Sharpening the BK-2 Companion

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hunter480

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Jan 23, 2009
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This was posted in a survival forum, and as I just bought both a BK-2 and a BK-7, the answer to this question interests me.

"Okay, the Companion has a flat grind AND it has a powder coating, so is the only way to sharpen it is to depend on a system like the lansky or gatco angle clamps (perhaps at 30 degrees to avoid scraping the coating?), or is there any other way?

Flat grinds are the best to have for sharpening and can get REAL dang sharp by hand just by using the flat grind as a guide... however there is a coating on it so doing it this way would scrape off the coating at least all throughout the grind angle to the edge. Other than relying on a sharpening system, is there any other way of sharpening (by hand?) where I can avoid scraping off all that epoxy on the grind?

I contacted Ka-Bar about this and have yet to receive a reply."

Any insight into this?
 
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well I think on KA BARS website it says the BK2 is ground at 20 degrees, so I'm thinkin with the lansky, use 20 degrees on both sides?

I'm actually interested in this as well. The edges on my BK2 and BK11 arent quite up to par with my standards, and would like to know which angle to use on each side of the blade with my lansky system. Any suggestions?
 
I'd also be interested, I own 4 Beckers, including the Tac tool, Companion, Brute and Magnum Camp, all of them are hard to sharpen and don't hold an edge for long. Maybe it's me? I've been known to be hard on knives.
 
I have the BK-2 CAmpanion as well as a BK-9 and have had no issue keeping them sharp with a Spyderco Sharpmaker.
 
It sounds like the person asking the question is confusing a knife flat ground to a zero edge and a knife flat ground with a secondary bevel. If you want to sharpen it to a zero edge then say goodbye to your coating but for any Becker you should just match the secondary bevel the knife came with and you won't have to worry about taking the coating off. I don't know the Becker edge angles but when I had my BK7 I also just used the sharpmaker.
 
Hey Guys....

The Sharpmaker works just fine and of course any Grandpa Ray system like the lansky will work just fine......I use a Norton Fine India stone (about 200 grit) and freehand more or less matching the secondary bevel (the shiny part on the edge) and as a touch up use Jerry Fisk's advice- three strokes each side with medium pressure, Two strokes a side with fairly mild pressure and then one very fine stroke per side ...then strop it on anything, leather, your jeans (watch your femoral and your nads !!!)a stainless sink, the heel of your hand, etc.....this gives a good "working" edge which is easy to maintain....I use mineral oil (Jerry insists on WD 40) in the shop and on anything outdoorsy and I just chuck the kitchen stone in the dishwasher every couple of days....Get the biggest stone you can afford or find and throw a tiny one in your kit. They are cheap and with practice (I HATE THAT WORD) you can make anything sharp anywhere........For a strop I use a piece of leather about a foot long by three inches wide on a chunck of birch ply, but any old belt will do....Hang it by a nail and use it like a razor strop........

For the truly compulsive get Murray Carters fine DVD on the subject or Jerry Fisk's and please bear in mind this is a subject I both have been, and will again be compulsive about...It comes in waves it does...Ah well....truly it is a hell of a lot easier than most people think.....I suggest scoring a cheap carbon steel kitchen knife that is capable of taking an edge and practice making it sharp and then dull the edge and make it sharp again until it is instinctive.....

All Best...

ethan
 
Words of wisdom Ethan words of wisdom!
I've been using the sharpmaker for some time now & I'm pertty good with it.but I
I suck on a flat stone and want to get better with one.
thanks for the advice.
 
Ethan, I asked on another thread what is your opinion of putting a convex edge on the BK2 or on any of your blades for that matter. Thanks for your thoughts
 
Hey Longrider...

Convexing is a great way to go for those few who can reliably do it in the field.....BUT the two people I KNOW who are as fanatical about sharp as any alive and have been studying it for decades are Murray Carter of the waterstone school and Jerry Fisk both ABS Master Smiths and I personally have seen Jerry do things with a knife that I saw him sharpen that are almost unbelievable and I have done things with some of Murray's knives sharpened HIS way that beggar description....For field knives that are to be sharpened away from home, the Fisk method is quick and really works quite well...
Most of the knife cutting competitions are won using the Fisk method.....BTW each and every knife that comes out of the Randall Knife shop sees a Norton stone on the way out the door.....It is the best bang for the buck and IMHO the best TIME bang for the buck and once you get the hang of it you can get SOME kind of working edge with ANY stone or system ....Think of it as a survival skill you really can practice easily at home......Thanks for the opportunity to preach a bit....

All Best....

ethan
 
Ethan, Thank you very much for your reply. I will look into the Fitz, Murray Carter methods. Though to be honest I am a clutz after 30 years being hit & miss on my sharpening efforts I got and have used a Gatco sharpening system for my flat grins. Kind of why I like a convex edge. Once I have it done it is fairly simple for me to touch up and maintain. Do you know what angle the factory edgeon the BK 2 is? What angle do you recommend I use on my Gatco for the BK 2? This is so cool to be able to ask the actual designer of a blade questions about his knife. Much better than calling tech support and getting some guy in India. Thank you very much for your help.
 
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