Sharpening Ka Bar USMC (Im uterlly new to knives)

S

Sam310454

Joined
Aug 2, 2012
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Hi, i was looking into getting a knife and i was interested in the ka bar usmc. Now the site recommends an arkansas stone which i looked up and ... do you like rub the knife against it?? Or what? And then there were these red/blue/green strips of diamond something or other and you rub it against that and, well im just generally confused about everything. I kept coming across this site and thought someone might be able to help.

Also, i was looking into the Becker BK2 and is sharpening that the same deal as the Ka bar?

Im sorry if these questions are stupid/broad/or anything like that. Im new, like new new. the only thing i know is what the words full tang mean and that cause i looked them up :confused:

So if you could help me with the sharpening of the Becker BK2 and the Ka-Bar USMC that would be great!!!

Thanks!
-Sam
 
:eek: Im scared!! That looks to hard!! Is that the only way?? And will that technique sharpen a ka bar usmc and becker bk2? Also is the DMT the best thing to get for those two knives? and will it cost much? man, i really didnt know there was so much involved in just a knife.
 
Not hard, just takes practice. :D No need to buy expensive DMT stones, either. A $20 Norton India stone would work just fine.
 
I thought the same when I started. It's not as hard as it looks or sounds. First, what you need is something to sharpen on. There's a lot of different types of sharpening stones. What I would recommend, for the knives you mentioned, is a Norton Crystolon or India combo stone. You can find either of them for about $20-$25. You can use them dry or lubricate them with water and a drop of dish soap or mineral oil. Next, you need some stropping compound. Probably, the cheapest ($2.50) and easiest to find is Craftsman buffing compound. Go up to your local Sears and get some white and/or green buffing compound. Finally, After you sharpen your knife, you'll need to strop it. Get some newspaper and wrap it around your stone and rub on the buffing compound like a crayon. Do edge trailing strokes on the newspaper to refine your edge and remove the burr. That's pretty much the setup I use on most of my knives.

There's also the guided route instead of freehand. Something like the lansky, Gatco, wicked edge, edge pro and dmt hold the blade in a clamp that has preset angles. The downside is, the angles vary depending on the thickness, the width of the blade and the position of the blade in the clamp. So, it can be tricky to get the same angle on the same knife every time you use it. Also, some of them have a hard time with long blades and you have to reposition the clamp further down the blade to maintain the same angle. There's a lot of good threads on the forum about the pros and cons of each.
 
sam, there is another kind of edge you can go with which is a convex edge. i sharpen a lot of fixed blades and most i do get a convex edge due to it being more durable and it cust a lot better.

it requires a totally different method to sharpen which might be a lot easier for you to learn. if you want some help deciding which edge to go with i would be glad to give you a call if you send me your number in an email. rje196021@gmail.com

here is a vid a member made of a knife i made and sent off on a private passaround. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q_eMwRaHYg it is a chisel grind with a half convex edge.

here is another vid of the same knife cutting free hanging newspaper http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7iDE2EBzBw

i also have some pictures that will be of some help too that i can send you.
 
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