I need info on sharpening a Damascus blade.

M

mendrod

Joined
Jul 14, 2005
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3
Can a Damascus knife that is getting to thick to just honed to put the edge back on it. Be thinned down without destroying/removing the design? I have asked a couple of people, and so far I have heard two things. One is that the design will change, but that it will still have a design. Second is that the design will be gone, the edge of the blade will look like regular steel. I was also told that if I send in the knife to some sharpeners, they will re-etch the Damascus design back onto the blade. So I am a little confused about things. Can someone help clear this up for me?


Rich
 
If you re-grind it, the pattern will be almost not visible, though you may be able to see it if you catch it in the light right. It will need to be re-etched. As to whether a professional sharpener of knives can etch it, I don't know, it depends on who it is. If you send it to the maker of the knife, they should be able to.
 
I've had no experience w/ Damascus... are you talking about thinning by grinding on the whole side of the blade? What type of grind did it originally have??? You can't just reprofile the edge?
 
I have not yet bought a Damascus knife. I was looking at getting one, but have been told that a Damascus blade can only be sharpened a few times before it no longer has a good edge. Then unlike other knives, Damascus cannot be thinned down on the Primary angle, due to the design being taken off. So I am concerned about buying one for everyday useage. I have no problem in buying one for the looking at. I just want to know what I am buying if for, and what I can do with it.
 
I have L6/1095 by Muller Forge in a small fixed blade knife. I've been sharpening it for 4 years with no problem. I use a 30 degree total angle. It is hard, so it takes some work, but then it holds its edge. If you want damsacus for a using knife, find a reputable maker who has a good history behind his steel and forging technique.
 
mendrod said:
Can a Damascus knife that is getting to thick to just honed to put the edge back on it. Be thinned down without destroying/removing the design? I have asked a couple of people, and so far I have heard two things. One is that the design will change, but that it will still have a design. Second is that the design will be gone, the edge of the blade will look like regular steel. I was also told that if I send in the knife to some sharpeners, they will re-etch the Damascus design back onto the blade. So I am a little confused about things. Can someone help clear this up for me?


Rich
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by "thinned down".

If you mean a complete regrind from the spine to the edge you will probably have to re-etch the blade to see the pattern. However this would be an extreme thing to do. I could only imagine doing it if the blade became badly pitted, rusted, scratched or otherwise damaged.

I think that if you put a 30 degree edge on it with something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker and then sharpen it at a 40 degree angle it should be okay. You will take off very little steel and therefore very little pattern.

About the only knives I have known that needed to be reground were tool steel knives used in places like a butcher shop, fish house, slaughter house, etc. These knives get sharpened many times a day and actually loose the original edge and after time a good deal of the blade. You can find them for sale in bait and tackle shops for a very low price with very little blade remaining. They look like a sick filet knife.
 
Ok so I have heard several people say that Damascus knives take a lot of abuse well. Is Damascus steel better than a regular steel knife? I ran across a knife maker on the web that says he can cut through a regular metal knife with a Damascus knife. It sounds like a Damascus knife is just the thing to take out when hunting and camping, cause ya never know what you are going to run into. It also sounds like if I need to get the knife thinned down so it cuts well again, the design is going to be ground off and that is just the way it is.

I have had a few people say they do not understand what I mean by thinned down. Maybe I just keep my knives too long. I have had several good knives for years. And after several sharpenings the edge of the knife gets too thick to cut well. So I send my knifes into a sharpener, they thin down the blades so the knife holds a good edge again. Am I the only person that does this? Well I cannot be the only one if there are businesses out there that do this, but I find it odd that I have had several people that have not had to do this with their blades.
 
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