Spyderco Tenacious Mirror Edge?

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drewhamm7292

Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
24
Okay, so I was wanting to sharpen my Tenacious to a mirror finish but here is my problem. I want the mirror edge to be 30 inclusive but in my experience 8cr13mov doesn't hold 30 inclusive very well. So if I was to sharpen and mirror polish the 30 degree edge and then add a 40 degree microbevel with it still perform like its at 40 degrees or would the retention be less due to the fact it's just a microbevel??
 
It should cut like a 30 basically but have a stronger edge. Remember, microbevels are very small. Only do a few strokes. The scale your working on is microscopic.
 
Your main lost of edge retention will come from polishing that steel, its too soft to hold such a edge.

As for your question regarding angles,

Once you apply a micro bevel it will change how the edge performs but its not going to be that big of a deal because the steel can only perform within the limits of itself. If 30 is to low then strengthen with a microbevel, its only going to make a big difference if your "microbevel" gets too big and becomes its own bevel.
 
So basically for any polished edges I'm wanting to use keep it within the stronger family of steels? I try to spread my love evenly across all my spydy family but if the little brother can't handle it I guess it's time for the Manix 2 to have a shot then huh?
 
Most knives in general don't perform very well with a high polished edge. A knife must be very hard and ground very thin for a very fine polish to have any value. In my experience a fine diamond around 600 grit yields about the best edge you could hope for in a folder. Personally, I use a DMT fine for most of my knives and use a strop with some 1 Micron diamond to finish it up.

For your tenacious sharpen at 30 inclusive with a medium stone then use a fine or UF stone for the microbevel (40) and only the microbevel. You will find it gives you much better results when you don't polish the 30 inclusive bevel. Though a coarser edge is often better by using a micro bevel you add a lot of support to the edge allowing it to maintain a finer edge a bit better.

Truthfully, it is personal preference mostly based on your cutting needs and the best way to find out is by trying each edge and seeing what works best.
 
Not to disagree with Jason ;)

If you want, why not giving it a try, with a lot of experiment going with it. I have a Resilience and made it so far as to shave comfortably. Of course this edge doesn't last long for EDC, even for my usage which is light office duty (coffee pack, paper, some masking tape, etc). For the fun of it (and often touching up, a form of meditation), it works for me.

If you hate maintaining it often, find the best combination that works for you and stick with it ...

Jason,
Some of forum member recommends mirror back bevel with coarser micro. Your tips is the other way around, so I'm keen to understand the reason.
 
I don't use microbevels a lot but when sharpened as I described above I find the edge is sharper and has better edge holding abilities. The coarser backbevel seems to allow the edge to developed a better working edge as the knife dulls. Whenever I have polished the backbevel the same as the micro it always became blunt quickly not giving much in the way of a working edge as it dulled.

I have not heard of applying a coarse micro to a polished bevel, seems counter intuitive, a microbevel is to make the bevel smaller. Using a large abrasive only makes the edge larger.
 
Jason,

Thanks. It means the polished apex is supported by ridges tha helps 'biting' into surrounding material during a slice.

The other way was said to retain the look (polished) bevel but usage is similar to a toothier finish on the apex. I still fully polished them as and when I do, as I enjoy doing so.
 
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