I tried grinding on some 154 cm today.

[Kevster]

And let me tell you, that steel will wear out sandpaper in a hurry, and it doesn't even throw any sparks, so far all I can say is I don't like working with it! 1084 is much easier to grind for sure!

[WynnKnives]

Three big things when it comes to using 154, especially for beginners. A good 2x72 grinder, NEW ceramic belts, and a very controlled HT process. It can definitely wear out belts, but that's part of the price you pay for using a steel of that stature. I would say I would stay clear of using steels like 154 and the SVs until you are certain you can not only get your money out of them, but are confident you are able to produce a knife that can actually benefit from the added bonuses that the steel can possess.

[Ray Rogers]

And that's why we always suggest 1084 to the newbies. If you are trying 154 because of the soon to be Kitchen Knife KITH then my hat is off to you for your bravery and adventurous attitude. 440C would have been a bit easier to handle.

Whether or not you like it is up to you but everyone should try stainless at least once or twice. There will come a time in every knife makers career that stainless is the only thing that makes sense for some project you have to do so its good to have the experience of working with it. Since most new makers have forges instead of electric ovens it is also good to get the experience of sending their stainless blades to Texas Knifemakers for heat treatment.

Stainless is radically different from 1084 but someday you will want to move on to some other steel besides 1084. No matter what steel you choose it will require you to learn something new in order to effectively process it. A new kind of belt or sanding process, a more accurate heating process...its always something. So, don't spend all your time hating stainless, spend some of it looking for ways to solve the problems you have with it. I've used almost nothing but stainless for so long I can hardly notice any difference between stainless and carbon steel now. If you don't give up, you will work it out ...

[Kevster]

Thanks Ray, and yes I was using the blaze orange belts, I was able to grind the 154 cm but it grinds nothing like the 1084.

I'll get some ceramic belts and give those a try on it.

Thanks

[Ray Rogers]

Kev,

If you are using the Blaze belts then you are using ceramic. In fact, the Blaze belts are among the very best of the ceramic belts. But, did you give the belt the best possible chance to work for you?

Grinding annealed 154CM shouldn't be much more difficult than grinding 1084, especially if you use a fresh belt as you should be. One knife, one belt (at least). But, you need to start by first using an old belt to take the sharp corners off your freshly profiled blade - grind a 45 degree "edge" on your profile down to the center line which you scribed on the knife's edge. This 45 degree "edge" will be less than 1/4" up the blade. After that, put on a fresh belt and start grinding the primary bevel on the blade. If you don't do that 45 degree "edge" first then you're just stripping the grit right off the belt before it gets a chance to do any real work ...

[racinca]

I don't notice any real difference in grinding 154CM from grinding carbon steel blades using the orange Blaze belts. The big difference I see is in the hand sanding - it seems to take me twice as long to sand a stainless blade as it does for a carbon steel blade of the same size.

I do agree 100 percent with Ray about starting with a worn belt. If you do your initial grinding with a new belt, the sharp corner on the steel will knock a lot of the grit off the belt and then you are sanding the majority of the blade with a worn belt. If you already have the corner knocked off with a worn belt, the Blaze will grind the rest of the blade with no problem.

[Kevster]

Originally Posted by Ray Rogers

Kev,

If you are using the Blaze belts then you are using ceramic. In fact, the Blaze belts are among the very best of the ceramic belts. But, did you give the belt the best possible chance to work for you?

Grinding annealed 154CM shouldn't be much more difficult than grinding 1084, especially if you use a fresh belt as you should be. One knife, one belt (at least). But, you need to start by first using an old belt to take the sharp corners off your freshly profiled blade - grind a 45 degree "edge" on your profile down to the center line which you scribed on the knife's edge. This 45 degree "edge" will be less than 1/4" up the blade. After that, put on a fresh belt and start grinding the primary bevel on the blade. If you don't do that 45 degree "edge" first then you're just stripping the grit right off the belt before it gets a chance to do any real work ...

Thanks again Ray, I did start with a fresh 80 grit belt, I will try a used belt on the next one and then change to a new belt.

And yes hand sanding 154 is a pain! I can get a 1084 blade to 220 in 1/2 the time it takes to do the same to a 154 blade.

[Ray Rogers]

I like to start with 60 grit because they cut faster but they also leave deeper scratches for you to remove. Next time, try some 440C.

I know we tell everyone to start with 1084, we do that because all aspects of working with it are easier than any other good blade steel. When you do move on to any other steel in search of higher performance you will see that each one has its own difficulties whether they are carbon or stainless. Higher performance always comes at a cost ...