D-2 How Hard to sharpen on the field?

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xseven

Joined
Sep 23, 2007
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I'm new to sharpening (in a proper way I guess) and I am undecided about a TAK-1/RAT-5: should it be in D-2 or 1095!!!
I would like D-2 for rust resistance and better overall quality, but unable to fix blade on the field is not something desirable!
So ... with primitive tools (stones, sand ...) is it possible to re-sharpen a D-2 blade? What about a small sharpening stone that you can take it attached to the sheath (any specific brands/names?)
And ... the same thing about 1095!
Just one more request please ... write if you have a personal experience with this! ... :)
 
I think if you have the presence of mind to take a good knife in the field, then a good sharpening stone should also be with you, I recommend a combination medium/fine diamond stone that is commonly available and have the advantges of being light, can be used dry or with water and tough.
 
Yes ... the only bit that I am concerned is that sharpening might take a long time if you have only a small stone ... and sometimes time is precious! Or doesn't take that long???
 
Eze-Lap diamond rod , it's 4" long and fits into the handle .Had one for years and just a quick touch-up is all you need on any steel type.Use it for VG-10, S30V, D2 ,154CM.
 
Or a DMT diafold. Handles fold out, about the same size.
To the OP, diamond hones can be very quick (especially the coarse side) and if you're not careful, you can take a lot of material off in a short time.

However, unsing natural materials, if you have readily available quartz or other hard stones, they should work. However, the right answer is to bring a diamond "stone".
 
And in case you lose your sharpening stone ... how long it takes to sharpen a D-2 blade? have you ever tried?
 
xseven:
My experience with sharpening D2 has been with my Benchmade Griptilian in D2. When I first started sharpening the knife, it took time, practice, and patience. At that point, I was using a Smiths pre-angled, guide rod stone system. It took a long time to sharpen the D2 with those stones. After a year or so, I got a dual-sided, portable diamond sharpening stone. It packs into the handle and is 2 sided, one coarse, one fine. I don't remember the brand off-hand, but I got it at Wal-Mart for about $15. After some practice with freehand sharpening, I was finally able to put a decent edge on my knife in little time. This took practice, though. Here are some basic points for you to consider:

-D2 steel is usually slightly harder than is 1095
-sharpening a knife free-hand takes practice, but it's a very useful skill; in the wilderness, it's imperative
-use your gear at home and become at least somewhat proficient with it before relying on it in the wilderness. The last place you want to be learning a skill is out in the wilderness, away from civilization, and in a dangerous or precarious position!
-I've yet to experience a need to sharpen my knife super-quickly in the wilderness. Instead, I like to touch up my knives' edges at night around a camp fire. This prepares the knives for the next day, cleans off any rust, and is a very relaxing activity.
-1095 is a very good steel for wilderness use. If properly heat-treated, as Ontario does, 1095 will give a good, durable edge. It won't hold as long as D2, it will rust somewhat easier, but it will be less likely to chip than D2 in hard use.
-D2, when properly heat-treated, makes an excellent small/medium blade steel. In my experience, it can chip on a firesteel, but it holds an edge very well and can get very sharp. I wouldn't opt for D2 in a large, chopper-style knife, though.
-IMO, a good 2-knife combo for the wilderness would include a large chopper, do-all style knife made of 1095 or similar carbon steel with a blade 7"-10" and a smaller knife of D2 steel with a blade 3"-4". Ontario is a very good, inexpensive brand to choose such knives from.
-when in the wilderness, along with your knife, carry a portable sharpener. As others have said, get a small diamond stone, a dual grit diamond hone, or the EZ-Lap diamond rod that unscrews and stores in its handle. The last one comes with a belt sheath, the small Smith's diamond stone comes with an in-pocket leather pouch, the dual-sided diamond hones require a separate purchase of a belt-mountable, nylon pouch. Any of these options will keep your field knives serviceable while in the wilderness, as long as you've learned to sharpen with the hone of your choice.
-Along with your knife, keep your sharpener on your person when in the wilderness.

I hope this helps some, aseven.
 
Trout Tamer said:
xseven:

-IMO, a good 2-knife combo for the wilderness would include a large chopper, do-all style knife made of 1095 or similar carbon steel with a blade 7"-10" and a smaller knife of D2 steel with a blade 3"-4". .
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I have in mind too! The combination that I am thinking of is a CS Bushman (chopping and maybe defense) and a TAK/RAT 5 for small/medium tasks.

As a sharpener this one looks nice: Eze-Lap EZL520 Knife Eze-Fold Fine/Coarse Combination Diamond Sharpener; and I can fit a sheath on the knife's sheath ...
BR-EZL520.jpg

Or this DMT Diafold Double Sided, Fine-Coarse?

DMFWFC.jpg
 
I have one EZ Lap folding sharpener similar to that, and a bunch of the double sided DMT Diafolds (the DMTs are easier to find here). Either makes a great field sharpener. Personally, I carry two Diafolds around in my back pocket all the time, a Coarse/Extra Coarse and a Fine/Extra Fine. It lets me do anything from a quick touch up to repairing a chipped edge, anywhere I happen to be.
 
What Trout Tamer said. With DMT fine/ultrafine hones I can put a hair-popping edge on my Dozier K1.
 
xseven said:
I'm new to sharpening (in a proper way I guess) and I am undecided about a TAK-1/RAT-5: should it be in D-2 or 1095!!!
I would like D-2 for rust resistance and better overall quality, but unable to fix blade on the field is not something desirable!
So ... with primitive tools (stones, sand ...) is it possible to re-sharpen a D-2 blade? What about a small sharpening stone that you can take it attached to the sheath (any specific brands/names?)
And ... the same thing about 1095!
Just one more request please ... write if you have a personal experience with this! ... :)
Click to expand...


Explain to me how D2 will lead to a "better overall quality" in the knife as opposed to 1095?
 
Some ype of diamond.

OTOH, with a steel of the quality of D-2, unless you're out for several weeks at a time, it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY that there will be any need to resharpen D2 in the field.

Ben
 
mr.trooper said:
Explain to me how D2 will lead to a "better overall quality" in the knife as opposed to 1095?
Click to expand...
For a small/medium knife I think that D-2 is better mainly because you are using it more for wet jobs and if you are in a rainy season it helps not having to clean it all the time.
I like 9015 ... my other partner is a CS Bushman!
 
I recently bought a RAT-3 in D2 from Ontario, and realized very quickly that I didn't have the skill (maybe "nerve" is more accurate) to reconfigure the angle of the edge. So, I took it to a local knife store that claims "knife sharpening" in the phone book. When he proudly emerged from the back room, he handed me back a blade no sharper that it was before. So, I paid him three bucks, thanked him politely and went on my way.
Suggestions?
 
Ben Dover said:
. . .with a steel of the quality of D-2, unless you're out for several weeks at a time, it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY that there will be any need to resharpen D2 in the field.

Ben
Click to expand...
No, but you may have to fix a damaged blade. A chip/roll of the edge can really harm the utility of the knife.

To the OP: I don't know if the pouch on the RAt-5 sheath is the same size as the RAT-7, but I put a DMT diafold coarse/fine and the core of a quartz halogen bulb (think short ceramic rod, a free version of the 4" diamond rod mentioned in an earlier post) in the pouch of my RAT-7, and I can hone/touch up the blade easily in the field, all in one neat package.

Personally, I prefer 1095 in the larger blades. Remember D2 can rust (and the little experience I've had with D2 blades, they rust fairly quickly. IMO corrosion resistance over carbon steel isn't a big enough difference to warrant the cost of the steel.), and with D2 or 1095, you should have a small bottle of oil or at the very least a silicone cloth to go over the blade when you're done for the day.
 
I'd say the answer was either a DMT Diafold (Coarse/Fine) or a Fallkniven DC4. The DC4 is a diamond hone one side and a ceramic hone on the reverse.
Theoretically you should be able to get a finer edge with the ceramic of the DC4, but in the field I've found the DMT to be the more useful of the two.
 
xseven said:
That is exactly what I have in mind too! The combination that I am thinking of is a CS Bushman (chopping and maybe defense) and a TAK/RAT 5 for small/medium tasks.

As a sharpener this one looks nice: Eze-Lap EZL520 Knife Eze-Fold Fine/Coarse Combination Diamond Sharpener; and I can fit a sheath on the knife's sheath ...
Click to expand...
As far as my own thinking goes, xseven, you're on the right track. I like both of those sharpener choices :thumbup:
For a large fixed blade, the Bushman is serviceable; I spent 8 weeks in a survival class using only a Bushman. However, I've learned that I prefer a slightly longer and thicker blade to that of the Bushman. I find that the extra length and weight serve well for chopping branches and batoning firewood. I also prefer a knife with a more pronounced forefinger guard than the Bushman has. For the money, though, the Bushman is seriously tough to beat.
 
michaelrussell said:
I recently bought a RAT-3 in D2 from Ontario, and realized very quickly that I didn't have the skill (maybe "nerve" is more accurate) to reconfigure the angle of the edge. So, I took it to a local knife store that claims "knife sharpening" in the phone book. When he proudly emerged from the back room, he handed me back a blade no sharper that it was before. So, I paid him three bucks, thanked him politely and went on my way.
Suggestions?
Click to expand...
I found the exact same thing with my D2 knife - a Benchmade Griptilian in D2. After a couple of vain attempts to sharpen the bugger with my Smith's sharpening kit, I finally decided, "I want this knife to have a somewhat more acute edge angle. It will serve me better. Therefore, I'm gonna do what I must to make this knife my own." I spent several hours with my portable coarse/fine diamond hone sharpening and sharpening and sharpening... :rolleyes: :D I actually just free-handed the bad boy and, after a bit of time, found that the angle I naturally put on the blade was the angle I was wanting. It took time and patience, not to mention repeat usage and testing, but I was finally able to re-profile that knife. I can't say that it has perfectly even edge angles, but I can say that I like where it's at :thumbup:
As a side note, I used to try to hit a perfect edge angle using a pre-determined angle guide. I found this extremely frustrating, though. While reading about sharpening here at Bladeforums one evening, I came across a post that said something to the extent of, "When I sharpen a knife, I have an idea of what the edge angle should be. I also find that the knife's own specific geometry naturally "steers" the hand towards an edge angle that naturally flows from the knife's shape. So, I just let the edge angle go to whatever feels natural in my hand as I sharpen." When I read this, a little light dinged on inside my head. Now, when I sharpen my own knives, I let the knife determine its edge angle, in a sense. For the knives I make, however, I initially put on a pre-determined angle for the sake of accuracy.
 
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