sharpening S30V -- burr removal?

Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Messages
2,111
Any tips on the final steps of removing the burr on S30V? That stuff is TOUGH!

I have no problems with 154CM with my method, but with the S30V stuff, I can't remove the burr. I just flip and flop it from side to side.

I can raise the burr fine and get it to move back and forth with a medium (lansky 280 grit) stone, but then with a fine (lansky 600 grit) stone it still just wobbles from side to side, even by brushing it lightly.

Even stropping on cardboard makes the damn thing move around instead of removing it, and I get a rough toothy edge that gets dull fairly quickly, instead of a nice smooth one.

Any ideas?

-j
 
To remove the wire edge from my BM 921 S30V blade, I used my leather hone. I have 1 double sided plate with rough leather that I have 800 grit Silicone Carbide on one side, and 1200 grit silicone carbide on the other. The other plate has one side with CrO2 on untanned pressed smoothe leather, and on the other side it us just tanned smoothe leather. Starting on 800 grit, I worked my way to the tanned leather. I now have a super sharp S30v edge that should last with minor maintenance.

Mike
 
Two ideas:

1. the burr will eventually fatigue from bending back and forth, just like the method you may have used to break an electrical or baling wire by bending back & forth repeatedly until it fatigued and broke.

I use a Lansky also, diamond stones.

2. I typically don't have much problem with the burrs... but, when I do, I do this: assume the burr is on the bottom side of blade, and you have now flipped the blade over, still in the jig, so the burr is now on top. Now, in pushing the stone across the edge, I begin moving the stone forward just before it touches the blade. So it's moving forward (towards the edge, like it would bend the burr) when it touches the blade and hopefully will push the burr "further" backward on the top of the blade. I.e., trying to cause the stone to push and break off the burr. (easy to demo, hard to describe in words). Stated another way, don't set the stone down on the blade before you start moving it.

You may find that "fatiguing" the burr by repeatedly folding it over and back is easier/faster on crock sticks, e.g. Spyderco Sharpmaker.

Depending on Lansky angle you are using, you may have to tilt the blade w/ reference to the Sharpmaker, so you are slightly larger angle than you just finished with on Lansky. Light hand pressure. Just get the burr onto one side, then go to the other.

Or on a strop, just keep rolling it back and over and it should come off (pulling the blade edge across strop, opposite to the way you use a stone into the blade).
 
Increase your angle before you go to the finer stone. Just a few strokes should do it.
 
rdangerer :

the burr will eventually fatigue from bending back and forth

The edge this leaves is far from optimal. The best method is as db described, raise the angle a little and cut the burr off.

As for what it means that a steel behaves this way, it isn't a sign of toughness, all steels can behave this way for example if the edges have been highly stressed, or you are using dirty hones etc. .

-Cliff
 
Thanks, guys.

I'll try those suggestions.

Time to order some more diamond hones.

;)

-jon
 
dulled your SnG, buddy?:cool:

I never really liked the Lansky, too messy, to variable for my efforts....I always come back to the Sharpmaker. Ifreehand the final 2-3 wide strokes to kill the burr...so far so good...but I haven't used it on my Sng or GB
 
Geoff,

Oh hell not yet... the SnG is still pretty sharp. it's the MT-LCC and the WP. The LCC is insanely hard to fix the burr on. If I "brush" off the burr very lightly with a diamond stick, it ends up dull. If I don't, I just flipflop the burr. That is truly mucky/sticky stuff.

Do you actually reprofile on that Sharpmaker? I'm too afraid of not being able to match the edge angle consistently to want to use one...

That WP came with a mighty... blunt and obtuse edge. Especially near the tip -- well over 40deg on each side (!).

Shaved hair, but wouldn't cut paper or cardboard without ripping/tearing through.

Oh, well. I used some DMT diamond hones to take back the edge to 25 along the edge and 30 in the front, and now it cuts great but doesn't shave... *sigh*

-j
 
even with the diamond sleeves and the 2 angle sharpmaker, reprofiling is a time consuming PITA.

was your WP new? Mine is popping sharp and parts cardboard sweetly...although it is still pretty unused.

did you freehand with the DMT's...that is impressive


ps..sorry for not replying to your last PM...things are less bad now but the Ralph is still up for sale
 
yeah, it was new from bladeart.

it popped hair no problem but just got hung up on cardboard and paper. it's a lot better now after i took the angle down some. i'm reminded of what Mick said once... "i've met some damn sharp 90deg angles before"...

also, using diamond stones makes it a lot easier to remove the burr than with regular ones. should have tried that earlier.

hell if i can't use sharpmaker, you think i can freehand??? :D

nawwwwww no way, i used them on their "aligner" setup, looks just like a lansky thing with the thing to keep your angle constant.

every time i try to teach myself to freehand i end up with a blade duller than a ballpoint pen :p

i wish i could afford to buy an edgepro or your Ralph, but i have a new custom Ferret on order ... this one is gonna KICK ass, you might even like it.

-j
 
Biogon> I have no problems sharpening freehand, it even makes for a sharper knife(IME) as it's easier to get VERY light pressure or just the weight of the knife.

I sharpen my S60V Military freehand, other than the serrations(the whole 1.5"). The burr is never a problem for me, as I finish on leather. Right now I use my 303MF case, but still looking for Veritas Green compound for my strop. This sucker pops hair.
 
The Aligner is good because it has a lot more adjustability -- much finer angles available than the Lansky, and it's plastic so it doesn't need a paper buffer between the blade and the clamp...

HOWEVER... the stupid Aligner only takes blade widths up to 1/8" (0.125" (!!) which means the SnaG and the WP definitely don't fit it.

Stupid thing.

Also, not surprisingly, the hone carrier setup from the Lansky and the DMT are interchangable, so I end up using the DMT hones on the Lansky and vice-versa.

The DMT hones cut steel like a bzatch. Damn, damn, fast. Cuts non-intensive reprofiling down from maybe 2 hours to 30 minutes.

A couple of problems:
1- the DMT hones seem to de-diamond after a while (my coarse stone)
2- they don't put a very polished edge on (have to buy the ultra-fine stone and try it)
3- the width means that you can't do some recurves and tips as easily as with the narrow lansky
4- there is a minor angle difference between the Lansky and DMT hones, so you can't easily start with the DMT and move to the lansky without having to change the angle you just put in

-jon
 
point 3 is very valid
i have to use ceramic sticks for that
if you're using the fine dmt stone, try using freehand to put the final touches
it's harder to control than ceramic, but you can still get a shaving edge on it in no time
 
biogon :

That is truly mucky/sticky stuff.

I have sharpened S30V (from Arlee Niemi) with none of the above problems. I would guess that maybe the knife is a little too soft or the grain was blown which can induce really floppy burrs especially on high alloy steels.

-Cliff
 
Back
Top