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2. Convex Grind. 3. 52100 Bearing Steel. 4. Sharpening tools that I use at home. 5. ...and, How Sharp is Sharp anyway? 6. Knife Maintenance and Sharpening By Chad Ward (Chad). 7. How not to sharpen your knife! 8. Build yourself two little Boats cheaply. 9. Know the Law about knives! 10. Talisman and Guardian test reviews on British Blades forum. 11. How relevant is the HRC of a knife blade to its intended use? 12. Sharpening Damascus bladed knives. 13. What type of steel is best for a Bushcraft/Hunting/Field knife? 14. The evolutionary process of the tools I use to sharpen my knives. 15. Putting my money where my mouth is - the EdgePro Apex Sharpening system. Check it out and get it here...
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Article 1 - STEELS USED BY KNIFE MAKERS by Bob Engnanth
0-1 is perhaps the most forgiving of any knife quality steel other than the very simple alloy types, and produces a blade of excellent quality for most normal use. It can be heat treated very easily. Further references? Well, the ole' master, Cooper, used it for many years and folks do love his blades because they're tough. Awhile back, one of the best of the blade smiths said that well treated 0-1 would out cut any Damascus, and no one argued with him. Edge holding is exceptional. 0-1 is precision ground unless you're lucky enough to stumble across some mill bar. Goof up the heat treat and 0-1 will let you try again as often as you like, as long as you don't overheat the metal. Tough on grinding belts.
0-6 is the next step up from 0-1 easy heat treat but pure hell to grind. It's significantly tougher, with finer crystalline structure and hard graphitic particles that resist wear. Stock is both hot rolled and precision ground. Hot rolled prices are reasonable. Very tough to grind. Edges are incredible, lasting even longer than the best Damascus and even 0-1. Has an odd, rather orange spark.
W-1, W-2, and the series of 10-- steels from 1045 through 1095 are the ultimate in simplicity and very shallow hardening so they may be used to make a selectively hardened edge as one sees on old Japanese swords. Toughness is outstanding, with these alloys being used for grader blade edges, truck springs and files. Uses up grinding belts at quite a rapid rate. Edges are acceptable with 1045, good with 1060, nice with 1084, and excellent with 1095, W-1 or W-2. Those last two are often referred to as O-F, old file. It is very easy to get the higher carbon end of this series way too hard to make a good knife.
5160 is a common spring steel, basically 1060 with one per-cent of chromium added to make it deep hardening. (It may still be selectively drawn with a softer back, if desired.) An excellent steel for swords, or any other blade that will have to take some battering. The choice of Jim Hrisoulas who makes some of the finest working swords in the business. Long blades are best around the mid 50's on the Rockwell scale, while small, working blades can be put into service at a full 60 RC. Forged blades with a well packed edge seem to cut forever! Rough on grinding belts. Jokingly called O-C-S, old chevy spring.
52100 is a ball bearing steel, generally not found in useful grinding sizes, but terrific in edge holding and toughness. 52100 is 5160 with an attitude, more alloy and more carbon that makes it harder and tougher. Like 5160, throws a brilliant yellow spark. Ed Fowler has developed a superior heat treating technique for this steel.
L-6 is the band or circular saw blade steel used in most lumber mills and downright hard to find in any other form. Hardens in oil to about RC 57 and takes a fine edge for most cutting, particularly where the edge might be steeled back into shape. Outstanding where flexibility is needed but rusts easily, like virtually all of the simple carbon steels. L-7 is the same stuff with a little more carbon.
A-2 is an exceptional steel, with fine wear-resisting qualities plus excellent resistance to annealing and warping. Grinding is noticeably harder than 0-1 but not extremely difficult. Sawing is tougher and relates to the five percent of chrome in this steels chemical make up. Really nice to finish with the grinder and very little grain appearing in buffing. Excellent flexibility. Phil Hartsfield get incredible cutting ability out of this steel. Several other of the A series will also make fine blades.
D-2 offers another air hardening tool steel, but with 12% chrome and excellent, if not superb, wear resistance. The resistance also holds true in both sawing and grinding, even while the steel is fully annealed. While using belts up at a faster rate than average, D-2 is not particularly hard to grind with fresh belts. Using old belts causes enough heat to work harden the steel. D-2 anneals at somewhat higher temperature than A-2 and will not take a true, mirror polish. Definitely a steel for the advanced craftsman. It's major drawback is the orange peel appearance of the surface when finished to a high gloss. One knife maker is often quoted as saying that D-2 takes a lousy edge and holds it forever. Often found as surplus wood plainer blades. D-4 and D-7 are also good cutlery alloys, but darn hard to find in the right sizes. Air hardening steels can work harden while you're grinding them if you get the stock too hot. This doesn't mean much on the grinder, but when you try to file a guard notch, the file will just slide.
M-2 is a high temperature steel made for lath cutting tools, which has darn little to do with knives, but allows you to really cook the blade in finishing after heat treat without annealing it. M-2 is perhaps a bit better in edge holding than D-2. It is also rather brittle and not recommended for large knives.
440C was the first generally accepted knife makers' stainless and remains quite popular, particularly since the sub-zero process was developed to add toughness. On the grinder, it's gummy and gets hot fast, but it cuts a lot faster and easier than any of the carbon steels. Your belts will cut about 2 to 3 times as much 440-C than 0-1. Using hand hacksaws on it will wear out a lot of blades in a hurry. But with the proper care, good heat treating and finishing, 440C produces an excellent, serviceable and durable knife, even for the new knife maker. Anneals at very low temperature. Please note that 440A and 440B are similar alloys, often confused with 440C, but not worth a damn for knife making use. Commercial knife companies often mark blades 440 when they're one of the less desirable versions, giving the real stuff a bad name. 440C is also available in more sizes and in more places than just about any stainless alloy suitable for knives. It is also essential to remember that collectors hate to see one of their prizes turn brown in the sheath, and 440C handles corrosion resistance very well. While the variation, 440-V doesn't seem to get quite as hard, but holds an edge for much longer and is much more difficult to grind.
154 CM was considered by many to be super-steel, if you can find some of the old production stock. The new batches are not manufactured to the standards that we've come to expect for knife steel. While excellent in use, 154 CM eats up the finest hacksaw blades in one across-the-bar cut of 1-1/2". It's machining and grinding qualities are similar to 440C and won't win it any awards for ease in working. In use though, this alloy has a definite advantage in both hardness and toughness over 440C. 154 CM is not an accepted standard grade designation, rather a manufacturers trade name.
ATS-34 Japanese made stainless considered the equal of 154 CM. Import restrictions have been eased somewhat, although they were forced to raise the price by 50%. Cleaner than the 154 CM. (154 CM is no longer used in government specified applications and is not the vacuum melt product that we once appreciated.) ATS-34 is virtually the exact same alloy as 154 CM, minus 0.04% of one of the less essential elements. ATS-34 is double vacuum melted and very clean. It also comes with a hard, black skin that will put a shine on your grinding belt before you know it. We recommend knocking the skin off with old belts before tapering the tang or Vee grinding. One fellow tried to take the skin off with an industrial motor driven wire brush wheel. All he did was polish it. We now stock a belt the is specifically designed to remove this scale. ATS-34 is a trade name. The three, 154 CM, ATS-34 and 440-C, all have a small, reddish spark that has a distinct, but hard to see carbon fork. ATS-34 is also a trade name. That super hard black skin on some of these steels, as well as forging scale, can be "pickled" to remove it. Buy a gallon of inexpensive white vinegar, and leave the steel in it overnight. Works like magic. If it doesn't work, or makes the shop smell like a salad, blame Doug Brack, who gave me this hint.
AEBL seems to be about 440B. Extremely easy to grind, in fact, I think I may have set a world record with it a few years back, over a hundred blades from bar stock to 220 grit within eight hours. Heat treat like 440C. Edge holding is best when heat treating includes a freeze cycle. Very easy to polish and buff. Very nice choice for miniatures, kitchen knives, etc. AEBL has several quirky habits in grinding that make it difficult to use on thicker or larger knives. Makes nice kitchen knives. "Hoss" uses this in his beautiful stainless Damascus and reports that it holds up very well.
420 modified stainless, has been successfully used by some commercial knife producers, but availability is not practical for the hobby knife maker since darn few of us order steel in mill rolls.
VASCO WEAR is rather expensive but very, very good in edge holding. Resists grinding very well too! You'll swear your belts have all gone dull when you try it. Do everything you have to before heat treating, cause you sure aren't going to be able to do much afterward. Priced like lobster tails, when you can find it. Try Vasco-Pacific in the Los Angeles area. Vasco - Pacific uses their own series of names for their alloys.
DAMASCUS steel is such a widely made product that it is impossible to make too many general statements about it, other than it seems to catch collectors better than any other type. Each smith does his in a slightly different way, ranging from the fellow who toughs it out, starting with three layers, to the guy who welds a 300 layer sandwich of shim stock into a billet with one hit in a 40 ton press. They're all pretty. Reese Weiland suggests that the last etch of a Damascus blade be done with phosphoric acid, which will sort of, parkerize the metal and help protect it. He said that you have to play around with the concentration of the acid and immersion times a bit, depending on the steel you're using. This will also work on most carbon steel blades. If a Damascus blade has been hardened with a softer section at the spine or guard, you will get a much better looking etch if you use muriatic acid first, to get the depth you want, and then ferric chloride for adding colour.
STELLITE 6-K fits into the same category as Vasco Wear in the wear resistance area, but doesn't need heat treating since there is no iron in it at all. The trick is exceptionally hard particles embedded in a rather soft alloy. Very flexible and easy to bend. Virtually cannot be brought to a mirror finish. Stellite blades are very much in demand by some collectors. The alloy best suited for knives now must be ordered from Canada and costs about a hundred bucks a pound. Part of Stellite's toughness comes from the rolling process used to form the bars. Cast Stellite is not nearly as tough.
TITANIUM is only a marginally acceptable metal for a knife blade. It cannot be hardened much past the mid 40's of the Rockwell C scale, and that's spring, or throwing knife territory. Aside from that, I'm sure that there will soon be collectable titanium knives on many custom makers tables, designed to catch collectors, and not for cutting.
Copyright ©1997 By Blades 'N' Stuff - ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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Article 3 - 52100 BALL BEARING STEEL
Besides using ball and roller
bearings, races/balls/rollers, it can be obtained in bar stock.
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Article 4 - Sharpening tools that I use at home
I've always envied people who could sharpen tools to perfection. I tried for quite some time on and off, but found it very difficult, tedious and frustrating to do. I found all those simple 'swipe through' gadgets quite satisfactory for many years, but as I got more involved with knife making, they no longer sufficed and I had to force myself to learn and do it properly once and for all.
All my initial efforts were based on ignorance, believing that the more I practised the better I'll get. All I did was to make matters worse because my equipment and techniques were wrong and I kept on failing miserably! I began to shy away from sharpening anything unless I could use a gadget of some sort. I kept trying different things and discovering the odd bit of kit that worked for me, until I can now say that I'm there in terms of producing shaving sharp edges consistently, and nearly there with having the right gear and being effective/efficient in utilising it. I have one or two ideas I want to try out to make my task a bit easier, but for now I'm pleased to have got this far. At least now I actually enjoy the process and I find it very absorbing. On the downside, the back of my left hand is nearly bereft of hair as that's how I test if I got the blade sharp enough!
Although I've got a two wheel grinder and a sander now, I don't use them on the knife blades as my blades are forged and ground for me to a fairly good finish. For the most part all I need to do is finish off the cutting edge manually and polish up, which can take anything between 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on what's required.
The tools I use are as shown in this picture:
2. Coarse Diamond stone.
3. Medium Diamond stone
4. Fine Diamond stone
5. Japanese Combination Waterstone - 600 / 1000
6. Ex - Oil Stone
2,3,4,and 5 used with water.
1 and 6 used dry and/or with water.
I normally start the process with swiping the blade through my homemade grind checker if I'm not sure of the grind. A few swipes through this little gadget and I'm able to see exactly whether it's a hollow or convex based grind.
The close up of this little tool shows how I slotted two small stones side by side in a block of wood. The slot is slightly wider at the top and the stones are not fixed in, but held in place by stretched Bicycle rubber tubing along the bottom half of the stones. The top of the stones extend about half way out from the block. What happens is that when I swipe the blade between the stones, the top part opens up more than the bottom part (which flex a little also because of the rubber backing) and thus creates a natural V.
I also use this to take out a secondary bevel by running the blade through a few times. I use it wet or dry depending on how much I need to score or take off the existing bevel.
In effect, the proper sharpening process is not until the very end as what needs to be done first is to try and set the correct angle of the grind as near as possible to the desired final shape. I find that the three grades of Diamond stones are great for this, not just because they're so effective, but at the beginning at least, I hold the stone in my right hand and move it across the blade so I can see better what I'm doing. I'm also far more in control as I can change from a flat rub to a rocking motion at will. It's at the finishing stages that I lay the stone flat and move the blade over it. I go through all three Diamond stones until I'm satisfied I can move on to the final sharpening phase.
For the final phase I use a 600/1000 grade Japanese Waterstone, which I would have left soaking in water for some time before I needed it. It is now that I keep the stone flat and run the blade over it, first on the coarse side (dark brown), then on the fine side (light brown). It's not easy to explain the process of working with a waterstone, but it's very far removed from working with Carburandum stones. The whole process is smoother and best of all you're not left with any scratches on the blade. As if by magic, the blade is sharpened and polished at the same time. The stone is on the soft side and it's very easy to dig into it with the blade, but it's very efficient and the results are outstanding.
Stone number 6 is an oil stone, or it was one once. I de-greased it and now use it mainly dry to check for raised/hollows as it marks the blade well but not too deeply. I also use it frequently while working with my leather knives as I find the slightly serrated edge such a stone produces gives me more bite when cutting leather.
Now take a look at the damaged knife edge below and to what level the blade was finished by the waterstone in the photo below it.. At this stage the blade was not yet polished on the buffer, but by the waterstone alone.
The knife in question was one of the very first prototype that I rushed off that ended up severely tested in the field in temperatures down to -40 degrees! As can be seen the knife got a bit of a battering! The knife had a small secondary bevel originally, but was re-ground by hand to a flat V. As it turned out, it wasn't such a good idea on such a deep and shallow set grind of 13mm because there wasn't enough substance to back up the fine cutting edge.
This was an important lesson learned from actually having to make do with the one knife under extreme conditions. As a consequence, the second batch of prototypes had a grind of 8mm making for a steeper angle and are thus better able to cope with tougher tasks. But, even so, one can't expect that the one small knife to be better than having a two knife Puukko and Leuku combo. In my view, small knives for small jobs and big knives for bigger jobs.
If I were to have to make do with the one knife, then I'd want that knife to have a slightly Convex grind. A similar grind as for my Damascus field knife (DFK) or as it's now known, The Talisman...
Frenchy 16th March 2007 www.customknivesandsticks.co.uk
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Article 5 - ....and, How Sharp is Sharp anyway?
Unwittingly, I often fall into the 'shaving sharp' trap because almost every time I see an advert for a knife it's nearly always claimed that it is shaving sharp (most are anything but!). It naturally follows that I'm suckered into the same frame of mind and I too strive to make my knives shaving sharp otherwise my knives won't be as desirable as the hyped up ones.
Maybe I'm getting too old, too grumpy, too cynical or whatever! But, I do find it a bit silly when some people go on a bit too much about having their knives shaving sharp. Yes, ideally one should use the sharpest knife possible, but then how sharp is sharp?
I don't need a knife to shave with, I get by with the ready made razors I can buy from the Supermarket. Seriously though, isn't it enough to have the knife sharp enough to do the job in hand? So what if it's not shaving sharp?
Let me put it this way. Are all the knives in your household's kitchen drawer shaving sharp? I doubt it very much and some are as dull as spoons! And yet, they do their respective jobs well enough, especially if they've been properly designed. I've a set of Miracle Blades III and they make light work of anything associated with food preparation; they're not shaving sharp of course, but their overall design, and the edge in particular, is such that they cut extremely well. They're made in China of all places, not a place many knife enthusiast associate with fine cutting tools!
I have yet to make use of my shaving sharp bushcraft knives in our kitchen, but then they're not really designed for that are they. The odd thing is that in spite of having quite a few well designed, beautiful and shaving sharp knives in my collection, I have a tendency to reach out for a couple of ordinary knives to use on a regular basis, like my laminated Mora when I go fishing and the Opinel when at home. On my Key ring I carry a small S.A.K, complete with corkscrew for wine cork popping emergencies!
I get the impression that in the UK the favoured grind seems to be flat sided V grind, or as some people call it, the Scandi grind. It's reputed to be easier to sharpen in the field etc. My personal preference is for a slightly convex grind and I don't find any problem sharpening it or any other grind for that matter. Experienced outdoorsmen make hand sharpening look easy, but in reality it's not all that easy. It's a skill and it has to be learned either by doing, assuming you get the basics right, or better still, having someone show you how to do it. Sharpening is not something that can be hurried, so if you haven't got the patience you'll just have to make do or get someone else to do it for you.
Cutting edges come in a lot of different 'flavours' and the reason for that is that just as there isn't a perfect single knife to satisfy every requirement, there isn't a perfect cutting edge to cope with every conceivable situation either. I can go on forever extolling the virtues of one grind as opposed to another, while at the same time there'll be someone else who can counteract my statements, and in all probability, justifiably so. I have my opinions and my preferences, but I'm also very adaptable and very receptive to the opinions and preferences of others too. I like diversity and originality, in thought and practice and I would never be so dogmatic as to insist that my way is best (hell, I'm no politician).
What knife is best for you? What grind is best for you? How sharp do you want your knife to be? Such questions my friend can only be answered by you because if you're reading this it's fair for me to think that you've had a few knives thus far in your life and yet you're still not quite satisfied for whatever reason or, you just like collecting knives anyway. You may still be aspiring to own such and such a knife from a well know maker or as used by some well known personality, in the honest belief that once you got that knife you'll be satisfied. You won't of course as it's all down to your expectations or, perhaps the expectations of others who might have influenced you, sublimely even, in some way or other. We tend to look at trends, what our peers are doing and what the so called experts are favouring at the time. That's all well and good, I do that as well. But then you never really know how many different knives those same people have and actually use. Lets take Ray Mears as a top example. If you watched his programs you'll have noticed that he uses a number of different knives. So why doesn't he just use the Woodlore all of the time then...?
I like to work with Damascus mainly and in particular with Damascus steel from my two main bladesmiths. I've checked out other steels obviously, but the more technical research I did the more I got confused and just couldn't make any decisions as to what other steel I ought to be working with in addition to Damascus steel. It then came to me that I should ask some top bladesmiths as to what their own knives were made from. Two out of my three trusted bladesmiths said Bearing steel and the other one stuck to Damascus. When I asked the same bladesmiths as to which grind they prefer, they all said they preferred variations of hollow grind with a secondary bevel for most of their small knives, but convex grind for the heavy duty type knives. Now that I know their preferences, I can adapt my designs accordingly and seek their advice before I commission any prototypes. This is what I do, but what about you?
What are you going to base your decisions on? My recommendations perhaps? I'm bound to be biased even if I were never to recommended any of my knives to you. Think about it, why would I (or anyone else for that matter) recommend something to you that I myself have no experience of or faith in?! In all honesty therefore, I'm prejudiced by what I like to produce and it would be daft of me to recommend anything that is not similar to my own preferences. I build for myself to suit my needs and if your needs are similar to mine, then theoretically at least, we should both be happy. The element of compromise when making choices is ever present and with knives even more so if you're going to limit yourself to just the one knife. But if you can at least base your decision on facts as opposed to hype and make as sure as you can that you're really getting a knife (in all its entirety) to suit you and your requirements, then the rest is not as important as some people would have you believe...
Frenchy 16th March 2007 www.customknivesandsticks.co.uk
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Article 6 -
Knife Maintenance and Sharpening
This is quite an extensive article, which I found very interesting indeed.
Don't be put off by the references made to kitchen knives, there is a lot more to this article than first appears. I recommend it because it's quite a comprehensive, very well researched and written article. I would be very surprised if anyone who reads this article will fail to benefit in some way or other...
Please click on this link to go to it:
http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?act=ST&f=108&t=26036&
Frenchy 1st June 2007
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Article 7 - How not to sharpen your knife
By Frenchy
Bill, a friend of mine, brought me a lovely old 13" Whitby 'Original Buffalo Skinner' asking me to see what I can do with it for him. When I inspected it it was in original condition, but in a bit of a sorry state generally, except that the blade never seemed to have been sharpened, so there were no horrible big scratch marks. The knife had sentimental value for him, so I suggested that I don't alter anything and renovate it sympathetically for him, which I did.
I liked Bill's knife so much, I asked him to let me have it in exchange for any knife of mine, knowing he loved Damascus and I flashed a big Harlequin Bowie under his nose - but he wouldn't have it! So I decided to hunt a small and a big Original Skinner down for myself off eBay of course.
I found both a small and a large one from the USA and duly paid for them. The small one came first and as it was described in 'Good condition', I was horrified to see that it had a badly scarred blade from having been badly sharpened. Just take a look at the two photos to see what I mean!
There's no reason whatsoever for anyone to mess up their knives like this no matter how old or inexpensive it is! At best he/she must have used Carburandum stones, at worst a File - with as much dexterity and finesse as I don't know what... At first impression one could easily attribute such scarring to the poor quality of the steel, but not in this case. The steel on these knives is pretty good actually and made in Solingen, Germany.
There's no way I can just tidy the knife up and leave it at that, I've no choice but to work on the blade and yet try to preserve all the markings and original profile. This won't be a 5 minute job, more like a few hours on and off. Still, I'll derive great satisfaction if I can manage to make it come up good as near as per original that I was led to believe I was buying.
The moral of this story is twofold. No matter what knife you have, if you haven't got a clue about how to sharpen your knife, get someone else who knows what they're doing to do it for you. If you aren't ham-fisted and got adequate patience, why not avail yourself of the information I have on this page and follow the advice so you can learn to do it yourself. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's not that hard either. My advice if you haven't got someone to show you, is to read up and get the stones you need. Then, raid the knife drawer in the kitchen and have a go at a couple of blunt knives, which I'm fairly sure you're bound to have. If you're so bad at it and mess things up, it's no big deal - get one of those 'pull-through' cheap sharpeners and sort the kitchen knives you messed up on that way - the missus will think you're a genius anyway!
Don't give up completely, re-read the information and get one of the Gadgets as recommended by the experts and not the sales hype...
I'll post the photos of the Skinner once I finish working on it...
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Article 8 - Build yourself two little Boats cheaply by Pius Paul Fenech
Building something, no matter what it is, is very satisfying and fulfilling. While in Malta a few years ago I needed a couple of small boats to use as tenders to get out to my Cabin Cruiser at her winter and summer moorings.
I already had a tender of sorts, but it was far too heavy for me and it was getting well past its 'sink-by date'! So I bought a smart looking fibreglass tender, but we just couldn't get on, so i decided to build my own. This article explains the whole building process and step by step photos are included.
Worth having a look anyway, you never know when you might need to build yourself a little tender... Click on the link for the full article:
http://fulfilyourpotential.co.uk/mytizzy.htm
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Article 9 - Do you know the Law about Knives
- the carrying and use of in a public place as it appertains to the United Kingdom?
Well, you ought to know the basics at least...
British Blades have a F.A.Q. on the subject and you can view it here:
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8336
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Article 10 - Talisman and Guardian test review on Britishblades.com
I strive to make knives that not only look good, but they must also be fully 'fit for the purpose intended'. I am naturally biased towards believing that any knife I make is presentable and functional.
I've had some knives field tested and although I was quite satisfied with the results, the matter was a rather private affair, albeit carried out by experts in the Bushcraft/Survival sector.
The main aim of testing is for me to find out whether my various knife design concepts and materials used meet the needs of the end user in a hands-on real world scenario. The tougher and more variable the environment, the better I stand to benefit in terms of learning about what works and what doesn't. Armed with appropriate feedback I can then make the necessary adjustments to refine a particular knife and make it better suited to its primary conceptual design purpose.
My decision to use high end quality steel for my Talisman and Guardian knife blades, namely Damascus and Bearing steel, should have given me a material advantage. However, my enthusiasm for these fine knife making steels did not appear to be shared by as many people as I had anticipated. I like to be different and innovative, but not to the extent that I exclude myself from the niche sector I'm hoping to serve. Although I had doubts as to whether I was doing the right thing or not, I still wanted to carry on because I'm not too good at conforming! I just needed to persevere...
During June, the opportunity arose for me to have my Talisman and Guardian Bearing steel knives tested by Tony Collins, someone who knows his onions and yet never owned or worked with a Bearing steel bladed knife. I didn't hesitate to make him one of each. My thinking at the time was that whatever will be will be. If I'm vindicated all well and good; if I'm demolished, I'll pack it up!
Am I to carry on or pack it up? Well, you can read the test review at the following British Blades webpage:
http://www.britishblades.com/home/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=107
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Article 11 - How relevant is the HRC of a knife blade to its intended use?
Most people are quite happy pursuing their hobby at a basic level and still derive a lot of pleasure from it. Some however, are overly keen and want to know all the detail and will go to great lengths to make their hobby 'complete' in every which way possible. It takes all sorts and I fall somewhere in between because I enjoy my hobby at all levels and am also happy to gain knowledge if it will help me understand relevant aspects and/or help me improve what I do.
A particular subject that seems to be popular with knife buffs is the hardness of a blade and, for a while, I too was overly concerned about it. Quoting from an article above: "Hardness - The final hardness of steel is determined using a Rockwell Test and the result is displayed in HRC - for the example level of your average butchers knife is 55 HRC. When a knife is labelled as 58-60HRC, it is best to take the mean of 59HRC e.g. as it is rare to find the majority of blades being exactly 58 or 60 consistently."
Technically speaking, I should view the subject of Blade hardness as relevant to me, and it is to a certain extent. But somehow I can't get excited about it because, in my view at least, it's how the blade performs the task it was designed for that matters and not what it's HRC is as such. I would have thought that any blade that has a suitable grind within the 54 - 63 HRC range should be capable of cutting well and be sharpened by the user without any problems. Makers who state their knife blades' HRC are in the absolute minority, and some don't even state what steel their blades are made from! It's this sort of thing that made me take myself and my knife making activities less serious. But, I'm an open minded sort of chap and will never sneer another person's point of view.
The optimum or the maximum of hardness for a particular steel. is pre-determined by the bladesmith appropriate to the end use he intends that his blades are going to be used for. The knife blades I work with, normally anyway, are rated at 57-59 hrc by my makers. I didn't decide that they should make my blades at this hardness; I relied on them to tell me their recommendations once I told them what the finished knives will be used for. What's important to me is that the HRC is compatible with the blade's intended end use.
I discussed the matter of HRC with my blade makers, as one does, and learned something in the process, as one ought to. This HRC business is not as straightforward as it seems, because while testing a knife steel like Bearing steel would give a fairly accurate reading, testing Damascus steel can lead to inconsistent results depending on the steel mix. If the test point went between the layers of steel or might have been on some nickel which is softer than carbon steel, the readings may not always be the same. Therefore, when it comes to knife blades one has to be reasonable and accept that the HRC testing process is more of a guide, albeit within fairly fine tolerances, rather than an absolute point of reference that would make a knife worthless if deviated from plus /minus a digit or two.
In the case of Damascus steel, a skilled bladesmith circumvents this little problem by adhering to appropriate charts to set hardness. In the case of the Damascus blades made for me in the USA, my blade maker told me that they're hardened at about 1500 degrees F or when the steel goes non-magnetic, then immersed in oil and then I tempered twice at 375 to 400 degrees F for two hours. I'm glad he told me all that, at least now I know and I feel so much better for it!
All I can say is that I've come to trust my blade makers, not just because they're genuinely nice people, but also because the blades that they provide me with have withstood the best test of all - in the field under real life conditions performing the tasks they were designed for...
Frenchy
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12 - SHARPENING DAMASCUS BLADED KNIVES
Damascus blades are as easily sharpened as any other knife steels. However, when sharpening Damascus blades the following has to be borne in mind:
'Damascus' steel is made up of several layers of folded steel. The Damascus pattern is obtained by a chemical etching process that highlights the folds in the steel, hence the various Damascus patterning. This pattern, be it Bird's eye, Tight twist, Random etc., covers the whole of the blade, including the grind down to the cutting edge.
Most knife folk in the UK prefer to have the whole of the Damascus pattern all over the blade, but in some countries they prefer to polish it so it's hardly visible. The dilemma for those who want to retain the whole of the Damascus pattern is when the blade needs sharpening. No matter how careful one is, the pattern along the cutting edge will be affected. The more aggressive the sharpening process, the more one is likely to 'rub away' the existing visible Damascus pattern. Eventually, depending how it is carried out, continued sharpening will remove the Damascus pattern to the extent that the end result will be a plain steel surface with no Damascus pattern markings whatsoever.
This doesn't mean that the Blade is not real Damascus or it's not any good no more, it's just that the 'ridges' that were brought about by chemical etching, which produce the original patterning, have been flattened off and the whole lot blended in. The knife is just as good, and some say even better, as it ever was; albeit that the blade now has two contrasting areas as can be seen in the photo (The sharpened edge finish shown was achieved with a 6000 water stone and not yet polished).
One has either to accept how the knife now looks and not worry about it. Or, if badly marked, uneven or scratched, have the knife re-etched. Very much depends on what the knife is used for, if at all!
When I started owning Damascus knives I was reluctant to use them; for let's be honest, they do look nice! But, the knives I make up are meant to be used and I have since got over the initial trepidation of not using my Damascus knives like I would any other knife.
I'm very careful how I sharpen my knives, but even so, when it comes to working with Damascus knives I too end up with a plain shiny non-Damascus finish, especially where the edge is Convex or a Straight Vee. I like the contrast actually, but then I could always re-etch the blade if I wanted to... A good mate of mine, who actually uses his knives, swears by a plain shiny edge on his Damascus knives.
Basically. in my view at least, the difference between a standard Damasked cutting edge and a polished edge is related to the way the blades cuts. A Damasked edge has tiny serrations and bites in well as it cuts, but it drags a bit because of the inherent undulations. With a smooth cutting edge the blade doesn't drag and tends to cut cleaner. It's really a matter of personal preference as the difference in cutting performance in actual use is hardly noticeable in most instances. I use both types of cutting edges and am happy with both. . I would always recommend using Japanese Waterstones when sharpening knives. A 250/1000 and a 1000/6000 combo stones would give you a fairly scratch free (yes, really) shaving sharp mirror finish no problem. For the fussy, further stropping or buffing will give an even better edge...
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13 - What type of steel is best for a Bushcraft/Hunting/Field type knife?
A tough question to answer because there are several good steels that are currently used to make very good usable knife blades from. Speaking from personal experiences I keep an open mind and my leaning towards a type of steel over another is down to personal preferences a good knife, whatever the steel it's made of is a good knife regardless. My preferences tend to be influenced by my own personal research and practical usage. I like to know a bit about a particular steel and make comparisons between the various compositions and intended end use. Although I then form my own opinion, I don't ignore the fact that quality blade manufacturers are in a better position than me to ascertain the merits and viability of the steels they use. However, in certain market niches trends and/or traditions often exert undue influence, which results in a degree of obstinacy towards accepting new concepts regardless of added benefits.
There are a multitude of steel types used in the production of 'cutting' tools. From these, some steels in particular have lent themselves ideally suited to make knives from. Open any Kitchen knife drawer and it's obvious that the standard fare is Carbon or Stainless steel bladed knives. But, for most of us sporting outdoor types the humble kitchen knife will not do however good or sharp it is. We specialise and every bit of kit we use has to be designed for the job intended, with some people going mad for the latest trendy gear costing an arm and a leg. I see absolutely no problem with that at all because I'm sure it's part and parcel of the whole experience and for many, myself included, very enjoyable it can be too.
Anyway, no outdoors man worth his salt would be without a knife of some sort. Regardless of the knife's type, shape or looks, if the stuff that the blade is made from cannot take a good edge and hold it, then what's the point of carrying such a useless piece of kit? I get to see cheap good knives as well as expensive bad knives. So what's the best steel to ensure you have a knife that will perform as intended assuming that it is reasonably well designed? The following list is merely my view and as things change, we must be able to change with them - so nothing is absolute and final!
Generally speaking, the preference in the UK seems to be for 01 tool steel, from which many a good quality knife is made. I have two main reservations about 01 tool steel, the quality of the finished knife blade can be variable, so it's very important to source blades from a trusted source and, even the best of knives must be looked after properly lest the blade marks badly and/or rust takes a good hold.
A few knives are made from 420 and 440 series of stainless steel and without doubt, some knife blades made from this can be pretty good. Cost is low on average so stainless steel knives are ideal for the occasional user who might not be too fussed about caring for his knife. Having said that, even so called stainless steel can go rusty if utterly neglected.
Pardon my ignorance, but if you said to me that I only had one choice of steel blade to take with me on a desert island, it would have to be made from RWL-34 powder steel. In my view at least, the ideal knife steel for the outdoors. Not easy to come by and tends to be expensive. But, for your money you're getting a precision compounded steel that performs brilliantly and is stainless as well. Difficult to get a bad RWL-34 blade because the whole process is so controlled and the hardening process has to be done by a specialised centre where quality control is consistently assured.
Blades in Bearing steel are favourites of mine as they're very tough and in practice have performed very well under some extreme conditions. Although not stainless, the blades on test did not stain or rust, which surprised me a little because the conditions were very damp indeed! Anyway, it therefore follows that looking after this steel is a tad easier than 01 tool steel, but still needs looking after nevertheless.
Damascus steel can make for a very nice knife which could be comparable to 01 tool steel if it's of good enough quality. Unfortunately the composition of Damascus steel varies a lot and it's not that easy for the inexperienced to tell the good from the bad. With Damascus you'll have to trust your source or you'll end up with a knife that will disappoint you greatly. Damascus must be looked after diligently or you could end up with a mess of a blade. For the most part cheap Damascus is just that, cheap!
There are other steels, namely D2, Sandvik 12c27, AEB-L, UHB20c, 26c etc, which are very popular over on the Continent. Of late I've been tending to look more at Laminated steel from Scandinavia to work with and will be getting some soon enough. Yes, I do have my preferences like Damascus, Bearing Steel, RWL-34 and Carbon steel, but that's not to say that I'll not be at all unhappy working with or owning any knife made from the many other steels available, in simple or mixed form.
I don't carry just the one type of knife, although the knife I carry most is an Opinel 8, which is a Carbon steel bladed one rather than the Inox one (Inox stands for stainless over on the Continent). So when it comes down to it I'm not really all that fussed as to what steel my knife is made from as long as it does the job. I've had a lot of knives in my lifetime and many have been lost or simple discarded. The knives I own now are of known and unknown steels in varies shapes and sizes and I like them all for one reason or another. More importantly I'll be happy to make use of every one of them if the opportunity demanded it. I don't believe that the one knife to do all jobs exists; and so it is with steels. So there you go, it's OK to have preferences. But, it's just as important to keep an open mind and enjoy the endless possibilities of types of knife designs and the steels they're made from...
Frenchy
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14 - The evolutionary process of the tools I use to sharpen my knives
While I was quite pleased with having progressed to using Waterstones quite effectively and efficiently, the more knives I have to sharpen, the more of a chore it has become. A frozen right shoulder and lumbar and cervical spondylosis don't help either! I'm a patient man, but I won't hack spending all day, on and off, to sharpen a blade by hand. A hobby is supposed to be enjoyable not painful!
The obvious thing for me to do was to seek out a suitable sharpening system. I did quite a lot of research before I committed myself to buying my first 'sharpening gadget'. This was the Knife Wizard Electric Knife Sharpener (KE280). In principle it was a damn good knife sharpener, but not for knives thicker than about 2.5mm. The slot that takes the blade was too narrow for just about all of my knives. As I bought this conditionally I got a refund, so nothing was lost - although I was disappointed.
My next Gadget was the V-Sharp Knife Sharpener as shown in the middle of the picture. Not quite what I needed, but it was OK for some knives and/or to set a specific secondary bevel and, my leather working knives. I kept this one as it wasn't expensive and it does come in handy every so often.
My thoughts turned to the Lansky and Gatco systems, as well as the EdgePro. It was the EdgePro I wanted really, but I was trying to save money and hoped that the Lansky De Lux system would do me. It certainly didn't and no sooner had I tried it I put it back in the box and sold it on 'as new'! The Gatco seemed a better proposition, more substantial, but still not quite right for my needs. The picture on the left below shows the Lansky clamp on the left and the more substantial Gatco clamp on the right.
By now I was wishing that I had gone for the EdgePro from the start. But if I had I might be still wondering whether I did the right thing. And anyway, I haven't physically used an EdgePro, so there was no guarantee that by getting the EdgePro system it was going to meet my sharpening requirements. I ordered the EdgPro Apex 3 kit from the USA and it cost me $200 plus £35 handling/custom's charges. By this stage I didn't care anymore as long as it did the job. Here are a couple of pictures showing the EdgePro Pro and the Apex systems.
My Apex 3 came with full instructions and a DVD, which I watched straight away. The build of the system is really superb; it looks and feels right. I put mine together in a few minutes and had a go. WOW!!! To say I'm chuffed to bits is an understatement - at last my search is over. I'm so impressed that I've decided to get the Pro version for myself and a number of other Apex 3 kits because I'm sure some of my knife enthusiasts pals will want one. I know it's not the cheapest knife sharpening system there is, but it's certainly worth every penny as in this instance, you definitely get what you pay for. As Darryl Young said, "This will be the last sharpening system you will ever have to purchase..." I'll just have to agree!
Throughout this website I've never been hesitant to state my preferences, whether it's with regard to knife steels, handle materials and now knife sharpeners. I can't help being enthusiastic and wanting to share my experience about something I know to be good. I found the EdgePro the best system for my needs. Having said that, what suits my needs might well not suit everyone else's needs. Many are happy with a simple Carburandum, Ceramic, Waterstone or Diamond stones. A lot of folk, it seems, are tending to opt for a graded system packaged for convenience and ease of use. Putting my preferences aside, if you asked me what really is the best sharpening system you can get, I 'll have to say - the one that will suits your circumstances and does the job to your staisfaction. So for me, it's the EdgePro for a relatively easily achieved scary sharp edge...
Frenchy 02/03/2008
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PUTTING MY MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH IS!
Yep, I went ahead and got myself a few EdgePro Apex Systems. I make no bones about it, you can get the EdgePro Apex system direct from the USA for $200 + postage + Customs & Royal Mail handling charges.
I'm happy to resell them for about the same price, so from me it's just £135 + £10 p&p (Royal mail Next Day Special delivery) - no waiting, no hassle, no nothing!
If you would like one contact me by joining the blue bits together to make my e-mail address: paulakafrenchy@ followed by talktalk.net
You can pay by Cheque, Paypal, Cash or Postal Orders -
The picture below shows you exactly what you get.
I realise it's not exactly a cheap knife sharpening system, but then, saying that - to what other system can you compare it to? As a knife enthusiast you most probably spend a tidy sum of money on your knives, so £135 for a top drawer quality knife sharpening system is a very good value for money investment indeed. To quote Darryl Young, "This will be the last sharpening system you will ever have to purchase..." Just think, you won't have any more blunt knives in your house anymore!
See how it works here: http://www.edgeproinc.com/sharpeningtips.html
The instructions are comprehensive as you get the booklet and the DVD.
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1. Grind type checker and setter 
