- Joined
- Apr 1, 2010
- Messages
- 3,273
Not real sure what compelled me to make this jump at this time, but it has happened.
I had 24 blades in 2 separate patterns waterjet cut from some CPM S125V plate .156" thick.
I was going to make 5 of each pattern to have for Blade Show but quickly sold 3 after showing some pictures on Social Media and I am keeping one for myself.
I will still have 3 of each pattern available on my table at Blade.
First is a pick of the stack of blades as they came to me from being cut out.
This is a shot of the knives that will be available in a couple weeks at Blade, the 2 on the right are not available.
These knives are also a bit rough as the grinds are just roughed out with 36 grit and the handles have not been finish sanded yet.
If you notice these knives are not stamped.
I have upgraded to start etching my name, and I will also be etching the knives with S125V on the side opposite my mark.
This third picture is a grind I am trying out purely from a performance standpoint.
It was ground to a High Flat with a Hollow Ground edge.
I have a vision for this grind and I hope that it works out.
I really like the thin edge and the thinness that I get behind the edge of a hollow grind.
What I don't really care for is how quickly it comes out to the full thickness of the steel and cutting performance starts to suffer.
With a High Flat grind you get a very gradual increase in cutting resistance because the media being cut is wedged at a much more gradual rate.
The last thing that should occur from this a lack of food stickage when used in the kitchen, hopefully.
I am hoping that I have adequately combined these 2 grinds in an effort to boost cutting performance.
I have not tested or cut anything with this knife yet.
The above knife is currently not sharpened, but is ground to .005" before sharpening.
As some of you know, I sharpen all my knives with the same methods, stones, and compound. This makes it very easy to compare cutting edges and styles since there is typically only a very few thousandths difference in edge thickness. I can not yet speak to the edge retention yet, but i can say that I really like the way it cuts.
I did a little rope cutting comparing S125V with 10V and the S125V was much more aggressive in the way it sliced through the rope; making cuts through 3/4" manila with almost half the amount of cutting edge as the 10V. S125V also glides through cardboard with an effortlessness that I have rarely seen which makes it a pleasure to use.
I recently trimmed the fat and sinew from some steak and that was a enjoyable experience as well. Zero resistance and very, very little meat wasted. It was cutting with the efficiency of my 1/16" thick 10V boning knife with a near zero grind.
So, in short, the performance is there once the knife is finished; but getting it to that point is another journey in itself.
On average I am using 4 times the amount of consumables and nearly 4 times as much time to finish each knife.
Obviously this translates to a considerable increase in cost, which even I was not expecting.
Thanks for taking the time to read this narrative.
Questions and comments are welcomed.
Thanks
Big Chris
I had 24 blades in 2 separate patterns waterjet cut from some CPM S125V plate .156" thick.
I was going to make 5 of each pattern to have for Blade Show but quickly sold 3 after showing some pictures on Social Media and I am keeping one for myself.
I will still have 3 of each pattern available on my table at Blade.
First is a pick of the stack of blades as they came to me from being cut out.
This is a shot of the knives that will be available in a couple weeks at Blade, the 2 on the right are not available.
These knives are also a bit rough as the grinds are just roughed out with 36 grit and the handles have not been finish sanded yet.
If you notice these knives are not stamped.
I have upgraded to start etching my name, and I will also be etching the knives with S125V on the side opposite my mark.
This third picture is a grind I am trying out purely from a performance standpoint.
It was ground to a High Flat with a Hollow Ground edge.
I have a vision for this grind and I hope that it works out.
I really like the thin edge and the thinness that I get behind the edge of a hollow grind.
What I don't really care for is how quickly it comes out to the full thickness of the steel and cutting performance starts to suffer.
With a High Flat grind you get a very gradual increase in cutting resistance because the media being cut is wedged at a much more gradual rate.
The last thing that should occur from this a lack of food stickage when used in the kitchen, hopefully.
I am hoping that I have adequately combined these 2 grinds in an effort to boost cutting performance.
I have not tested or cut anything with this knife yet.
The above knife is currently not sharpened, but is ground to .005" before sharpening.
As some of you know, I sharpen all my knives with the same methods, stones, and compound. This makes it very easy to compare cutting edges and styles since there is typically only a very few thousandths difference in edge thickness. I can not yet speak to the edge retention yet, but i can say that I really like the way it cuts.
I did a little rope cutting comparing S125V with 10V and the S125V was much more aggressive in the way it sliced through the rope; making cuts through 3/4" manila with almost half the amount of cutting edge as the 10V. S125V also glides through cardboard with an effortlessness that I have rarely seen which makes it a pleasure to use.
I recently trimmed the fat and sinew from some steak and that was a enjoyable experience as well. Zero resistance and very, very little meat wasted. It was cutting with the efficiency of my 1/16" thick 10V boning knife with a near zero grind.
So, in short, the performance is there once the knife is finished; but getting it to that point is another journey in itself.
On average I am using 4 times the amount of consumables and nearly 4 times as much time to finish each knife.
Obviously this translates to a considerable increase in cost, which even I was not expecting.
Thanks for taking the time to read this narrative.
Questions and comments are welcomed.
Thanks
Big Chris
