I have a Mtech knife thats made with 440 Carbon steel and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on sharpening that type of steel to keep an extremely sharp edge for a long period of time

I make knives and use alot of 440 C for blades. It is a high carbon stainless that is nice to work with and indeed holds an edge a long time. My neighbor has a pair of knives that he uses a bit and they get dull so fast it is a shame. I sharpen them like I do mine and have tried a couple of different angles on the edge with out any difference in useability. Both of the knives are marked 440. That steel is simply not the same as 440c. How they are heat treated is a big thing and I have no idea how the company that made his knives are prepared. If you want tech data on steel google the steels. One thing to look for there is wearablity. Steels that do well in that area and have been selected and heat treated properly will hold an edge longer. A good home reference would be the complete bladesmith by JIm Hrousilas. Libraries may be able to get you a copy if you want to preview it before purchase.

welllll...... it is probably 440c and that is a stainless... as far as keeping a sharp edge that is in the hardening .. blade profile can make a difference also.as far as how to sharpen that would fill a book .... in fact there are many systems to sharpen and alot of opinions . ive tried a few the big thing is getting the right angle consistently across the edge.. theyre are a number of aids to help keep the edge angle correct ide ck out one of the custom knife maker supplyiers.good luck!

Rich, I am encouraged to hear your endorsement of 440C. I have been underwhelmed by SS for any cutlery. That there is a way of actually getting a good lasting edge from it when worked properly, gets me to thinking of a kitchen knife set yet again.

I had two kitchen knives I forged from 440-C. Both were excellent for edge holding, but the stuff is awfull to forge! Up there with H-13. Sadly, a house guest a few years back stole one of them!!!! If your blade is not holding up it is either heat treated improperly, or made from one of the lesser 440 series. Many cheap knives are made from 440B or 440A which aren't the same steel at all.

i used a sharpening stone and leather strap with buffing compound for awhile, and it seems to work, but i do not know if this is a long term solution, and i also use my knife for cutting particularly hard to slice foods like onions and celery, and it works wonders thanks guys!

Mtech is more or less specialised in the cheap knives... If the C is not write, it's very possible the steel is simply a 440A. Function of the heat treatment, it could be not bad at all. The problem with the 440 serie, some company heat treat it very hard and don't pay attention of the heat treatment. It's create blade with a very big grit, very hard. And hard to sharpen correctly. Or sometime that is the contrary, very soft blade which don't hold the edge at all..