The "Ask Nathan a question" thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
AEBL corrosion resistance isn't spectacular. And D3V is nearly stainless so it's not far behind AEBL there. D3V has better abrasion resistance and is tougher. D3V has pretty good edge stability.

AEBL is tougher than most stainless and has good edge retention on account of its high working hardness and superior edge stability. Buy AEBL if you want a very tough stainless knife with high hardness and very good edge stability. Better fine edge stability than D3V. It's more of a precision tool kind of steel than farming implement. It also happens to be easy to sharpen.

It's a joy to use. Despite being "stainless" it's actually closer to an old school simple carbon steel than D3V. I think that people who try it will like it.

It also happens to cost a little less. I wouldn't make a knife purchase decision based on the minor difference in cost, but AEBL happens to be more affordable.
Click to expand...
I thought some newer folks in the CPK forum might like to read this. Thank you for the info Nathan! :thumbsup:
 
fatfrog said:
Finally received my diamond powder from amazon. Nathan the Machinist Nathan the Machinist , what's the best way to combine this with my green polish? I was thinking of trying to melt some green polish then mixing it in.
Click to expand...

Your green polish should be razor strop paste, not a green block of wax used for buffing. If you're melting it, it's wax base and not ideal for this.

Thin the paste with isopropyl alcohol and a drop or two of dawn dish soap. Use a screwdriver or similar to mix it into a thin frothy paste. Mix the powder in a little at a time and be sure to break up and mix in any clumps, just like adding flour to dough but you don't want a doughy consistency when you're finished, more like watery whipped cream.

Stropping compound is an abrasive. Like any abrasive it can glaze and go dull. You want your compound to be friable and break down into a powder. A waxy or oily compound isn't self sharpening and leaves a mess.

A thin mixture like we're making can be used to top off and freshen up your strop (just like dressing a stone) without building up a thick layer of compound. You don't want a very thick layer of dull glazed mess.

A sharp fresh strop gets the job done without excessive pressure or a lot of passes which leaves a crisp sharp edge without rounding. The diamond helps with the carbide while the green chrome does a nice job on the matrix. .5 to 2 micron is a good range.
 
Last edited:
I think that's buffing compound, not stropping compound. It will work, and lots of people use it, but I don't like it. If your strop is shiny and grippy it's not ideal. A good looking strop is matt and glides smooth.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I think that's buffing compound, not stropping compound. It will work, and lots of people use it, but I don't like it. If your strop is shiny and grippy it's not ideal. A good looking strop is matt and glides smooth.
Click to expand...

It goes on matte but glosses/shines as you strop on it. I'll have to find some other stuff if this isn't the right type. Any recommendations?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top