Which steel takes the keenest edge? Finest grain structure?

Maybe it's just me, but I really like the fine edge that CPM 3V takes. M390 takes a nice edge too, but it takes some time to get there.
 
Ankerson said:
AEB-L

Used for Straight Razors.
Click to expand...

Or Sandvik's 13c26 which is almost identical to AEB-L and both are used for razor blades. For a stainless steel, both would be very fine grained (with a proper HT of course), but I doubt they would be finer than a basic high carbon steel like 1080.
 
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I'd like to second all the previously mentioned steels that I have experience with, and add KAI's AUS6A, as used in the DWO, for example. For the record, my Schrade 120T (1095?), is the easiest knife for me to get to that level of sharpness, and seems to stay there for quite some time.
 
AUS-8 and the carbon steels. Unbelievable sharpness on my Carbon Opinel and RAT Model 1.
 
I am a rookie at sharpening. For me cabon steels like 1095 have produced the best edges, I can even get a cheap 1055 machete shaving sharp. The only Stainless ones I have been able to get razor sharp are AUS-8 and 8Cr13MoV.
 
From my own personal experience working with these steels, CPM 154, CPM S35 VN, CPM S90V, 154CM, A2 and O1.
Scott
 
I prefer high quality simple carbon steels/alloy steels with excellent cleanness and no inclusions that ruin ( for me and my perfectionist eye) an edge at 8,000 to 10,000 grit. I have had this happen. The Hitachi steels White are some of the best, followed by blue steels which have a better balance of wear resistance and slightly better corrosion resistance. White steel is honestly the rustiest steel I've found. It amazes me even, who laughs at people who complain about steels like 52100, 1095, and O-1, much less CPM M4, 3V, and other pretty corrosion resistant steels that stay clean with a little care. I really don't have much respect for guys that rust out VG10, S30V and other stainless steels due to not taking care of their steels. All tools need care and if you rust out a stainless steel you are doing something wrong.

Yes, 52100, O-1,even CPM M4 and a few others are also some of my favorites due to the steels balance of wear, toughness, and corrosion resistance ( a relative thing in that class of steel) and cleanness.

In stainless steels the powder steels have some advantages over steels in their class that are ingot steels. Example CPM 154 over 154cm. 13C has a good combination of grain size and cleanness and gives good edges very easily. Aus 6 is similar . BG42 has always been a favorite due to it's consistant cleanness and excellent performance. I've had good luck with Super gold 1/2. Elmax has impressed the heck out of me all around. It doesn't have any real weaknesses. 390pm is similar but has more carbides and more vanadium but it's got excellent performance. I've had good luck with zdp, S30V and CPM 154. They are great steels if done properly.
 
carbon steel is going to give you the sharpest edge. i use nothing but 1075 and i have had guys tell me that my knives are the sharpest knives they have ever handled. i finish my edges off on the slotted paper wheel which helps a lot.
 
I wonder what they use for scalpels. They're disposable, for one-time only use, and don't hold that edge for more than a few minutes. But I've never seen anything sharper.
 
Ive always wondered about micro corrosion on the edge. is this a problem with supper sharp carbon steels? seemes like if you cut food with it you may have a problem on a really sharp edge, even if you are careful.
 
Ankerson said:
AEB-L

Used for Straight Razors.
Click to expand...

My choice also. 13C26 is very much the same I think as the AEB-L steel. Either way its razor blade steel so the carbide size is small which means you can really make it thin and sharp! 12C27 is also pretty good but honestly I think about all the Sandvik steels we have access to are going to allow one to do a fairly thin fine slicer if they wanted to use either of these steels. Kershaw has that 14C28N which is also another fine grained small carbide size steel so that would work too.

STR
 
Ive always wondered about micro corrosion on the edge. is this a problem with supper sharp carbon steels? seemes like if you cut food with it you may have a problem on a really sharp edge, even if you are careful.
Click to expand...

I have had knives that would dull a little just sitting without use for a few days. The finer grit, more polished the edge the longer it held it's edge. Sharpening stainless steels like S30V the same way and I don't get that effect.

If you have any plain carbon steels like 1080, Hitachi white or blue, or even some alloys like O-1 or W2 take a knife and sharpen it to the point of shaving arm hairs. Leave the knife for a few days, come back and test it again. I'm betting you will notice a difference unless you coat it with wax, silicone, or grease etc. Something that will cover the edge not just the blade.

Try one with a fine polish and see if it stays sharper longer.

Lastly, try one coated as stated above.

I'm not a chef but I've always assumed that's why a chef steels his blade when he first picks it up for the day. I for sure could be wrong there though as I'm not a chef.

Joe
 
Samael said:
I wonder what they use for scalpels. They're disposable, for one-time only use, and don't hold that edge for more than a few minutes. But I've never seen anything sharper.
Click to expand...

Most of the cutting performance of a scalpel, razor, even a box cutter is in the blade design. Super thin blades cut better by design and the steel's toughness becomes more important than overall wear resistance. I'm betting that the stainless razor steels like AEB-L or 13c26 are probably used in most scalpels.
 
I think "glassy metals" like LiquidMetal(tm) are completely glassy and have no micro-structure (ie: no grain). Presumably, they would take the keenest edge, but I don't know if they would have the correct toughness and hardness for a practical knife.

Just for fun:

According to Prof. Verhoeven, a modern sharp razor has an edge of 0.4 microns.
http://mse.iastate.edu/fileadmin/www.mse.iastate.edu/static/files/verhoeven/KnifeShExps.pdf

Diamond coated razors can have an edge of 0.05 microns.
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25988/

Diamond microtome knife has an edge of 0.005 microns.
http://www.tedpella.com/diamond_html/diamondk.htm

Concoidally fractured obsidian has an edge of 0.003 microns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian

Tips for atomic-force-microscopes and scanning-tunneling-electron-microscopes can be sharp as a single atom.
 
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