First Time Sharpening D2

R

RedLynx

Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Messages
11,445
Hi guys,

Hoping to get my first D2 knife, from a fellow member here... just need to make a couple of sales of my own first. ;)

Anyway I use a double-sided DMX diamond stone (red dot on one side, green on other, green less coarse for touch ups) for pretty much all of my sharpening needs. But I have never had or sharpened D2. Would this sort of stone still be okay for sharpening steel like D2? I am hoping so. Thanks guys.
 
Yes it is just fine to sharpen D2 steel, just don't wait to long though
 
Assuming yours is a 'DMT' stone, the red dot should be their 'Fine' (600 mesh/25µ) and the green should be their Extra-Fine (1200 mesh/9µ). Should be excellent for sharpening and maintaining D2, which responds very well to diamond hones. :thumbup:


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Assuming yours is a 'DMT' stone, the red dot should be their 'Fine' (600 mesh/25µ) and the green should be their Extra-Fine (1200 mesh/9µ). Should be excellent for sharpening and maintaining D2, which responds very well to diamond hones. :thumbup:


David
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Yep, that's exactly what it is thanks David. For some reason I always say DMX when I mean DMT, and I hardly ever listen to his music. :p
 
By the way speaking of these stones, would anyone recommend the pocket carry DMT strips? I have several pocket sharpeners but rarely use them because they are cheap, I just bought them as "away from home touch up" items, but am considering also investing in better portable sharpeners too.
 
RedLynx said:
By the way speaking of these stones, would anyone recommend the pocket carry DMT strips? I have several pocket sharpeners but rarely use them because they are cheap, I just bought them as "away from home touch up" items, but am considering also investing in better portable sharpeners too.
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Lately, I've been liking pocket diamond hones quite a lot, and proclaiming so around here. The pocket hones from DMT and other quality makers can be very useful; I've been using a 'Fine' DMT credit card hone quite a lot, and an equivalently-graded diamond/ceramic double-sided hone from Fallkniven (DC4 model). I've even re-bevelled a couple of knives in D2 using such hones (mostly the 'Fine' grit). If you're interested in pocket diamond hones, I certainly wouldn't try to discourage you. With the smaller hones, a scrubbing back/forth or circular motion will work much faster with those, for re-bevelling or other relatively heavy grinding. If just using them to touch up and maintain existing edges, then very light & controlled edge-leading passes will work well.


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Lately, I've been liking pocket diamond hones quite a lot, and proclaiming so around here. The pocket hones from DMT and other quality makers can be very useful; I've been using a 'Fine' DMT credit card hone quite a lot, and an equivalently-graded diamond/ceramic double-sided hone from Fallkniven (DC4 model). I've even re-bevelled a couple of knives in D2 using such hones (mostly the 'Fine' grit). If you're interested in pocket diamond hones, I certainly wouldn't try to discourage you. With the smaller hones, a scrubbing back/forth or circular motion will work much faster with those, for re-bevelling or other relatively heavy grinding. If just using them to touch up and maintain existing edges, then very light & controlled edge-leading passes will work well.

David
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Cool, thanks for the info, I may need to pick one or two up. Would you recommend these "credit card" ones? I have also seen regular rectangular "fold-able" ones. Do the credit card ones fit into your wallet, by chance? I almost never bring portable touch up sharpeners with me but I'd like to start, especially if they can be stashed in things I already have with me whilst out and about.
 
RedLynx said:
Cool, thanks for the info, I may need to pick one or two up. Would you recommend these "credit card" ones? I have also seen regular rectangular "fold-able" ones. Do the credit card ones fit into your wallet, by chance? I almost never bring portable touch up sharpeners with me but I'd like to start, especially if they can be stashed in things I already have with me whilst out and about.
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The 'credit cards' are exactly as named; same dimensions as any of the credit cards you'd put in your wallet. I carry mine in the credit card pockets included in a compact leather 'portfolio' (w/small notepad) in my back pocket. The stiff steel hones also work very well to give some 'backbone' to the leather portfolio, so I have a nice stropping surface as well. I like those hones quite a lot.

The 'folding' DMTs you mention are probably the 'Dia-Fold' hones, with the folding handle doubling as a protective cover when not in use. They can work very well also, though I prefer using a pocket hone held at each end, between my thumb and middle/ring fingers, and my index finger folded underneath (supports the hone from the back side). The handles on the Dia-Folds would more likely be in my way, in the hold I use. I have three Dia-Folds, and even removed the folding handles from one of them for a while. That's an individual preference, for me, so I wouldn't discount those either. When comparing the Dia-Folds to the credit card hones, I've grown to like the wider surface of the credit card, as it's more conducive to that circular 'scrubbing' motion I mentioned earlier. The continuous diamond surface on the credit card hones will also be less of a catch-hazard for sharpening pointy tips on blades; sometimes that can be a concern with the interrupted-surface, having the 'dots' seen on the Dia-Fold hones, which might snag the tip if not careful.


David
 
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Get yourself a silicon carbide stone before you need it.

When it comes to sharpening or grinding D2 a good SiC stone will make short work of it. I have many stones from diamond to the finest Japanese waterstones but for some reason D2 responds best to SiC.
 
I'll second that on the silicon carbide. I am not the best sharpener in the world, but I have been able to put a wicked edge on my D2 knives using the 120 grit SiC water stone that came with my Edge Pro.
 
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