Can't put the edge I want on D2

K

kwik9

Joined
Nov 16, 2009
Messages
139
I recently got a HEST 2.0 folder, and I love it! However, I am having trouble putting the edge on it that I am used to. All my other knives (kershaw and spyderco) I can get "hair popping" sharp. I can put a very good "user" edge on the D2 that seems to last really well, but not an edge like the others. Is this just the nature of the beast? Am I expecting too much, or could I be doing something wrong? I am using a Lansky at 20-degree (btw- I love my 4-stick turnbox!).
 
Get a sharpie, and color the cutting bevel of the blade. Then run your smoothest stone over to see where your grind lines are landing. Odds are they're falling short of the edge, and failing to product a burr on the other side.

20 degrees is awfully steep for most knives. I was blown away when Spyderco Sharpmaker showed that most are larger. It usually takes me a while to reprofile with 30 degrees.
 
I never get the edge I want on D2, but I do believe it should be possible, no matter how hard the stuff tries to stay dull.
 
Patience is the keyword... I reprofiled my Hest/f to around 30 degrees
inclusive on my Edgepro and it took well over 2 hours to get
it to hair popping sharp. I finished it off with a 40 degree micro
bevel via my sharp maker. Go slow and don't be in a hurry to
move between grits and your patience will be rewarded.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the advice. I may have to upgrade my sharpening systems (and my patience). I had almost convinced myself that it would only take a user edge, now I have new hope and a goal to work toward.
 
You might want to pick up some diamond stones for your Lansky if you don't have them already. I find those get D2 hair popping sharp quite a bit more quickly.
 
that d2 blade should get really sharp. are you stropping the edge after you get a burr worked up? i have a d2 blade that i made for a member with an edge that will scare you.

if you want some help over the phone i'll be glad to give you a call.
 
D2 + diamond hones + patience = great, wickedly-sharp, long-lasting edges.

D2 will get very, very sharp. But it does take considerably more time, and using a coarse or xtra-coarse diamond hone to set the initial bevel really makes a difference. Otherwise, it'll be very slow going and doubly frustrating. With the first hone, be absolutely sure to raise a burr along the full length of the edge, before moving to the follow-up hones.
 
richard j said:
that d2 blade should get really sharp. are you stropping the edge after you get a burr worked up? i have a d2 blade that i made for a member with an edge that will scare you.

if you want some help over the phone i'll be glad to give you a call.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer, but I am determined to do it myself.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
D2 + diamond hones + patience = great, wickedly-sharp, long-lasting edges.

D2 will get very, very sharp. But it does take considerably more time, and using a coarse or xtra-coarse diamond hone to set the initial bevel really makes a difference. Otherwise, it'll be very slow going and doubly frustrating. With the first hone, be absolutely sure to raise a burr along the full length of the edge, before moving to the follow-up hones.
Click to expand...

+1

D2 is tough stuff. Knife makers say they go through belts like candy if they work mostly with D2. It will take time, but you will get a good edge.
 
One of the things that interests me most about D2 is, it keeps on responding to 'just a little more TLC' on the hones. It takes time, but every time I've gone back to see if I can tweak just a little more sharpness out of it, no matter how sharp it already is, it responds in kind to improving technique. I keep working to improve my own skills and consistency on the hones, and D2 has been a great teaching aid for me. It makes you work for it, but it'll richly reward you for a good effort.
 
I have a Hest 1 folder, which also has a D2 blade and I put a razor sharp 22 degree per side edge on it with little problem using diamond hones along with final ceramic paddles on my Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener. I follow with the stropping leather paddles smeared with 5 and 1 micron diamond paste. Never fails.
Takes about twenty minutes initially and about 1 minute to bring the edge back with a little maintenance work after normal use.

Leo :)
 
You can get the diamond hones for the Lansky system and that should help you get the bevels set to whatever angle you want to put on it. Then it should be easy to maintain with a coarse and/or medium hone and maybe follow up with a strop or ceramic hone.

Or, you can spend a little more and just get a Work Sharp. That thing will re-set bevels stupid fast. Then you can use whatever you want to maintain it.

I don't like the clamp systems for setting bevels as much as I like the croc-stick style or a power tool because it's difficult to maintain a precise bevel across the entire edge, from tip to ricasso. Just my experience.

I've spent several days setting bevels on really hard D2 before, an hour here and an hour there as I go. I hate the stuff personally. I much prefer steels which I can easily work on and maintain with simple tools, in the field.

A good 8" Norton India Stone (coarse/fine) and some normal steels hardened at good levels will yield super usable results with very little effort.
 
Sulaco said:
You can get the diamond hones for the Lansky system and that should help you get the bevels set to whatever angle you want to put on it. Then it should be easy to maintain with a coarse and/or medium hone and maybe follow up with a strop or ceramic hone.

Or, you can spend a little more and just get a Work Sharp. That thing will re-set bevels stupid fast. Then you can use whatever you want to maintain it.

I don't like the clamp systems for setting bevels as much as I like the croc-stick style or a power tool because it's difficult to maintain a precise bevel across the entire edge, from tip to ricasso. Just my experience.

I've spent several days setting bevels on really hard D2 before, an hour here and an hour there as I go. I hate the stuff personally. I much prefer steels which I can easily work on and maintain with simple tools, in the field.

A good 8" Norton India Stone (coarse/fine) and some normal steels hardened at good levels will yield super usable results with very little effort.
Click to expand...

I find it interesting that so many have trouble with D2 when sharpening. I have not used D2 much, but have used high wear steels like CPM S60V (440V when it was introduced). I had no trouble rebeveling it down to fit the Sharpmaker, using a DMT coarse stone and then convexing the edge (for looks) with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper. A DMT Diafold in blue/red makes sharpening any steel in the field as easy as at home. Those 8" Norton Combo stones are great too, though considerably heavier than a Diafold.
 
me2 said:
I find it interesting that so many have trouble with D2 when sharpening. I have not used D2 much, but have used high wear steels like CPM S60V (440V when it was introduced). I had no trouble rebeveling it down to fit the Sharpmaker, using a DMT coarse stone and then convexing the edge (for looks) with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper. A DMT Diafold in blue/red makes sharpening any steel in the field as easy as at home. Those 8" Norton Combo stones are great too, though considerably heavier than a Diafold.
Click to expand...

The DMT 'credit card' hones work very well for D2 also. It's small, but with continuous-surface diamond on it; so it works deceptively fast. I used a fine credit card hone to set a new bevel on a Queen 'Country Cousin' folder in D2, to a nice toothy edge (which promptly bit me). I did this to test out the hone after buying it, and it worked quite well. The 'coarse' version of the same hone would've done the job even faster.

(I also convexed this knife, afterwards, with wet/dry sandpaper up thru 2000 grit. :))
 
The local flea market dealer has Queen knives. I'm going to have to try one. I've wanted a sodbuster anyway. I'll have to check for D2. I don't really see a need cutting wise in covexing a knife like the Country Cousin, but it sure looks nice.
 
me2 said:
The local flea market dealer has Queen knives. I'm going to have to try one. I've wanted a sodbuster anyway. I'll have to check for D2. I don't really see a need cutting wise in covexing a knife like the Country Cousin, but it sure looks nice.
Click to expand...

I've been truly surprised at the advantages of convexing, even with smaller blades like the CC. Really 'slicks things up' in slicing; didn't realize how much the shoulders of the bevel impact the resistance to cutting, until trying it out for the first time. The blade on the CC is a bit thicker than other sodbusters (Case has a thin hollow grind), so a convex makes a bigger improvement to the edge, on this knife.
 
I had the same problem with my HEST fixed blade and the folder...I found the edge bevel was too steep to really make them good slicers, so I took em to the trusty, rusty belt sander and thinned the bevels a little and now they are very slicey (if thats a word :D). It did just about ruin the coating on the blades, so I removed it all and have never looked back. Try thinning them a bit...as long as you dont do a massive amount of prying or battoning...which neither knife is very good at anyway, they should be just fine.
hope this helps a little bit.
CH
 
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