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For those who are getting knives made with CPM M4 on this current run from me:

Please give some feed back on how the blade/edge performs, how you use the knife,
how you do a resharpen and how long the edge lasts, etc.........

This steel has 5.5% tungsten so that should have some effect on the performance.
These are heat treated to 63/64 Rc.
I have only gone up to 61 Rc before with CPM 154 and 59 Rc with all other steels previously.

Will be interesting to see how it works out for the users.

thanks
Tim


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I cut up a trashcan full of cardboard into small pieces just to see what happened. It did get a little dull, but it took an ungodly amount of cutting to do it. I decided to move the edge to 20 degrees. That is not easy even with a 12x2.5 inch diamond stone. It is most assuredly hard and very tough. From what little I have done with it the steel looks like it will handle 20 degrees without blinking.

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Originally Posted by MILES58
I cut up a trashcan full of cardboard into small pieces just to see what happened. It did get a little dull, but it took an ungodly amount of cutting to do it. I decided to move the edge to 20 degrees. That is not easy even with a 12x2.5 inch diamond stone. It is most assuredly hard and very tough. From what little I have done with it the steel looks like it will handle 20 degrees without blinking.


Are you saying the "trashcan full of cardboard" was with the edge as received? If so, what was it before you re-profiled to the 20*?


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24 degrees according to Tim. What I cut up was my recycling bin which is 55 gallon size that was full of cardboard. I just emptied it out on the garage apron and started slicing as it went back into the bin. Prior to starting I had touched up the blade to be shaving sharp full length. When I got done, it would still cut hair, but not as well and not full length. It was still sharper than the knives the people I hunt with bring to deer camp (with one exception), and it would still work as well as when I started cutting cardboard for gutting, skinning and quartering deer.

In order to produce twice as much bevel as it came with on that diamond it took about 4 times the time and effort than my VG-10 blades. I actually spent less time and effort setting back the edge on a 6 1/2 inch VG-10 that I bought with a chip in the middle of it.

From my short experience with this steel I think it is an excellent candidate for those whose sharpening skills are "challenged". Take the knife to a professional to resharpem every couple of years and don't bother learning how to sharpen a knife. It also looks to be a great candidate for those commercial kitchens which regularly take a box full of knives to a sharpener. I would bet from what I have seen the edge will last at least twice as long as VG-10 which itself will outlast most kitchen blades by at least that much. It is for sure hard and it is for sure tough. For me to get a good handle on how much deer cutting and skinning this steel will do compared to VG-10 is going to take a couple-three years since what I found with my VG-10 hunting knife that I used exclusively it took nine deer before I felt like putting it back on a stone.

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In sharpening the three 5" Skinners for Mannlicher, hunter13 and geedubya I have re set my Edge Pro to 21 degrees.
The blades are quite wide and started at about .110" thick blanks. So, I dropped down from the 24 degrees I normally do for
hunting knives down to 21 and am happy with the results.

The sharpened edge on this steel at 63/64 Rc does not feel the same to me as the other steels I have been using, but it does
push cut paper and shave hair with no problem. Still wondering if the 5.5% tungsten has something to do with this.

So, when you get them, use them and resharpen them, let us know what your doing and getting for results.

To sharpen I break the cutting edge with 120 grit belt on 1x42" grinder.
I then go to the Edge Pro.
I start there with 120 grit, then 220, then 600 and then to the leather strop.

Cut on.
Tim


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Tim, what brand of stones do you use on the Edge Pro?

Thanks

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I buy them from Edge Pro.
It is more important to me to have good and repeatable quality than to find cheap replacements.
I keep them clean using a mild soap in water and a toothbrush.
I keep them wet in use with the same soap and water.

I will occasionally re flatten them on a 4x36 belt sander to take out the dishing.
Tim


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I am changing from the 24 degree setting on my Edge Pro for hunting and field knives to 21 degrees as a norm.

I will have all of this batch of CPM M4 knives all shipped by next week so.....Time to go fishing.


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Tim, I have yet to sharpen the M4 skinner that I got from you last time. So far, just stropping is all it has needed. Two smallish deer last fall and some kitchen use.


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That one was sharpened on my Edge Pro set at 24 degrees.
The 5" skinner you get will be thinner and wider blade and done at 21 degrees.

Yeah, I have been pleasantly surprised at how well and often you can freshen
an edge with a good leather strop.

Last edited by michiganroadkill; 05/30/19.

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They should all be cutting something by now.
Received some nice pms.
Reports shared on this thread are welcome and appreciated.

I have now put the CPMM4 knives for me personally together. Not totally finished or sharpened yet.
Now I suppose I will have to make room by liquidating some existing knives on the "waiting to be used" shelf.

Thanks All
Tim


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I have started using mine like any old pocket knife and if something needs cutting I cut it with the M4 and on't even think about what I am cutting it on. So far it stands up to everything without needing sharpening, or even touch up. It's good enough that I have begun considering the next M4 blade.

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I got two from Tim, a Loveless style and a B & T. I really like both knives. I gave the smaller away as a gift but have been using the other. I've skinned 3 calves and done a bunch of odd chores with it, also ran it through the dirt a bunch the other day cutting some morels I found. I like the steel so far but I will know much more after another 3-4 months. I stropped it a few times and it's still shaving sharp. So far so good.

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Got my large skinner today. I found the grinds perfect, the knife very sharp, and the camel bone scales just perfect. I carved some dried oak I keep on hand, and it's like a scalpel. I love it. Doug did his usual fine job on the sheath. I get them without a belt loop, as I carry my dead animal processing knives in my pack.
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Originally Posted by michiganroadkill
I buy them from Edge Pro.
It is more important to me to have good and repeatable quality than to find cheap replacements.
I keep them clean using a mild soap in water and a toothbrush.
I keep them wet in use with the same soap and water.

I will occasionally re flatten them on a 4x36 belt sander to take out the dishing.
Tim


Congress Tool Moldmaster stones far surpass the Edge Pro supplied stones and cost less as a bonus. Atoma diamond plates are cut to fit the Edge Pro by chefknivestogo and are the best for cutting the more challenging steels like S110V or 10V, but they are expensive. The Atoma 140 is the most amazing and useful stone I have tried. It will produce a hair popping edge. The moldmaster 80 grit is soft but low cost, just a few dollars. So I buy a stack and replace them when they are dished. For a man making knives out of M4, the Atomas are worth the cost.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sear...x=0&y=0&vwcatalog=chefknivestogo


https://www.congresstools.com/catalog/categories/get-subcategory/?id=27



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I have just started fooling around with my blade blank. I used 220 grit on a belt and then diamond stones to get a bevel at 20% and then India stones to 6000 grit. Then I back dragged it on some 2000 grit wet or dry to get a convex edge and stropped again. Scary sharp and it reminds me of the old Gerber M2 blades at 62 RC but improved. How much of an improvement will take some time to tell. Very impressed and now want a caper, trout and bird or a gentleman's model to go with the Loveless Semi Skinner.

I think the key is to get a polished edge and then do the sand paper thing to provide more of a toothy edge. I think if I strop regularly I will only need to hit the edge after multiple heads of game.

Thank you sir for a very fine blade.


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Originally Posted by Tejano
I have just started fooling around with my blade blank. I used 220 grit on a belt and then diamond stones to get a bevel at 20% and then India stones to 6000 grit. Then I back dragged it on some 2000 grit wet or dry to get a convex edge and stropped again. Scary sharp and it reminds me of the old Gerber M2 blades at 62 RC but improved. How much of an improvement will take some time to tell. Very impressed and now want a caper, trout and bird or a gentleman's model to go with the Loveless Semi Skinner.

I think the key is to get a polished edge and then do the sand paper thing to provide more of a toothy edge. I think if I strop regularly I will only need to hit the edge after multiple heads of game.

Thank you sir for a very fine blade.


I have a Benchmade M2 blade in the old AFCK folder. I have a custom M4 knife from Brett Dowell at 64.5 Rc. The factory Benchmade isn't remotely close to the Dowell M4. Not even in the same ballpark.


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Atoma "Edge Pro" stones at $65 each.
Do they cut that much better and last 10-15 times longer??????

I personally have not found the love for diamond impregnated stones, but.........


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MRK,
the Atomas cut noticeably better on the most challenging to sharpen steels such as 10V, S110V, or M390.
The Congress Tool Moldmaster stones cut far better than the stones supplied by Edge Pro.
The very coarsest stones of most any brand tend to wear fast.
chefknivestogo has a house brand similar to Atoma that is lower price and works well, so that is another option.
Different stones work best for different steels.
I use the Moldmaster stones as the default, and the Atomas for the harder to sharpen knives.

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Great thread, appreciate everyone's input. Tim makes quality knives.

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