plain carbon steel

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gary74

Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
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I have recently become very interested in sharpening knives. I don't have a lot of experience with all the different kinds of steel. It seems that the older knives with plain carbon steel take a very sharp edge and seem to flex or be tougher than a lot of the stainless steels. Again I haven't had a lot of experience with the new (super steels). Any opinions?
 
gary74 said:
I have recently become very interested in sharpening knives. I don't have a lot of experience with all the different kinds of steel. It seems that the older knives with plain carbon steel take a very sharp edge and seem to flex or be tougher than a lot of the stainless steels. Again I haven't had a lot of experience with the new (super steels). Any opinions?
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Gary I have 2 recommendations to make to you to get you started in the right direction concerning sharpening. First of all there are 2 books on the subject that I consider a well-spring of information on the subject. The "RAZOR EDGE BOOK OF SHARPENING" by John Juranitch is truly a book that should be in every knife lovers library. Another book on sharpening that I really like is "The Complete Book Of Sharpening" by Leonard Lee. Both books are still in print and are easily available through several internet & brick and mortar sources.

Second I would also recommend you to get a Spyderco 204 Sharpmaker system. You can get them on several internet sources. The 2 books and the Sharpmaker will both give you a clear view of sharpening techniques. Good Luck
 
Low alloy steels don't have the super hard carbides, and have higher toughness than 'super' stainlesses for the typical knife heat treats. So yes, they are easy to get very sharp and are more flexible than stainless in many cases.
 
gary74 said:
Any opinions?
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Oh yeah.

First of all, get yourself some practice knives. My suggestion, do an ebay search for "Old Hickory kni*" without the quotation marks. You can get a set of these carbons for a couple bucks apiece. They take an edge fast and hold it well with smooth steeling prior to use.

Look around this site and you'll get lots of ideas for sharpeners depending on how much money you want to spend. Personally, I cut the secondary edge on most knives with paper wheels. Are they good? I can take one of those Old Hickorys that won't cut a marshmellow and make it into a shaver in less than two minutes - every time. For my good knives, I start with the wheels and then cut and polish the primary edge a couple of degrees more obtuse with an EdgePro. I don't want to start an argument, but those who say free handing on stones is better must *somehow* hold the same exact angle every pass. I've tried that and it gives results that I don't care for. The EdgePro is a no-brainer, not inexpensive, but nearly faultless.

Buzz
 
i use the paper wheels also. the ones from koval are cheap and dont work as good, i have a set of good ones which there is a difference. stevebot, a member here has them. he also wrote a book called.. Sharpening Made Easy
 
gary74 said:
I have recently become very interested in sharpening knives. I don't have a lot of experience with all the different kinds of steel. It seems that the older knives with plain carbon steel take a very sharp edge and seem to flex or be tougher than a lot of the stainless steels. Again I haven't had a lot of experience with the new (super steels). Any opinions?
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Howdy,
Welcome aboard!

If I read your post correctly, you aren't asking about sharpening methods. You are stating that you think that carbon steels are tougher and take an edge more easily than stainless steels and asking if you are correct or just imagining the difference.

We agree with your observations. Carbon steels do in general have those superiorities over stainless steel, and even the super steels.

Knarf
 
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