Joël Mercier

I've heard a lot of carbides pop off on the guides which they are just glued on. So I bought one with screwed on carbides. Also, here's a model made for integrals: https://maritimeknifesupply.ca/products/behnke-integral-file-guide

Thanks, About the bevels, I forgot to mention it was S ground. Also, the heel has a different angle for increased strength. It was a pain to hand sand...

Anyways, that is indeed a good opportunity to develop muscle memory. Just don't overwork yourself and get hurt huh?

Are you going to use some sort of superquench to get a sorta real edge?

Thank you for the kind words

Good news, MKS has restocked! https://maritimeknifesupply.ca/products/wrought-iron-steel

Are you sure about this? I was under the impression AEB-L actually had higher working hardness. It's still plenty tough in the 62-63hrc range(with cryo though). I don't know much about 440C, but 154cm is on the same chart as AEB-L and the later has the same toughness at 62.5hrc than 154cm at 60hrc. And I believe 154cm to be tougher than 440C. Anyways, bottom line is you won't find any fan of 440C on this forum

The tittle pretty much said it. Been a while since I did my signature mustard patina, I believe it makes a nice contrast with the synthetic ivory handle. Bolster is copper and wrought.

Simply add a switch in series with the PID's power supply. That's what I did with mine.

I am also interested in hearing what others think about this. On my side, this is just a hobby, but I always end putting way too much time on a commission for the amount of money originally agreed. That's why I prefer not taking commissions, but it's sometimes hard to refuse.

My main supplier, Maritime knife supplies, had some in stock but not anymore. Still, Lawrence is usually super helpful and it might be worth a try to ask him.

Where are you located?

I'm going to start with a disclaimer. I do not claim to have the best technique, but my edges can cut arm's hair mid air, no contact with the skin needed. Say for a knife I just completed. My edges are usually around 0.005" after hand sanding. 1. I start with the edge perpendicular to the stone (usually a 1000grit, but sometimes 500grit on thicker edges) I do a few passes to remove any decarb and make sure there are no concave spots on the profile. 2.Then I proceed on setting the bevels(1000 or 500 grit again). This is done edge trailing with good pressure (around 5 pounds) applied near the edge. I keep at it until I can feel a burr on the whole length. Then switch side and repeat. 3. Still with the 1000grit. Now is the time to get rid of the burr. Low pressure is needed now and you need to switch sides every 2-3 passes. You can also slide the edge perpendicular on soft wood with just the weight of the knife to help break the burr. That's a trick I learned from Murray Carter. The first 3 steps are done in just a few minutes. How far you go with step 4 will determine how long you spend on the knife, but also how fine the edge will be. 4. Time to hone. This is done edge leading with very little pressure, often just the weight of the blade, switching sides at every pass, exactly how it's done with straight razors. This is when I'm going to progress through grits. I do a few passes on the 1000 grit, then switch to 3000. Depending on how sharp I want the edge I sometimes go up to 6000 or even 10000. But 3k is usually enough to grab hair 5. The strop. I use the leather boards I send along with the knives I sell. I don't want the customers ruining my edges with a steel . Fine diamond compound is applied on the leather. Similar to honing but edge trailing, I switch sides every pass with light pressure. You stop when you feel the thing is sharp enough. That's about it.

A truly epic feat. Even the handle looks like the red sky at dawn. And that bolster/western habaki has a very interesting shape.

Fresh belts and lower pressure will help to avoid heat buildup. If you have a VFD it also helps. I do grind my heat treated knives bare handed to get better feedback on heat. From my limited experience, it's often the tip that will overheat so make sure you reduce pressure as you get closer to the tip. And make sure to dip in water at every pass. I understand that you normally can get a knife very sharp but not this one? There are various reasons why this can happen, such as bad heat treatment. But there's also something I noticed when I did my first forged knives: you need to grind/sand off decarb on the edge profile or else your edge wont hold s$&t until you have sharpened through the decarb. I do sharpen all my knives on water stones. There are a few steps that must be done in the proper order to get the edge really sharp in a timely manner. You can also use a bevel guide that you clip on the back of the blade for a constant angle until you feel confident enough to sharpen free hand. IMO, nothing creates a crazy edge like a water stone, though I respect differing opinions on the matter. I can elaborate my technique if you want.