Kabar Sharpening Help

C

connorCD

Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Messages
27
So I've been trying to sharpen my Kabar USMC and I've nothing but trouble since I began the first time I sharpened it(using a sharpmaker with the basic stones) I did a 40 angle the first time I sharpened it and it took forever but finally got it to where it would shave hair. I have put some use on it since then and once again and having a hell of a time getting it sharp again, anybody else have this problem or any tips to offer?
 
use a black marker just on the knife's edge so that when you sharpen you will be able to easily see if you're hitting the whole edge.

do an equal amount of sharpening on each side.

are your stones loaded with metal particles? if so you'll have to clean them.

try not to let your knives get too dull. it's alot easier to maintain a fairly sharp knife than to redo the whole edge on dull knife.
 
I have good results with my Gatco diamond deluxe system w/finishing ceramic stone. My knives have never been sharper. For me, 25 degree on each side (or a 50 degree inclusive angle) is what works great. Still razor sharp, but wide enough to last a good while.
 
if your not getting enough bite with the rods you can wrap a piece of wet dry paper around them to remove metal faster.

cricket
 
I did the marker test, and determined that the grind was greater than 40 degrees total. So I reprofiled it, and really worked on thinning out the tips and the upward curve. Its working pretty well now. Seems like all of my kabars/beckers need at least a little reprofiling to be used with my sharpmaker.
 
CSRevenant said:
I did the marker test, and determined that the grind was greater than 40 degrees total. So I reprofiled it, and really worked on thinning out the tips and the upward curve. Its working pretty well now. Seems like all of my kabars/beckers need at least a little reprofiling to be used with my sharpmaker.
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I keep my beckers at 20 degrees with a Smith system and have to problems getting them there or keeping them there.
 
You don't want the USMC to be razor sharp, unless you just use it as a letter opener. A razor edge makes an edge sharp (obviously), but it also makes the edge far less durable, causing it to lose it's edge many times faster. For general fixed blade use, a 20-30 degree angle (on each side) is a good compromise between edge stability and usability. I personally like to use a 25 degree angle. The best thing you can do for that USMC is to take it, sharpen a proper angle (I believe it ships at 20 degrees), then strop the edge to a smooth finish. The smooth finish is the most important part, because it massively (esp. if you put a mirror finish) reduces cutting drag, which increases the edge retention.
 
jarodmichael said:
I keep my beckers at 20 degrees with a Smith system and have to problems getting them there or keeping them there.
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I have the same issue. My bk11's were really uneven, something like 10/30, so I had to fix those up. My bk9 came with a nearly perfect 40 degree edge, but the tip needed a lot of work. My USMC was mostly fine, except the tip. Once in awhile I have to back the edges off a bit. Most of the time I use those big old gray Norton stones.
 
I actually re-profiled my Kraton handle Ka-bar from 20 to 25 degrees recently. Total PITA (if you don't know that, look it up), and took me nearly 3 hours for the sharpening, then about another 30 mins. for the stropping. The 1095 is hard to sharpen, but that also means it has good wear resistance. Just strop it up a little after every use or two, and unless you happen to chip or otherwise damage the edge, you should never have to resharpen it.
 
Cold Kill said:
You don't want the USMC to be razor sharp, unless you just use it as a letter opener. A razor edge makes an edge sharp (obviously), but it also makes the edge far less durable, causing it to lose it's edge many times faster. For general fixed blade use, a 20-30 degree angle (on each side) is a good compromise between edge stability and usability. I personally like to use a 25 degree angle. The best thing you can do for that USMC is to take it, sharpen a proper angle (I believe it ships at 20 degrees), then strop the edge to a smooth finish. The smooth finish is the most important part, because it massively (esp. if you put a mirror finish) reduces cutting drag, which increases the edge retention.
Click to expand...

Sorry but that is simply not true and totally Contradicts your following post.
 
CSRevenant said:
I have the same issue. My bk11's were really uneven, something like 10/30, so I had to fix those up. My bk9 came with a nearly perfect 40 degree edge, but the tip needed a lot of work. My USMC was mostly fine, except the tip. Once in awhile I have to back the edges off a bit. Most of the time I use those big old gray Norton stones.
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... i meant I have *no* problems...
 
CSRevenant said:
I have the same issue. My bk11's were really uneven, something like 10/30, so I had to fix those up. My bk9 came with a nearly perfect 40 degree edge, but the tip needed a lot of work. My USMC was mostly fine, except the tip. Once in awhile I have to back the edges off a bit. Most of the time I use those big old gray Norton stones.
Click to expand...

BK9 Info:

o KaBar era
oo Shape: clip point
oo Edge Angle: 20 degrees
oo Grind: flat
oo Steel: 0170-6
oo Rc hardness: 58-59
oo Blade length: 9 inches
oo Overall length: 14.75 inches
oo Blade thickness: 0.188 inches
oo Knife Weight: 16.8 ounces
oo Handle: Esta-Loc or Grivory-GV-6H
oo Sheath: Kydex
oo Origins: knife made in USA, sheath made in china
oo MSRP: US$128


Also, 1095 is pretty easy to sharpen, if you want a challenge grab some S30V. I agree with the stropping, but I wouldnt say its a sharpen once and you're done.
 
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thegeek574 said:
Razor sharp paper wheels. if you practice with cheap stuff, they work great.
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i agree, paper wheels are great. you dont really need that much pratice either. there are a few videos which show exactly how easy they are to use on youtube. its pretty easy and will get that edge you want quick and easy.

P.S. I wouldnt be too worried about the angles, being just a bit off ain't gonna make a noticable difference, espeically if your using the knife.
 
put it to the stone and reprofile it.Dont worry too much about exact angle.Razor sharp edge can be pretty durable unless you chop rocks with it.
 
I just received a KA-BAR Army 7 inch. Paperwork with the knife said it was Razor-Sharp out of the box, but it was very dull, with clearly visible grinding scratches perpendicular to the blade edge. This was very poor quality from KA-BAR, in my opinion. I have a set of Japanese sharpening stones that I use for my high end German kitchen cutlery. I put a razor edge on my new KA-BAR in about 10 minutes with 3 stones. I did not bother to use my 6000 grit stone since this may be overkill even with kitchen knives. Based on my experience with my German kitchen knives, resharpening takes just a minute or two. Sharpening with my old Carborundum stone helped a bit, but the Japanese stones worked great.
 
I have tried sharpening a couple of my many Ka Bars on my Sharpmaker. Was freaking impossible at first as the Sharpmaker seems to be meant for smaller folding knives to me. Getting a good full downward stroke on each side along the entire edge took some practice. Only if your technique is solid per side will you actually get the 20 degrees per side you set it at. I eventually ordered a pair of triangle diamond stones which sped things along much better. A few solid swipes per side for my 1217 on the diamond stones then switch them out for the medium triangles and go from there. Takes much less time. Tried sharpening my D2 Extreme Fighter on it yeah right! The D2 it is made of is the toughest I have ever seen. It is currently out at Razors Edge for a regrind.
 
Get yourself a Lansky 4-rod Turn Box (LCD5D), it contains two medium, and two fine five inch ceramic rods. It has pre-drilled hole's for both, 20 and 25 degree sharpening angles. The Spyderco Sharpmaker has 15 and 20 degree angles.
 
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