Reprofiling D2

N

neeman

Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
6,249
Hi,
I've posted in Trad Folders about buying a Queen stockman in D2.
Lot of folk say I will need to reprofile the blades.
So I am reasking here about saharpening.

What does reprofiling involve?
What does it mean?
Resharpen at a contant angle?
Start with DMT course and work down.

D2 is too difficult to reprofile?

Thanks.
 
Reprofiling just means adjusting the edge geometry. Many edge bevels put on by the factory are just too unsharp for their intended purpose.

D2 is not difficult to reprofile with diamond hones. I use a coarse diamond hone to reprofile and regular, synthetic hones to polish the new bevel.
 
Dr.'s correct. D2 is difficult only if you're using the wrong grit stones. Any $3 SiC/Crystalon coarse stone or even 220 grit sand paper will do the job. Take your time and work your way to the profile you're looking for with the coarse stone and finish the blade with progressively finer grits. Finish with ceramic, arkansas or extra fine DMT (green) diamond stones.

NJ
 
Reprofiling means changing the outline of the blade. What you are speaking of is REBEVELING.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Reprofiling means changing the outline of the blade. What you are speaking of is REBEVELING.
Click to expand...

I've never changed a profile, at least appreciably. A broken point or two, yes, but I've rebeveled every knife I own. However, without a power system, like HF's sander, either task is a strenuous workout.

I've often wondered, especially on D2 and the other non-stainless steels, if aggressive rebeveling or reprofiling removes the hard shell of the metal, leaving just a softer core. One hears the term "case hardened."
 
Knife steels are hardened through. Case hardening is a surface treatment for soft metals.
 
Guys,

What might I need to do to a Queens, if it need rebeveling.
What will it look like before I work on it?
What will or might be wrong with the factory grind?


Rebeveling is resharpening....???
I will basically need to put an equal 20 degreee on each side.
First with a course DMT then work down to extra fine
Just D2 is harder to work than 1095.
And I will need time and patience.
And not to press hard on the diamonds let them do the work.

Have I got it?
 
Neeman if I were you , I would buy some gas station cheapies and learn how to sharpen freehand before trying it out on a more expensive knife like your Queen.

My Grandpa Reynolds taught me how when I was a kid , then I lost the skill , took me a few weeks of practicing every other night to get it back correctly again.

You want a comfortable place to do this , puton some tunes or what I usually do is put on one of the LOTR films for background noise , helps to ease the monotony of sharpening.

Get a few different stones , finish with a hard Arkansas , start with a coarse/semi coarse two sided aluminum oxide stone.
Some folks prefer diamond type stones or ceramic , others prefer crock sticks and sharpening systems.

It does not matter if it's D2 , O1 , 1095 or 420HC , they will all have their different characteristics , it is up to you to master that blade and make it work to your liking. In other words don't let fancier steels intimidate you when sharpening them.

but, do try to learn on some cheapies.

Good luck.
 
I reprofiled the blades on my Queen large Stockman D-2 with the grey rods of a Spyderco Sharpmaker. A bit of effort, but not that difficult.

And D-2 is such a wonderful steel that it's worth the effort many times over.:thumbup:

Ben
 
I rebeveled the edge on my RAT-3 D2 blade using the Sharpmaker and 220 grit wet/dry and up. After reaching 800 grit, I think it was, I went to the medium then fine stones. I had to block up the end of the Sharpmaker base and, using the 30deg holes, I was able to get the knife rebeveled to 12.5 degrees (25 inclusive)
 
neeman said:
Guys,

What might I need to do to a Queens, if it need rebeveling.
What will it look like before I work on it?
What will or might be wrong with the factory grind?


Rebeveling is resharpening....???
I will basically need to put an equal 20 degreee on each side.
First with a course DMT then work down to extra fine
Just D2 is harder to work than 1095.
And I will need time and patience.
And not to press hard on the diamonds let them do the work.

Have I got it?
Click to expand...

I am currently carrying a Queen #9 Stockman in D2. The spey and sheepsfoot blades were ground reasonably thin and had a decent edge angle, but the main clip blade was ground almost like a cold chisel. It is about twice the thickness of the other blades, the same width and is ground at about the same primary angle, but the edge bevel was over thirty degrees per side. It took some quality time on a DMT extra coarse to bring the edge angle down to thirty included. The diamonds will do it, but D2 resists abrasion quite well. It is worth the effort, though.
 
In the past I've re-whatevered my Queens with an extra-course DMT diamond hone (220 grit). It took about 20 minutes per blade to get them to about 12 degrees per side. Then I got an Edge Pro. With the 120 grit water stone, it took a little less time -- maybe about 15 minutes -- to re-whatever a D2 RAT-3 to the same angle, and it looks really good (even and polished). Recently I got a $39 Harbor Freight belt sander. I used it to rework the edge on one of my Queens. It's down right quick, as in it took seconds. Pick yer poison.
 
I took CPM D2 from 13.5 to 9 per side in a couple minutes on a DMT XX Coarse. I went from 15 per side to 10 per side on a ZDP 189 Endura in a couple minutes with the same stone. That stone is hard to beat for rebeveling a knife as far as speed. It will leave deep scratches that need to be removed by finer stones, but the speed it cuts with is very impressive.

Mike
 
neeman said:
Guys,

What might I need to do to a Queens, if it need rebeveling.
What will it look like before I work on it?
What will or might be wrong with the factory grind?

Rebeveling is resharpening....???
I will basically need to put an equal 20 degreee on each side.
First with a course DMT then work down to extra fine
Just D2 is harder to work than 1095.
And I will need time and patience.
And not to press hard on the diamonds let them do the work.

Have I got it?
Click to expand...

If the knife's edge doesn't suit you and what you want to do with it, then rebevelling (or re-profiling the edge) is what is needed.

Yes, rebevelling is basically re-sharpening. And you do indeed have it right--if a 20 degree angle is what you want. D2 is harder to sharpen than 1095 but with the diamond hones you won't really notice much difference.

Greg
 
Bill DeSHivs is right. You "rebevel" an edge. "Re-profiling" would mean reshaping the outline of the blade as viewed from the side. For example, if you took a skinner with a deep belly to the grinder and ground it down to a long, pointy blade, you would have sucessfully "reprofiled" that knife. If you took the same skinner and, started grinding the tip of the knife from the spine down toward the edge, making it into a sheepsfoot, or maybe wharncliffe, you would have "reprofiled" the blade.
 
Stretch,

You are absolutely correct. But I think the majority of folks here use rebeveling and reprofiling interchangeably. :eek:

When I first started visiting this forum, the terms puzzled me, becuase I thought "bevel" and "profile" were two different things. But I learned to accept it as the "normal" way that folks post here, and since I understand what they mean, I don't let it bother me.:p

I hope we don't get arguments started here like the folks on some of the firearms forums do when a "technocrat" gets apoplectic because someone referred to a magazine as a "clip." :D
 
I ordered the Queen in D2.
When it comes in a couple of weeks, I will post more...

Thanks
 
Ben Dover said:
Stretch,

You are absolutely correct. But I think the majority of folks here use rebeveling and reprofiling interchangeably. :eek:

When I first started visiting this forum, the terms puzzled me, becuase I thought "bevel" and "profile" were two different things. But I learned to accept it as the "normal" way that folks post here, and since I understand what they mean, I don't let it bother me.:p

I hope we don't get arguments started here like the folks on some of the firearms forums do when a "technocrat" gets apoplectic because someone referred to a magazine as a "clip." :D
Click to expand...

If you REALLY want to get technical, changing the edge bevel is reprofiling because it does, in fact, change the profile of the blade . . .


as viewed from the tip. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top