Not digging this chisel grind....

J

JAKs Bladeworks

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Apr 2, 2013
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237
Hey all! Just my first Emerson, a Gentleman Jim. LOVE this knife! I only own six knives and probably won't be getting any more for a good little while, but this one is a keeper for sure! :D That's saying something. Love it. :thumbup: :thumbup:

But. Absolutely NOT digging this chisel grind edge. Now I've done a good bit of reading/searching about, but please direct me to another thread if my questions have already been answered.

Everything I seem to cut with this knife does just not cut!! Now I hear a chisel grind/chisel edge has certain really good cutting abilities, as it reduces the drag when cutting. Especially with a zero grind. Why is nothing cutting for me?? I feel like with something like a zero grind a chisel grind has a very good advantage, but as this knife is a "conventional V-grind," there is still a lot of resistance and the chisel edge does nothing for me. Does this make sense? Or am I totally off?

Please enlighten me! I've heard people talk of the "wonders of a chisel grind." Not feeling it myself, but I'm open to reason.

If this continues to not work for me, can I take this knife and sharpen the chisel grind out? :confused: I have a sharpmaker. Could I just sharpen on the opposite side the chisel edge is on, even if just a little?

Appreciate the help! thanks!

God bless,
-AJ
 
Maybe you need to sharpen the knife. Usually when a knife doesn't cut it's because it is dull. Sharpen it any way you want to, but a dull edge is a dull edge, no matter what the name is on the blade.

My GJ is an absolute razor. Seeing as how Emerson knives are only sharpened on one side, the angle is much more acute than a comparable folder. I own 10 Emersons and all of them have been some of the sharpest knives I've ever handled.
 
I hear ya, I have several Emersons and the only one not a chisel grind is my Micro Commander.
Perhaps the sharpmaker isn't your best option for sharpening it. Not saying it can't be done with a SM but I find that the Edge Pro or Lansky style sharpeners feel a bit more suited and do a very nice job keeping the knife angle consistent.
Try not to sharpen the backside of the chisel edge... work the bevel for a bit and only one or two passes on the backside of the chisel with the pointy part of the triangle stone. You want to build a bit of a burr on the front bevel and then take the burr off of the backside with one or two passes.
If you are going to use a sharpmaker, mark the bevel with some dry erase marker and check to make sure you are getting all the way down to the very edge.
Hope that helps
 
RevDevil said:
Maybe you need to sharpen the knife. Usually when a knife doesn't cut it's because it is dull. Sharpen it any way you want to, but a dull edge is a dull edge, no matter what the name is on the blade.

My GJ is an absolute razor. Seeing as how Emerson knives are only sharpened on one side, the angle is much more acute than a comparable folder. I own 10 Emersons and all of them have been some of the sharpest knives I've ever handled.
Click to expand...

That's very true. Some of the sharpest knives you've ever handled? Ok that's saying something! Ok I'll give it a real careful touch up on the sharpmaker and see if it works!
 
dcmartin said:
I hear ya, I have several Emersons and the only one not a chisel grind is my Micro Commander.
Perhaps the sharpmaker isn't your best option for sharpening it. Not saying it can't be done with a SM but I find that the Edge Pro or Lansky style sharpeners feel a bit more suited and do a very nice job keeping the knife angle consistent.
Try not to sharpen the backside of the chisel edge... work the bevel for a bit and only one or two passes on the backside of the chisel with the pointy part of the triangle stone. You want to build a bit of a burr on the front bevel and then take the burr off of the backside with one or two passes.
If you are going to use a sharpmaker, mark the bevel with some dry erase marker and check to make sure you are getting all the way down to the very edge.
Hope that helps
Click to expand...

Yeah SM isn't the best for something like this maybe I'll try freehanding the edge on just one of the sharpening rods. That makes sense forming a small bur on the front bevel though. Thanks a lot for the tips! Certainly helpful! I'll give it a try and let you guys know!
 
A chisel grind can get really sharp, but it doesn't usually hold an edge very well. I'd recommend sharpening it on a whetstone or if you don't have one, just use the diamond file on a leather man or something
 
I have a few Emersons, and while most of them were very sharp out of the box, I did have one that I bought new, an SOCFK that needed to be sharpened when I got it. It really didn't cut well, but after a quick sharpening it is comparable to the other Emersons I have. Take a look at Emerson's website, he has at least one video demonstrating sharpening the chisel edges. I've really taken to how Emerson sharpens blades, it makes touching up an edge really easy.

I just got a Gentleman Jim myself, love this thing. Mine was used and needed to be sharpened, but it's good to go now.
 
fwiw, the Zero chisel grind is the way to go but that's a whole other story.
You got good advice here and good luck.
rolf
 
OP, just curious what is it that you are trying to cut?
One thing I've found with Emerson knives is that they are not good at food prep, I've slaughtered some beautiful apples with my GJ.
 
So I bought this knife off of ebay, the guy saying he'd only cut a "couple" things with it. I don't know (don't really care either), but I figured it was the grind that was not cutting for me. Nope! Revdevil hit it on the spot, simply dull. LOL! I figured it had the factory edge, or at least close to it. Nope!

Touched it up on the sharpmaker and it's awesome! Not perfect, it'll take me a little practice to get the hang of a chisel edge on a sharpmaker, but certainly a useable edge now. Thanks for the tips!

I'll have to carry this around for a while and see what I think of the chisel edge.
 
cncpro11 said:
OP, just curious what is it that you are trying to cut?
One thing I've found with Emerson knives is that they are not good at food prep, I've slaughtered some beautiful apples with my GJ.
Click to expand...

Oh just general things. Paper, cardboard, paracord... I just didn't cut! Sharper now though and I'm lovin' it! :D

@Lycosa, Yeah I might have to try a zero chisel grind at some point. We'll see.

@Watertower. Thanks for the tips! I'll have a look on emerson's website.

Thanks again guys! BF ya'll are awesome!

Cheers!
 
Not to sidetrack the original op, but what is a zero chisel grind? Forgive my ignorance. Richard J is also a member here who will do a regrind on your chisel edge to make it a standard V edge.

And of course, you could send it into EKI for the spa treatment and sharpening service. Comes back as good as new!

Joe
 
Thanks, Allen.
And they do cut like crazy. I had a CG kozuka from Hartsfield and it never stopped cutting. But, we are talking A2 tool steel, heat treated by a Master.
 
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I like the chisel grind and use it on several fixed blades. I hate how Emerson goes with a left-handed grind. I, like most people, am right-handed. The lock and pocket clip are oriented for right-handed people so why not the edge?

Some say it looks "cooler" with the edge on the presentation side. Which makes even less sense for Emerson because of their philosophy of function over looks. I still like my Commander but that nags at me.
 
^^^^^^ I agree. I wished they offered an option for righties. It is the only thing stopping me from getting a cqc7 that I have wanted for over a year.
 
SO true! Every time I go to cut something it feels like I'm cutting it backwards. Cutting straight up and down is alright, but a regular V edge is better for that over a chisel grind.
 
JAKs Bladeworks said:
That's very true. Some of the sharpest knives you've ever handled? Ok that's saying something! Ok I'll give it a real careful touch up on the sharpmaker and see if it works!
Click to expand...

Yep, they are sharp. Just remember be patient, it takes time to develop a good burr on the edge, and make sure you knock it off completely. You may also look into a strop and compound of sorts for touch ups.
 
You guys need to contact EKI and ask them to consider making some RH chisel ground folders. They just might.
 
RevDevil said:
Yep, they are sharp. Just remember be patient, it takes time to develop a good burr on the edge, and make sure you knock it off completely. You may also look into a strop and compound of sorts for touch ups.
Click to expand...

Ok good advice. Yeah I got a pretty good edge on it, but it's not very well suited for a sharpmaker. Thought about sending it to richard J, but I think I might just keep it the way it is. It's my only chisel grind edge, though hopefully there will be more in the future. :)
 
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