Why will some blades not get sharp?

Edm1

Edm1

Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
359
I have a lot of GEC knives. For me at least. I have no problem getting most very sharp. However, I have one GEC Charlow that refuses to get sharp. I try and try and the blade is wearing and wearing but it won't get shaving sharp. It is a sheepsfoot. My other sheepsfoot has no problems getting sharp. Am I the only one with this problem? Or do you have some blades that just refuse to get sharp?
 
Sounds like a technique question to me. There's a whole passel of folks who hang out on the maintenance and Tinkering Forum. They just live for questions like these.

 
I'm using sandpaper then a strop. It works on all of my other blades. Even other sheepsfoot blades.
 
I have a GEC 76 Outlaw Jack that I can't get a hair shaving sharp edge on the pen blade for the life of me. I have concluded it's my equipment and probably technique isn't good as well. I watched a lot of youtube videos on Sharpmaker tips and I was able to get a mediocre utility edge on it but I want more. I'm going to get a Ken Onion edition Work Sharp though and see where that gets me. Right now all I have is the Sharpmaker with the standard medium and fine stones and I just don't think it has the ability to get this edge re-profiled.
 
Some knives are impossible to sharpen due to geometry or heat treat. a well known name does not guarantee a good geometry or heat treat. I grind a lot of edges using a Bubble Jig which gives precise edge angles; in doing re-grinds on bench made knives I find quite a few where the bevels are not true or the edge angles are not even.
Just a thought, Fred
 
I have yet to find a blade that I can't put an edge on. Some have made me *think* I couldn't do it, as they never seemed to raise a burr despite what seemed like lots of grinding. Sometimes I got false indications of the burr, when no burr was really there. But if I persisted, I've been able to get sharp edges on every blade I can recall. This includes some recent kitchen knives that have been brought to me that required a lot of metal removal.

I find that, generally speaking, when I'm having trouble, it means I have not reached the edge of the blade. Sharpie on the edge helps a lot. Looking at the edge *straight* down with reflected light helps. A loupe helps. My bet would be that you aren't reaching the edge on the portion of the knife you're having problems with. Use some of the techniques I've outlined and see what you see. :)

Brian.
 
bgentry said:
I have yet to find a blade that I can't put an edge on. Some have made me *think* I couldn't do it, as they never seemed to raise a burr despite what seemed like lots of grinding. Sometimes I got false indications of the burr, when no burr was really there. But if I persisted, I've been able to get sharp edges on every blade I can recall. This includes some recent kitchen knives that have been brought to me that required a lot of metal removal.

I find that, generally speaking, when I'm having trouble, it means I have not reached the edge of the blade. Sharpie on the edge helps a lot. Looking at the edge *straight* down with reflected light helps. A loupe helps. My bet would be that you aren't reaching the edge on the portion of the knife you're having problems with. Use some of the techniques I've outlined and see what you see. :)

Brian.
Click to expand...
I agree if it can be done if enough metal is removed. A RR spike can be used as a scalpel with a little extra work :) The bad heat treating part can not be overcome without retreating the blade, which I have done a few times. I just got a high end "hollow ground" knife in where the bevels had been ground to high on the flats or to small a wheel was used which caused the area where the edge should have been to be in the process of "widening" getting wider along the arc. That took a little regrinding, about a quarter of an inch was removed which made for an odd looking blade.
The magic marker is a sharpeners best friend and will reveal many secrets when used.
Fred
 
There are only 2 instances i seem to work on a blade and cannot get it sharp. A bad heat treat/bad steel or the initial grind is steeper than my typical sharpening angle. If you can, see if the bevel is steeper than your sharpening angle with a sharpy and a magnifying glass. Not alot you can do about a bad HT other than send it back to gec, i know the steel(1095) is good. I have a 3 blade stockman myself and one of the blades primary bevels isnt the same angle as the others but then it was put on there by hand, so its not going to be perfect. That blade is my harder use abrasive cutting stuff edge due to thicker bevel, but one of these days ill rebevel it.

There is only one knife i have that REFUSES to get any kind of edge worth talking about, a cheap walmart 3$ kitchen knife made of who knows what @#$ steel.
 
I had a similar problem with a folder from a well known maker. The d2 steel would just not get sharp despite my best efforts. I ended up gathering advice here and sharpening it 3 times before getting it sharp. I would say just start over, don't try to just fix it. That's what finally got it right for me.
 
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