Sharpening D2?

B Hess

B Hess

Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,471
I have been trying to get a shaving sharp edge on my D2 fixed blade but i just can't do it. I am using a Sharpmaker at 30 degrees. What can I do to get it scary sharp.
 
The edge is likely formed at an angle of greater than 30 degrees and you are not sharpening it but just reshaping the steel above the edge. Take a x-coarse hone and grind the bevel freehand to under 15 degrees per side and then sharpen on the Sharpmaker.

-Cliff
 
INFI Kid,

I did exactly what Cliff is recommending with my Ontario D2 Rat-3, only I took the main bevel down to about 10 degrees per side then sharpened on the sharpmaker at 15 degrees for the micro bevel. The hairs pop off arm quite nicely.
 
Did you take the bevel down to 10 right to the very edge, I would be curious how it formed.

-Cliff
 
Put a 120 grit belt on the grinder, if you don't have one the 1" x 30" belt sander from Harborfreight will work. Sharpen one side (edge down) until you see a burr form, switch over and repeat for the other side. Strop it with a felt belt with white polishing compound (edge down!!). Works well for me.
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Did you take the bevel down to 10 right to the very edge, I would be curious how it formed.

-Cliff
Click to expand...

Yes I did before hitting it at 15 degrees on the sharpmaker. The edge was very rough with chunks of metal tearing off at the edge (with the 120 grit stone on my Edge Pro). Then cut on a piece of white oak at 90 degrees to the edge, hit it on the sharpmaker diamond rods about five times each side, then proceeded to sharpen as normal. The edge is razor sharp, but you can still see an interesting almost slightly torn pattern on the edge under 20X magnification. I wish I had a camera that I could take a picture of it for you as it is odd. Same treatment on a howling rat left an extremely smooth edge with no tearing.
 
bigbcustom said:
Yes I did before hitting it at 15 degrees on the sharpmaker. The edge was very rough with chunks of metal tearing off at the edge (with the 120 grit stone on my Edge Pro). Then cut on a piece of white oak at 90 degrees to the edge, hit it on the sharpmaker diamond rods about five times each side, then proceeded to sharpen as normal. The edge is razor sharp, but you can still see an interesting almost slightly torn pattern on the edge under 20X magnification.
Click to expand...

D2 has a really coarse carbide structure, 50 microns, 52100 is <1, so D2 tends to do exactly as you described at low angles. The finish is compounded by the coarse scratches of the shaping grit tearing out large sections of the edge as the huge carbides come out. You can get it to a high polish but it takes some doing. Once the edge has been shaped on the primary then take a fine stone and cut into it directly until all the chips are removed. Now very light with fine stones which are very aggressive , polish the bevel. Diamond works well as it cuts even with the pressure is very low. You can pretty much regrind the bevel on a 52100 knife while you are just sharpening D2 so it does take awhile. Of course it won't hold this high polish at low angles very long anyway so this is more as a experiment/learning thing than a functional method. If you want to see something really dramatic then take it down to about 5 degrees per side and leave it really coarse (80 grit AO, XX-coarse DMT)and check the edge undermagnification and then watch it while you cut something like carboard or rope.

-Cliff
 
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