Question about blade geometry and possible shapness of trench knife (M3)

[Siggyhk]

I've not become the knife sharpener I should be, or wish I was, so I often take my knives to a local shop to be sharpened. In doing this over the years it's reduced my ability to fully comprehend these issue in which I'm about to inquire.

I have an Ontario M3 trench knife (old ww2 designed fighter). It's not real thick, but it's narrow, and a partial dagger, so the grind only goes to the the mid point of this narrow blade.
I've paid to have this knife sharpened by a guy who usually does satisfactory work in my opinion. But in the case of this M3, the edges are only sharp, not "really sharp" like I desire.

My question is, it is possible for a knife of this design to become "really sharp", or does the geometry prevent the edge from becoming too thin, without a regrinding/thinning of the whole stock? This is what I suspect. -Thanks.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I've always had the same impression, with blades like this (I have a couple with dirk/dagger grinds). It is possible to make one pretty sharp (and the right steel makes a difference here), but the primary grind angle is still pretty 'thick'. Any secondary bevel (at the edge) would only be even thicker. To get the knife sharp, you really have to put more emphasis on tightly controlling the angle when sharpening. Any variation will only make the edge rounder & blunter, which wouldn't be as noticeable on a very thin grind, but will really deteriorate cutting on an already thick (wide) edge angle.

I think these knives were designed more with the hard-use 'sharpened prybar' idea in mind, and as a thrusting/stabbing weapon ('fighting knife'; hence the double edge). Not so much a fine slicer, though.

 

[Siggyhk]

This is the knife in question. This pic was taken prior to the professional sharpening, FYI. -Thanks again.

 

[Siggyhk]

Thanks, Obsessed with Edges. That's pretty much as I thought. It's surely designed for stabbing, not cutting to begin with. I don't know if it's worth trying to have someone try and rework the edge again or if I should call it a lost cause. Or consider getting it reground totally = expensive considering the knife.
Right now it can shave, but not nicely.
Again, thanks, and any other thoughts are welcomed.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks, Obsessed with Edges. That's pretty much as I thought. It's surely designed for stabbing, not cutting to begin with. I don't know if it's worth trying to have someone try and rework the edge again or if I should call it a lost cause. Or consider getting it reground totally = expensive considering the knife.
Right now it can shave, but not nicely.
Again, thanks, and any other thoughts are welcomed.

For what it's worth, if the knife were mine, and I wanted to get it as sharp as possible, I'd use one of my guided setups (like Lansky/Gatco/DMT Aligner/etc.) to make the bevel as pure as I can. On this knife in particular, that unground portion of the blade's spine would be the ideal place to attach the clamp. Obviously, that'd only work for doing the edge opposite the spine. It would take a while to remove the amount of steel involved, but I'd make the new bevel as shallow as possible, relative to the primary grind. Like I mentioned earlier, making the edge bevel as clean & crisp as possible really would make the most difference. That's why I'd use the guide.