Sharpening difficulty for different steel.

[nozh2002]

The reason a manufacturer would choose to use a non "premium" steel is that production would faster and, therefore, production cost lower. Some steels take more time to machine that others.

Yes I understand this, plus average steel cheaper widely available, plus HT is easy etc. But not too many of them admit this, but instead came up with excuse like - "You Vassili can sharpen it and I can, but average customer - can not".

In particular this way CPM 440V was "convicted" and most unfortunately, excellent high speed steel - M2. No more knives with M2 available any more! Only production HSS you can buy now is two SRS-15 knives in Japan.

Plus CPM S90V and all this super vanadium CPM 10V, CPM 15V etc...

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[gunmike1]

Like Cliff said as long as you aren't reshaping I haven't seen much difference, but I use pretty thin reliefs. When you have a really thin relief applying a microbevel has been easy for me, whether it was ZDP-189, S30V, SGPS, or VG-10 (my most used steels). When you are reprofiling them you start to really see the difference, except my new DMT XX Coarse just powered through ZDP-189, VG-10, and 8Cr13MoV last night like they were all the same. Probably because it is pretty new and not completely broken in. Once I went to the X coarse, or especially the DMT 600, you could see (the amount of metal coming off) and feel the difference in cutting speed when sharpening flat to the stone.

Mike

 

[nozh2002]

Like Cliff said as long as you aren't reshaping I haven't seen much difference, but I use pretty thin reliefs. When you have a really thin relief applying a microbevel has been easy for me, whether it was ZDP-189, S30V, SGPS, or VG-10 (my most used steels). When you are reprofiling them you start to really see the difference, except my new DMT XX Coarse just powered through ZDP-189, VG-10, and 8Cr13MoV last night like they were all the same. Probably because it is pretty new and not completely broken in. Once I went to the X coarse, or especially the DMT 600, you could see (the amount of metal coming off) and feel the difference in cutting speed when sharpening flat to the stone.

Mike

I usually run edges on smaller angle, so it is always reprofile, not just sharpen, and I notice no difference in reprofiling premium steel also.

It take long time only if there is a lot of steel to take away - like RD7, I spend few day even with 400 grid, just because it is thick, but steel actually 5160, which is claimed as easy to sharpen... Same with SOG Tomcat - thick edge, long time to reprofile, SwampRat SAR etc, but Leek ZDP-189, no problem!

except my new DMT XX Coarse just powered through ZDP-189, VG-10, and 8Cr13MoV last night like they were all the same.
Mike

If you use Diamond sharpeners - there is no difference at all! So again it is not steel to blame but unappropriate sharpeners.

What did you use before for reprofiling?

I guess that it is Grit + hardness of matrix where abrasive is holded what really make sence. Even sandpaper will do same, you just need to replace it more often.

Thanks, Vassili.

Wow, this is my 2000th post here!