D8XX vs RD6

[hardheart]

Got my D8XX in the mail today, so it's time to start putting an edge on the RD6 I just received in a trade. The RD6 is a hefty blade, with a handle I find very comfortable. The edge was thick as Vida Guerra's moneymaker.

The D8XX is heavy, so heavy I didn't have a clue what was in the package when the mail forst came in. It must be about twice as thick as a 6" diasharp. It's also rough, wonderfully abrasive. It chews through the 5160 without much effort needed, though I will probably apply some more pressure, now that I've broken it in a bit and should have removed the looser diamond bits.

I still have a good bit of work ahead of me, as the knife doesn't have much of a point to speak of. I dressed the edge out a little with a SiC combo stone, I pretty much just have to go by eye and stare at the edge with some light behind it-the rough finish of the 120 diamond made that a little difficult. From the belly to tip, it's still rather obtuse, the original grind thickened severely in this area. Right now, it's about where the rest of the edge was when I started. Still, not bad overall for ~10 minutes work. I'll get it shaving this weekend.

 

[hardheart]

Here's some pics of the tip work. The edge finish is fine silicon carbide. Might not be readily apparent, but the bevel in the 1st pic is narrower. This is the side that didn't have a gind run all the way to the tip. It's much better now, but still needs work. Without distal taper, past the belly the edge thickens considerably. I'm thinning it out to a much more useful level, but will still leave it thicker. This is intended to go in my BOB along with a golok, locking sak and Lman Wave.

I finally got a burr in a couple spots along the edge, but it will take more work with the D8XX to get the bevel even along the entire length. It cuts so much more quickly than the cheap SiC stone, which is dishing noticeably just from this blade and a 4" Fury fixed blade that I am trying to make useful. The edge is about 15 degrees, depending on how well I maintain the angle on the stones. Slices paper nicely, even after whacking away at some oak, but not shaving yet.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

What was the initial edge thickness/angle? I would be interested in an estimate of the total time spent on the stone when you are finished.

-Cliff

 

[hardheart]

ooh, have to guess. I'm fairly certain in that the angle was ~20 degrees per side, I haven't had the bevel widen greatly along the straight portion of the edge. This places the thickness behind the edge close to 0.045" or perhaps even slightly more, from what I can measure of bevel width near the choil, which hasn't been altered. Just eyeballing with some feeler gauges, it was definitely >=0.04. At the tip, I'm still between 0.06 and 0.07 looking at the spine.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

That is fairly heavy. Was this a stock model or did you order a particular edge configuration.

-Cliff

 

[hardheart]

I got it in a trade with another forumite. I believe the full flat grind is the less common grind, generally hollow or sabre from what I've seen. I have read many comments on Rangers having very thick edges, so I wasn't surprised. In fact, I was looking forward to doing this. Though I can't go at it like Thom does. If I had some proper workspace, I would.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Thom has insane levels of patience, I have about five minutes of tolerance for sharpening.

-Cliff

 

[hardheart]

Well, it's shaving now. I beat on it a little bit before putting the edge on. the coating holds up fine, I even beat on the spine with a 2" branch with no chipping.

I'd say it took about 30 mins just on the D8XX, I was mixing in finer stones to check for angle consistency by watching the scratch patterns along the edge. It cuts very quickly, but I keep double checking my work to make sure I'm not letting the angle change too much. I raised a very small burr with the D8XX, did one swipe on the opposite side, then a couple passes on the fine DMT steel, then several passes on the SM at 40 degrees for the micro. Few swipes on the loaded strop and the edge is very nice. Put a little Tuf-glide on the edge and it's ready to go in the BOB.