Have been wanting a "true" fixed knife for a while and finally couldn't resist and got my orange micarta RC-4 into my 20 plus folder collection. I have been sharpening and stropping all my SS folders everyday to ensure they are all hair whittling sharp so I know exactly how both I and the steel's 
want to be sharpened. But now the hard part is, I have ZERO experience on carbon steel, I have no idea what the blade can take in terms of angle related to the mild work I will use the knife for. I have sharpened most of my high end stainless steel to 25 inclusive and with a 30 degree strop, all done by a HF 1x30 and finished off with 3 micron diamond paste, needless to say, they all whittle hair. I use them all on mild work like cutting card boxes mostly and never have a problem chipping or anything.
Now back to RC-4. the factory angle seems wider than 40 and obviously not what I'm use to. I'm wondering what kinda angle that the perfectly heat treated 1095 can take for the moderate work I'm gonna use it for. Like, chopping small branches at most, chopping some real stubborn card boards, real tough plastic thing, sawing off rubber hoses and things like that. I'm not a outdoor man so the knife will probably never see any survival abusive uses like stabbing in to sheet metal or chopping concrete.
I was hoping to sharpen the edge to 30 or less, but the steel is around 56 Rc if I remember correctly so I don't know if it can hold at a much more acute angle while performing mild small branch chopping and the like, and still able to shave afterward. Don't get me wrong, I know the tough RC4 can take extreme abuses without breaking the factory tip and edge, but will the edge hold with a much thinner edge. what is your experience? Thanx
want to be sharpened. But now the hard part is, I have ZERO experience on carbon steel, I have no idea what the blade can take in terms of angle related to the mild work I will use the knife for. I have sharpened most of my high end stainless steel to 25 inclusive and with a 30 degree strop, all done by a HF 1x30 and finished off with 3 micron diamond paste, needless to say, they all whittle hair. I use them all on mild work like cutting card boxes mostly and never have a problem chipping or anything.Now back to RC-4. the factory angle seems wider than 40 and obviously not what I'm use to. I'm wondering what kinda angle that the perfectly heat treated 1095 can take for the moderate work I'm gonna use it for. Like, chopping small branches at most, chopping some real stubborn card boards, real tough plastic thing, sawing off rubber hoses and things like that. I'm not a outdoor man so the knife will probably never see any survival abusive uses like stabbing in to sheet metal or chopping concrete.
I was hoping to sharpen the edge to 30 or less, but the steel is around 56 Rc if I remember correctly so I don't know if it can hold at a much more acute angle while performing mild small branch chopping and the like, and still able to shave afterward. Don't get me wrong, I know the tough RC4 can take extreme abuses without breaking the factory tip and edge, but will the edge hold with a much thinner edge. what is your experience? Thanx
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