Exactly how hard is it to Sharpen D2 ?

Yes, agreed, about Arkansas stones and Buck's 440C steel. However, did you know Buck's first sharpening stone offered back in 1961 was a carborundum? The same material as today's crystalline. This was the best offering, only short lived. As they quickly went to Arkansas stones and these were sold for the next 20 yrs..?? Thus, the name tag of Buck's steel being 'difficult to sharpen' occurred and this has stuck. I have one of those early carborundum stones and it is finer than Norton's SiC fine stone of today. Probably by 100-130 grit. So, something around 350 grit but no coarse side. Still, on the right track...?
Like the previous gents state; using Norton's SiC stone D2 is not difficult to sharpen. DM
 
David Martin said:
Yes, agreed, about Arkansas stones and Buck's 440C steel. However, did you know Buck's first sharpening stone offered back in 1961 was a carborundum? The same material as today's crystalline. This was the best offering, only short lived. As they quickly went to Arkansas stones and these were sold for the next 20 yrs..?? Thus, the name tag of Buck's steel being 'difficult to sharpen' occurred and this has stuck. I have one of those early carborundum stones and it is finer than Norton's SiC fine stone of today. Probably by 100-130 grit. So, something around 350 grit but no coarse side. Still, on the right track...?
Like the previous gents state; using Norton's SiC stone D2 is not difficult to sharpen. DM
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The really funny thing is that people jump right from the Arkansas stones to diamonds.....

When you can get good quality SIC bench stones for around $20... And they will sharpen ANY steel.....
 
True. Not only will they sharpen any steel. The stone will last longer than a very thin layer of diamond. Plus, Norton SiC stones offer far greater economy than diamond stones. My JUM-3 is my Real Work Horse stone. Yes, they wear like a waterstone but they have a very thick layer of material. DM
 
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I only have one D2 blade currently and use the Sharpmaker system. It wasn't overly dull to start with, but a little time with the diamond rods, followed by the standard gray then white had it razor sharp without too much effort. However, like my s30v blades, it does take longer to get a great edge versus something like VG-10. I chose not to continue on with the ultra fine rods for this instance.
 
David Martin said:
True. Not only will they sharpen any steel. The stone will last longer than a very thin layer of diamond. Plus, Norton SiC stones offer far greater economy than diamond stones. My JUM-3 is my Real Work Horse stone. Yes, they wear like a waterstone but they have a very thick layer of material. DM
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And you can put some pressure on them too. :D
 
Has anyone bothered to let the OP know that a Like Rambo is like $1500 maybe he should outsource the sharpening.
 
Probably not this is the maintenance sub-forum, were more into making scalpels look dull in comparison to our knives over here.
 
Ankerson said:
And you can put some pressure on them too. :D
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Yes, good point and that is a huge difference. As when I rebevel D2 or S30V I like to use some pressure. Not so much, just enough to help it cut quicker. Whereas, this action is a no-no when using a diamond stone. D2 steel will hold a close second with S30V in edge retention. A good steel to camp at. After use I wipe mine with mineral oil. DM
 
I had the same problem lately. I got a Queen Gunstock Jack and it was dull, I mean not really dull - there was no bevel on the blades. So I went on with my 320 indiga stone and later on the Sharpmaker. No chance getting these blades sharp.

I bought the diamond rods for the SM. The blades beveled quickly and later on the SM with the medium rods, fine rods and on the leather strop the two blades went.

I was impressed by the result. Great edge ... great knife ...

With my set of stones I also could sharpen S30V but the D2 was a big deal and I could only handle it with the diamond rods for the SM.
 
Humppa said:
I had the same problem lately. I got a Queen Gunstock Jack and it was dull, I mean not really dull - there was no bevel on the blades. So I went on with my 320 indiga stone and later on the Sharpmaker. No chance getting these blades sharp.

I bought the diamond rods for the SM. The blades beveled quickly and later on the SM with the medium rods, fine rods and on the leather strop the two blades went.

I was impressed by the result. Great edge ... great knife ...

With my set of stones I also could sharpen S30V but the D2 was a big deal and I could only handle it with the diamond rods for the SM.
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That's an interesting contrast, and might seem to be a contradiction to some, because the vandium carbides in S30V are supposed to be more 'wear resistant' than chromium carbides in D2 (and they are). But, the non-CPM version of D2, as used by Queen, has some BIG chromium carbides at times, which can get up to 20-50µ across. They're hard, but not as hard as the vanadium carbides in S30V. But, S30V's typical carbide size is fairly small, about 2-4µ on average. This means it can sometimes be easier to sharpen S30V, because the carbide size is less of an obstacle to the abrasives used, even when the abrasive is not quite as hard as the vanadium carbides themselves. The smaller vanadium carbides can still be cut out of the softer matrix steel by AlOx (India stone) or SiC abrasives, though they won't be individually refined as much, if at all (diamond would be needed for that, or CBN). The combination of the chromium carbides' high hardness and large size can make it more challenging at times to sharpen D2, because the carbides have to be abraded down in size, in order to produce a fine edge. I think this is why many think D2 doesn't take a polished edge very well (or it's perceived to be 'better with a coarse edge'), because it takes a bit more effort to hone down, shape and polish the large carbides. AlOx and SiC stones can do it, but it'll be quite a bit slower than diamond can get it done. The difference in cutting speed becomes much more apparent if using relatively small hones for re-bevelling; this is where even a pocket-sized diamond hone makes the work easier, with D2.


David
 
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I've also read that the Queen D2 is ground rather thick at the edge. This would explain a lot of the sharpening problem gents have with D2. I've had no problem cutting D2, S30V and S60V steel using a Norton fine India. Some sites over state the hardness of a vanadium carbide. Whereas the proofs in the pudding. DM
 
I agree with others that it simply takes a little longer to sharpen than other steels. If you are used to 1095c, then you are used to how easy it is to revive. D2 is pretty wear resistant and the actual sharpening progress is generally just slower. The mistake I generally make with steels that are more wear resistant is I just do not spend enough time working the bur, and this often winds up with a knife that is not nearly as sharp at the tip or curved areas than the flat portions.

In most of my less-than-successful sharpening ventures, I find that the primary reason is I went too fast and that simply slowing the process, closely examining the edge as I go (a loupe is great for this), and feeling the edge as I go helps me get much, much, much better results (and that applies to every sharpening system/style I have and have ever used).

I am not sure if this is just me personally or if others have noticed this too, but I find that D2 really likes an edge with a little tooth left on it for whatever reason.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
That's an interesting contrast, and might seem to be a contradiction to some, because the vandium carbides in S30V are supposed to be more 'wear resistant' than chromium carbides in D2 (and they are). But, the non-CPM version of D2, as used by Queen, has some BIG chromium carbides at times, which can get up to 20-50µ across. They're hard, but not as hard as the vanadium carbides in S30V. But, S30V's typical carbide size is fairly small, about 2-4µ on average. This means it can sometimes be easier to sharpen S30V, because the carbide size is less of an obstacle to the abrasives used, even when the abrasive is not quite as hard as the vanadium carbides themselves. The smaller vanadium carbides can still be cut out of the softer matrix steel by AlOx (India stone) or SiC abrasives, though they won't be individually refined as much, if at all (diamond would be needed for that, or CBN). The combination of the chromium carbides' high hardness and large size can make it more challenging at times to sharpen D2, because the carbides have to be abraded down in size, in order to produce a fine edge. I think this is why many think D2 doesn't take a polished edge very well (or it's perceived to be 'better with a coarse edge'), because it takes a bit more effort to hone down, shape and polish the large carbides. AlOx and SiC stones can do it, but it'll be quite a bit slower than diamond can get it done. The difference in cutting speed becomes much more apparent if using relatively small hones for re-bevelling; this is where even a pocket-sized diamond hone makes the work easier, with D2.


David
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Thanks for clearance, David :) Much appreciated!
Good to hear a good scientific explanation. I almost thought I became crazy getting a powdermetal steel hearwhittling sharp and regular D2 steel is such a challenge.
 
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