micro chips on edge, should I worry?

fast14riot

fast14riot

Joined
Oct 27, 2010
Messages
8,721
My Kershaw Skyline (14C28N steel) has developed a few very small chips in the edge. It is my go to EDC and gets used quite a bit, but I don't abuse my knives. That doesn't mean my wife doesn't use it to cut stuff she shouldn't when I'm not looking, but are these bad enough to warrant "bread knifing" to take them out and resetting the entire edge? Is this common with this knife and/or steel? I maintain a hair shaving edge as much as possible, but I never let it get dull. Occasionally I will touch it up with the coffee cup at work, but I do go back to a #600 stone and work up to stropping maybe quarterly.

Sorry for the cell phone pic, but you can see a couple of the worst chips here...

2012-08-21185559-1.jpg



-Xander
 
There is also compression which is a mode of failure related to deformation. A chip is a fracture of the metal and typically much larger than what you have. Unless you can get a edge-on view and show the fractured crystal structure of the steel then I still believe it to be a deformation caused by solid impact.
 
I'd agree with Knifenut on this one, those look like "impaction" damage. Which is to say, dents. The metal doesn't necessarily roll over to one side or another, just gets pushed BACK into the blade itself. It spreads a little to each side. That doesn't look like a crazy-excessive edge angle you have going there, and Kershaw blades aren't massively hard, so I'd guess it's just a little bit of plastic deformation. A regular sharpening should remove those just fine, your loupe will serve you in good stead there to make sure you've removed them entirely. :)
 
Looks like micro chipping to me... I currently have similar "deformities" on my mini griptilian. I dont find it to be much of an issue... I still sharpen it the same way whenever needed and let it be. If it bothers you, fix it... otherwise it'll eventually wear out over time with more sharpening.
 
Termanology is key when understanding edge damage. Calling it a microchip when it is not leads others to call it the same. It's why everyone calls small deformations microchips.
 
Thanx guys, terminology is important to me. I didn't really know exactly what I was looking at here, and it seemed like a chip to me. I guess the wife must have tried something she shouldn't have with it. I certainly don't cut anything that should be hard enough to deform the edge.

I keep roughly a 35* inclusive angle on this knife, seems to be a good balance for my needs and maintenance routine. I guess I'll just leave it and sharpen them out over time.


-Xander
 
for me, regardless of relative size. Edge chip = metal broke off; deformation = dented/rolled/burnished/etc.
 
The more I see such imperfections in my edges, the more apparent it becomes the vast majority of them are just 'dents'. Especially on the more run-of-the-mill production stainless knives, which usually aren't hard enough to actually chip. I only have one knife that's actually chipped (D2 blade), among an accumulation of 200+ knives. Viewed under magnification, there's also a hairline crack radiating away from the chip on that blade. That leaves no doubt, in that case. But overall, actual chipping seems very rare and unlikely to me, in most knives.
 
Last edited:
fast14riot said:
Thanx guys, terminology is important to me. I didn't really know exactly what I was looking at here, and it seemed like a chip to me. I guess the wife must have tried something she shouldn't have with it. I certainly don't cut anything that should be hard enough to deform the edge.

I keep roughly a 35* inclusive angle on this knife, seems to be a good balance for my needs and maintenance routine. I guess I'll just leave it and sharpen them out over time.


-Xander
Click to expand...

It's very common and can happen from everyday objects that are cut. For example, cardboard would be #1 in moat cases, zip ties or other plastic materials, some foods or the salt you put on the food, or simply what was beyond the object being cut. Was the backing a cutting board a piece of plywood or a ceramic plate? All of which will affect the edge in different ways.

The positive about the image shown is that the damage is to a minimal which implies the angle of the bevel slopes was enough to resist excessive deformation of the metal. If it was too thin you would notice lateral deformation and a folding and compressing of the supporting metal. (Think of it looking corrugated)
 
knifenut1013 said:
Termanology is key when understanding edge damage. Calling it a microchip when it is not leads others to call it the same. It's why everyone calls small deformations microchips.
Click to expand...

Just by looking at the provided photo, how can one be sure if its micro chipping or a flattened/rolled edge? Are there dimensional technicalities for micro chipping? Either way, terminology in this case is more or less irrelevant when it comes to the actual solution. No point in debating "terminology" of the problem and its shades of gray.
 
viper2788 said:
Just by looking at the provided photo, how can one be sure if its micro chipping or a flattened/rolled edge? Are there dimensional technicalities for micro chipping? Either way, terminology in this case is more or less irrelevant when it comes to the actual solution. No point in debating "terminology" of the problem and its shades of gray.
Click to expand...


My experience sharpening and viewing enhanced imagery of the cutting edge allow me to make informed decisions as such.

Termanology IS important and if you ignore that it is then you simply add to the misinformation of sharpening and confuse those that know no better.
 
Chipping is a brittle failure of the the knife edge implying that it is either too hard or too thin and too hard for the application it is being used for... And so should be tempered to a softer level.

Plastic deformation, such as dents, flats, bending rolling are all soft deformation failures and imply the material was too soft for the application. This of course is easier to do as it gets thinner. So the steel could possibly have been hardened more for the application.

kniwing which failure it is allows the user and maker to determine what the appropriate solution is. If its denting (not rolling or bending) then making the edge less acute will not stop it from happening, only making it harder will. however if its chipping them making it harder will only make it worse while making it less acute or softer would help fix the problem,

This is why the terminology matters and why its important to know which is which.
 
knifenut1013 said:
My experience sharpening and viewing enhanced imagery of the cutting edge allow me to make informed decisions as such.

Termanology IS important and if you ignore that it is then you simply add to the misinformation of sharpening and confuse those that know no better.
Click to expand...

Now, I'm not saying terminology flat out isnt important... in most cases it is crucial to specifically identify the problem in order to come up with a solution - after all I am an engineering student. However, I've had micro chipping on my blade both bigger and smaller than the ones shown by the OP... whether you want to call it a flattened/rolled edge, its simply a result of improper use of the knife. As the OP said, its his edc that gets used regularly without issues until "presumably" used by his wife. It can easily be fixed with a little touch up, and can be prevented from happening again with proper use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top