New Knife Enthusiast Here - Looking to Learn

H

hillrunner

Joined
Jan 8, 2019
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Hey everybody - new guy here. Been very interested in chemistry and metallurgy for a long time. I've done some reading about knife steel alloys for years - the comparison of how steel is tailored through alloying to achieve different properties and characteristics is fascinating. However, I've not really consistently carried a pocket knife. I have had several throughout my life, but have tended to lose them.

I'm an aircraft mechanic in Nashville, and, in addition to my new-found fascination with knives, I'm an avid runner, mountain biker, driver, and motorcycle rider, and enjoy working on my vehicles and motorcycles. I also have a pretty serious obsession with black coffee! Also a gun enthusiast and love shooting.

Funny story - I did leave a pocket knife laying on one of the passenger seats of a commercial jet I was working on at the airport in Memphis once. A passenger found it and I had to go pick it up from Airport Police. You might ask why I haven't carried a pocket knife much at my job. Well, I have, occasionally - I had a Leatherman "Rebar" that I really liked, but lost it at work. Same thing for another cheap Camillus I bought at Walmart (cheap, but I really liked it). Usually I carry one of those sliding razor knives (Olfa brand) that are provided to us.

I do have a Kershaw Leek (14C28N) that I bought several years ago that I stopped carrying due to it getting very dull and breaking the tip off. I intend to use it to learn some of the basics of knife sharpening.

Recently, after someone on another forum I'm on started a thread about carry knives. For some reason I started looking at that thread, and looking at the different knives people were posting, and got really interested. Before I knew it, I was on YouTube, watching knife sharpening videos (I have really liked Michael Christy's channel) and knife reviews, and had ordered my first "nice" pocket knife, on recommendation of one of the guys on that thread. I ended up ordering a Ferrum Forge "Gent" from Massdrop (S35VN). We'll see if it lives up to the hype. And I can tell it probably won't be long before I buy another knife also. I just got finished watching Michael Christy's review of a Spyderco Military with titanium framelock and carbon fiber handle scale (S90V). What an awesome freaking knife! Just looks so dang solid and has awesome design lines.

Anyway, I plan on doing a lot of reading and a little commenting here, and I hope to learn a lot about knives, and how to sharpen and maintain my own knives.

What are some of y'all's favorite sharpening stones and strops, compounds, etc? I need to start researching what kind of sharpening equipment to get.

Do you have a favorite knife steel alloy for your EDC?
 
There's a heck of a lot of options and budgets. Think about what you are going to be using it for. And go from there. You mentioned losing knives so that's something to consider.
 
Nice intro, and welcome to the sickness! Bladeforums is a great place with a wealth of knowledge to be learned!!

My favorite EDC steels are 20cv/m390 in my modern folders and good ol' 1095 in my traditionals (GEC & Case) :thumbsup:
 
Welcome!
And what a great introduction that was.
Thank you for the fun sharing!
I believe that you have come to the right place.
The technological advances in knife manufacturing has made knife collecting
even far more exciting than ever.
As usual too many knives with too little money has had its down side for many a would be collector.
If anything its a challenging hobby that keeps the collector busy yearning for more ;-)
Books are a favorite go to for me.
Fyi the english languge version of this book
516fSPiNBbL._AC_SY400_.jpg

might just be the reference for newbies to turn to.
Below is a german review of the original german edition of the book.
Never mind if you can't understand whats"s being said because the reviewer flips through just about every page giving one a glace of its visual content.
Hope you find all that you need for your interest with fellow forumites here.
 
S30V seems to suit me best. I'm a pretty light user and it stays sharp forever. Usually just a strop now and again and it's good to go. I just use an old leather belt I had lying around for stropping. Attach it to an bit of wood with tacks or glue and that does me. When it comes to stones you'll get lots of different opinions. Many don't even use stones, sharpening systems are getting more popular.

I do use other steels though that need sharpening. And the only thing I'll say is I prefer wet stones rather than oil. Less messy. I use a 1000 grit and a 6000 grit. Then maybe a touch up with ceramic, then the final leather strop. But others do it differently, it's the angle that's important. That's where the systems come in.
 
Welcome! I think you will enjoy the Gent, but if you hang around here your wallet will hate you. Shameless, awful group of enablers here. Present company included. A Spyderco Sharpmaker and a strop are a good entry into the realm of sharpening. There are also some links to information on blade steels below in my signature. Have fun!!
 
Mingecutter said:
Nice intro, and welcome to the sickness! Bladeforums is a great place with a wealth of knowledge to be learned!!

My favorite EDC steels are 20cv/m390 in my modern folders and good ol' 1095 in my traditionals (GEC & Case) :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


And why is it that you prefer those alloys for your EDC knives?
 
BilboBaggins said:
Welcome! I think you will enjoy the Gent, but if you hang around here your wallet will hate you. Shameless, awful group of enablers here. Present company included. A Spyderco Sharpmaker and a strop are a good entry into the realm of sharpening. There are also some links to information on blade steels below in my signature. Have fun!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information! I can’t see your signature, for some reason. But I’ll look up the Sharpmaker.
 
Welcome.
You definitely need to pay a bit more for your knives, so that you start paying more attention to them and won't lose any ;)
 
Welcome.
I came across bladeforums while looking for info on how to sharpen knives.
It’s a well run forum and most users are quick to offer up info or help if they can.
Plus you can save a few bucks buying off the exchange instead of new.

I use a wicked edge sharpening system for reprofiling.
A sharpmaker and/or a strop for basic maintenance. A kitchen hone/rat tail as well. The stropping compound is the green and black from bark river I think.
As far as steels, I’m at the point where I prefer easier to maintain steels.
The s110v type stay sharp forever but are more difficult to sharpen when they do lose their edge.
I’ll give up the crazy edge retention for something that’s easier to sharpen.
If I was a wizard on the stones/strop, maybe I’d feel differently.
Im just average as far as sharpening skills tho.
I like m390/s35vn/vg10 for stainless.
Non stainless, I like hap40/m4/superblue. Rex45 seems really good but I haven’t used it a ton.
If you give a specific task or use, someone can probably help suggest an ideal steel for that task.
It’s kinda fun to overthink it, but it seems like there is really no bad choices.
There are loads of awesome knives and steels out there.
 
Welcome aboard! Now that's a proper intro. Much appreciated and a big contrast to the typical "hai gaiz! Whut knifes shud I bai fer da buschcrafts?"

My favorite steels for EDC folders are VG10, CPM154, and 1095. They're great steels that hold an edge well and sharpen easily. 1095 requires a little more care than the other two.

I sharpen everything on a few nice benchstones, a sharpmaker, a few strops, and a knock off edge pro. I have a glass smooth steel for realigning in between sharpenings.

If you run your knife down a steel every once in a while and strop it when it's lost some sharpness you can avoid sharpening it often and taking too much material off the blade. It helps your knife last longer.

Let us know what you think of your new knife when it gets to you. You have chosen wisely. :thumbsup:
 
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Favorite steels are 1095 carbon and S35VN for all around performance yet still being easier to maintain, the 1095 especially. I wouldn’t advise you to pick up a S90V blade yet as, though it maybe a performer, it is pretty difficult to sharpen for newcomers. You seem enthusiastic about learning how to sharpen so it may not be a hinderance to you in a few weeks or you may even view it as a worthy challenge. Just my two cents from someone who sucks at sharpening.
 
Hey howzit going and nice introduction.

Cool group of people on this forum, and hours of entertainment and knowledge. It’s an awesome community and fun to spend time here.

I’m a fan of pretty much all knife steels. I appreciate all their differences and how they fit into their roles.

As of today, my favorites are 14c28n (easy to sharpen to fine edge, good corrosion resistance), CPM-M4 (long edge holding, relatively tough, patinas), 1095 CroVan (very tough, sharpens very easy), CPM-3V ( love this steel for hunting...super edge holding with ability to survive steep edge geometry).

Welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome OP and nice to meet you!

If you have the knack to sharpen a knife free hand one of the best things you can purchase are Japanese water stones. You will want a coarse, med, and fine grit stones to start with. But if you are like me and need a lot of help a kit is your best bet. I've been using a Lansky for a few years and it's has it's pro's and cons. IMHO It's good for quickly re-profiling a blade but terrible for slight touch ups. It you are going to get a Lansky get the better deluxe version especially if you are planning on sharpening super steels.

I've also recently got a Spyderco Sharp Maker. IMHO it's a great system but it does have one drawback. I maybe using it wrong but it takes a very long time to re-profile a blade. But on the other hand it's fantastic for quick touch ups and consistency.
 
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