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> More knife Questions...
More knife Questions...
@ 12:22 pm (GMT) |
Shawn BevinsHas anyone requested a specific design from a knife maker? I am in the process of planning having a knife made for me. I like the Jimmy Lile Big #7 since I have been carrying one of similar design with a stainless steel blade. I want a knife with better steel and need the sheath made for a lefty. Your thoughts on the A2 or D2 steels? Open to suggestions. I'm leaning towards a flat grind instead of a hollow grind. Open to suggestions here too. It needs to have Black Micarta scales with something besides a brass hilt. I need a working knife not a presentation knife. FYI, I currently use a belt axe / hatchet for chopping, quartering and at times skinning. Looking to put $200-300 into this.. it that unreasonable? |
Replies
@ 09:07 pm (GMT) |
Warrick EdmondsRe: More knife Questions...ShawnI have used D2, so can comment on that. Its pitched as a compromise between the supposedly superior edge holding of carbon steels and the rust resistance of stainless. However it suffers the problems of being a half way house neither fish or fowl. I used it on my personal hunter and the edge holding was woeful. I wouldn't recommend it. I've replaced my knife with one made from a modern stainless, CPMS35VN, and it's great. The days when carbon out performed stainless are gone, so is the need for D2. It now comes down to the quality of heat treating. If your custom maker has great HT then carbon may be the go, as long as you look after it because it will rust and stain. Also, your maker might forge his blades, so once again carbon will dominate. Nathan's knife is a high quality carbon, the best I could get, 52100. On the other hand, if you know you'll not look after the blade then opt for stainless. As for your price range, $300 will just get you there, add another hundred though and you'll be in much better territory. There are too many steels for me to talk about them, however if you google around you'll find sites that cover knife steels in great detail. Some steels to consider in your search are ATS34, 1084, 1095, W2, 52100, 5160, O1, 440C, 154CM, RWL34, CPMS35VN, CPM154CM. There are also some very good steels from Japan, the Cowrey line, but I haven't used them personally but hear only good stories about them. Yes to flat grind, I favour them unless you're making a cut-throat razor! If you decide on a steel, make another post and I'll try to reply. I'll just point out that I'm not taking commissions at the moment, so my comments don't come with baggage. cheer Warrick |
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@ 11:56 pm (GMT) |
Shawn BevinsRe: More knife Questions...Warrick, Thanks for the response.. My "proposed" knife maker has said as much about the D2 as you and suggested the ATS34. Yes, you are right about the price. Will keep you posted. |
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@ 09:10 pm (GMT) |
Shawn BevinsRe: More knife Questions...Well, I got a call from my knife maker.. She's ready. Can't wait to see her. Pics will be posted if I can figure how. |
@ 04:36 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: More knife Questions...Great stuff Shawn. |
@ 03:07 pm (GMT) |
Randal GrahamRe: More knife Questions...Warrick, that was a great reply!With good custom knifemakers, I feel it's more important to work within the steels the individual maker uses, rather to impose steels apon them to use; the reason being that heat treating a steel well, for the job at hand, will be a far more important factor than the actual steel used. To get the most out of any one steel type takes a lot of practice and testing, over many years even for a prolific knifemaker. So really, best route is to find a maker who kakes knives that suit you in design first, then see what materials they offer, and go from there. |
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@ 11:12 pm (GMT) |
Warrick EdmondsRe: More knife Questions...If you want to read a bit about knife steels and other considerations re custom knives, here's a link to the relevant page on my Riflebirdknives website. It's not exhaustive, but is a handy primer, which gives you points to consider when Googling around. If you're after the steels section you'll need to scroll down a ways. Don't forget you can pose me questions here on Nathan's forum, he's ok with that. I'll answer them as long as it's not about the performance of specific brands.http://www.riflebirdknives.com/buy_a_knife.html |
@ 08:34 am (GMT) |
Thomas KitchenRe: More knife Questions...hi warrick.i have been looking at your knifes they truely look wonderful. when sharpening a knife is there different ways for different steels or is it one way suits all? also whats your recommendations for sharpening? sorry if that been asked before, im always in two mind frames when i see those sharpening guides like the lansky and scary sharp, sure hell would make life easy but then you might miss out on learning skills by taking the easy route. |
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@ 10:36 pm (GMT) |
Warrick EdmondsRe: More knife Questions...ThomasLots of folk use those guides quite successfully. The issue is, do you want to carry or use one in the field ? If you think you're going to be sharpening your knife during a hunt then you prob need the skills to use a stone or similar. I strongly recommend you source a book called The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening by John Juranitch. I got mine from one of those second hand internet book stores for $9USD, so it's not a big ask. He points out there are two phases to sharpening. Firstly, creating the edge bevels. You don't need to choose a precise angle but keep in mind the shallower it is, the sharper it'll be and the more delicate it'll be. Something in the order of 15 degrees is good. However the trick is, once you have that angle stick to it. Consistency is what makes the knife sharp. That's the main skill you need to practice. Pretend you're taking a fine slice off the stone. Do this until you feel a fine wire or burr raised on the opposite edge, then flip the knife over and treat the other side until you feel the wire. The second phase of sharpening is removing the burr. Do this on a strop or steel. Lightly is the key and make sure the angle you use is substantially less than the one you used to make the bevels. In most cases, once the knife is properly sharp you don't have to sharpen it for months. What you need to do is hone it. This refers to removing the wire. Most blunt knives just need a strop or steel to remove the burr and they're good to go again. Some people sharpen their knives each time, this is just wasting knife steel. Try a strop first and if you get no joy there, use a stone. In general the smoother the stone the sharper the edge, but of course that also equates to more work, you need to find what suits, which normally depends on how often you do it. So, all that being said, if you are doing most of your sharpening at home and have a bench grinder a far simpler and quicker solution is to use paper wheels. This is what I do. You can sharpen a knife from dead blunt to shaving in around three minutes. If you google sharpening with paper wheels you'll see some for sale. Cost around $100Aust from Gameco, see their website. So, in summary, get John's book and read that. |
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@ 10:46 pm (GMT) |
Warrick EdmondsRe: More knife Questions...ThomasRe the second part of your question, do different steels require different sharpening methods. The short answer is no. What you might consider is, different applications require different edge bevel angles. Consider a cut throat razor, the blade tapers down to a very fine edge. This is great to shave with but hopeless for breaking apart a carcass. For that you need thick steel and a solid edge that won't chip or snap. So it's the application that dictates the differences. I like a fine razor edge on my hunting knife because I fart around with the carcass like a surgeon. Whereas Nathan prefers not to waste time and likes a solid knife. For example, see the back chapters of his new book, where he shows photos of his knife in action. |
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@ 06:13 am (GMT) |
Thomas KitchenRe: More knife Questions...thank you warwick its really appreciated.ill buy myself a copy of that book when i get a chance and sounds like practice is the best thing. those paper wheels look the business, that's on a "one day" list now. i saw Nathan use your knife on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNYq-QeHEuw it scream quality for your knifes |
@ 06:16 pm (GMT) |
Brendon GreigRe: More knife Questions...When I sharpen my knives I use wet and dry sand paper and wet it with water with a touch of dishwashing liquid in it I put it on a peace of glass to give a good flat surface starting with Farley course paper working my way finer then use an oil stone and steel to finish it's an easy way to put an edge back on a hard steel blade and you don't have to worry about heating the blade damaging the temper of the knife |
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@ 10:18 pm (GMT) |
Brendon GreigRe: More knife Questions...As I had to sharpen my knives today I thought I would take a few photos of the way I do it 1st I use wet and dry sand paper about 600 grit then 800 grit on a peace of glass or something smooth flat and hard so it doesn't flex and wet with water with a little dish wash liquid in it when doing this I mostly push the blade away so it doesn't dig into the paper this proses also shows up the high and low spots in the blade where you need to do more, Then I use a fine oil stone (hone) this I also wet with the same water as I have found oil can clog them up, Then I use a steel to finish the sharpening, I am never satisfied unless I can shave the hairs off my arm without it dragging and feeling like its got a serrated edge.I tend to keep my blades thin (fine) as that's how I like them because the edge comes back quickly with a few wipes on the steel The knife in the picture is my hunting and main knife I carry it in a sheath with a small steel on the side (word of warning if you get one of these steels get the one with a pin through the shaft where you hold it as it is a very unpleasant feeling when you run your knife across your thumb) this knife has seen a lot of use and was given to me for Christmas over 30 years ago http://s882.photobucket.com/user/brendongreig/story |
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@ 10:27 pm (GMT) |
Brendon GreigRe: More knife Questions...Quote: As I had to sharpen my knives today I thought I would take a few photos of the way I do it 1st I use wet and dry sand paper about 600 grit then 800 grit on a peace of glass or something smooth flat and hard so it doesn't flex and wet with water with a little dish wash liquid in it when doing this I mostly push the blade away so it doesn't dig into the paper this proses also shows up the high and low spots in the blade where you need to do more, Then I use a fine oil stone (hone) this I also wet with the same water as I have found oil can clog them up, Then I use a steel to finish the sharpening, I am never satisfied unless I can shave the hairs off my arm without it dragging and feeling like its got a serrated edge.
http://s882.photobucket.com/user/brendongreig/story
I tend to keep my blades thin (fine) as that's how I like them because the edge comes back quickly with a few wipes on the steel The knife in the picture is my hunting and main knife I carry it in a sheath with a small steel on the side (word of warning if you get one of these steels get the one with a pin through the shaft where you hold it as it is a very unpleasant feeling when you run your knife across your thumb) this knife has seen a lot of use and was given to me for Christmas over 30 years ago |
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@ 10:35 pm (GMT) |
Brendon GreigRe: More knife Questions...[quote][quote]As I had to sharpen my knives today I thought I would take a few photos of the way I do it 1st I use wet and dry sand paper about 600 grit then 800 grit on a peace of glass or something smooth flat and hard so it doesn't flex and wet with water with a little dish wash liquid in it when doing this I mostly push the blade away so it doesn't dig into the paper this proses also shows up the high and low spots in the blade where you need to do more, Then I use a fine oil stone (hone) this I also wet with the same water as I have found oil can clog them up, Then I use a steel to finish the sharpening, I am never satisfied unless I can shave the hairs off my arm without it dragging and feeling like its got a serrated edge.I tend to keep my blades thin (fine) as that's how I like them because the edge comes back quickly with a few wipes on the steel The knife in the picture is my hunting and main knife I carry it in a sheath with a small steel on the side (word of warning if you get one of these steels get the one with a pin through the shaft where you hold it as it is a very unpleasant feeling when you run your knife across your thumb) this knife has seen a lot of use and was given to me for Christmas over 30 years ago <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s882.photobucket.com/user/brendongreig/embed/story"></iframe> |
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@ 10:55 pm (GMT) |
Brendon GreigRe: More knife Questions...sorry for the stuff up guys for some reason i cant get the photos to load off of photo bucket maybe someone can tell me what im doing wrong |
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@ 06:28 am (GMT) |
Thomas KitchenRe: More knife Questions...hi brendoni think your copied wrong part, you need to copy the one under image. i learnt somewhere (think game butcher book) to use kerosene on oil stone rather then oil so it doesn't get clogged. i use an oil stone that my grand father owned not sure what grades it is but i would say its of decent quality, my grandfather was a very astute buyer. when my grandma needed a new vacuum cleaner my grand father being a mechanic took a vacuum gauge with him, i can imagine the look on the poor salesmen face when that came out ha ha. i also use a cambrian fine grade steel. also have some leather glued to some timber i use once in a while. managed to look at your picture brendon by using link knife really looks like its had a lot of use. i always cringe when i see the small steels without the cross bar |
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@ 07:34 am (GMT) |
Brendon Greighopefully this time<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s882.photobucket.com/user/brendongreig/embed/slideshow/"></iframe> |
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@ 10:34 pm (GMT) |
Thomas KitchenRe: More knife Questions...i just wanted to thank you Warrick for recommending the razor sharp edge book to me, i ordered a copy via amazon.after reading it i decided i would try out some of the technique it talks about on some old boning knifes i had, what a difference it made, one of my arms has got fair bit of hair shaven off it now. i managed to shoot some rabbits last night so took a knife a long to see how sharp it was on game, holy hell its sharp, and still got a lot more to work on. anyway thank you warrick you sharing your knowledge is much appreciated |
@ 12:48 am (GMT) |
Warwick MarflittRe: More knife Questions...My Mum, Aunties, Sisters and their friends all get me to sharpen their knives when I visit lol. Some people should just get sliced meat from the Slackers market to go with the sliced bread? Speaking of which. You can sharpen a bread knife with the butchers steel the points end up like little razors! Don't try and shave your arm Thomas unless you want to look like Jaws chewed on it. |
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@ 08:58 pm (GMT) |
Brendon GreigRe: More knife Questions...finally sussed the photosRe: More knife Questions...[quote][quote]As I had to sharpen my knives today I thought I would take a few photos of the way I do it 1st I use wet and dry sand paper about 600 grit then 800 grit on a peace of glass or something smooth flat and hard so it doesn't flex and wet with water with a little dish wash liquid in it when doing this I mostly push the blade away so it doesn't dig into the paper this proses also shows up the high and low spots in the blade where you need to do more, Then I use a fine oil stone (hone) this I also wet with the same water as I have found oil can clog them up, Then I use a steel to finish the sharpening, I am never satisfied unless I can shave the hairs off my arm without it dragging and feeling like its got a serrated edge. I tend to keep my blades thin (fine) as that's how I like them because the edge comes back quickly with a few wipes on the steel The knife in the picture is my hunting and main knife I carry it in a sheath with a small steel on the side (word of warning if you get one of these steels get the one with a pin through the shaft where you hold it as it is a very unpleasant feeling when you run your knife across your thumb) this knife has seen a lot of use and was given to me for Christmas over 30 years ago 
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