Can't Get The Knife To Work!

[pete]

I have been tooling since the late 70's. Quit for awhile but got back into it in the past 10 or so years. I have the original ceramic blade that I started with and have always loved it. I can cut 2 oz-10 oz with it,

and even NOT CASED , dry as a bone leather cuts smoothly with it. I have upgraded the barrel and love it.

Question is- I thought that there might be another blade that I could use as a back-up, so I bought a Henly and a leatherwrangler-both 1/4" angled like my ceramic.

For some reason, these high end quality blades seem to drag! I strop the heck out of them and they still seem to drag! Albeit slightly, but they do have some resistance.

Maybe I got a great old ceramic 40 years ago and it has gotten so smooth that it cuts like butter- or I don't know what a steel blade should feel like!

ANY comments from those of you who prefer the ceramic? I only use the steel for decorative cuts as they have a narrower blade.

ANYONE<ANYONE?

pete

[mlapaglia]

I have been tooling since the late 70's. Quit for awhile but got back into it in the past 10 or so years. I have the original ceramic blade that I started with and have always loved it. I can cut 2 oz-10 oz with it,

and even NOT CASED , dry as a bone leather cuts smoothly with it. I have upgraded the barrel and love it.

Question is- I thought that there might be another blade that I could use as a back-up, so I bought a Henly and a leatherwrangler-both 1/4" angled like my ceramic.

For some reason, these high end quality blades seem to drag! I strop the heck out of them and they still seem to drag! Albeit slightly, but they do have some resistance.

Maybe I got a great old ceramic 40 years ago and it has gotten so smooth that it cuts like butter- or I don't know what a steel blade should feel like!

ANY comments from those of you who prefer the ceramic? I only use the steel for decorative cuts as they have a narrower blade.

ANYONE<ANYONE?

pete

Pete,

I have a year old ceramic and 2 1 year old steel blades. The ceramic blade is much smoother than the steel ones. No matter what I do the steel seems like it drags. I think you are so used to the ceramic that the steel will feel like its dragging no matter what you do. Once I got the ceramic the steels were set aside for use only when I need them and then I feel like I cant strop them enough.

I think its the nature of the ceramic blade to to drag less. I don't think anything is wrong with your steel. Its the nature of the beast.

Michael

[King's X]

Dude.....I kinda have the opposite issue. I use my SK-3 blades all of the time. My cobalt blade and my Barry King blades are sharper than my ceramics and other misc blades. I cannot tell you what it is. I will offer you an opportunity to ship them to me and I can work on them to see if I can get them a bit better for you? No problem. I do not like to see or hear about blade frustrations.

Just drop me a line!

[Eddie Collins]

I have been tooling since the late 70's. Quit for awhile but got back into it in the past 10 or so years. I have the original ceramic blade that I started with and have always loved it. I can cut 2 oz-10 oz with it,

and even NOT CASED , dry as a bone leather cuts smoothly with it. I have upgraded the barrel and love it.

Question is- I thought that there might be another blade that I could use as a back-up, so I bought a Henly and a leatherwrangler-both 1/4" angled like my ceramic.

For some reason, these high end quality blades seem to drag! I strop the heck out of them and they still seem to drag! Albeit slightly, but they do have some resistance.

Maybe I got a great old ceramic 40 years ago and it has gotten so smooth that it cuts like butter- or I don't know what a steel blade should feel like!

ANY comments from those of you who prefer the ceramic? I only use the steel for decorative cuts as they have a narrower blade.

ANYONE<ANYONE?

pete

I never have used a Ceramic blade. I use steel blades. I have old Tandy blades, Hackbarth, Barry King, and Chuck Smith blades. They used to drag alot. But since, I've been using the Micro-Green Rouge from some Woodcrafters or Woodcarvers web site, I have not had any drag. I use this green stuff for stropping. I hardly need to sharpen my steel blades as often anymore. I just get a business card with some green rouge and strop. I bend the business card in half and use it on my edgers, I also use this on my utility knife also. Maybe your Ceramic blade needs to be sharpened with a DMT diamond stone. Then use the green rouge on a polishing buffing wheel. I use a Dremel Tool with a small polishing wheel a slow speed. It works for me. Make sure you use Safety Glasses when using the Dremel Tool.