RAT's 1095 with acute edge angles

theonew

theonew

Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
2,724
Not sure anyone here will very interested in this but I'm throwing it out there anyway ...

I like to work with very thin edges on my knives, 12 degrees per side and less. It's perhaps a little extreme but I have a few blades that perform very well during rough use at around 7 degrees per side. My process is simple, thin the edge, use roughly for tasks such as cross-grain batoning or cutting heavy plastic, if no significant damage appears, keep thinning, repeat. Well I've had an Izula, my first Rat, for a few weeks and its gets carried a lot both in the city and in the woods. I'm currently down to around 8 degrees per side and have witnessed no loss of edge stability. I'm quite impressed. Excellent steel on an excellent knife :thumbup:
 
Glad it is holding up for you but I would think that you run more of a risk of severely damaging the edge with that acute of an edge.
 
Not sure what constitutes "severe" damage but I enjoy sharpening and am not too fussy about my knives. I can live with a ding in the edge while it gets sharpened out over time :)
 
I was wondering how much I could thin my Izula while still maintaining a relatively sturdy blade. I guess 15 degrees will still be safe seeing what you have done. Thanks so much for your info!
 
I use to sharpen all my Old Timers and Case knives very thin. If you were raised up on a farm in Alabama that was the way it was done. None of this 20 degree factory edge bevel BS. We used our knives to slice efficiently, not to hammer through concrete blocks. Nowadays I just use a Sharpmaker and maintain the factory bevel but none of my carry knives perform as well as the thin edge I use to do on my pocketknives. Manufacturers are scared shitless to put such a thin edge on their knives because they know that most people don't understand that most knives are made to slice, instead of cutting rebar. Just try to find a factory that will do a full Scandi grind. They are scared of Scandi grinds or either they don't know how to do them.
 
R.A.T. said:
Manufacturers are scared shitless to put such a thin edge on their knives because they know that most people don't understand that most knives are made to slice, instead of cutting rebar.
Click to expand...

They probably also know that a good number of people never sharpen their blades, choosing instead to buy another and use it until it's dull. :rolleyes:
 
R.A.T. said:
We used our knives to slice efficiently, not to hammer through concrete blocks.
Click to expand...

It's pretty addictive to use a thinly beveled knife :D The roughest use the Izula sees on a regular basis is cutting Cat 5 computer cable and it does just fine :thumbup:
 
Well a few days ago I knocked it down again to about 7 degrees per side and it was fine for light chores but I did notice some very minor rolling after cutting Cat 5 cable. So I'm back up to 8 degrees per side and will leave it there. I knocked off the shoulders a bit giving it a convexish bevel and it's a lean mean cutting machine now :thumbup:

Lovin' the Izula :D
 
..... the edge will depend on what your doing with it.... but yea if you look around there are a few threads about "my knife is to sharp people say" mainly cause people don't understand it. i have infact refused to cook in a friends kitchen after trying to there knives. and then to watch them try to use em was just horrible... but i guess thats one reason why knives like moras are so cheap. when it gets messed up your not out a ton of cash and the maintaince is cheap.... guess the same goes for he mircle blades and gimicy knives....

i like a sharp blade , if i can do the task at hand quickly effecently and safely with out having to apply to much force to be uncontrolable then im happy.
 
R.A.T. said:
I use to sharpen all my Old Timers and Case knives very thin. If you were raised up on a farm in Alabama that was the way it was done. None of this 20 degree factory edge bevel BS. We used our knives to slice efficiently, not to hammer through concrete blocks. Nowadays I just use a Sharpmaker and maintain the factory bevel but none of my carry knives perform as well as the thin edge I use to do on my pocketknives. Manufacturers are scared shitless to put such a thin edge on their knives because they know that most people don't understand that most knives are made to slice, instead of cutting rebar. Just try to find a factory that will do a full Scandi grind. They are scared of Scandi grinds or either they don't know how to do them.
Click to expand...

Damn straight man!! 14 years of cutting up hogs and beef and ALL of our work knives were 1/8 thick and hollow ground then cut to 10 to 12 degree by a old guy that did 40 years of line work. If you did not hit steel glove/table or bone a knife could be used for 4 to 7 hours of continuous cutting with just a smooth steel.

I have started to reprofile my rc-4 and with just the shoulders ground back and a little convex, it is twice the cutter it was out of the box. My rc-6 was easier with the thinner tip to do the same.
And scandi grinds rule , my koster bushcrafter and mini nessmuk is scandi, gotta put handles on the nessie for deer season.
 
Now, there's a man that understands what a knife is suppose to do! It is a damn shame that inexperienced people have pretty much set the standard for geometry in this industry!

Jeff
 
Brad "the butcher";7072733 said:
Damn straight man!! 14 years of cutting up hogs and beef and ALL of our work knives were 1/8 thick and hollow ground then cut to 10 to 12 degree by a old guy that did 40 years of line work. If you did not hit steel glove/table or bone a knife could be used for 4 to 7 hours of continuous cutting with just a smooth steel.

I have started to reprofile my rc-4 and with just the shoulders ground back and a little convex, it is twice the cutter it was out of the box. My rc-6 was easier with the thinner tip to do the same.
And scandi grinds rule , my koster bushcrafter and mini nessmuk is scandi, gotta put handles on the nessie for deer season.
Click to expand...

what type of knives do ya'll use in your market. I have been a butcher since 92. they outlawed all but stainless in our shops. I have been useing mostly a six inch forschner curved stiff blade. I go with a true flat grind as soon as the factory edge dulls.
 
Here's a pic:

dsc5446sml.jpg
 
Nice, thanks for the pic. I have been wanting to increase the performance in my Izula. I have a hard time justifying using the Izula over my Mora knives and scandi knives since they really can cut.

I am not very good at sharpening though (I think). What method do you use to sharpen?

I was thinking about trying the sandpaper/ mouse pad trick, or maybe a magazine
 
I like to keep things simple so for 90% of my knives I use a DMT 8" Duosharp, coarse on one side and extra-fine on the other, and finish with a Spyderco Ultrafine ceramic. To get a convex edge I just lower the angle and grind down the shoulder. Sharpening freehand will give you a certain amount of convexity simply because it is next to impossible to consistently hold the exact same angle. The DMT sharpeners really cut quickly :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top