New BK2 Owner: Advice on Sharpening and Maintenance

C

crudder

Joined
Mar 31, 2010
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With the search function currently down for non-paying members, I'd thought I start a thread about this subject. I recently purchased a Becker BK2 Campanion and am extremely satisfied with it. But I have two questions in regards to its' maintenance.

First, for those who own the BK2, what stone do you prefer to use to sharpen it? Currently, it's not as sharp as I would like it to be. Since this is my outdoors/survival knife, I'm looking for something portable but makes the BK2 as sharp as possible (I was considering picking up an Arkansas Stone).

Second, I've never owned a 1095 Carbon Steel blade. I know that it can rust if not taken care of. What are the procedures I should follow after every use? Some have suggested just making sure it's dry while others have mentioned the need to wipe it with olive oil once after use and then drying it. I'm very confused on this topic as well.

Last, is there anything else I should know about ensuring the longevity of this beautiful knife? Any help you can provide would be great!

Thanks,
Crudder
 
crudder said:
With the search function currently down for non-paying members, I'd thought I start a thread about this subject. I recently purchased a Becker BK2 Campanion and am extremely satisfied with it. But I have two questions in regards to its' maintenance.

First, for those who own the BK2, what stone do you prefer to use to sharpen it? Currently, it's not as sharp as I would like it to be. Since this is my outdoors/survival knife, I'm looking for something portable but makes the BK2 as sharp as possible (I was considering picking up an Arkansas Stone).

Second, I've never owned a 1095 Carbon Steel blade. I know that it can rust if not taken care of. What are the procedures I should follow after every use? Some have suggested just making sure it's dry while others have mentioned the need to wipe it with olive oil once after use and then drying it. I'm very confused on this topic as well.

Last, is there anything else I should know about ensuring the longevity of this beautiful knife? Any help you can provide would be great!

Thanks,
Crudder
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Hi, Crudder, and welcome aboard!

There are a number of decent stones on the market that will keep your new Becker sharp. Personally, I use the DMT Diafold diamond stones with the magna guide. The magna guide keeps your stones at a constant angle for sharpening. You can pick up the DMT Magna Guide from a number of places. I got mine from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/DMT-DMGEF-Dia..._6?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1270079026&sr=8-6 ). It comes with the Fine and Extra Fine stones, and is relatively inexpensive. The diamond stones should last just about forever, so it's a good investment. Another plus is that the Diafold stones fold up into the handle when they're not in use, which makes them great for taking to the field with you.

As far as maintenance, just wipe it down with oil after use, and you should be good to go. Many of us prefer mineral oil, since it's an odorless, tasteless, food grade oil that works very well for both lubrication and protection. I don't like Olive oil (except for cooking) because it will go rancid, which is not a problem with mineral oil.

Other than that, just give it a good night kiss and tell it that you love it every night, and it'll take care of you for a very, very long time.

Enjoy your new BK-2 and, as I said, welcome aboard. You'll find a lot of friendly, helpful folk here.
 
Crudder, welcome aboard and congrats on a great knife in the BK2.

I also use a diamond stone, I use the Lansky two sided diamond stone and can get a mean edge on the BK2 with that. Every once and a while I will put a touch up edge on it with the smoother of two sides and then strop it with the back of a legal pad, the kind you get at office supply stores. The cardboard back on those pads is awesome for stropping up an edge.

I also wipe it down with oil after use and bring a can of WD40 into the field with me. Keep it well lubed up though if you are in a humid environment b/c it will rust on you quickly.

Like Dawson said though, take care of the BK2 and it will get you through hell and back. Don't be afraid to take it to dinner once in a while, every trainwrecker likes to feel appreciated.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm still looking at some stones and both seemed of great quality. When you guys say wipe it down with oil, do you mean doing an immediate wipe after I've finished using it and then drying it directly after?

Also, I've notice some people mention the need for the BK9 as well. With just survival/camping in mind, will the BK2 be sufficient? Thanks again!
 
a sharpening system ive found that is relatively fool proof that i reccomend to my friends who arent real knife savvy but like their hunting knives razor sharp is the Spyderco tri angle system. its not too pricey and will touch up a blade real quick. i simply got sick of them bringing me all their knives every year before deer season to sharpen.
 
crudder said:
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm still looking at some stones and both seemed of great quality. When you guys say wipe it down with oil, do you mean doing an immediate wipe after I've finished using it and then drying it directly after?

Also, I've notice some people mention the need for the BK9 as well. With just survival/camping in mind, will the BK2 be sufficient? Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Wiping it down is easy. After you use it, wipe it down to make sure it's clean, then take an oily rag and wipe the metal surfaces, leaving a light film of oil. That doesn't mean that you have to oil it every time you cut something, but certainly at the end of the day would be wise.

The BK-9 is one heck of a knife as well, but it depends on where you are, and what you're doing. The BK-9 is a better chopper than the BK-2, and works surprisingly well in the kitchen, too. You should probable buy the BK-9 at some point for those times you need a good chopper.

For me, the BK-2 is a great camping/survival/do-it-all knife, and I'm never without it in the bush. It does everything I ask of it for camping, including cutting stakes and poles, notching wood for traps, food preparation, etc.

You've got a great knife in the BK-2. Enjoy.
 
Hey Crudder.....

If you can use a one piece stone I have found that the Norton Fine India gives a lovely combo of toothiness for a really aggressive cut, with quick stock removal for speed, strop it a bit on cotton or leather and you are good......When I was at the Randall Made Shop I noticed the last thing those blades see is a Norton and it is the preferred finisher of the GREAT AND TRULY WONDERFUL IN ALL RESPECTS Jerry Fisk.....Strong endorsements, indeed......Use the yellow,orangey side.......Jerry uses WD40 for lube, I use mineral oil in the shop and in the kitchen I have two and when one loads up I throw it in the dishwasher.......One of those stones has probably been thru the machine hundreds of times (twice a week for 10 years)......They are cheap....Buy the longest one you can afford for home or shop and a little bitty one for the trail....I glued a strip of leather on a small board (about 2x3/4x12) and it works just fine.......

I have used the Spyderco and like it as well as any of the "system" sharpeners.....

Mineral Oil or Vaseline will keep the rust at bay.......I hate the "finish" WD 40 leaves on my delicate pallette........Kind of like a truly bad cabernet made in an abandoned toxic waste dump........

All Best.....

ethan

P.S. .....Jerry has an excellent sharpening DVD......eb
 
hey Ethan, I would think that olive oil is more suited to your delicate palate. It's all that my bks will tolerate. I put wd40 on them once. I came back to find they had 'vomited' some of the coating. LOL. BTW, I ordered a Norton combo stone tonight. Will give it a try. Also, does anyone know anything about the 'Hunter Honer' to use for pocket and kitchen knives?
 
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Crudder! WELCOME!

i use a little pocket hone (DMT fine) and a piece of leather belt to keep my BK2 (and other knives sharp)
 
Another vote for convex. I convexed my BK2 with good results.
4448643485_e9a33d2cec_o.jpg

If you don't know how check out this:
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/pages/Sharpening-Videos
 
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Thanks for the great advice everyone - I will put it to good use.

Just curious, what are the advantages/disadvantages for convexing the BK2? I've never convexed a knife before so I'm not sure how I would go about it.
 
I too am new to this site, and to knives in general. Additionally, I have a new BK2 that I am wondering about. I have modified the scales, removed the coating and added a moderate jimping, forced a light patina and am concerned with ongoing maintenance - again, I am new to knifes in general, so I apologize for my ignorance. For high-carbon steel blades like the BK2, with the coating removed, should I be oiling not only the blade, but also the length of the tang - in other words, with the scales removed? Is it poor-form to replace the hardware and scales immediately after oiling? thank you for your input, and for your patience!
 
A patina will definitely help the war on rust. A good way to check the patina is use 0000 steel wool. Anything that it takes off easily won't offer that much corosion resistance. There are a lot of ways to add patina... acidic fruits, potatoes, boiling vinegar and dipping it in for a couple of minutes seems to be a really fast way. The other route would be to polish it with sandpaper going up as far as you want and then using polishing compound. If you give it a good shiny finish it reducs the surface area that the rust can invade. I have found with carbon steal that it is good as long as you keep it dry. If you have very acidic sweat like I do then you a light coat of oil is good. I think grivory is probably stable enough to handle having it touch oil. Keep in mind with oil though that it will attract dirt and dust though which could corode the metal.

If you keep it dry it should be fine ;). Any rust that does come along will be easily removed anyway. Unless you are taking about long term storage then oil it.
 
This isn't very portable, but it gave me a wicked convex edge. It's a bit advanced but it works awesome.

2012-01-28184049.jpg

2012-01-28200123.jpg

I used an old leather belt for convexing, and use the flat side for a V bevel. I use regular sand paper, and work my way up.
2012-02-06211506.jpg
 
[video=youtube;3H76iosa5r0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H76iosa5r0[/video] Might want to look at this video and his other BK-2 videos...If you decide to take the convex route.
 
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