Help !!! ATS 34 putting a whipping on me :- (

I recently got a custom straight in ATS 34 from a well respected maker. It wasn't arm hair popping sharp when I got it but giving him the benefit of the doubt I shaved with it anyhow. Not a good shave. I took it to the hones and went to work on it. I don't know what the Rockwell is but this thing is beating me up. I have honed on it for hours and test shaved three times with very little improvement.

I have used Nortons, Shaptons, Coticules, Eschers ........ set the bevel and re-set it with a D8E and a Shapton 1K. It is eating me up. I would send it to Lynn but I don't want to admit defeat. A few days ago I took a TI that I got from ebay and honed it up. It was about as sharp as a butter knife and took a lot of time.

The ATS 34 had me wondering if I really knew what I was doing but after hours of setting a proper bevel on the TI and some aggressive pyramids on my narrow Nortons I got it doing HHT all along the blade. Finished it on a yellow/green Escher and got a great bbs shave. No pastes or chrom ox neccessary. So I restored my confidence in my ability but if anyone has any tips on getting this ATS 34 sharp I would appreciate it.

Well i'm not sure I can help you or not Jimmy. I received my custom and the shave was below my expectations so I went to the Shaptons and brought it to be my best shaver. It also lasts the longest between touchups. I guess because the steel is so hard. I say don't give up. It took me about three trips back to the hones with progression from 1K to 30K plus about 50 strokes on the CrO to bring it up to speed.

bj

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 2Sharp

Well i'm not sure I can help you or not Jimmy. I received my custom and the shave was below my expectations so I went to the Shaptons and brought it to be my best shaver. It also lasts the longest between touchups. I guess because the steel is so hard. I say don't give up. It took me about three trips back to the hones with progression from 1K to 30K plus about 50 strokes on the CrO to bring it up to speed.

bj

---

Thanks for the info and for the encouragement bj. I will be back on it after awhile. I'm going to come back with my shield or on it so to speak. :) I'll try it with the Shaptons again.

I find the ATS 34 like most Stainless razors needs more polishing strokes. I usually add a few extra strokes on the 8K, 16K or Escher or Nakayama and then finish with chromium oxide. If it's really close, I might even go to a 1.8 micron boron oxide, followed by the chromium oxide. 15 or so strokes on each.

Have fun,

Lynn

I have an ATS34 pocket knife and it's a bear to get sharp but the edge really lasts.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kelbro

I have an ATS34 pocket knife and it's a bear to get sharp but the edge really lasts.

---

I know that one of the features of some if not all stainless is abrasion resistance. Maybe ATS 34 is one of them ? I worked on it some more the other night and test shaved. It was better but not up to my expectations yet. I may take it to my friends D8EE and hit it some licks on that and then move up in grit on stones. I like a challenge.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I'm going to come back with my shield or on it so to speak. :) I'll try it with the Shaptons again.

---

Go get 'em Jimmy! Man that stainless is tough!

You could try setting a bevel, polish it up as smooth as you can, then do one of two things:

Go back through the stones that you consider polishing or finishing stones and do a progression that increases the strokes as you move up the grit levels (because it'll get harder and harder to make progress as the grit gets finer). For me this would be a Coticule and an Escher or Nakayama w/slurry, then without. This will show whether you just needed to refine the bevel a little more or whether your issue is setting the bevel.

Or add a layer of tape and hit one of those nice Eschers of yours for as long as you feel necessary to make a difference, followed by the finest stone/paste that you've got.

If neither of those work, you either have an improper bevel or the steel's microstructure is too coarse to support an edge as fine as you desire.

Thanks for the input Russel. I have set the bevel on this twice and I have honed it with various combinations of hones. When I got home from work tonight I gave it some laps on a borrowed D8EE diamond plate and followed that with the 15K and 30K Shapton pro stones. In the morning I will strop with one of Lynn's felt strops sprayed with diamond paste and test shave before I go to work.

I usually try to avoid pastes and get what I need on the hones but I have made an exception with this one since I am having such a tough time with it. I have shaved with it three times and it gets better and better but it isn't up to the level where I would like it to be. I have a 30X scope and I have checked the bevel as I went. No micro chipping and the bevel is correct. I didn't really need to set it after the first time but I went through the motions anyway out of frustration. I'll get it eventually if I haven't already.

Obviously I need a Nakayama. :D

Got a great shave with the ATS 34 this morning. What got me over the hump was the new Lynn Abrams felt strop with the diamond paste spray. The shave was smooth as silk. It was like a different razor. I am a believer in pastes now. Here is a pic of the razor albeit a poor one in the SOTD thread. Thanks to all who gave me some advice. :tu

I have some knives made out of ATS 34. I think it's a bad steel for a razor, because while it can get very sharp, it forms micro-serrations and chips at the microscopic level. I don't think the shaves will be as smooth as other metals. Well, paste on strop may prevent the micro-chipping for the time being, but over time they will come back. I want a razor made out of a finer grain stainless steel like CPM S30V.