killing sharp edge I like to get. Some of it may be due to the angle of the edge. (??)

Guess I'll work on the polishing aspect, see if that helps any more.
 
Rainmaker,

Sounds like you have tried most everything. It very well might be that the edge geometry is too obtuse for what you want. It is probably strong enough for you to thin out to get that level of sharpness you want without any damage worries.

I know what you mean, though. I shave with a straight razor and am constantly comparing all of my knives to it, which isn't really fair. I accidently touched my straight razor to my finger nail and put a big ding in the edge, took a long time on the honing stone to get rid of it. So it's also a very delicate edge. Always a tradeoff.
 
Yah... I like 'em sharp alright....

I reprofiled my AS and LMS to conventional edges, they both cut like a buzzsaw through butter and retain a good solid edge. My sole justification for owning the SH-E is to be able to use it as a chopper when chopping is called for (which is almost NEVER when you're out in the forests of Colorado - too easy to find a V in a tree and just break something off in it, and it's quicker too) But since I wanted to keep the edge intact after chopping, I didn't reprofile it.

So when I broke my SH-E in, I did it on a dead aspen - cut about a 3" branch, broke that down to a smaller piece, and then split it for a fireboard. Planed the back of the fireboard down, got it nice and smooth, and then looked at my edge: it was covered in small, 1 - 2mm chips (not rolls, chips.) All I can figure is that the edge was a little thin when it shipped, and of course I had to take the chips out for my own peace of mind.

So I got home, put my Lansky on the back side, got rid of the chips... got rid of the burr... had a hair-popping edge on it. Went to the woodpile, took a few carving slices through some well-seasoned oak and the edge wasn't hair-popping anymore (still sharp, just not hair-popping.) That's when I decided to try the ceramic rod. After stropping, it's not as sharp as the first edge I put on it, but it's probably sharp enough for government work. I'll give it some whacks in the backyard this weekend for testing purposes and go from there.
 
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