What Did You Sharpen Today?

Not today, but a few weeks ago I took a lip knife (this isn’t the one I used):
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And turned it into a sheepsfoot or a lambsfoot? Don’t know the difference yet.
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Sorry for the nice trash shot lol.
 
Blues said:
Touched up a Spydero MicroJimbo in 15V. Learning what the steel likes and doesn't as I go.
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I appreciate what you are going through. I am having difficulty with 15v steel on my Lil’ Native. I am getting so frustrated that I am ready to either go back to my S30v model or move on to a Meerkat in some other steel.
 
DavidABQ said:
I appreciate what you are going through. I am having difficulty with 15v steel on my Lil’ Native. I am getting so frustrated that I am ready to either go back to my S30v model or move on to a Meerkat in some other steel.
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I didn't find touching up to be a big deal.

What are you having trouble with?
 
Blues, I have difficulty getting a fine edge. A toothy edge is easy but a fine edge is proving to be elusive. I have a coarse (325 grit), fine (600 grit) and extra fine (1200 grit) DMT diamond plates. I also seem to have an issue removing the burr. VG10 steel is a pleasure to sharpen compared to 15v. To be honest I am getting tired of fighting the steel.
 
I found that removing the burr was made easier with a bonded diamond Venev hone. The alternative would be my XXF DMT (3 micron).

I did a little stropping as well during my experiments on bare leather, as well as a couple of leather strops with different 1 micron emulsions.

Experimenting would get frustrating when I went too far and ended up needing to remediate the edge after being maybe a little sloppy.

Good luck...try not to let it get to you. (I know it's hard at times.)
 
Blues, thank you. I must admit that I wonder if these supersteels are really worth the effort. There are many perfectly good steels that are easier to maintain. I will take another shot at the 15v that I have and see if I can figure out what I am doing wrong. Thank you again.
 
DavidABQ said:
Blues, thank you. I must admit that I wonder if these supersteels are really worth the effort. There are many perfectly good steels that are easier to maintain. I will take another shot at the 15v that I have and see if I can figure out what I am doing wrong. Thank you again.
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I am enjoying 1095, aus-8 and vg-10 for that reason. Hand sharpening with standard stones or cheap diamond stones and a quick strip does wonders.
 
DavidABQ said:
Blues, thank you. I must admit that I wonder if these supersteels are really worth the effort. There are many perfectly good steels that are easier to maintain. I will take another shot at the 15v that I have and see if I can figure out what I am doing wrong. Thank you again.
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I used to have many knives, but over time I’ve narrowed it down to four of the best the world has to offer.
Outdoor knife (MagnaCut)
Kitchen knife (ZDP189)
Vegetable peeling knife (MagnaMax)
and EDC knife (Maxamet).

I used to maintain them on leather with diamond paste, but it wasn’t quite right. A knife that cut beautifully with both a pulling and pushing motion would quickly lose its sharpness when cutting with a pulling motion. The shaving effect remained, but the problem arose when you needed to cut with a back-and-forth motion.

The best solution I’ve found is the KMFS Vantaedge set and maintaining the knives with it. When I feel that a knife isn’t what it used to be, I clamp it in and start and finish with a 5μm sharpening stone—in just a few minutes, the knife is back to its original sharpness, and I’ve removed only the absolute minimum of material. That set is fantastic. I can’t even remember what it was like to adjust the sharpening angle on each individual stone.

So, in my opinion: powder-steel blades are definitely worth it, provided you use the right stones and a good sharpening set.
 
BaRD, I am using DMT diamond plates. I think they should be up to the task, but I don’t have any stropping compound that I think is suitable for 15v steel. That will probably be my next knife related purchase.
 
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DavidABQ said:
BaRD, I am using DMT diamond plates. I think they should be up to the task, but I don’t have any striping compound that I think is suitable for 15v steel. That will probably be my next knife related purchase.
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I have an old bar of black stropping compound that I don't begin to remember what it is but it works with K390, 20CV, 15V, and anything else I've tried it on. It's NOT the best thing to use on them but it will strop an edge back if you take your time and use good technique. Besides stropping I'm still on the factory edge with my Para3LW in 15V and my Delica in K390 needed a ceramic rod to work out a tiny roll a staple I didn't see left in the edge and the black compound has kept that K390 slicing paper sharp. Maybe not shaving sharp anymore but easily slicing paper still.

Google says "corundum and magnetite or silicon carbide" is what it probably is. None of which should be rated for all the vanadium carbides in these steels but here we are. I've read about the possibility of carbide tear out but find that very doubtful since the edges are still cutting just fine instead of dulling out.
 
The stropping is fine and works well. But to a certain extent, it’s a compromise. Leather itself tends to form micro-convex, and the loose grains in it mainly polish the edge rather than cutting it. Stone, on the other hand, ideally has firmly anchored grains that cut through steel.

The difference will be subtle, sure. Especially if you’re using the knife for batoning or as a work tool in the workshop. But you’ll notice it, for example, when cutting thin slices of meat for jerky or carving wood.

For anyone who sharpens knives, I recommend using a strop to maintain sharpness.
But I prefer the sharpness achieved with a diamond stone without a strop, or just with a clean leather strop.
It’s a matter of preference.

Edit: Of course, this only works if you know how to sharpen a knife with a diamond stone so that you can remove the burr.
 
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Today I did a batch of loppers and pruners, including some older Felco ones. I can't recall the brand but I did a large high carbon pair of shears. The local food truck guy brought in his knives, a mix of Japanese and Germans as well as his Spyderco Tenacious. And guy from out of town dropped off some nice Japanese knives that I'll do tomorrow and mail to him via Priority. We also had a few engraving jobs including one for a local knifemaker. A customer of his wanted a photo engraved onto a custom that was made for him, turned out beautifully.
 
Sharpened my first MagnaMax knife today! 220/600 Sharpal diamond stone, then my 40 micron and 1 micron diamond compound leather strop. Nice and sharp now! Now to test it and see how it holds up! I will get pics later this evening!
 
Forgot to take pics but I did some Japanese knives for a guy that lives out of town. I don't normally do mail order but he dropped them off when he was in town and asked to mail 'em back. Just sharpened and mailed them today.
 
Did a small batch of kitchen knives for one of my resturant customers. I’ve been using Naniwa Chosera stones for a while but switched it up and decided to go with my Shapton Glass stones again. Still dont know what I like better but the glass stones did seem to do better.

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Second from the top was a 70/30 grind so I flipped it around for a face view.
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