Pre-Heat Treat Edge Thickness

[JRB Blades]

In the process of making some different type of knives (camp knife, mini bowie, etc...). Previously I had taken my edges down to approx dime thickness before heat treating. I'll probably end up doing the same on these new blades. However, post heat treat, how thin do I take the edge before sharpening? I'm guessing that with more utility type knives (camp knife) I want to leave the edge a bit thicker than say a skinning knife. For the skinning knives, I would take the edge to darn near sharp up to a 360grit Trizac belt. After that I would sharpen the edge to a 20-22 degrees angle on my Wicked Edge Sharpener. With a utility type knife, would I leave that edge a bit thicker and then take it to the Wicked Edge and put a 25-30 degree micro bevel on it? It just seems that if I treat it like I do my skinning knives, the edge would be so thin that I would get some edge roll with heavy use. Hope all that makes sense...

 

[Richard338]

Sounds like you are on the right track. The precise numbers could depend on the type of steel, heat treat, and expected use.
For personal use I might take it thinner than if I were selling it (although that's an important balance since you want it to perform).

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

There isn't a single number. Best method is to make it too thin and test the edge, if it is good keep it there. If it is chippy, sharpen it back a tad and test again.

 

[JRB Blades]

There isn't a single number. Best method is to make it too thin and test the edge, if it is good keep it there. If it is chippy, sharpen it back a tad and test again.

When you say sharpen it back a tad, do you mean go to a higher micro bevel angle (20 to 25 degrees) or take it back to the grinder and make the edge a tad thicker and then resharpen it?

 

[JRB Blades]

Sounds like you are on the right track. The precise numbers could depend on the type of steel, heat treat, and expected use.
For personal use I might take it thinner than if I were selling it (although that's an important balance since you want it to perform).

I am using 3/16" O1 heat treated in a kiln and quenched in Parks AAA if that helps. Will be a camp knife, so light chopping, etc..

 

[N.W. Gean]

When you say sharpen it back a tad, do you mean go to a higher micro bevel angle (20 to 25 degrees) or take it back to the grinder and make the edge a tad thicker and then resharpen it?

Just sharpen at the same angle you used before. The more you sharpen, the thicker the edge becomes.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

N.W. Green has the right answer.