Sharpening Noob (esp. on a new BK2)

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bearedmonkey

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Nov 23, 2011
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Somewhere along the line I ended up with two DMT stones (Fine and Course I think -- they're red and blue and that's how they match up online). I paired that with an old belt that I conditioned with mink oil, and I'm shaving hairs off my arm. My question: why would I want to get all fancy with the stones and "real" strops (i.e.: expensive ones), and diamond compound, etc. etc.? Am I missing something?

Also, re: my strop/belt: it's real cheap-o and not at all smooth (that's why I conditioned it). Am I going to do better with something else? Again, my question: can I get even sharper?

Another thing: how many passes do I want to do on each stone (course and fine)? Can I count strokes (say ten on one side, ten on the other), or do I need to alternate sides on each stroke? Back to my initial point -- does it matter since I seem to be getting a pretty keen edge?

I keep asking if I'm missing something just because I'm thinking maybe I have a good edge now but it won't keep...? Or any of a million other possibilities I haven't thought of.

Finally, just ordered a brand new BK2 (just been sharpening a little Buck knife I carry in my pocket for now) and I'm wondering if I can use the diamond stones on that.

Thanks.
 
Ok so here's where I'm confused... Belt sander as in a woodshop belt sander? And what are these paper wheels files people are talking about mounted on? (i really am a noob)
 
bearedmonkey said:
Ok so here's where I'm confused... Belt sander as in a woodshop belt sander? And what are these paper wheels files people are talking about mounted on? (i really am a noob)
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I use a 1x30 belt sander. If your a noob I don't recommend it without practice on some cheapo steel. Just stick to your current stones. I uses to try the stone and strop combo but wasn't seeing any better results. Plus u like a toothy edge. Ir grabs and cuts better. Won't shave as well but then again I don't use my knife shave
 
the paper wheels are used to sharpen a knife. one wheel has grit that you work up a burr with and the other wheel removes the burr and polishes the edge. a few passes on the slotted wheel will leave you with a toothy edge.

check out the vids at my website which is in my sig line.
 
High quality diamond sharpeners, such as DMTs, are in some ways superior to stones. Especially if you buy the extra fine (green colored) or extra extra fine (tan colored). Stones tend to dish out in the middle over time, while diamond sharpeners stay flat, and take an insanely long time to wear out. Plus you don't need oil or water to sharpen on a DMT, though I prefer to use water. I will caution you that the BK-2 is a little harder to sharpen than thinner knives. I have a BK-2, and I had to reprofile it with an extra coarse (black colored) DMT slab. Oddly, the toothy edge (as Clitch said above) that the extra coarse DMT put on it is a good working edge with no further levels of sharpening done to it. I don't consider the BK-2 to be a knife that I need shaving sharp. At a true quarter inch thick, it is a sharpened prybar that chops and batons better that any other knife I've used in the five and a half inch edge range. I have several other knives that are better suited to fine cutting tasks. Stick with the free hand sharpening. Compared to going out to the shop and firing up the grinder (when you may be miles and miles from home), you'll find it is much handier to just reach into your pocket or pack, pull out one diamond slab and have a good edge on your knife in just a minute or so. Plus it is hard to really screw up an edge on a stone or diamond slab, where as things can go wrong in a hurry when power tools are involved in sharpening. But I'm old school and biased because I get great results with diamond slabs. Different strokes for different folks.
 
Yeah I hear that -- especially as far as hand tools vs. power tools. The less power the more time it might take, but also the less likely you are to screw anything up. Sounds like my old roommate who left me with these two stones really hooked me up! Maybe I should look at an extra course stone down the line though? I guess I'll see what happens. Why/how would you want to reprofile the blade (or Clich, is that what you're doing in that video?)?
 
The BK2 is very thick, so I reprofiled the edge by using the coarse stone and sharpeninging at a narrow angle that didn't reach the edge, but was instead thinning down the area of the blade just above the edge. By making the area just above the edge thinnner, it is easier to get the cutting edge sharper. You're just making a skinnier V, or turning a wedge into an edge. DMT's extra coarse (black) slab works well at this process because it will remove more metal quicker than a finer slab.
 
The only reprofiling I'd do on a knife like the bk2 (one use for hard knife tasks like.chopping) is knocking the shoulders of the v and putting my own micro bevel on it. You want and need that extra steel behind the edge for hard use. A thinner profile can lead to easier edge rolling
 
bearedmonkey said:
Clich, in that video you posted were you putting a microbevel on your blade?
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Yeh. Before I filmed it for liveitloud it was sharpened on a belt sander so there was no secondary bevel on the edge, just a straight saber all the way from the flats. By sharpening it like I did in the video, I added a micro bevel and made it even sharper. Usually I don't do all that since my bk2 gets beat on and as long as it slices paper its more than enough sharp for woods work. Once on the sander and then just touch ups on the 1000 grit side has been enough. There's showing off by push cutting paper, and then there's a sharp useable edge that does what you need.
 
Hmmm... all food for thought. It makes sense that you wouldn't want that kind of fine edge if you're going to be using it for such heavy duty tasks. Anyway, thanks! BK2 might be waiting for me when I get home tonight!
 
You are correct, it makes it more delicate. But it also makes it sharper. It's a trade off. But honestly, 1095 cro van is pretty tough, so even when you thin it down a bit, it's still fairly durable. And I can always re-sharpen. I will say, though, that it is sort of a waste of time to get a BK2 shaving sharp if you are just going to beat the crap out of it. But I typically use my hatchet or machete for really rough chores, so I keep the BK2 fairly sharp. With just the extra coarse (black) DMT stone, I get the quickest edge that won't quite shave, but will pull a few arm hairs.
 
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