s30v sharp yet PackRat

[Hawkeye5]

Hey PackRat...

Did you ever get the 110 with s30v good and sharp
like you want it?
Jeff

 

[Pack Rat]

I am sorry to say that I haven't messed with it anymore. But have carried it a lot in a horizontal carry sheath almost daily with some use.

It is still sharp enough to do wha tI have been doing with it. But I did have one experience that may be worth sharing.

We picked up a waterbed frame with a bunch of drawers for storage and I had no intention of using the waterbed matress. Which is good because the guy ruined it the way he drained it.

Anyhow, I had this bright idea to use that thick material as a pond liner on the ranch. So with it spread out on the drive, I whipped out the AG and started at one end on the edge. Expecting it to smoothly glide through that material.

And it did to some extent, I found that there were sweet spots out toward the point where it was like cutting cold butter. But if I let the blade penetrate farther where the material was closer to the tang, it would hang up. With one or two spots in between where it would glide.

Then it clicked that this was basically what I experienced field dressing the deer with it.

So just now peeking at it under high magnification, as some of you suggested, there are polished spots, and rougher spots. Like the difference of a fine versus medium hone.

So I will put it on the "roundtuit" list and work on it one of these days when it will no longer do the simple daily things I need.

Maybe I should stick this in the "what did you cut today " thread...lol...

Oh yeah... got a hardbacked "limited edition" Cabellas catalog today so it just seemed fitting I open it with the AG. Glided right through that cardboard.

 

[Buckaholic]

...

So just now peeking at it under high magnification, as some of you suggested, there are polished spots, and rougher spots. Like the difference of a fine versus medium hone.
...

Larry...so you never sharpened it? This is the way it came out of the box?

 

[Hawkeye5]

Thanks for that very good story about your 110 AG Larry.
I was sharping my 110 christmas tin . That had been cutting
1/4" rope and cardboard boxes with, and was thinking about
that AG of yours.It only seams to take a little stone work
to get the 420hc steel back sharp again.But I do get little
nicks in the blade tip from time to time.
Be careful those Cabellas cat's can cost you money.LOL
Jeff

 

[Pack Rat]

Sorry Goose, I should have backed way up with some history.

Got this one season before last '05 ,New, and used it on 5 or 6 deer. with excellent results. It just glided through the hide part in field dressing.

So then in front of season '06 I put the hones to it and had it shaving sharp. But it wouldn't "glide through the hide" like it should have.

Folks here suggested I may have polished it too fine with the 600 hone and strop. Suggested I back up and hit it with the medium stone a few licks.... Still on a roundtuit list.

I have semi gone back to work helping brother with one of his businesses, is my best excuse... lazyness is the reality tho...

 

[Pack Rat]

Be careful those Cabellas cat's can cost you money.LOL Jeff

I have been sitting here brousing it.....thinking,,,go buy a lotto ticket. I was amazed to see it... Is like a huge hard back book.
Am sure you guys are getting them..

 

[jb4570]

I have been sitting here brousing it.....thinking,,,go buy a lotto ticket. I was amazed to see it... Is like a huge hard back book.
Am sure you guys are getting them..

Hi Larry,

Those guy's at Cabelas send us those nice hard bound books to make us feel obligated to buy all that cool stuff inside. It's like taking an alcoholic into a liquor store or a BuckAholic into the Buck knife shop (Marv pun intended)....LOL. I want the Ironwood 110 with the Elk blade cutout I saw in last years book and see it's still in this years book. However, my spare cash is going for the new 07 Buck's. Cabelas will just have to wait untill their new store opens in Reno late this year :thumbup: .

jb4570

 

[Mike Kerins]

I haven't sharpened any of my 110's with S30V but I recently sharpened my Buck Mayo TNT with S30V and it will shave the hair off my arm with no problem. :thumbup:

 

[Hawkeye5]

I haven't sharpened any of my 110's with S30V but I recently sharpened my Buck Mayo TNT with S30V and it will shave the hair off my arm with no problem. :thumbup:

Hey Mike...

Did you use the lansky to get her sharp?
Jeff

 

[Mike Kerins]

Hey Mike...

Did you use the lansky to get her sharp?
Jeff

Jeff,
No. Actually I used a knife attachment for a Tormek sharpening system I own for sharpenming plane irons and chisels. It's a slow rpm, water lubricting system that allows course and fine sharpening along with a leather wheel for the final edge. It takes less than ten minutes to get a really sharp edge. I've also used it to re-establish the point on a BG-42 110 blade that I used and broke about 1/16 inch of the tip off of. It now has a nice point, just like new.
Mike

 

[Pack Rat]

I went ahead and bumped it up on my roundtuit list and put the AG on the lansky bracket and put the LS 280 mediun hone to it.

Using the same 25 degree angle (more about this in a moment) and the same clamp position, I "lightly" worked the hone. But I did depart from my normal push lift stroke to leaving the hone laying on the blade as I did the push and draw. I feel no edge burr.

Also, this time I worked the hone staying more vertical to the edge slowly working it from tang to tip, in an attempt to emulate a factory edge instead of working it from tang to tip.

I only honed it for about 5 minutes total. It smoothly shaved hair with next to no pressure. It very smoothly shaved thin strips of paper with no hangs or snags. I did try the paper gig before I started and it did hang and snag in places, but would slice. As would it shave some prior to honing it.

So, it definitely is performing better than it did before I honed it. But will it do what I want it to come next hunting season. I guess time will tell on that one.

I know this is getting long, but.... I pulled a nib AG just like it, and it looks like it has more edge angle than what I have put on the old one, using the 25 hole. Looks like maybe the 20 degree hole would have more matched the original edge angle. So that remains as another element to test.
I really don't remember checking this before I sharpened the first time as I have used the 25 degree hole for all of my 110's.

NOW,,,another curiousity. As you hone a blade on a regular stone, you start at the tang, and end up with the tip dropping off the bottom edge. Which goes with the slicing part of cutting something.

BUT, I am fliping the edge up making a small shallow incision under the sternum of a deer laying on its back, poking a couple of fingers in the hole and lifting the hide up and away from the insides, inserting the blade edge up, between my fingers, and sliding it down to the pelvic at an angle to where the tip is inside and up against the hide not much farther than the tips of my fingers, if that far. KEEPING it up high out of the guts is paramount!

SO,,, I am actually going AGAINST the normal sharpening angle we use for slicing. Which is one reason I tried to keep the medium hone vertical to the blade as would be a factory edge..

The camera battery died as I was trying to photo the edge I just did compared to edge on the nib one. Will post them here later if they show anything revealing.

So far, everyone that said to not polish the edge on the 600 fine hone have been on the money.

Whew,,,,is it 5 O'clock yet

Starting to sound like a school science project..

 

[Pack Rat]

Nice Rig Mike!!!!!!!

 

[wh4f]

............

 

[DarrylS]

I gotta ask, is it comparativly priced with a Lansky? :foot:

...On my "wish list Jim...Check it out...

http://www.saw-toolsharpening.com/Tormek Sharpening System.html

 

[wh4f]

............

 

[Hawkeye5]

Mike...
That is a very nice tool that you have there.Thanks for shairing.
PackRat,
Thanks for taking the time to up date us on the AG.And don't
apologize for go long reply.We have been missing your imformative
post scence you went back to work.

BUT, I am fliping the edge up making a small shallow incision under the sternum of a deer laying on its back, poking a couple of fingers in the hole and lifting the hide up and away from the insides, inserting the blade edge up, between my fingers, and sliding it down to the pelvic at an angle to where the tip is inside and up against the hide not much farther than the tips of my fingers, if that far. KEEPING it up high out of the guts is paramount!

No wander you are doing it back wards.I.M.H.O. LOL I do it the other way.
But also when doing the 2 finger tip incision you are only using the curve
of the tipend dont you think?
I am kidding. I guess I will have to save my money and get an AG.

 

[Pack Rat]

BUT, I am fliping the edge up making a small shallow incision under the sternum of a deer laying on its back, poking a couple of fingers in the hole and lifting the hide up and away from the insides, inserting the blade edge up, between my fingers, and sliding it down to the pelvic at an angle to where the tip is inside and up against the hide not much farther than the tips of my fingers, if that far. KEEPING it up high out of the guts is paramount!

No wander you are doing it back wards.I.M.H.O. LOL I do it the other way.
But also when doing the 2 finger tip incision you are only using the curve
of the tipend dont you think?
I am kidding. I guess I will have to save my money and get an AG.

I am using a bit more than the curve, by the angle I have it. And how comfortable I feel about inserting it farther in... Depends on the animal mostly I guess.
But yeah...probably mostly the curve....

 

[Hawkeye5]

Jeff,
No. Actually I used a knife attachment for a Tormek sharpening system I own for sharpenming plane irons and chisels. It's a slow rpm, water lubricting system that allows course and fine sharpening along with a leather wheel for the final edge. It takes less than ten minutes to get a really sharp edge. I've also used it to re-establish the point on a BG-42 110 blade that I used and broke about 1/16 inch of the tip off of. It now has a nice point, just like new.
Mike

Mike.. Is this like what they use at the factory to sharpen them with?
Do you free hand them,or use some kind of a guide?
Boy all these questions.:grumpy:
Thanks Jeff

 

[Hawkeye5]

I am using a bit more than the curve, by the angle I have it. And how comfortable I feel about inserting it farther in... Depends on the animal mostly I guess.
But yeah...probably mostly the curve....

Yes, to me the curve at the tip end is always the hardest part to sharpen.
Like when using the Lansky the angle will change when you get
to the curved part.So sometimes you have to move the clamp when
you get to the curved part of the blade.A lot of times I just go with the old stones, and raise the handle end up when I get to the curve.I also use the
Marks-A-lot to keep me on line.
But I reread your sharping part again and I see what you mean
about going against or cutting aginst the way it was sharpend.
Turkey season will see what happens.
Jeff

 

[Mike Kerins]

I gotta ask, is it comparativly priced with a Lansky? :foot:

The cost is $395. Remember, I bought it originally to keep my woodworking plane irons and chisels sharp, so I just bought a small knife jig to go along with it. The knife jig allows for a consistent blade angle, depending on the end use. You can see in the picture the angle guide that allows you to set the jig at the correct angle to the wheel. The price of the knife jig was about $30, so it was an easy choice for me.