Mirror polished edges - Which steels are better (and worst) for taking them?

[Menipo]

I don't find ZDP rust prone at all but then my sweat is not nearly as manly as Vivi's!
(Just kidding Vivi
I live in the desert southwest and have had very little rusting with ANY steel. I just wipe the blades dry after washing off gunk. I have a natural patina forming on K390, M4, 52100, and very slight haze on ZDP but nothing significant.
I agree with Tom, ZDP is underrated! I carry a ZDP Endura a lot!

Is that "natural patina" what I do not like much. My ATS-55s have formed it (mainly the Civilian) and I prefer steels which are not altered that way. Having said that, my next Spyderco will be a ZDP-189.

[The Mastiff]

Thanks, Joe. It seems that I am now going through that period ... and sure will end up where you are now. But it is difficult to learn from someone else's brain, you know

That is the best way to do things. It is a rewarding undertaking like most learning. Only you can decide what type edge is best suited for your individual needs. Polished edges do better at some things and not as well as others. It always pays off to have the right tool for the job. I find sharpening so relaxing that I have to be careful not to start if I'm tired. It can be dangerous. :o My experience anyways.

[vivi]

AWESOME. Both the edges ... and the pictures. How do you manage to post pictures of that size?

Thanks!

To post large photos, instead of using the built in forum option, use an image hosting site like imgur.com then copy and paste the BBcode link into the post.

You are welcome. Your pictures are really good. From both a technical and an artistic point of view.

https://imgur.com/3v6Icdw

Thanks for the tip! I am doing something wrong because only the link appears (not the picture). .

Right click or long tap on the image and select "copy image address" or open it in a new tab and copy the URL.

Most image hosts try to make this inconvenient to do because they want people going to their page to be served ads.

www.postimages.org makes this process easier because after uploading an image you can select direct links to copy.

Imgur became obsolete a couple years ago and are becoming worse each year.



Nice Millie.

[Menipo]

Thanks, Joe. It seems that I am now going through that period ... and sure will end up where you are now. But it is difficult to learn from someone else's brain, you know

That is the best way to do things. It is a rewarding undertaking like most learning. Only you can decide what type edge is best suited for your individual needs. Polished edges do better at some things and not as well as others. It always pays off to have the right tool for the job. I find sharpening so relaxing that I have to be careful not to start if I'm tired. It can be dangerous. :o My experience anyways.

Don't tell me that once you started sharpening and were so tired that you ended up sleeping on the stone .... :D

I, usually, do not need to do heavy cutting (or cut rough materials). To be honest in the vast majority of the ocassions I have to look for something to cut just to have an excuse to use the EDC that is in my pocket ... :o

Thus, putting or not a polished edge is just a matter of aesthetics. When I made the question that started this thread I was looking for advice for identifing steels which never reach a good polished edge (not to waste time and remove steel from the blade for nothing) and steels which, with the appropriate care and effort, become mirrors. But during the conversation and thanks to the opinions of the forumites which generously found the time to share them, I have learned a lot.

[Menipo]

Right click or long tap on the image and select "copy image address" or open it in a new tab and copy the URL.

Most image hosts try to make this inconvenient to do because they want people going to their page to be served ads.

www.postimages.org makes this process easier because after uploading an image you can select direct links to copy.

Imgur became obsolete a couple years ago and are becoming worse each year.



Nice Millie.

Believe it or not, that Millie was the first (really) expensive knife that I bought in 1999 (we loyal European Spyderco customers pay in average an additional 30% for VAT and custom duties). I call it the "starter" of my collection.

Thanks to your help, I can now attach pictures in a decent size (I would like to introduce you to some of my Spydies). I sincerely thank you for that!!!

[Baron Mind]

You can polish any steel, but the vg10's and 14c28n's of the world are the easiest.

[JohnDoe99]

The more carbide, the harder to grind, the slower the polish.

You can polish a Sandivk steel in about 5 minutes with some ceramic.

[Menipo]

You can polish any steel, but the vg10's and 14c28n's of the world are the easiest.

I have a couple VG-10s (no 14c28ns) .... :) :) :) Thanks for your input!

[Menipo]

The more carbide, the harder to grind, the slower the polish.

You can polish a Sandivk steel in about 5 minutes with some ceramic.

I know. I did one of my first experiments to get a mirror polish with a 12c27 blade. Thanks for the info!

[Superflex]

52100 really took a nice polished edge for me with a Lansky.

[Superflex]

The easiest way to post a large picture is to use the attachments tab below the full editor. You may have to reduce the image file size as this forum limits the size you can use. Image Resizer is your friend.

[JohnDoe99]

The more carbide, the harder to grind, the slower the polish.

You can polish a Sandivk steel in about 5 minutes with some ceramic.

I know. I did one of my first experiments to get a mirror polish with a 12c27 blade. Thanks for the info!

My own personal Spydie hope is a 440A Native lightweight with a high hardness temper.

[Menipo]

52100 really took a nice polished edge for me with a Lansky.

Thanks, Alex! I am not very fond of steels "with an inclination to rust". I do not have any 52100 blade in my collection.

[Menipo]

The easiest way to post a large picture is to use the attachments tab below the full editor. You may have to reduce the image file size as this forum limits the size you can use. Image Resizer is your friend.

Many thanks, Alex!!

[Menipo]

I used today the KME for the first time with a 440 blade for the experiment. Not bad at all but I need to keep practicing.





Many thanks to those who took the time to answer my question. You, Forumites are really incredible.

[ArnAnders89]

I've seen photos and videos of several Spyderco enthusiasts putting mirror edges on their PM2s with the Lansky system, all without your side-effect of scratching the blade...maybe you should try taping the blade and leaving only the edge/near-edge part for sharpening and polishing?

Maybe you should just let him try a KME because it’s better than a lanskey

[nerdlock]

I've seen photos and videos of several Spyderco enthusiasts putting mirror edges on their PM2s with the Lansky system, all without your side-effect of scratching the blade...maybe you should try taping the blade and leaving only the edge/near-edge part for sharpening and polishing?

Maybe you should just let him try a KME because it’s better than a lanskey

[DFD04]

I like clean push cutting blades so I've taken a good number of steels to a polished edge. Surprisingly I've found Maxamet and PMA 11 (similar to 10V) take great polished edges.

Nice work! I had the hardest time getting Maxamet to polish…I know now that it was on me. I have some new stones waiting to get in service, so I’ll try those…I think my different thickness edgepro stones were to blame. I did find that it chipped really easy during sharpening if I was not careful.

[Bill1170]

ZDP-189 is a vastly underrated steel, in my opinion. It's been overshadowed by newer things, but it's still really outstanding. Its my favorite steel for a super refined, mirror polished edge. Most of my working knives are run to a much lower grit, but for a truly terrifyingly sharp blade, I haven't been able to beat ZDP. Maxamet, s110v and K390 all hold a good working edge longer for me, but none holds that insane razor edge sharpness like ZDP. The dragonfly in ZDP is like a little pocket scalpel.

I have noticed the same thing. I only use a polished edge on my ZDP blades because they like it very much. I polish the whole blade, which in my opinion helps reduce the chance of corrosion. I’ve been fortunate (careful, maybe?) in never seeing rust on my ZDP.

[vivi]

I never had rust issues with ZDP189, and you think of all people I would.

I think people that consider it a semi-stainless are crazy. D2 it is not. It is an exceptional steel for holding 100-90% sharpness with high polish edges.

Now a steel that does not impress me with high polish edges, is LC200N. I sharpened my Pacific Salt in PE LC200N to UF, or about 8,000 grit. It can only go a day or two before I feel like it needs touched up, cutting primarily plastic bags at work and just a little bit of cardboard (less than 20' a day).

I still think PE LC200N has an edge holding advantage over H1, but both steels do a lot better with coarse edges with respect to edge holding.

Seems to me the higher RC steels do better with polished edges, like ZDP189, Rex45 and K390.

Softer steels like H1 PE, 420 series and AUS8 deform at the apex much more rapidly. A deformed polished apex is worthless - it will not cut. A deformed 100-400 grit edge can still saw through materials with ease utilizing the microserrations, much like how serrated edges still slice when pretty dull.