BK9 sharpening

G

GeoDude71

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Nov 9, 2019
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Longtime lurker, first time posting!
Back when I was in the BSA, was where I learned to sharpen pocket knives.
it was a simple method with a sharpening stone. Hold stone in hand, find angle, push and sweep knife. Pull and sweep for other side.
I’m definitely no expert, but learned basic form and function of sharpening my Swiss Army.
I’m not well versed in “grind” and metallurgy of knives, and the different types of sharpening stones & methods of sharpening.
I’ve done a lot of searching, including videos, and still feel unsure of which method is best for sharpening the knives I have.

I own a few good folding knives, A BK9,
and an RTAK2.

Where do I start with stones? (Wet, dry, oil, coarsenesses?)

Can I sharpen all my knives the same way, or is there a better way for the larger knives?

Is there a good resource to learn?

I feel stupid asking, but my knowledge & experience is based on pocket knives when I was a kid!

Thanks in advance!
George
 
Diamond plates are where I would start/end. They cut any steel. I would get a 325 (coarse) and stay there until you are proficient at that. It delivers a plenty sharp edge. Once you get that down I would practice stropping. Get a piece of leather and glue to a wood block. A 1 micron spray of either diamond or cbn will get you an edge that can easily shave arm hair. Which to me is about as sharp as I need to make anything. There are many ways to do this and your welcome to try them all. Although imo sticking to one.method or stone or whatever until you get it is a better idea than running all over the place before you have anything nailed down. Jmo
 
Unless you have one of the super steels I would start with a set of Arkansas stones. Read the stickies about sharpening. Also when you start mark your edges with a sharpie before you start sharpening then look where you are taking off the marker. If it is not on the apex then you can adjust your angle . Keep looking at what you are doing and adjust accordingly. I use a jewelry loop to take a close look at what I am doing. My son uses his phone camera for the same thing. Once you develope a burr then raise your angle and lightly move the knife over the stone to remove or go to a finer stone. I always recommend learning free hand because you can do it almost anywhere in a pinch. You can use a rock or concrete in a pinch.

I personally use bench stones. I have a washita river tri stone. It has lasted over 20 years. I just recently bought a couple of knives that require a harder abrasive so I spent the money on the dmt diamond plates. I like using both types. When I am done I do a couple passes with a leather strop. It all takes practice.
 
I've got a RTAK2, and had a BK9. If I tried sharpening either of those 9-10" blades with Arkansas stones I would still be here a year from now. If you want stones, diamonds are where its at. Good ones, like DMT. For that steel you can use an India stone or reg. silicon carbide whetstone as well.

If I'm hand sharpening a long blade with a stone, or even a short one, I make short, circular, scrubbing motions with the blade, as opposed to stroking it on the stone. Just easier for me to get sharp that way.

Good luck and this forum is a good resource to read up on.
 
I learned to sharpen in Scouts, too, and really the technique hasn't changed. Lots of good tips available on this forum. I have used DMT bench hones for several decades and have yet to wear one out.
 
Alberta Ed said:
I learned to sharpen in Scouts, too, and really the technique hasn't changed. Lots of good tips available on this forum. I have used DMT bench hones for several decades and have yet to wear one out.
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This, and the other gents that suggested a diamond plate. That is a lot of work on an arkansas stone, for me anyway.
Another cheaper way to remove steel quickly is the manticore stone, which is made by one of our members.
Read a few threads about sharpening, and take what works for you, ditch the rest, and beware false prophets...
 
I would second a diamond plate. I've used DMT for a long time but have recently been using the Ultrasharp brand and really like cutting speed and feel.

That said a Norton India is always a good place to start and IMO a hard to beat stone for steels like 1095. Norton India combo stone and a strop can go a long way.
 
I personally like diamond plates and silicon carbide, including the Manticore stone that was mentioned, but if you don't first learn correct sharpening basics, such as raising and eliminating burrs, then it doesn't matter what kind of stones you use because you won't get good edges with any of them unless you just get lucky.

I got some great freehand sharpening and reprofiling info from this forum, but it was in bits and pieces. I didn't put the whole thing together, and understand sharpening principles (which are really quite simple), until I read The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, by John Juranitch. I highly recommend it.

JasonB, thanks for the heads up about Ultrasharp. Hadn't heard of them before. Great price!
 
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I bought a 2 pak of 6" ultra sharp plates years back. They worked, I think they were 400 and 1200 or something like that.
I have since bought several, and gave a few away. They work, and are a bit cheaper than dmt.
 
Great stuff, thanks to all!
2 more questions:
With the diamond plates, and the stones, are you sharpening dry, or with some liquid of some sort?

What’s the purpose of the strop and is the technique similar to using a plate or stone?
Deburring?

thanks.
 
GeoDude71 said:
Great stuff, thanks to all!
2 more questions:
With the diamond plates, and the stones, are you sharpening dry, or with some liquid of some sort?

What’s the purpose of the strop and is the technique similar to using a plate or stone?
Deburring?

thanks.
Click to expand...
The DMT instructions call for using water and not oil. I just splash some water on mine. Some suggest mixing a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle with water.

Stroping helps to remove the burr and set your final apex. if you use compounds it will remove a small amount of metal.
 
I second a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. The water will coat the stone instead of bead up on the surface.

You don't need to use lubrication on diamond plates but it does help with the swarf and I feel the finish is a bit better. Could be just me but i feel the scratch pattern is cleaner and more defined when using lubrication.
 
I use mineral oil on my diamond hones (DMT, EZE-Lap), mainly because it won't evaporate as fast as water does in my locale in the desert southwest of the USA. Apply just enough for a light, oily 'sheen' on the hone, but not enough to be dripping excessively or running off. A few drops, spread evenly with a fingertip will do. All that's needed is enough to keep swarf from sticking to the surface, so it can be easily wiped away.

DMT does say mineral oil can be used, so long as the hones are cleaned regularly. This is a no-brainer for any hone, really, to keep it working well. I wash mine after every major grinding session, using warm/hot water and dish soap, scrubbing with an old toothbrush. For lighter touch-up work on diamond hones, I usually clean them with a spritz of Windex and wipe with a microfiber towel. So long as they're kept clean between sharpening sessions, they'll keep working like new.

( Quoted from DMT's FAQ page --> https://www.dmtsharp.com/resources/...er-dry-or-with-water-but-can-i-use-oil-anyway )

"DMT recommends you use DMT products dry or with water only. Although mineral oil or WD40 will not harm the DMT products, they can impede sharpening if used in excess and can damage the sharpener overtime if not properly cleaned/removed from the sharpener."
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