Sharpening

E

ErikD

Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Messages
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I recently bought a Ka-Bar USMC Fighting/Utility knife. I found the edge to be rather pathetic, as it was no where near as sharp as it could be. To remedy this I took it over to my 1" belt grinder, and moved the bevel to about 40 overall. The knife is now much sharper, and in my experience should hold this edge just fine.

Now in the process I noticed that the black epoxy coating got worn off much higher up the blade. I noticed the same thing while giving my Commander a normal edge, also 40 overall. Now as I buy all my knives to use I don't really care about removing the black coating. What I really want to know is if this is something that I could avoid doing, meaning I need more practice to get it right, or if it is just a result of changing the bevel. I will say that either way my knives have come out sharper, but just more ugly, so I guess I am happy. But of course if this is a defect in my work I would like to work on getting it perfect. Thanks in advance.
 
If you mean by 40 overall, a 40 degree included angle, I would say that is the cause.
That is only 20 degrees per side. Much less that the stock 22-25 degrees.
Are you sharpening on the platen(a hard backed surface), or on a loose belt?
Some of those small belt grinders have the platen sitting away from the belt. That would also contribute to the problem.
 
Yes, I did mean a 40 degree included angle. I was sharpening on the slack portion of the belt, NOT the platen. So most likely this is just due to me changing the angle so drastically, and could not be avoided?

I guess I really shouldn't worry so much about it. Afterall these are knives meant to be used, and I find that this edge works out just fine for my typical usage.
 
Did the coating come off higher than the edge bevel? If so, you probably wobbled a little bit and ground some off, or maybe you got it too hot :confused:
If not, then its just a matter of the more acute angle over the same thickness material makes for a wider bevel.
 
Happens....just means you need more practice, and a stiffer belt. Next time, try a 400 grit A/O "X" weight belt. You'll still be able to sharpen in the slack area without having to worry too much about wearing off the black coating.
 
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