Thread: Hard stee, high grit

Originally Posted by Pithor

As far as I know, stainless steel (including Friodur) is not so much harder than carbon steel, but rather a bit 'tougher' i.e. more abrasion resistant.

Well call it what you like. I have several Friodurs and this was the only one that behaved like the TIs that are a bear to hone. The characteristics were the same. As for the actual hardness, I’ll let the metallurgists chime in.

I collect vintage TI’s and have honed many modern TI’s for AOS, some are harder, but not that hard, certainly not like some modern customs.

Be sure you are not flexing the blade with pressure. It does not take much to flex the blade, the edge comes off the stone and never get honed or does so very slowly when the bevel is widened and the edge reaches the stone. Hard steel is blamed, but not the case.

Try it for yourself. Ink the blade hone a thin razor on a high grit stone with a bit of pressure and see that the ink does not come off the very edge. Experiment to see how much pressure it takes to cause this issue.

It is a good experiment, you will learn a lot about pressure. Ink is your friend.

This ^^^ is one of the first things I learned when honing. Couldn't figure out why I could hone forever and not get my edge any better. Too much pressure!