D2 steel can rust when sweat, fingerprints, rainwater, or condensation remains on the surface. Sweat is especially troublesome because its chlorides can destabilize the thin oxide film that offers lim...
A steel name is shorthand, not a verdict. Heat treatment and edge geometry can make two blades of the same alloy behave differently, while hardness alone says little about chipping risk, rust resistan...
Hold the clean, dry edge under a bright light and slowly rotate it. A properly apexed section reflects little light; bright points or lines can indicate flattened areas, chips, or a rolled edge. View ...
A 15-degree-per-side edge presents a narrower wedge than a 20-degree-per-side edge, assuming the blade thickness and grind remain equal. It generally separates material with less displacement, which c...
A burr usually bends away from the side most recently sharpened. If the final strokes were made on the right face, the burr will generally lean toward the left. Alternating strokes can leave it in pat...
Before deciding when to switch sides, determine whether the knife needs full sharpening or a light touch-up. Full sharpening corrects substantial dullness, chips, or a rounded apex, often across sever...
A recurve should move continuously across the abrasive so no section receives repeated grinding. Lingering at the deepest concavity can flatten it, widen the contact patch, and create a low spot. Use ...
Crucible Industries’ CPM S30V data sheet attributes the steel’s wear resistance to hard vanadium carbides. Those carbides slow abrasion compared with simpler, lower-alloy steels, especially when enoug...
A sharpener’s scale is usually referenced to a particular blade position. A wide blade places the edge farther from the clamp or pivot reference, so the displayed setting may not equal the angle forme...
Guided sharpener or whetstone: what actually separates them The difference is not quality of result. A whetstone in practiced hands produces an edge no clamp can beat. What separates them is how much ...