Sharpening Questions.

B

BasiliOS

Joined
May 11, 2011
Messages
226
Howdy all,

Been using the kabars alot lately and it's that time that they need a touch up.

Figured I'd ask to see what people do to sharpen their knives.

I currently have a lansky system with the stones up to 1000 and I have been keeping them at a 20 degree angle.

Do you think I need to go higher grit & angle or is that the usual for these knives.
 
that's pretty good for these knives. if you check the Blade DB, the angles they come from the factory are listed for most knives. as well, there's more/similar data on the KaBar official website.

i've been doing it by hand for years, but it's tedious... and sandpaper is expensive ;) thinking of getting a edge pro system or something like that. need a casserole tray too ;)
 
I can attest to the Edge Pro being a very nice setup. Apex 4 kit is what I got. Purchased from Paulsfinest.com.

Never cared for my Lansky diamond sharpener.

Another notable sharpener is the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Gets knives sharp enough to pop hairs.

Edit: Some folks are hard core for mirror polishing their edges (2000-6000 grit levels). Personally, I'm sorta indifferent to it. I suppose the edge lasts longer mirrored. But I haven't seen a substantial difference that I feel mirror polish is required every time I sharpen my knives. You can get an extreme working edge on the Edge Pro just going up to 600 grit stone. Typically the highest I go with kitchen knives.
 
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I was just using an Arkansas stone from Smith's, but after hearing a few recomendations for a ceramic rod I finally dropped the $16 on one. It has made a big difference in how sharp I can get my knives.
 
I use a lansky on blades under 7 and a Norton benchstone for the blades longer than 7". Seems to work just fine. The edgepro is the cat daddy of the sharpening systems, with the sharpmaker coming in next, with the lansky. I prefer a guide system my self, but others prefer free hand. Nothing wrong with any of them, as long as you keep them sharp.

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Moose
 
Flying Guillotine said:
Moose, do you use the 20 degree on the BK2 with the Lansky?
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25, I prefer a steeper angle, better to work with for me. Good trade off of sharpness, and longevity. Its up to each one of us to decide what we like. I like 25.

Moose
 
I use the DMT Aligner (325 grit, 600 grit and 1200 grit) for reprofiling on the BK2 and also to smoothen out the factory edge. Sharpies marker pen are handy guide. Go slow and light if you are using diamond. Once I get the grind I want, I use sandpaper (800/1200/2000 grit) on mouse pad to convex it. This follows by leather stropping on the green compound to mirror convex finish. Maintenance subsequently will be just sandpaper and leather stropping. The BK2 is razor sharp and holds the edge very well. Chopped a 3x2 piece of hardwood and the edge didnt roll at all. Nice work on the heat treatment by Kabar.
 
Did anyone see Virtuovice's latest youtube vids sharpening his knives? Do you really have to strop that much?
 
I freehand the shorter stuff (BK2 and under) on my DMT stone and use sandpaper for my longer stuff.

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Beckerhead #42
 
Arkanian said:
Did anyone see Virtuovice's latest youtube vids sharpening his knives? Do you really have to strop that much?
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That dude has to be a perfectionist. 6-8 hours or so he said it took him to convex/sand-strip his BK2. I'd never have the patience to do it that way. Nor the desire to try. Can't help but respect the man.
 
Corpus said:
That dude has to be a perfectionist. 6-8 hours or so he said it took him to convex/sand-strip his BK2. I'd never have the patience to do it that way. Nor the desire to try. Can't help but respect the man.
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Yeah I agree I saw his videos and he spends a while with everything.
 
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