steel type paired to abrasive type?

TRfromMT

TRfromMT

Joined
Jan 4, 2016
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I just have the following on my WE - 200 / 600 diamond, 800 / 1000 diamond, and 1200 /1600 Ceramic.

I use those on all my knives, which at the moment are M4, Vanax 37, 3V and 80CRV2.

In reading some posts on this sub forum, I see some of you guys get different results in raising a burr with different types of abrasives. Are there some general rules of thumb for pairing steel type (carbon, stainless, softer/harder heat treat) with abrasive type?

I am strictly interested in really good working edges that can push cut phone book paper. Not so much really refined 'tree topping' edges and mirror polishes. If that makes a difference.
 
Diamond hones work on any kind of steel. Natural stones are fine for high carbon/low carbide 'traditional' steels but don't work so well on today's 'super steels' with high carbide content.
 
This is essentially how I segregate things, based on steel type:

Simple carbon or low-alloy stainless (1095, CV, 420HC, 440A, etc):
> For heavier grinding & reprofiling, I prefer aluminum oxide for these, at a minimum, though most anything else will do the job. India stone works very well.
> For finishing, natural (Arkansas) stones or aluminum oxide work very well. The stainless responds well to Fine/EF diamond also, with minimal burring.

Mid- or high-alloy stainless (440C, VG-10, 154CM, ATS-34, D2, ZDP-189, etc) NOT containing much vanadium carbide (below 3%):
> For heavier work, I'd prefer SiC (silicon carbide) or diamond, but decent quality aluminum oxide can work also.
> For finishing these, aluminum oxide of good quality is OK; I prefer diamond for finishing D2 in particular, and maybe ZDP-189 also.

For anything containing 3% or more vanadium (S30V, 90V, etc):
> For heavier grinding, SiC is OK, but I'd prefer diamond.
> For finishing these, diamond does a much better job with the vanadium carbides in these steels, especially at EF or higher finish.
 
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Not having any real forethought, other than "I just want a range of diamond hones", I went with the W.E. Go system. Glad I did.
 
I've found a DMT Dia-Sharp extra-coarse (200 grit) bench hone to be very effective when sharpening ultra-high vanadium steels like S30V/S110V. Once a burr is formed, I finish on a DMT red (600 grit) to get a nice, bitey edge.
 
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