Thread: Plane sharpening: HSS steel and Naniwa SS not working

Isn't that produced by Yosuke?
The Japanese like their steels a bit on the harder side of HRC.

Thanks Jimmy and Neil.
I have now futher educated myself with this:
Tool steel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HHS are T and M grades of tool steel that are designed to maintain their properties at high temps.

Well, most people here sharpen their razors not planes and the goal is to not raise burr at all throughout the sharpening process.
That's why I'm not able to provide any help, I just don't use that technique.

And I'm going to change your thread title to reflect you're talking about planes, not razors. Just so that it doesn't confuse the next newbie looking to sharpen his razor.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Isn't that produced by Yosuke?
The Japanese like their steels a bit on the harder side of HRC.

Good question. The wikipedia article defined it according to U.S. standards. Maybe the Japan guys call it something else.

Originally Posted by SharpMan

I sharpen my plane blades with a 800,3000 and 8000
Naniwa Sstones.

Recently I bought some HSS plane blades. I have a lot
of difficulty getting these blades sharp with my stones.

I can get a wire edge with the 800 stone, but not with the
3000 stone. Maybe I need to sharpen longer on this stone,but
it's just too time consuming.

I think my Naniwa stones are just too soft. The chosera stones
are much harder I read and suited for tough steels. Unfortunately
they are really expensive as well.

I read the Sigma power 1000 and Bester 1200 are good and affordable
stones for HSS steel. Also Shapton glass is very good(unfortunately very
thin as well).

Maybe the 8000 stone is ok, but the 3000 SS is just not a good intermediate
stone for HSS steel?

Anybody know some affordable stones that will help me sharpen
HSS steel?

Perhaps I will be selling my SS stones. I like them very much for
01 and A2 steel,but not for HSS steel.

Thank you in advance.

That's just how tuff hss is. The only sure bet is diamond. On his website SO says sigmas are good for any steel; but I dont think he was considering hss.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

HSS - High Speed Steel. It is a high carbon steel, but unlike other high carbon steels it can be heated to a dull red without losing its temper (hence the HS application where other high cabon steels would not be appropriate) and it has greater abrasion resistance, too.

Regards,
Neil

I didn't know about the greater abrasion resistance but it makes sense considering the applications. Also would make it more difficult to hone to a sharp edge.

Hi,
I'm new to this straight razor business but have a bit of experience with sharping plane blades for making bamboo fly rods. I use a king 1000/6000 Japanese waterstone. Sharpen on the 1000 side then remove the burr by working the plane's back side flat on the stone. Next go to the 6000 and repeat the process.
Mike

Sharpman

From what I understand HSS is used in applications where excessive heat build up is an issue. The high tungsten and relatively low .7 percent carbon content is not condusive to exceedingly sharp blade edges. The tungsten molacules are larger and although tough do not sharpen easily and tend to retain their large profile and or to disengage from the surrounding alloys and seperate or break off. Plane blades with a carbon content of .9 to 1.25 are what cabinet makers are looking for when it comes to sharp cutting edges. Chisel may have the lower content to withstand the shocks imparted but plane blades are favored in the higher carbon numbers. Where the woods being planed contain silica or other hard minerals HSS would be an advantage. Bamboo also is a hard material to plane and to retain a long lasting edge. The compromise for a longer lasting edge is a less sharp edge. I think this is also why you are not holding a wire on your edges into the higher grits, because the tungsten is not condusive to holding together when the edge gets thin. Alx

Thank you guys for your responses.

Alx, you make a good point. I still think the Naniwa SS
is just not the right waterstone for HSS steel. I have
read about people using Shapton Glass and Chosera
stones for HSS with better results.

HSS is definitely harder steel and tougher to sharpen, but
I think with the right waterstones one should still be able to
get the edge very sharp, perhaps not as sharp as O1 and A2
steel.

My 1000 grit Naniwa SS creates a burr. The 3000 SS is just
too soft I think for the HSS. So the 8000 on which I finish is useless
for HSS because the 3000 SS is not doing its work. Perhaps a
good intermediate stone like a Chosera 3000 or 5000 might do
the trick.

Sharpman

I think the steel your using most likely has a RC of 65 or in that neighbour hood. Mora makes Ice auger blades from hss they also make knife blanks from laminated process and HCS they make a real nice knife and have made a few they are tuff to sharpen and thats a good sigh=n to a great edge retention needed for a knife. A razor on the other hand needs to flex but still carry a great edge thus a less rc of 58 is close to the norm for most of the razors Ive seen so far. I ground off a few blades to see what they grind like and they are for the most part really soft steel. I normall work with cpm154 and in my and many other knife makers opinion a superior blade material made by the old cruciable company. I will be using 1085 and L6 when I start up.Planer knives are hard to sharpen but are usually made from great steel thats why your having troubles using a soft stone.