Community Sharpening Journal, Part 2

[horzuff]

I've been carrying and using the SPY27 stretch 2 xl lw for a couple weeks now and I was always surprised how well it cut absolutely everything despite not being that thin BTE. Yesterday I finally had some free time to sit down with my fixed angle sharpener to finally put my own edge on it (the factory edge was still ok, but after some stropping it was not coming up to hair popping sharpness anymore with stropping alone). That's when I found out what was the magic ingredient - the factory edge was way below 15dps on the straight part, more like 12-13, only going slightly above 15 near the tip.

On a different note, while I had the sharpener set up I put new edges on a couple other knives I've freehanded before and found out my manual edges are consistently about 16 degrees on the lock side and about 18 on the show side, deviating only at the last cm or so near the tip, where they always go up in angle, no matter what I try (at least on knives with prominent bellies). Pretty happy with the consistency, a bit bummed the angles aren't lower, more disconcerted yet by the discrepancy between sides even though I try my darndest to make the angles equal, and then there are the tips...

[Brock O Lee]

End of the factory edge. Reprofiling was quick and easy, and reminded me again how great Cruwear is to sharpen.

[Brock O Lee]

Another two...

I've used the Delica K390 quite a bit in the garage over the last few months. I plan to swap it with the Sage Maxamet to see how that holds up with similar use. I sharpened both to 1000 grit, the Delica @ 15 dps, the Sage @ 18 dps.



This was the first time I sharpened Maxamet, even though I've owned the knife for a long time (I have not used it much). It felt *hard* compared to K390, and took some time to cut a new bevel... I lowered the angle just a touch to even it out on both sides, perhaps 1-2 dps lower than factory. Started with 400 grit and switched to 1000 just as it started to raise a tiny burr in places. Fully apexed on 1000 grit with a very small burr. Deburred with 1 micron diamonds on basswood.

It took a good edge. It cuts cigarette paper cleanly, and pops arm hair effortlessly with and against the growth, but the K390 felt keener.

[Librarian]

For the first time I tried to sharpen CPM REX 121. I used silicon carbide stones. Diamonds or cubic boron nitride are not required to sharpen this steel. To be honest, I expected it to be more difficult

The cutting edge in an optical microscope (10*15=150X) after different stones, as well as the angles and number of passes per side.
F320 SiC - 16.8 dps - 50 pps

F600 SiC - 17.1 dps - 40 pps

F1000 SiC - 17.4 dps - 40 pps

Suehiro G8 (8000 JIS SiC)- 18 dps - 40 pps

[Scandi Grind]

IMG_20251023_161228.jpg
For the first time I tried to sharpen CPM REX 121. I used silicon carbide stones. Diamonds or cubic boron nitride are not required to sharpen this steel. To be honest, I expected it to be more difficult

Nice pics! I am always looking at my knife edges but I don't have a way to take pictures of them to share yet. One day I want to get a USB microscope thing.