Work Sharp: How to Sharpen MagnaCut

H. Clay Aalders
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Super Steels are great. They often hold an edge for a ridiculously long time. This performance comes with a tradeoff however. Not everyone can sharpen these new and super tough steels without specialized equipment and/or skill.

So what does Work Sharp have to say…

 

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H. Clay Aalders

H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. He spent the past 20 years as a woodworker and fishing guide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Tennessee. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives - spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. His background is in fixed-blade hunting and bushcraft knives, but has jumped into the world of vintage slipjoint collecting with both feet since coming to work at Knife Magazine. Clay’s primary role is as Digital Editor, curating and creating new content for our website and blog, as well as maintaining the Knife Magazine social media accounts (FB/IG: @theknifemag, Twitter: @knifemagazine). He is also a contributor and Associate Editor of the print magazine.

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4 Responses

  1. Just gotta pay your dues and go in knowing it’s gonna be harder to sharpen. It’s bad, but it’s on par with the many other super steels… M390?

    it’s like the first time you try to sharpen D2 – you think, “I can’t do this?” but then you persevere and eventually you start to get it – good luck

    Reply

  2. CMEAT, You got that right! “Hones and Stones” could be a jingle for a “how to sharpen” an edged tool. I have my 12-inch bench stone in a vise so it is always level and true. I always use two hands** when sharpening in a traditional “slicing an apple” manner. Sometimes, I do a “figure 8” like my Dad taught me when I cared for his “linoleum knives”. As he told me, “Doing it this way, the blade never leaves the surface of the stone.” Those HYDE hawkbills were a challenge to sharpen when I was 10-years old!

    **”Two hands” means I have one hand on the handle; and, I use my index and middle finger to guide the blade across the stone. This helps maintain a consistent edge along the blade length. Also, placing my fingers at the blade tip maintains the contact of the tip when “lifting” the blade at the end of a stroke. Somehow, this sounds sexy, don’t it?

    Re “Magnacut”, Dr. Larrin Thomas did create a tough and wear-resistant steel. After reading his “formula and process” for developing this steel, it all comes down to the steel chemistry and the heat treatment. Composition: 1.15% Carbon; 10.7% Chromium (Cr);
    4% Vanadium (V); 2% Niobium (Ni); and 2% Molybdenum with a touch of Nitrogen. His goal was to produce “V and Ni” carbides and zero “Cr” carbides. Why? “V and Ni” carbides are microscopically fine (. . . think BB’s); while “Cr” carbides are much larger and rough (. . . think boulders). Much easier to sharpen “BBs” especially in Magnacut CPM. So, what about that 10.7% Cr??? Dr. Thomas struck a fine balance between the Carbon and the Chromium so as to reduce the formation of chromium carbides; AND, to keep a high portion of the chromium “in solution” the magic of heat treatment! I do not profess to know much about “in solution”; however, the exhaustive testing of Magnacut CPM revealed that this steel is one with outstanding properties. When I see a knife with a Magnacut CPM blade, I will certainly give it my utmost consideration.

    Reply

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