- Joined
- Jul 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,685
Recently sharpened a stock PM2 for a buddy; knife is factory and one year of EDC by owner...shows some minor scratches on the blade from normal use.
Used SIC stones in 120, 400 and 600 grit and Shapton 1K and 4K.
Re-profiled edge to 30 deg inclusive, but the sharpest (sticky) edge I was able to achieve was with the 400 grit...with the later polished edges able to cut Yellow Pages (0.002") paper very nicely, but difficulty in shaving arm hair. Edge was never "sticky" as I've found with other steels...e.g. CTS-XHP.
Once I re-profiled with early grits, was never able to raise any kind of burr on this particular blade, although was able to achieve a nice apex...with NO light glint or reflection.
Finished blade "looked good" but was not "sticky-sharp" to the touch and would tend to slide off of fingernail more than expected. Even tried a slight micro-bevel at ~ one degree greater, just to be sure that I was on the apex. No change at all...
Sent the knife back to my friend and I suspect he'll like it okay...but...would appreciate suggestions for future sharpening that I do...
I don't know whether this is reflective, generally, of S30V, as I have not sharpened this steel in the past. My stones are basically new and of good quality. I realize that I "should" be able to raise a burr...but could not, once I got past the 120 grit, which produced a lot of slurry.
I really want to achieve an edge that is "scary-sharp" and capable of splitting hairs. I have included several pics, but none that show an edge-on view. I did examine apex often with 10x glass, under a very bright desk lamp, and could not see light reflection which would indicate that I stopped short of getting to the apex. I am at a loss to explain this, and want to rectify it in the future.
Also, I tried to strop with green compound on several good quality strops (from StropMan and StropBlock from KnivesPlus) with no improvement whatsoever. I am really familiar with stropping procedure and technical info on proper angles, etc., but have NEVER been able to show much improvement with ANY strops. Perhaps I need to clean strops thoroughly and put on fresh compound or go to diamond spray...????
thanx for your input...
SonnyDaze
Used SIC stones in 120, 400 and 600 grit and Shapton 1K and 4K.
Re-profiled edge to 30 deg inclusive, but the sharpest (sticky) edge I was able to achieve was with the 400 grit...with the later polished edges able to cut Yellow Pages (0.002") paper very nicely, but difficulty in shaving arm hair. Edge was never "sticky" as I've found with other steels...e.g. CTS-XHP.
Once I re-profiled with early grits, was never able to raise any kind of burr on this particular blade, although was able to achieve a nice apex...with NO light glint or reflection.
Finished blade "looked good" but was not "sticky-sharp" to the touch and would tend to slide off of fingernail more than expected. Even tried a slight micro-bevel at ~ one degree greater, just to be sure that I was on the apex. No change at all...
Sent the knife back to my friend and I suspect he'll like it okay...but...would appreciate suggestions for future sharpening that I do...
I don't know whether this is reflective, generally, of S30V, as I have not sharpened this steel in the past. My stones are basically new and of good quality. I realize that I "should" be able to raise a burr...but could not, once I got past the 120 grit, which produced a lot of slurry.
I really want to achieve an edge that is "scary-sharp" and capable of splitting hairs. I have included several pics, but none that show an edge-on view. I did examine apex often with 10x glass, under a very bright desk lamp, and could not see light reflection which would indicate that I stopped short of getting to the apex. I am at a loss to explain this, and want to rectify it in the future.
Also, I tried to strop with green compound on several good quality strops (from StropMan and StropBlock from KnivesPlus) with no improvement whatsoever. I am really familiar with stropping procedure and technical info on proper angles, etc., but have NEVER been able to show much improvement with ANY strops. Perhaps I need to clean strops thoroughly and put on fresh compound or go to diamond spray...????
thanx for your input...
SonnyDaze
Last edited:
