# Dexter 48910 old dirty carbon knife



## gic (Mar 25, 2015)

I've been buying a lot of old dirty carbon and refurbishing them but this one drove me nuts and I hope I can tap into any wisdom people who have a lot more experience with these kinds of knives than I have. 

My problem is I can't (yet) get it really really sharp. With a fair amount of work, I've gotten it to what I now feel is the "big meh" stage and before I got the sharpening bug, I suppose I would have considered this edge acceptable but when I compare it to the edge forgies take or some of the other old dirty carbons I have bought take with a lot less amount of work, this one is definitely behaving weirdly. 

I raised burrs on the low grit stones and used the magic marker trick for all the grits so I am pretty sure I am hitting the edge correctly on the stones. Is the steel in these knifes just going to need a lot more time on the stones than forgies or some other old dirty carbon. Does anyone know what steel these are made of? It sure doesn't feel on the stones like a forgie or like some knives I have made out of 1095.

Interesting knife geometry thought, quite thick at the heel but tapers nicely to a very thin edge, pretty heavy for an old carbon steel knife as well. Good fit and finish and feels nicely balanced in my hand..

TIA


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## sachem allison (Mar 26, 2015)

these are softer steels and are designed to be sharpened with coarser lower grit stones. They are not meant for super refined edges. These were designed to be sharpened by anybody in the kitchen. a few quick and dirty passes on the stones and steel. They can take wicked edges but, they don't hold them very long. You will get it sharp but it will never stay as long as some of the older forgies.


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## gic (Mar 26, 2015)

That makes sense, I'm probably over refining the edge, I'll stop at a much lower grit after my next thinning session!


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## Benuser (Mar 27, 2015)

In addition only to Son's post: in some cases you deal with an oversteeled blade. A lot of fatigued steel has to got removed before it takes any edge. Dishwasher abuse may make things even worse. If that's the case, it's a good occasion to reconsider the profile and correct it. So the entire edge will get lost, but at least you have fresh steel for a new one. A lot of thinning will be needed, I guess.


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