Rosterei Solingen Knife 37 yrs. Old

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

This is my first knife. My Father bought it for me when I was 5 yrs. of age, we were stationed at Hahn AFB, Germany. I have never been able to properly sharpen it. I have even sent it out to my Father and friends over the years for them to try and get an edge on it. The results of sharpening having never been great. I Love this old knife and refuse to give up on it. I have made a few knives mostly for my own use of 1095. I am setting out to rework the handle on this one and it hit me that maybe a temper cycle might benefit the knife. However, I am also concerned of what steel this knife actually is, it may well be stainless of which I am not familiar with heat treat or tempering. Any suggestions would be welcome. I do have a grizzly grinder I haven't tried yet....Thanks in advance for any knowledgeable response, this knife means a lot to me.

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[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Since the post was made I have learned it is a Rostfrei Solingen Knife. "Rostfrei" meaning in German is Stainless Steel. So now to learn about tempering Stainless Steels.

[randallss7]

That blade does not look like stainless steel, I would not put that knife in any type of heat, I would not attempt anything without knowing exactly what kind of steel it is. On a 2nd note if I still had the first knife my father purchased for me I would not attempt anything that could possible damage or even ruin an air loom like that, you are scaring me. Make one that looks just like it and put that one up...lol.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

That blade does not look like stainless steel, I would not put that knife in any type of heat, I would not attempt anything without knowing exactly what kind of steel it is. On a 2nd note if I still had the first knife my father purchased for me I would not attempt anything that could possible damage or even ruin an air loom like that, you are scaring me. Make one that looks just like it and put that one up...lol.

37 yrs is a long time to try and sharpen a knife! No worries, your right I wouldn't do anything to hurt it. It will soon belong to my Daughter. I've recieved some tips on sharpening to try! I have always used a Blue Arkansas Stone to sharpen knives. Looks like I need to try some alternate methods.

[randallss7]

37 yrs is a long time to try and sharpen a knife! No worries, your right I wouldn't do anything to hurt it. It will soon belong to my Daughter. I've recieved some tips on sharpening to try! I have always used a Blue Arkansas Stone to sharpen knives. Looks like I need to try some alternate methods.

If you do not mind the shipping I will sharpen it for you, I can also analyze the edge in a safe way to try and determine if there is something wrong. Usually knifes are hard to sharpen for two reasons. One the blade is very hard and the sharpener gives up before getting the job done. 2nd the blade is incorrectly heat treated or over heated later and the blade is so soft that an edge simply cant be achieved and it just keeps roiling over during the sharpening process. If the knife has had 35 years of poor sharpening the first step will be where to spend all the time, be sure to bring a good burr up on the edge with a coarse stone, sand paper what ever, then work it down to a finer stone and finish with a strop with some fine compound. Use a sharpie on the edge and use the coarse stone until all the black sharpie ink is gone you want to make sure you get this part correct it will make the rest of the sharpening very easy.

[RangerXanatos]

If you do not mind the shipping I will sharpen it for you, I can also analyze the edge in a safe way to try and determine if there is something wrong.

First rate offer!

[Highhawk1948]

That is a great offer from a knife man, I would take it!!!!

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Randallss7,

That is an awesome offer, but what you say further rings true to my ears. " be sure to bring a good burr up on the edge with a coarse stone, sand paper what ever, then work it down to a finer stone and finish with a strop with some fine compound. Use a sharpie on the edge and use the coarse stone until all the black sharpie ink is gone you want to make sure you get this part correct it will make the rest of the sharpening very easy." I will try using the comments from yourself and some other greats before I send it out once again. This is the same sage advice some other greats gave me. I think it best for me to solve the sharpening issue so I can pass it on.

Thanks, David

[randallss7]

Nothing like doing it yourself, if you run into troubles offer stands.

[Phaedrus]

A lot of times people that don't have a lot of sharpening experience will fail to completely deburr the edge. This can result in frustration; it may shave on side side and feel dull on the other. Or a quick stropping or honing will make it feel sharp but the edge is fleeting. I like to deburr on a 1"x42" leather belt doped with 0.5 micron CrO paste. That will remove the last vestiges of a burr.

[randallss7]

I did some looking around and I guess the blade is probably a 420 or 440 series stainless. The photos make it look like it has a good patina on it threw me off.

[suthincomfort]

for deburring before and after sharpening a knife i use a tungsten welding rod i set into a handle. used lightly it is of great benefit. sharpening isn't hard to do at all. as many said here people generally stop before they actually get started when using hand stone's etc. take your time getting the angle set at whatever angle you've decided the blade needs to be. after 50 plus years of sharpening i have gotten able to get scary sharp blade's easily find angle has become second nature. gtg