Hinderer XM18 3.5″ Skinner
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This is my Hinderer XM18 3.5″ Vintage in O1 tool steel. Gave it a wicked edge yesterday. I didn’t get quite the mirror shine that I would like, but I know it’s because my stones haven’t fully broken in yet. It’s beveled at 22.5 degrees per side, which is obtuse for a cutting tool, but these thicker blades look oversharpened if you use a more acute angle. The setting in the AAG was C6 due to the curve in this skinner blade shape. Unfortunately, this is also the cause of the smile at the heel of the blade. I should have clamped it at a slightly shallower angle, but I’m still pleased with the result. The steel on this model gets a little thicker at the tip, which is why the bevel gets wider. At the factory, they compensate by grinding the tip at a higher angle. Vadim Kraichuck of Knife Grinders argues convincingly that knives, especially carbon steel knives, will spontaneously lose sharpness due to oxidization. I usually coat my finished edges with a little Frog Lube.
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Mighty fine looking knife and you did a very good job sharpening it. I usually use DLF to achieve that extra sparkle in my mirror edges and do a minute micro bevel with a 1500 grit stone as a last step (though I’m thinking 1000 grit could serve me better in that last step). Keep up the good work.
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Abut twenty years ago I harvested a Wyoming pronghorn and proudly handed my D2 hunting knife to the fellow gutting him, knowing I had worked it to a really nice edge after the previous hunting season. After a few seconds, he handed it back, asking if I had a sharp one. The D2 edge had oxidized in the rough tanned leather sheath I had made for it and it was way not sharp. There may have been moisture in the sheath leather which ate the edge as it sat in storage. I took notice that there were a few tiny rust specks on the blade faces. So I’ll add my vote to the possibility of it happening to non-stainless steels.
FWIW, D2 has about 11.5% chromium, a little short of being an actual stainless, which are 14% or so.
Oh, and yes, I did have a sharp knife to give him – my trusty old Buck 110.
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What’s your take on DLF vs leather strops? Most of my sharpening experience has been with the KME. Those lapping films never really impressed me, but the WE is obviously a different animal. I do use the 3 micron DLF in my progression before ceramics and strops. Should I invest in more? I’m generally not a fan of micro bevels on thicker blades. The angle is already 45 degrees inclusive. I’d be afraid that it wouldn’t cut anything with a more obtuse angle.
I use the DLF to polish out fine scratches to accomplish a mirror finish. The ceramics (I seldom use) are a very fine grit sharpening stone. I use the films after all my sharpening mediums.
Strops are my final medium I use as the very last step of every sharpening progression no matter which mediums I may have already employed.
The strops finely polishes the bevels for the appearance and the apex for sharpness. The strops smooth finish is different from the other polishing mediums. The stropped knife cuts with a more slippery edge as the sharpness is enhanced while the defects are smoothed.
Marc
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What’s your take on DLF vs leather strops? Most of my sharpening experience has been with the KME. Those lapping films never really impressed me, but the WE is obviously a different animal. I do use the 3 micron DLF in my progression before ceramics and strops. Should I invest in more? I’m generally not a fan of micro bevels on thicker blades. The angle is already 45 degrees inclusive. I’d be afraid that it wouldn’t cut anything with a more obtuse angle.
I would refer you to Marc’s reply, he has tons more experience. I do have strops but haven’t had the time to use them, the DLFs are used just prior to micro bevel edge step and after the stones progression is completed. Most of my EDCs have a 30 -34 degree inclusive edge so a micro bevel is helpful (I hope).
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knives, especially carbon steel knives, will spontaneously lose sharpness due to oxidization
Gillette an other razor companies have demonstrated this well. I’ve had a similar experience w/ a Sabatier knife that I bought as a gift for a chef friend. I got it hair popping sharp but then couldn’t connect with him for a few months. It just sat on a shelf with a cover over the edge. When I next checked the edge, it was no longer popping hairs until I stropped it again.
-Clay
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Gillette an other razor companies have demonstrated this well. I’ve had a similar experience w/ a Sabatier knife that I bought as a gift for a chef friend. I got it hair popping sharp but then couldn’t connect with him for a few months. It just sat on a shelf with a cover over the edge. When I next checked the edge, it was no longer popping hairs until I stropped it again.
I learned somewhere along the line that drying off your razor with a hair dryer after each use would increase its (sharpness) life by some large factor. I’ve been using a titanium Schick Quattro which probably wouldn’t make a difference, but after each use, I rinse it with full hot water and then place it blade-down on a towel to draw any moisture away from the edges.
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