Sharpening woes: Gerber Applegate Combat Folder

[radambe]

So I just received my Applegate Fairbairn Combat Folder from bladehq yesterday and noticed how surprising dull it seemed compared to pretty much all my other knives (benchmades, spydercos, microtechs, bokers, etc). This is the only knife I have in 420HC.

So... I busted out the sharpmaker and put in some time today. The sharpmaker is new to me, as is sharpening in general. I've had easy success with my Endura (VG10) and Microtech Troodon (S30V). I expected similar results with the gerber if not better as I read 420HC is an easier to sharpen steel.

I've gotten only a slightly better edge after hours of stone time. I am able to cut paper now, but nowhere near as cleanly as I'd like or as I can with any other blade I own (including those I've sharpened with the sharpmaker).

Has anyone else had a similar experience with this knife, or attempts to sharpen it? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[rycen]

Have you colored the edge with a sharpie to see where the stones are hitting?

 

[RDog]

You need to use the marker as stated above, especially on a new knife. I have had to convex some blades on sand paper before using the sharpmaker when the factory bevel was so far off from the sharp maker angles.

And remember there is no way you should be spending hrs on a sharpmaker, its really just a couple minutes tops from dull to hair shaving, if the angles are right.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

The dagger-style grind on that blade, which is like a diamond shape in cross-section, and very thick in the middle, is more likely to leave a very THICK edge on it. Wouldn't be surprised if the factory edge angle is outside the limits of the Sharpmaker (more than 40°). Even thinning the grind would be much more work with this knife, due to the shape and very thick nature of the blade's primary grind, relative to it's overall width. Dagger-style blades almost always have more obtuse edge grinds on them, for that reason.

I would do as previously suggested, and use a Sharpie or other black marker to darken the edge bevels and see where the ink comes off when sharpening on the 40° side of the SM. If the ink is only being removed from the shoulders of the bevels, then the edge angle is likely too wide for the SM. If it is, the blade would have to be thinned, or the blade 'tilted' on the SM rods to ensure the edge is making contact. At that point, you're essentially freehand sharpening anyway, so it will take some patience.


David

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

By the way, I wasn't aware this knife was made in 420HC. At the price the referenced dealer shows for the USA-made, non-assisted version, it should likely be 154CM (I have one in this steel). There's also a more expensive version in S30V. I suspect the '420HC' spec in the dealer's description is wrong, or it better be, at that price. Gerber also sells an assisted version (imported) at about 1/2 the price, and it won't be 420HC either, in all likelihood.


David

 

[radambe]

Thanks for the tips. So after the sharpie trick it appears that I did need to tilt the blade a bit to hit the edge. I went through the recommended stone steps this way and still ended up in about the same place I started.

Gerber's site claims this blade is 420HC. Some dealer sites claim the same, though it does appear that there is maybe a black coated version in 154CM, and an anniversary edition in S30V.

I've wanted one of these since I was a kid and for some reason just never bought one. So I did. Just wish I could get the damn thing sharpppppppp.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Sounds like the edge angle is pretty thick. If so, the best way to get it slicing well is to thin the grind. The optional diamond rods for the SM would help for that, or it may even be worth using some coarse wet/dry sandpaper (220-400 grit or so), wrapped around your existing SM rods, to more quickly grind the angle to something more acute. But it will still take some time, due to the thick grind of the blade; a lot of metal needs to come off.

I'm curious, what specific site are you looking at, for 'Gerber's site'? Aside from a couple of non-affiliated vendors claiming it's 420HC (but priced like the 154CM version, at $90+), I don't see any other references to that steel being used in this knife. At any rate, on the possibility it is 420HC, it should still take a good edge, assuming the angle is decent.


David

 

[Puropapas]

So I just received my Applegate Fairbairn Combat Folder from bladehq yesterday and noticed how surprising dull it seemed compared to pretty much all my other knives (benchmades, spydercos, microtechs, bokers, etc). This is the only knife I have in 420HC.

So... I busted out the sharpmaker and put in some time today. The sharpmaker is new to me, as is sharpening in general. I've had easy success with my Endura (VG10) and Microtech Troodon (S30V). I expected similar results with the gerber if not better as I read 420HC is an easier to sharpen steel.

I've gotten only a slightly better edge after hours of stone time. I am able to cut paper now, but nowhere near as cleanly as I'd like or as I can with any other blade I own (including those I've sharpened with the sharpmaker).

Has anyone else had a similar experience with this knife, or attempts to sharpen it? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

I am having the same issue with my knife. I got it used at a pawn shop but it's so dull it cannot slice paper. How do I get it back like razor? It also has the blade wobble and I want to find a clip for it. Can anyone help??

 

[bucketstove]

I am having the same issue with my knife. I got it used at a pawn shop but it's so dull it cannot slice paper. How do I get it back like razor? It also has the blade wobble and I want to find a clip for it. Can anyone help??

Hi,
What do you mean?
What kind of abrasives do you have?
Have you examined the stop pin, is it dented?
If the wobble is because the stop pin is dented
simply rotate the pin so the dented part faces away from blade.

 

[IDABOW]

I have one I bought all the way back in 96' as young airman. I wanted to sharpen the false edge to a real edge. I had to use the 30* slot on my lansky to sharpen it. It worked, but took some time.

The dagger has a pretty steep angle. Mine won't hold an edge for long, but it's really only meant to do one thing, and cardboard isn't one of them.

 

[C.S. Graves]

... it may even be worth using some coarse wet/dry sandpaper (220-400 grit or so), wrapped around your existing SM rods, to more quickly grind the angle to something more acute. But it will still take some time, due to the thick grind of the blade; a lot of metal needs to come off.

This.

I'd even recommend a lower grit sandpaper to start out with (I usually start at 60 or 100 grit for serious reprofiling) and then move up to 220, 400, then Sharpmaker.

If you're going through the trouble of reprofiling, you might even want to start out with a more acute angle, just to knock a little shoulder off the secondary bevel. It generally improves cutting performance and makes provision for future sharpenings, especially with a fixed-angle jig-type system like the Sharpmaker.