Overheated edges in sharpening - Maxamet and 1095

This video documents my experience dealing with the performance and sharpening of knives with edges that are more then likely over heated. The two steels that the video focuses on are Maxamet and 1095.

[@49giants3]

No matter how many times I see you whittle hair, I still have the same reaction. Holy shit that’s sharp. You have insane skills my friend. Also thanks for sharing your knowledge of knives with us. It helps a lot

[@michaelchristy4982]

49Giants thank you brother.

[@eugeneBai]

In my opinion, the belt sharpening on factory is where all overheat problems come. In my expirience, its took a 3 complete resharpening to make a new knife works like it should be. I expirienced that on S30V, S110V, S125V , S35VN, M390 and other on many different manufacturers. I better prefer to have option to buy a not sharpen knife to sharpen it lately by myself.

[@convex7456]

SollerS amen. And drop the prices too

[@jakewolf079]

I am currently having the same issue with a Cold Steel American Lawman in CTS-XHP, no matter how many times I try I just can't get a good apex on it with a coarse stone, no matter how many times I deburr the edge it always makes that rough tearing sound when cutting through papers and can barely shave at all, I can easily create a very fine apex on my VG10 Spyderco Delica 4 with the very same coarse stone (Shapton Pro #320) and it will cut through paper with very little resistance and tearing sound, if at all, and shave much better too. I have owned another Cold Steel blade in XHP before and sharpened it multiples times, never had this issue and the edge I got was always extremely sharp.

[@brianminkc]

You all super steel your hearts out. D2 is fine for me.

[@sswwooppee]

I just rewatched this video. It made me really miss Cliff Stamp and his contribution to the knife world. I didn’t even know him but I really enjoyed his videos and he seemed like a great guy.

[@Molokairider]

Excellent video. Thank you for putting in the time and work. I miss Cliff Stamps videos, but am glad you are still going!

[@JDStone20]

Awesome information! Cliff Stamp is a great person to run by things with. Can't wait to see more video's!

[@TheApostleP]

Great video Michael. Very well thought out. Just a note on hardness testing finished GEC blades : generally the only parallel flats (necessary for hardness testing) on a finished GEC blade are at the tang. GEC tangs are induction tempered as part of their process to about RC 48. This is to allow the blades to be “kinked” after assembly for centering, and so that the backsprings don’t wear excessively over repeated opening and closing. So if users are doing hardness testing on finished knives, and seeing readings in the high 40’s, this is probably why. This is, of course, a completely separate issue from overheated edges.

[@michaelchristy4982]

TheApostleP thank you. It’s interesting information about hardness testing GEC’s. I’ll pass it along next time I hear someone discussing RC testing them.

[@jmarsh667]

Yeah usually hardness testing on the back of the blade or the tang will be much lower than if carried out near the edge. My Spyderco GB in CPM M4 was around 60HRC near the back of the blade but a little closer to the edge was 65-66HRC! Every other knife I tested showed similar results being harder near the edge and softer towards the spine.

[@Nate196501]

You always do well in presentation, laying out the premise, and following through with excellent detail Mike!

[@michaelchristy4982]

Nate Brabant thank you.

[@rapamune]

Well done Michael, this was like a crime novel; events unfolding chronologically and the story emerges :-) Definitely one of my favorite videos of yours!

[@michaelchristy4982]

Rama C thank you. Nice compliment. Glad you liked it.

[@SeniorSupreme]

I had a very similar issue with a pm2 in S110V. After multiple sharpening sessions it’s stopped chipping. Thank you for the great video regarding this vexing knife issue.

[@tomeudy6384]

I got a GEC 43 yesterday and it was not very sharp outta the tube. Thought I was losing my mind until I saw your video. Now after about three full sharpening, it's starting to respond how it should. What a PITA. Puts me off getting any more. Spent less time reprofiling my K2. Thanks Michael.

[@johnykwst]

Really great videos and topics 👍🏼

[@chucknunface]

Always solid stuff, brother.

[@jovonntrujillo1143]

So glad u made this vid about gec!!!! I’m a gec freak and I’ve always had trouble with them and just ended up leaving them around 800 1200 grit!

[@joshuasutton2163]

I believe that I had an issue like this with my Steel Will Cutjack in D2. I originally wasn't impressed with the edge retention, but after some inquiries on Bladeforums, and a couple sharpenings, it evened out. I still think it's left a bit soft, but it's definitely better. Great video by the way, very informative. Keep up the good work.

[@marcmartens4831]

Another very interesting video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. 👍s up It really helps that your voice is actually easy on the ears. 👏

[@volcanowb]

Things that change the game... Dry vs wet sharpening Under the two categories, above, considered sharpening medias... ceramics, diamonds, Arkansas, etc. When keeping a small, do-it-all, kit dry is great... but there are compromises and concessions... different variants change the game. There's always a takeaway, it seems. Great show, Michael. Thank you!

[@markanthonystringfellow3923]

Over the Years Ive Checked New Knife Edges With A High Power Jewellers Eye Glass and its Quite Common to Find Rainbow Colours Within the Grind Marks!!! Heat Discolouration! And Some Steels Really Suffer! Exellent Work M!

[@michaelchristy4982]

Mark Anthony Stringfellow thank you.

[@tomerbenavi9184]

Great video!!!

[@Sherrodja]

D2 has a similar problem being chippy but I've found after getting past the factory edge it's no where near as bad for chipping. Espeacily when using a slight convex on the edge. Great video,I know what to expect from maxamet now.

[@erichusayn]

Good video. I have a manix 2 in maxamet on the way. I sharpen on a worksharp ken onion. Definitely going to have to take it very slow...

[@matrix5175]

This is very interesting to me because I have never really thought much about overheating causing an issue in how well a knife will sharpen/hold an edge. In the past, I have used knives that people spoke highly of due to the performance of the knife and was just highly disappointed when I obtained said knife and used it. This makes me think overheating may be to blame. I admit I am by no means a professional knife sharpener, but I was always able to get a knife working sharp before I started watching your videos. A couple instances really stand out in my mind though because I am a hunter and I clean and process my own meat. So before season every year I usually spend several weeks just sharpening knives to get ready. I have some fairly inexpensive knives that would just seem to stay sharp a long time and some other more expensive knives that just didn't stay sharp. I won't mention the brands but one knife had 7cr17mov steel in it and I can literally clean 3 deer before that particular knife starts getting dull. I have another knife in S30V I bought specifically for cleaning/processing deer that would be dull halfway through cleaning one deer. I was sorely disappointed and just chalked it up to hype about S30V being a good knife steel and just quit using the knife. Now I think I'll sharpen it up again and see if I can get it to keep an edge. Thanks for the video!

[@michaelchristy4982]

matrix5175 yeah, give it another shot. A sharpening or two might make all the difference.

[@jetsgo66]

I’d look more into your technique or abrasives used. S30v definitely earned its reputation, not exactly a “super steel” with all the new opinions but it’s still a great steel. Definitely better than 8cr13mov. Shawn on the channel Big Brown Bear recommends a fairly aggressive edge on s30v not using stones higher than 400-600 grit.

[@barkingspider2007]

Just purchased a Spyderco P3 in Maxamet. The edge was very sharp from the factory. I cut 1 ziptie and the edge either rolled or chipped. When touched up on a Spyderco UF bench stone the hair popping edge came back. I could see what looked like skid marks along both sides of the blade. I decided to re-profile and sharpen the blade. The edge still has chipping near the ricasso. It may be chipping as the blade is sharpened. I am going to sharpen a few more times to see if it works the problem out. If the edge cleans up after a few sharpenings it will be worth it. I have to wonder how far back the overheated steel goes? The best and thinnest part of the edge is being wasted. Thanks for the video.

[@crf450rbulletdavid9]

Hey Michael! My pm2 maxamet came with a pretty uneven edge. I pretty much got that straightened out but when I’ve done the sharpening freehand on diamond plates I’ve been noticing that the edge is a bit choppy in some areas. I’m just hoping it goes away after awhile. I’ve tried not putting too much pressure and I don’t sharpen Japanese style so I don’t think that’s the issue. I just wanted to let you know your not the only one having slight issues. I just decided to use it some and try to give it another sharpening after some use.

[@Oozy9Millimeetah]

I had a case yeller peanut in CV that no matter what or how i sharpened it, it felt like it was sharpened with an 80grit sandpaper, after sharpening a lot of the blade away it finally started to take an edge, im fairly sure there was an HT issues with that peanut, but then again i have a mora stainless clipper model that i have used since 2010 it has been sharpened a lot and now it feels like it's run out of tempered steel and has gotten soft no matter how fine stones i use the edge feels super coarse.

[@PaulK390S90V]

I bought a couple bestech knives in d2. The warwolf and lion. I sharpened the warwolf twice and lion once and both of them have their edge jagged and chippy and with a flashlight its reflecting back at you like crazy each on about a half inch section. Do you think that is because of overheated edge or bad heat treat and eventually they will come into it? I contacted bestech and they are actually sending me 2 new second production models and have been very accommodation and admitted that had some issues at first and seem to have better reviews with their second production ones. I guess I will see. I have the 2 original ones just collecting dust but if you think they could come into it after some more full sharpening I will try it. The parts that weren't affected by it are super sharp and seem fine

[@harrisquicksilver6595]

Hopefully u are right...i'd love some maxamet in my collection

[@sAx____]

Great video! think that the overheating problem is due to the Maxamet steel feature that has a high grinding resistance, abrasives that do not cut more, but grinding only heats the blade

[@michaelchristy4982]

Saša Ivanović I would think that could contribute.

[@sAx____]

Thanks for your reply. I consider you video clips very affirmative.

[@robbabcock_]

Huh. I'd never heard of Venev stones before but I might have to look into them for those uber-steels.

[@michaelcheshareck3275]

I long noticed that many blades, even very high quality ones, will take multiple sharpenings before you see the true performance potential due to overheated edges from the factory. With power sharpening in a fast moving production environment and you are bound to get a fair amount that have an overheated apex.

[@PeterC585]

Awesome video! Still looking forward to your thoughts on a Spyderco spydiechef's steel!

[@SeniorSupreme]

PeterC585 agreed! Love that knife. Please let us know when you test one out.

[@barkingspider2007]

Thanks for the video 😎👍

[@littlewoody5539]

Good video .

[@MrLotus0303]

Hi Mike..watched a couple vids.. I like them a lot. Have u done any vids on Elmax yet? Like to hear your opinion etc. Thanks a lot.

[@michaelchristy4982]

MrLotus0303 I did some stuff with Elmax in some early videos. That’s a steel I’d like to revisit though.

[@mattmanyam]

I think it's a matter of sharpening belt life in the production environment... How many knives were sharpened on this belt prior to mine getting sharpened? Where was this belt that sharpened my knife in it's lifespan? I'm speculating that the last couple knives to get sharpened prior to a belt change, have a much greater chance of catching some damage from heat. I'm willing to accept this, as long as the prices don't climb much higher.

[@joemontini8556]

How did that Maxamet hold up for you in daily use? I recently Got a native 5 and I’m pretty surprised how tough Maxamet is I work at a custom wood shop and I cut up cardboard quite often and occasionally fuck around with wood just to put the edge to the test. But I’m glad I found your channel no one really goes into much detail about steels like you do and actually test them the right way I learned a lot from your channel and I appreciate that. Keep the videos coming man

[@michaelchristy4982]

Joe Montini the Maxamet PM2 has been great.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Joe Montini glad you like the channel.

[@peter-zs4ml]

Great info. I almost gave up on my Maxamet PM2, as I can't get it to keep an edge after couple of sharpenings. Demoted it to garage duty. I figured it had something to do with Spyderco not making these right now. I thought there was some issue with the steel. Seeing your video, I will have to take another crack at it.

[@michaelchristy4982]

peterko what stones are you using?

[@peter-zs4ml]

My knife came in relatively dull. Probably the dullest Golden knife I ever got. And it came in brand new from KC when they first released it. So I sharpened it free-handing the tri-stones - medium, fine, and ultra fine. The edge chipped. The I did a major re-profile with DMT - coarse, fine, extra fine, extra extra fine, then fine and utlra fine tri-stone, then strop. Edge came out nice, but after couple of boxes and some wood whittling, it dulled up quick. Did more tri-stones with strop, and dulled up again. I put it away after that.

[@whiskyguzzler982]

I had a good experience with an Apex system and their diamond stones. I strop on .25 micron diamond suspension on kangaroo leather. I don't sharpen fast, so overheating really isn't likely. The edge seems to last and last.

[@oceanwaves83]

peter update? How is your maxamet pm2 performing now?

[@gmuk101]

I don't understand, so knife can be overheated during the belt grind and it will make the edge softened. But how re-sharpening make it hard again? Is it because the softened steel is only about the edge and when you properly re-sharpen it without overheat, the softened steel will be removed and the hard steel that was behind of the softened edge come out and form the new edge? Is it so, very good to know. Thank you for the information but please answer me, sir.

[@derekstang7045]

Interesting for sure

[@coffeeandlifting]

When I got my first PM2 in S30V I was miffed by the performance of the edge. The construction and fit/finish of the knife were outstanding... perfect action, lockup, centering, etc. But the edge performance was very poor. I was getting rolls and chips just working with wood. After several sharpenings, the problems slowly vanished. Since then, I've even re-profiled to a lower-angle with excellent results. Nowadays I reserve judgement until I've removed a decent amount of steel from the edge. Its safe to advise at least a full sharpening out of the box, because the factory edge likely won't be representative of the steel's true performance.

[@michaelchristy4982]

coffeeandlifting yup

[@Wolf_K]

I expect to do at least three full sharpenings (burrless method so this is why it requires more as minimal steel is lost in each) on new knives before apex stabilisation, occasionally two is enough. BRKT is well known for overheating during production and I first experienced this phenomena on their blades in A2 and later in CPM 154. 7 sharpenings, however, is a record as far as I’m aware. My Spyderco S110V took three, I have one of their S90V blades and it’s on its second sharpening and it’s still not quite stable. I have Maxamet in the mail so I’m interested to see how many is required with it.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Wolf Hedegaard S90V from Spyderco is usually perfect with one sharpening for me.

[@robbabcock_]

BTW, are you planning to get a Para 3 in Maxamet? I'm thinking of getting one (right now I'm running a Native5 in Maxamet).

[@michaelchristy4982]

Rob Babcock I might. I would like to. If they’re on the market long enough, I’ll definitely pick one up.

[@jmarsh667]

Also I would assume spyderco is using diamond belts or at the very least silicon carbide/ceramic! In my experience pretty much everything else barely touches maxamet! It's just so damn hard and wear resistant. You make great videos so please don't take what I'm saying in a bad way. I do believe you are very knowledgeable and enjoy watching your videos. You do things just like I do and don't really take anyone's word for much more than a grain of salt and test it out yourself to know for sure. I just thought I'd bring up the point although I still suppose to some degree there can still be an issue with the factory edge. HSS or not.

[@michaelchristy4982]

jmarsh667 I don’t mind the discussion. I can’t say for sure that the edge was overheated, so this is really just a hypothesis (I think to know for sure I’d need some kind of microscope and some other tools.). But that’s why I say, “I believe the issue is that the edge was overheated.”, and “with knives that more then likely had overheated edges...”. I’m not sure what kind of belts Spyderco is using, but I know Maxamet can be finicky when it comes to stones. Maybe the issue is the belts, but not heat... although, if it was that, you would think that one sharpening would take care of it.

[@jmarsh667]

Michael Christy That is a very good point. I wish I had some other stuff like that too for more testing as well. I suppose it very well could be the belts. I tried using Norton norax belts and they do pretty much nothing but strop it lol, although a 120 aluminum oxide did do a little and gave a good edge that lasted it just took a while to do. I also tried al/oxide stones and diamond/ceramic stones. Next up is ceramic belt/silicon carbide belt and stone and diamond belt. Stropping with normal compound doesn't do much if anything. Something I noticed with maxamet is that it takes a very good finish, even at low grits presumably because nothing really does much to it compared to most steels.

[@jakewolf079]

This is off topic but I would love to hear what you think, I am trying to get into high vanadium super steels such as K390 and S110V and I am currently figuring out a good way to sharpen them effectively and consistantly from low to high grit, I've watched your previous videos and how you sharpen them on diamond plates and diamond waterstones but you never used or mentioned anything like the Shapton glass stones, I am sure you are aware of these stones being out on the market and people saying many good things about them, do you think these stones are a good solution to sharpening high vanadium carbide super steels? Do you think the glass stones can cut the vanadium carbides effectively like the diamonds did? Have you ever tried or plan to try sharpening super steels on the glass stones? Thanks for reading and sorry for my poor English, I am from Taiwan.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Beast of the Far East I’ve tried using Shaptons on high vanadium steels before and discussed why I choose not to. Shaptons and similar stones are alumina based. Alumina is not hard enough to cut vanadium carbide. Consequently, they don’t do as good on high vanadium steels as diamond stones do. You can sharpen high vanadium steels on alumina water stones, but the final edge lacks sharpness.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Beast of the Far East watch my review of the Slysz Bowie and the video on carbide tear out in sharpening. I believe I address the subject in both videos. I think I go into more depth in the videos then I can in a comment.

[@jakewolf079]

I see, thanks for the reply.

[@jl9752]

Hey Michael, may I ask, what do you use to clean off the metal from the Spyderco ultrafine? Would appreciate any guidance, thank you!

[@lindboknifeandtool]

Pencil eraser

[@theboldshadow]

Any particular reason why the Manix 2 did not interest you?

[@PaulK390S90V]

I just looked it up and the venev 1200 is actually 1 micron grit and 800 is 2.5 m. Pretty cool, I need these. I can't imagine they do the same as a 14000 grit water stone or even in the same ballpark but it must refine way better than say the kme gold series 1500 diamond stone. Gonna get some for my kme and those 1x6"

[@michaelchristy4982]

Paul Lonardo the difference between these and a 14K water stone is that Venev will work on high vanadium steels.

[@PaulK390S90V]

Michael Christy Very cool. I will Definetly be getting these since I find my my s110v knives and zdp189(that must have a good amount of vanadium too) seem to not get quit as sharp as all the other steels in knives I own. Coming off my kme with the diamonds up to 1500 then chosera stones up to 10k and strops just seem to not have that super fine edge in all my other steels. So I go to the spyderco uf after and it seems to help but its like they are so close but not there yet. Still shaving sharp np but not that hair whittle sharp. I got my zdp delica to whittle hair after the .05 and .025 strop but my native 5 still need's something else. I think I will do it free hand from scratch, that always seems to get things sharper than my kme can for some reason. But the venev stones are on my list to buy! Thanks man

[@michaelchristy4982]

Paul Lonardo the Venev stones are very good. Actually, ZDP doesn’t have any vanadium (or very little). It’s probably just being stubborn for you.

[@PaulK390S90V]

Michael Christy Oh interesting. Ya I think your right because I have a stretch 2 in zdp that came out great. But I'm getting more into free hand basically because of you so I'm hoping I can get it mint. Practice makes perfect

[@MrSATism]

I don't feel like this video provides a solution to overheated edges (other than sharpening them more). But this is more due to none of us not being able to change the RHC on an already existing knife, but that's fine. I wonder what Spyderco would say/do if you told them about the overheated edge. I am a little confused on how giving a mirror polish on a knife edge can overheat it. But I do want to know your opinion on: A. the possibility of overheating a knife blade due to excessive use (I saw this on some of Cedric & Ada's steel tests), and B. How the permanent the possible overheating is.

[@michaelchristy4982]

Shaked Tollman a mirror polish causes over heating if it’s being done on a belt, because finer belts produce more heat. Excessive use shouldn’t cause enough heat to make any difference. I’ve made blades become warm from use, but not hot enough to matter. The over heating is permanent, for all intents and purposes. Sharpening off the overheated steel is the best option.

[@D00MTR33]

Not mirror edge on a knife, the mirror flat is what can cause overheating since you're polishing the whole side of the blade. It's easier to build up heat with finer grit belts than coarse ones.

[@PaulK390S90V]

Its crazy to think you can overheat an edge just by using it or sharpening it by hand. I always would have thought only a grinding wheel would do that. Do you think any steel is more prone to it than others?

[@CommunismiEstCacas]

Every blade that came from factory has the same problem, they have a burned edge by belts overheating it. So a break in sharpening is necessary I would say that 5 full sharpening sections is the magic number.

[@dfailsthemost]

Any tips for maintaining the blade shape over multiple sharpening? I sharpen obsessively but I'm limited to cheaper, soft steel. I'm finding that i sometimes flatten out the belly of my blades.

[@michaelchristy4982]

dfailsthemost when you sharpen, you want to remove as little steel as possible while still fully sharpening the blade. Be mindful to treat any belly portions of the blade as a belly, and not as a straight edge.

[@dfailsthemost]

Michael Christy thank you for the reply. I think I might try work the blade in sections rather than full edge strokes.

[@johnbowen5336]

I would like to see manufacturers use either a wet belt system or Tormeks. Before anyone screeches "But Concave Edge!!!!111!!!Eleventy", bear in mind that the concavity produced by a 10 inch wheel is so shallow as to be a non issue.

[@michaelchristy4982]

John Bowen wet belts might be nice.

[@SuperSteelSteve]

Great video bro... I find this an interesting topic. Im a professional chef, and have been for the last 15 years. I am a sharpener, and like yourself love testing and using new steels. I love to sharpen... Period. while ive always carried a folder i didn't get "into" folders until the last year or so. The reason i got into folders is because of the steels lol There is a tremendous amount of steels to play with compared to kitchen knives. In the Japanese kitchen knife world its common knowledge that you need multiple sharpenings on a knife before you can get to the " "good" steel. Unless your buying a high end custom, where the smith is going to hand sharpen your knifes, they cut the initial bevels and do all the sharpening on belts. They are done quickly and efficiently. The steel at the edge is fatigued because of the process. In the "folding knife world" i feel like its less known. Also, i dont think alot of people realize how little steel is actually removed during a stone sharpening. If the edge was "burned" even 0.5mm it would take multiple sharpenings( depending on sharpening style) to get that fatigued steel off.

[@michaelchristy4982]

SuperSteel Steve it’s interesting that it’s more widely accepted in the kitchen knife world.

[@SuperSteelSteve]

Michael Christy. It really surprised me. I was having a conversation with a guy who was saying the s30v on his pm2 was crap... "Its chippy and got dull in the first week" While there's a whole lot about that statement that i tore into (lol) i looked at the edge and could tell it was the factory... I sharpened it gave it back. He says it went dull quick again. I took it, sharpened it gave it back again..... He tells me a week later "what did you do to the edge? Its still shaving sharp" I explained to him that you just got to sharpen the knife a few times. He proceeded to tell me thats "bs" and he shouldn't have to.. That it should be good to go out the box This gentleman was an avid collector and user. It was then that i realised maybe its because more "kitchen knife guys" are sharpeners because it's more necessary. And they are aware because of this...Where as buying and using folders doesn't require being a skilled sharpener to "get by" i.e. the by a sharpmaker.

[@crf450rbulletdavid9]

I heard from someone that the belt impacting the edge could be most of the problem. Makes sense to me. Overheating would do the same but wouldn’t you see a color in the steel or am I wrong in thinking that?

[@michaelchristy4982]

crf450r bullet david over heating could easily be from the belts, and no, you might not see a color change.

[@jesseg.2416]

Snody always said to turn your belt down slow to get icy. Low and slow, like a pot roast

[@peterpolansky1771]

Why do you use wood for stripping and not leather is it for performance of sharpening or a budget factor? Just wondering

[@michaelchristy4982]

It’s wood with compound on it. It’s just an alternative to leather (provided you use the right wood).

[@draganpastrovic2157]

Just wondering if you were to over heat the edge does the temperature need to go above the temp it was forged at?

[@gooe9561]

The temperatures that will affect edge properties are quite low. It's going to be different depending on the particular steel in question. Tempering temperatures are generally around 400 degrees, give or take. It doesn't take much friction from a high speed abrasive such as a belt to reach that temperature at the cutting edge of a knife.

[@SteveKluver]

Thanks Michael. Has Spyderco ever said, just exactly why the knives were pulled? That, would have entered my mind. If going through this issue, you were first seeing. We know that some steel(s) are more susceptible to overheating of the edge. With some, tempering can happen at relatively low temperatures (300F). A surprisingly low temperature. While other steel, is much less affected (higher heat threshold). Taking Maxamet for example. Tempering with it, starts at around 1000F. I never did keep track and chart this information, as I ran across it, over time. Do you know of any charts available, that show us these tempering numbers, at a glance? It is a bit of a head scratcher, for me. To imagine someone overheating the edge on Maxamet. A dull belt could do it of course. But we are talking about experienced shops here. Not to mention. That some color surely has to be showing up, when "burning" the edge on a new Maxamet blade. I just wonder, what I might be missing? Or, why they wouldn't stop in their tracks, at the first sign of 1000 degree color? I'd like to know. But, I have no Maxamet yet, and don't know, at what temperature is does start to color?

[@jmarsh667]

While this is true for s30v, s90v, s110v, m390, and elmax and the like. I don't believe it is easy (or even possible) to burn the temper for Steel's like m4 and maxamet, hap40, and other high speed Steel's. When certain elements are combined you get a high speed steel. What that means is that they can take extreme heat while still holding their temper/hardness if I recall correctly maxamet can hold 68hrc even when red hot at 1700°F so can m4 although not as hard but it will hold whatever it was hardened to! That is the reason they use these steels for drills, because drills and cutters get extremely hot and need to retain their hardness @ those temps. Hence the reason for the name high speed high heat drilling/cutting.

[@michaelchristy4982]

jmarsh667 while I understand your argument (I had the same one in my head), it does seem to be the answer. And maybe you’re comparing apples to oranges... it’s possible that even with heat applied, steels like Maxamet and M4 do fine in industry, but maybe the sharpness needed in industry is closer to a working edge. The decline I saw was to the point that the knife would no longer shave hair, but still had a functional working edge. And keep in mind, the steel would still form an apex and was not chipping, which is typical of a steel like S30V or Elmax if the edge is burnt. In the case of this PM2 in Maxamet, I’m not saying the temper was blown. I’m saying the steel on the edge was effected by something to the point that the performance declined drastically, and I believe it was heat from the sharpening and/or grinding process.

[@jmarsh667]

Yeah it is possible I suppose knives are very different because the edges we use are so fine. I was just pointing that out although the hrc hardly moves even at extremely high temps. Like you said though it could have affected it some other way that we do not know about and couldn't until tests are carried out in a metallurgy lab.

[@Cujobob]

jmarsh667 if I were to guess, the difference is that when you’re sharpening, the amount of metal exposed and dissipating the heat is very small whereas in a bit, the entire piece probably better spreads the heat out (think of it is a larger heat sink).

[@chrisholbrook661]

I have a gayle bradley 1 thats been acting funny as well. Ive been having to touch it up every 2 days or so after work at night. Ive even distressed it then re apex it i only go up to a dmt fine but its losing bite very quickly this mite be whats goin on

[@michaelchristy4982]

chris holbrook try another full sharpening and see if it works.

[@chrisholbrook661]

Michael Christy yeah im goin to have to ive distressed an fully sharpened it about five times so far... ill let you know how it works definently frustrating knowing m4 should have way better performance then what my example is exhibiting

[@michaelchristy4982]

chris holbrook are you using diamond?

[@matusknives]

I can well imagine overheating simple steels that are tempered at around 200 degrees Celsius, but these modern high speed steels are tempered at around 500 degrees Celsius. Plus I am yet to see a polished edge on a production knives, so overheating the edge should be much easier to avoid. Roman Kase of kknives_switzerland (IG) did some precise microscopic measurements of hardness as w function of a distance from the cutting edge that was sharpened on a belt (he observed the maker to do the sharpening - there were no signs of the edge being overheated) and yet the edge was overheated (there was no water spray being used, just dipping the blade in water). So yes - it is easy to overheat when sharpening with a powered system without active cooling.

[@j3o300]

Hey Bro, I have a question. Can I use the Spyderco ultrafine ceramic to maintain maxamet?

[@michaelchristy4982]

j3o300 you mean use an UF and nothing else?

[@j3o300]

Yeah just to touch up. I'm planning to buy one as my work knife. Nothing crazy cutting, just tapes and thin cardboards. I do have some cheapo arkansas stones that I use for my other knives.

[@michaelchristy4982]

j3o300 I wouldn’t suggest it. Just doing touch ups over and over will lower edge retention and eventually lead to a weakened edge.

[@j3o300]

Thank you! I appreciate it. Guess i'll stay away from maxamet hehe

[@michaelchristy4982]

j3o300 just doing touch ups on any steel will lead to problems. It might happen more quickly with Maxamet, but it’s a bad idea with anything over a long enough timeline.

[@stevenlachance8576]

Long time since this vid originated, since the internet lives forever got a comment. Outpost76 has shown that virtually every factory edge performs poorly compared to the second and then third edge. If it’s not burned edge then what is it? A stressed edge of some type? I got nothing.

[@convex7456]

🦄

[@ChefS.Keller]

Mike Emler crazy sharp KZbin channel was bitching about how flawed maxamet is cause he couldn't sharpen it. Is it incompetence or actually a flawed steel?

[@andrewthompson2536]

What is your instagram?

[@michaelchristy4982]

Andrew Thompson michaelchristy13

[@hidude2124]

What’s your instagram

[@michaelchristy4982]

Hi Dude michaelchristy13

[@jamesmin2837]

FIRSSSSSST!!!

[@packleaderbosplb1632]

Cliff Stamp fan boy?? LOL Same video format. Copy cat

[@michaelchristy4982]

Packleaderbos plb what video format is that, specifically?