Condor Knives

[Martyn2033]

Hi all,

New to the forums but have an issue that's really grating on me.....

So I have just bought a nice new Condor Indigenous Puukko knife it cost a fair pretty penny and I have to say I'm disappointed in it, the knife itself is nice and seems strong, however it came very dull and I have spent hours now trying to get a decent edge on it, I don't usually have a problem sharpening my knives but I just cant seem to get a decent edge on this one, It's a scandi style blade which from what I have researched is easy to sharpen. I have scoured many websites and videos (youtube) and I still cannot for the life of me get a good edge on it, the blade itself is 1095 HC steel and I can get a good burr on it but when I try to hone the blade it just goes dull and no amount of stropping seems to do anything.

So here's the million dollar question has anyone had any experience with this brand of knives or had any similar issues if so whats the trick to get it sharp?

Oh and I'm using wetstones to try and sharpen it 400/1000 - 3000/8000

Thanks in advance,

Martyn

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Sorry you have been having a problem with sharpening your knife, I know how frustrating that can be. In the great scheme of things, Condor make inexpensive knives that are meant to be easy to sharpen in the field using whatever happens to be to hand, to an edge that won't chip when pushed hard (abused a bit).

From what I can see, Condor may temper their smaller knives at 56-58HRC, although their own site states their carbon steel blades run 50-55HRC. Either way, if you have a blade that is around 56HRC, you may be trying to get too fine an edge at too low an angle. I have had problems with some knives, exactly as you describe, and in all cases the problem was that the steel was a bit softer than I was used to, and was more prone to having a burr draw out, and then roll over.

You say you are sharpening to 3000-8000. I would say that is part of the difficulty. I would take it to 1000 and stop, maybe not even that far, and just strop or steel the edge. The other way would be to use the finer hone to very deliberately put a micro-bevel on the edge. So small that all you would really be doing is tipping the knife to remove the burr at a steeper angle, rather than hope that it comes off clean by polishing at the same angle you were working the coarser grits.

Best of luck.

Chris

 

[Janne]

I would put on a secondary bevel, about 1mm or so wide, and increase the angle.
I agree with the grit. Stop at or before 1000.
Personally I would stop well before.


Soft steels are what people had in the old days. Has to be honed freqvently. Just a few strokes on a fine stone, then resume using it.
Trying to be fancy and using excessive sharoening will remove the blade in a fairly short time.

Do not expect to have an ultra sharp edge for more than a short time, you need to settle having a worksble sharpness only.

 

[Martyn2033]

Thanks for the response both, good information there haven't really thought about researching the actual steel my naivety getting the better of me there ha.

will definitely try going up to 1000 and stopping or as you say just before, failing this I will attempt the micro-bevel although its not something I have tried to do before.

Thanks again,

Martyn

 

[C_Claycomb]

Janne and I have a slightly different take on the micro-bevel. I don't consider 1mm all that micro...I mean, it is 1000microns In this case I would be concerned that trying to put a bevel on of that size from the start might result in the same problem you have been having. I would go with just two or three wipes of a fine stone per side, could try 3000 but 1000 should do, having lifted the main bevel off the stone. If you normally sharpen things that are not Scandi ground, that suggest you sharpen things with secondary bevels, so this should be straight forward, just less strokes than usual.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[Martyn2033]

Hi all,

Great advice on both parts, just to update I have sharpened up to 1000 on the whetstone and then stropped and its cutting paper now (it wasn't before) I think as previously mentioned I was being to over optimistic in the potential edge achievable but its holding an edge now, thanks for all the info and I will have to do some more research into sharpening it would seem, I like the style of puukko knives but this is the only one I can see online with a full tang for the added strength (not always necessary but always nice to know it's there if you need it)

Thanks again,

Martyn

 

[Janne]

C_clay is correct. I should call it a secondary bevel, not ’micro’. But to be frank, making a bevel a few Microns wide should be quite impossible to do by hand!

The potential edge sharpness on a softer steel can is just as good as on a super hard steel, it will just not last as long.

I yhink prople get to obscessed achieving a super edge. Unless you are in the shaving or book printing/binding business, you do not realistically need it.

Spend 30 minutes achieving a shaving sharp, polished edge, trim a piece of dried birch branch to a toothpick, and the edge is ‘blunt’ ( you can not shave or cut paper) but still good enough for a weeks worth of making fires, gutting fish /whatever.

Condor is made in Latin America. Machete area. From my limited experience, they like their steels dofter and easily sharpened in the field.

My gardeners use mschetes all the time, for tasks I would not use one for. They sharpen them about once or twice in an hour chopping branches .

 

[sunndog]

C_clay is correct. I should call it a secondary bevel, not ’micro’. But to be frank, making a bevel a few Microns wide should be quite impossible to do by hand!

The potential edge sharpness on a softer steel can is just as good as on a super hard steel, it will just not last as long.

I yhink prople get to obscessed achieving a super edge. Unless you are in the shaving or book printing/binding business, you do not realistically need it.

Spend 30 minutes achieving a shaving sharp, polished edge, trim a piece of dried birch branch to a toothpick, and the edge is ‘blunt’ ( you can not shave or cut paper) but still good enough for a weeks worth of making fires, gutting fish /whatever.

Condor is made in Latin America. Machete area. From my limited experience, they like their steels dofter and easily sharpened in the field.

My gardeners use mschetes all the time, for tasks I would not use one for. They sharpen them about once or twice in an hour chopping branches .

Agree woth everything bar the first paragragh here lol

OP. you've got yourself a working knife. Put a working edge on it and set it to work

I got a conder golock/parang type thing from somewhere and the steel is pretty poor to be fair. You can feel hard and soft spots along the edge.
So i use it for chopping really rough stuff stuff close to the ground or near drystone walls that sort of thing......a working edge lasts well enough on it

 

[Janne]

Interesting you can feel different hardnesses slong the edge!

I guess they use unrefined recycled cheap steel.

The two machetes I own, one with a wooden handle and one with a high tech (plastic!) handle, are similar.
Plus they rust in an interesting way, like a leopard.
One is Brazilian and one is from Honduras.

 

[sunndog]

Janne, yeah i reckon its made out of old electric pylons and ford cortinas lol

But for a machete the basic requirments are for it to hold a decent work edge and not break, that it does

For the money tramontina straight bladed machetes take some beating
I'v thrashed the living daylights out of them for years
Including once by accident putting an inch deep slice into an old landrover chassis without rolling the blade edge

 

[redneck]

The heat treat on condor knives is atrocious and spoils what would otherwise be decent knives. The metal is so soft it's like cutting with tin foil.

 

[Janne]

Yes, one is a Tramontina, Brazil.

Redneck, anything over Hrc 50 is good.

Needs freqvent sharpening for sure, but does the job. Loses the edge quickly, but is easy to get back again!