Pocket knives

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Gregory27
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Pocket knives

Post by Gregory27 »

I'm rehabbing some pocket knives (think Swiss army size) for someone, rust removal, sharpening, etc... and I'm just not 100% happy with the edge on them. Part of the issue is that they're sentimental pieces, so I don't want to grind the heck out of them, but I'm finding that while certainly "sharp," I'm used to sharper. Are there some tricks to sharpen tiny little blades like pocket knives? Or are they just limited with how sharp they can get?
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ken123
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by ken123 »

Many will limit themselves to 2k or so max but I routinely go up to as high as a 16k edge.

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Kalaeb
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Kalaeb »

I am right there with you. Large knives, no problem but the tiny 2-3 inch blade knives give me trouble every time.
Gregory27
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Gregory27 »

I wound up getting them to a point that I consider acceptable, but yeah, give me a 210 any day.
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Jeff B
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Jeff B »

I never was great with my EDCs but it gets a "little" better each time. I guess I just don't sweat it as much as I use to. As long as it cuts....
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
gladius
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by gladius »

I stop at 1k and use my EdgePro.
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Jeff B
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Jeff B »

gladius wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2019 2:42 pm I stop at 1k and use my EdgePro.
I've thought about an EdgePro just for my EDCs. Should have picked one up off the classifieds a few years ago when they used to pop up pretty regularly.
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by old onion »

My KME sharpener does a fantastic job on my pocket knives. I am comfortable with sharpening up to 3-1/2 inch blades on it. I mostly just use the diamond plates that come with the kit. The finest grit being 1500 grit.I do all my clip on knives with the jaws that come with the kit but I bought the smaller jaws for the very small pocket knives that I sometimes sharpen.Not sure how the Edge Pro deal works but it might be even better but I wouldn't know.
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ken123
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by ken123 »

Pocket knives can achieve extremely sharp edges - freehand or using KME or EdgePro or Wicked Edge. Here is an example of a 5 million grit edge for instance using 0.003 micron polycrystalline diamond. Of course it helps - a lot - to use a knife with good steel.



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jmcnelly85
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by jmcnelly85 »

Swiss army... size? It could be a lesser steel with a bad treatment. I know real SAK’s get nice and sharp but for something that simply looks similar you may be struggling towards an impossible goal.
Gregory27
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Gregory27 »

jmcnelly85 wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 6:58 pm Swiss army... size? It could be a lesser steel with a bad treatment. I know real SAK’s get nice and sharp but for something that simply looks similar you may be struggling towards an impossible goal.
There were 3 older pocket knives. Sentimental pieces. The only one that was identifiable was a Boy Scout knife. Quality of steel/heat treat... who knows. They weren't my favorite things to sharpen, and, honestly, rust removal took longer than anything else.
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by nevrknow »

Good thing about cheap steel, it will show your patience on sharpening. Or lack thereof.....😀

Does me anyway.
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Thuja Magus »

Pocket knives ? DMT Coarse 325.
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lsboogy
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by lsboogy »

jmcnelly85 wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 6:58 pm Swiss army... size? It could be a lesser steel with a bad treatment. I know real SAK’s get nice and sharp but for something that simply looks similar you may be struggling towards an impossible goal.
Wenger and Victorinox knives have (had - winger is gone) blades specified by the military. The steel is good and the spec called for HRC 55-56. They sharpen well, and are pretty durable. They were designed for military field use, so they wanted a blade that could be sharpened easily as well. I have a bunch of the collector models, and used one as a basic tool for years. I used one to field dress a deer many years ago when I forgot my hunting knife in the truck. Still have it - it's one of the locking blade models.
Ourorboros
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Ourorboros »

lsboogy wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2019 6:32 pm
jmcnelly85 wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 6:58 pm Swiss army... size? It could be a lesser steel with a bad treatment. I know real SAK’s get nice and sharp but for something that simply looks similar you may be struggling towards an impossible goal.
Wenger and Victorinox knives have (had - winger is gone) blades specified by the military. The steel is good and the spec called for HRC 55-56. They sharpen well, and are pretty durable. They were designed for military field use, so they wanted a blade that could be sharpened easily as well. I have a bunch of the collector models, and used one as a basic tool for years. I used one to field dress a deer many years ago when I forgot my hunting knife in the truck. Still have it - it's one of the locking blade models.
I believe jmcnelly85's implication is that this isn't a Swiss Army knife at all, but merely in that style. If it is from a lesser manufacture - and there have been some out there, then they may have some bad heat treatment.
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ken123
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by ken123 »

A pic would help.

JmMc... Is probably spot on :)

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jmcnelly85
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by jmcnelly85 »

If it is a real Swiss Army knife, (SAK) it should take a nice edge, if it’s not it’s possible it’s just a knife shaped object that wasn’t made to get sharp. Since there is rust, there might be hope that there’s a high carbon content in the steel so it might be capable of getting sharp but is just stubborn. Some really neglected knives need a ton of work on your coarsest stone, but once you get there it’s smooth sailing.
Gregory27
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by Gregory27 »

Again, just swiss army knife in size. Only one was identifiable in any manner, as a "Scout Knife." The others were just old, nameless knives that were probably low quality, but had sentimental value. I cleaned them up. They got sharp. I'm happy. Enough. I just really don't like working on tiny little blades like those.
snapshot2020
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Re: Pocket knives

Post by snapshot2020 »

Kalaeb wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:58 pm I am right there with you. Large knives, no problem but the tiny 2-3 inch blade knives give me trouble every time.
The really best stone for a 2 to 4 inch pocket knife blade is an Arkansas Natural stone, buy a small 4 inch long by 2 inch wide stone and use oil and not water.
You will quickly understand why these stones work best, for pocket knives on both soft and hard blade metal.
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