What Kind of CUTTING Jobs Make Your Blade DULL?

C

Confederate

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This is open for folders (plain edge and serrated), fixed blades (outdoors and kitchen) and machetes. (We already know cinder blocks, granite and sandstone are hard on knives and blades.)

Also:

* What types of steels hold up better to what cutting tasks?

* What types of materials are more likely to damage your S30V/154CM and other super steel blades?

* Are there times when a razor edge is actually a detriment to a particular cutting job?

Thanks!

pumkin_carving_02_470_470x470.jpg
dhappydove05t.JPG
 
Sharpening pencils seems to do in a razor edge pretty quickly. On the other hand, the damage seems easy to fix, as its not actually breakage or chipping.
 
Cutting up old carpet and pink fiberglass insulation. Best to get a replaceable-blade utility knife for such things. I always end up using my good knives on them anyway, though, just to see how they'll do.
 
Ditto on the cutting fiberglass insulation. Carboard seems to do it to. I like the Delica for that.
 
Cutting rubber dulls the edge pretty quick. Had to cut a bike tire off with an SAK once- it was a necesary evil, it was worth it, I guess.
 
Carpet is the worst for me. Wire's pretty awful, but people more observant than myself would realize that the reason it's so damn hard to cut through that little plastic tie is because it's full of metal. Accidentally dragging the tip across concrete is bad too. Come to think of it, just belonging to me is pretty bad for any knife.
 
Confederate said:
This is open for folders (plain edge and serrated), fixed blades (outdoors and kitchen) and machetes. (We already know cinder blocks, granite and sandstone are hard on knives and blades.)
What Kind of CUTTING Jobs Make Your Blade DULL?
Also:
* What types of steels hold up better to what cutting tasks?

* What types of materials are more likely to damage your S30V/154CM and other super steel blades?

* Are there times when a razor edge is actually a detriment to a particular cutting job?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

These days I mostly only use pocket knives.

* Cutting fiberglass will pretty much dull anything. Just like StretchNM's ceramic plate.

* I cut heavy plastic, cardboard, water hose, poly-twine et al. I get good results from 420HC, 440A, AUS8, AUS10, 440C, ATS-34, VG-10, inox.
I think my Benchmade ATS-34 holds its edge better than all the others I listed.
I think my Spyderoco VG10 blades take a finer edge than the ATS-34.
I can't tell the difference in performance between VG10 and AUS10.
I think AUS8 edges last longer than 440A edges, but not as long as AUS10 et al.
I find all of them acceptable blade materials if the manufacturer has made them well with a good heat treat.

* None of my normal cutting jobs damages my Benchmade ATS-34 blade.

* I don't normally put a razor edge on my EDC blades. I find that I get a good working edge from a fine India Stone. Sometimes I'll finish up with a Sharpmaker, usually at 30° inclusive. When it doesn't slide on my thumb nail at about a 30° angle, that means it is sharp enough for me.
 
o skateboard/nonskid tape
o carpet, especially when it's old with a lot of sand and other grit in it
o cardboard, especially corrugated
 
cutting up cardboard boxes made a shaving sharp VG-10 blade not shaving sharp anymore.
fiberglass reinforced tape will do the same thing.
 
SaMX said:
cutting up cardboard boxes made a shaving sharp VG-10 blade not shaving sharp anymore.
fiberglass reinforced tape will do the same thing.
Click to expand...

Agreed!:thumbup:

Although my O-1 blades don't dull as much!
 
Carpet, ceramic plates, and zip ties...yes!

My wife chops food on ceramic plates, then complains, "You just sharpened
them and now they won't cut!"

But where do the super steels shine? I have an ATS-34 blade in my CRKT S-2
and it holds up remarkably well. Plus it's close enough to four inches blade
length, so it can work for self defense as well. I'm really getting to like it.

Here are some interesting microscopic photos I found:

qx02.jpg


This is a 60 times magnification of an Australian made high
speed steel plane blade. It shows two regions. The lower region is the factory
grind. They appear to have used two sharpening techniques—the underlying
grind is perpendicular to the edge. After that, they appear to use a somewhat
finer (but not very fine) abrasive. Unfortunately, I have no image of the edge
before my first microbevel.

The upper region is a microbevel produced using 15 micron abrasive. The
scratches in this microbevel are smaller than those in the basic factory grind,
perhaps even smaller than the secondary factory abrasive.
.

knife60.jpg


I recently bought a new knife made by "J. A. Henckels"
which was labeled "German Stainless Steel" and "MADE IN CHINA."

This is a picture of the edge at 60X magnification.

The blade is 0.015" thick just back of the bevel.

The knife face has uniform scratches angled slightly to
the edge which give the knife the characteristic matte finish.

They appear to grind the bevels in a single operation—there is
no evidence of microbevels.

The grinding is quite uniform, with both sides of the knife having
the same size bevel (a feature not shared by all the knives I
have bought over the years). I suspect that the bevels were
done with a machine holding the blade. Or, perhaps it was hand
held by a Galoot who also sharpens plane irons and saws
without jigs.

.
.
 
Sounds like cutting on ceramic or porcelain like in the kitchen is really useless; give your wife a wooden chopping board.
Fiberglass etc. gives a dulling that's not unduly dull. :-)
 
Sheet rock. It's one substance that quickly ruins a good S30V edge. It seems that when cutting it with a utility knife, I get the best depth after the 5th or 6th cut, when the bevel is destroyed but the edge is still thin enough to penetrate. Then it slowly deteriorates until it couldn't cut cardboard - but still works on sheetrock.

I honestly think a micro serrated Ginsu type utility blade would be the best on this stuff. It would cut the paper coating and saw through the gypsum compound with minimum tearing. Razors or good sharp knives don't do as well.
 
Fiberglass shingles, carpet and industrial adhesive are the biggest, baddest materials I've come across.

And ditto on the sheet rock.
 
Spectra fishing line. I commonly cut old or backlashed fishing line that I can't get out a knot into shreds so it won't hurt the environment whether it gets put in a trash can or not. Several one inch pieces of line won't hurt a thing.

Watch how fast it knocks a razor edge off a blade. Immediately, even S30V. Grab a bunch of line and start cutting.

Otherwised, whatever comes up. Dogfood bags, mail, wood, rope, food, and various other things that come up on a weekly basis.
 
Unless I'm standing naked in front of my full length mirror practicing shao-lin monk kung fu moves with my knife, cutting only air, then all cutting jobs make my knife at least a bit dull ;)

More seriously; slipping through whatever I'm cutting and hitting concrete, or a rock, are the worst I've done, and majorly tick me off when it happens. I hate that move.
 
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