Simple way for a novice to keep D2 knife work sharp?

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Jun 16, 2015
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Hello everyone. I'm a knife fanatic, but not a knife sharpener. I always send my knives back to the manufacturers for sharpening. My problem lately is that I have one knife that I love as my EDC and I hate to send it away for sharpening. It's a Kershaw Composite Leek. I use it everyday, keep it oiled, and clean. I'd like to be able to keep it sharp too. I've never sharpened a knife, but I've gone through countless threads and have seen a lot of video tutorials. For the time being, I don't want to spend a lot of money on a machine/system and I have no desire to reprofile. I just wish to be able to easily keep my knife sharp enough to always be able to cut a box with ease. I'm not looking to make convex edges or a new shaving instrument.

Could I simply buy something like the Kershaw's Ultra-tek diamond rod and teach myself how to use it? Is that enough to keep it work sharp? Maybe a diamond rod with a couple finer grits? What do you guys think? I appreciate the help and I am sorry if this is a dupe. I searched a lot, but most threads are focusing on laser sharpness and involve a long process that I'd rather work my way up to, not start at. Thanks again.
 
The sharpener you mentioned will work for that. For a beginner, rod-type sharpeners can sometimes be challenging to use, for holding a steady angle pass after pass. As an alternative, I might also suggest something like a DMT Dia-Fold in Fine or EF grit (or double-sided with both), which would give you a little more stability for your edge on the flat hone, in addition to a larger working surface than the rod sharpener. If holding the angle is a little intimidating for you, the DMT Magna-Guide & Aligner clamp could be used with the Dia-Fold hone. For maintenance sharpening needing just a few passes, that combination would be pretty easy to use, and the Dia-Fold hones are very versatlle beyond that, even if/when you feel you don't need an angle guide anymore. DMT has some videos on their site, at least one of which demos use of the Dia-Fold & Magna-Guide setup. I'll link one of them here, if the suggestion interests you.

The thin grind on most of the Leek knives should make maintenance pretty easy as well; those blades are quite easy to keep sharp.


David
 
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There is a pretty simple way to learn how to sharpen, but you should start with a knife that you're not afraid to scratch or somewhat tarnish with your first attempts. Pretty much any abrasive will do afterwards, no need to go ballistics on sharpening stones and jigs. ;)

[video=youtube;CXLaE1JvQ94]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLaE1JvQ94[/video]
 
CPM-D2 and D2 are two different animals. D2 is somewhat troublesome unless it has a very good heat treatment and CPM-D2 sharpens easily with easily obtainable sharpness and a flawless polish if so desired.

In this case we are talking about CPM-D2. While diamonds will work just fine I do feel they are a bit aggressive with this steel and prefer to use my waterstones. I would recommend a 1k waterstone to start and if you need coarser or finer there is endless options. The 1k is your medium grit in waterstones, considered the workhorse because it is coarse enough to sharpen a dull edge or even reprofile but fine enough to produce a quality cutting edge that can easily be shaving sharp and is a good finishing grit for an EDC blade.

For the budget minded I would recommend the King 1k and some sandpaper over a flat surface to keep it flat. It's a tried and true stone but catches a lot of flack because it wears quickly and needs constant lapping. The good thing is it's very inexpensive and is easily lapped flat or shaped for sharpening curved blades. It's a stone you can add nearly any other stone too and it will pair up without issue.

On the higher end you have the Shapton stones, these are a system of stones and tools that is best used as such. You can mix and match them with other stones but they are best together. I use them and like them for the cost to value factor, speed and edge quality. They are very hard ceramic that require a diamond plate for lapping but if you want to make a set of stones these are the ones to look at.

So, depending on your budget and future sharpening plans I would pick one of the two stone brands and get to practicing.
 
A simple norton crytolon stone will do the trick as well, just sharpie up the bevel to make sure you're hitting it as you should be removing it if you get the angle right.
 
I'm afraid I have to disagree with David (Obsessed with Edges) on this. I think a simple, inexpensive, Lansky 4-Rod Turn Box set of rods would be just the ticket for you. Just pay attention to your strokes.

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Once you have that down get a Norton Crystolon Combination Fine/Medium stone and that should take care of all your needs.

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KS2535a.jpg


^The 'rod type' sharpener I referred to, and also referenced by the OP, is a single rod pocket/portable (basically a diamond mini-'steel'; see pic above), and not the the V-crock rod type. The mini-steel type rod sharpeners are the ones that can be difficult for getting good results, if freehand technique isn't quite ready. I agree with ED, in that a V-crock like the TurnBox can work, and is fairly easy for a beginner to use. It's another option.

I still think a Fine or EF diamond pocket sharpener like a Dia-Fold would be handiest for such a blade, for maintenance/touching up as needed at work, or wherever. It's what I'd use for such a blade and wouldn't typically need more than 5 or 10 passes per side, if the edge is regularly maintained and in good condition.


David
 
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I recently got a Warthog Sharpener V-Sharp Classic II. I got a pretty good deal on it and I must say it puts a nice edge on my EDC knives (and kitchen knives) and is very easy to use. Like the OP I'm not much of a sharpener so it's been a good solution for me. You can adjust the angles (20/25/30) and get replacement rods if you want finer edges etc.
 
For long term maintenance on my D2 I use silicon carbide wet/dry over a hard surface (Washboard). A few backhone passes by way of a strop and finish with a few more stropping passes on plain paper. I do not much care for using loaded strops on D2 due to the large size of the carbides.

Per many of the above recommendations D2 can be set with many stone/abrasive types and all will work very well, but for regular maintenance I'd prefer not to take it to media that will leave me chasing a burr. A light touch on the wet/dry will bring it back to three finger sticky with very little fuss or QC.
 
I'll second the suggestion for a V type sharpener. The Spyderco SharpMaker being one of the best on the market. As long as your blade isn't very dull or damaged, the SharpMaker can bring it back and can keep it sharp for a very long time. If it's very dull, or has a very obtuse edge (edge angle greater than 20 degrees per side), then it will need some work on a stone or something else more abrasive than the SharpMaker. Then it can be maintained afterwards on the SharpMaker for literally years.

David (OWE) knows just TONS about sharpening. But he and I disagree on small sharpeners. I think that most people, especially beginners, have a hard time with small hand held sharpeners, like the diafold he is recommending. The diafold is a solid product, but I think you need really good mechanics to use it correctly, which most beginners won't have at first and will require a good bit of practice. That's one reason I'm recommending the SharpMaker: The mechanics are easier. It's not hand held. It does most of the angle setting for you; you just have to hold the blade straight up and down through the whole stroke.

Good luck to you!

Brian.
 
KS2535a.jpg


^The 'rod type' sharpener I referred to, and also referenced by the OP, is a single rod pocket/portable (basically a diamond mini-'steel'; see pic above), and not the the V-crock rod type. The mini-steel type rod sharpeners are the ones that can be difficult for getting good results, if freehand technique isn't quite ready. I agree with ED, in that a V-crock like the TurnBox can work, and is fairly easy for a beginner to use. It's another option.
David

Sorry David. I wasn't thinking about the single rod. You are right about that type of rod being difficult to master.
 
Simple way for a novice to keep D2 knife work sharp?

Keep it sharp
Do not let it get dull
Once you have let it get dull then you will need to resharpen
That is a pain with D2

Keeping it sharp means keep a simple edge maintenance
Strop with a leather strop with a very fine white compound on it
If you feel the edge is slightly loosing the edge
Touch up the edge with a few swipes of an extra fine DMT stone
Then strop again

I have quite a few Queen D2 slipjoints
The DMT Aligner jig with E course to E fine will easily and accurately sharpen D2
 
Simple way for a novice to keep D2 knife work sharp?

Keep it sharp
Do not let it get dull
Once you have let it get dull then you will need to resharpen
That is a pain with D2

Keeping it sharp means keep a simple edge maintenance
Strop with a leather strop with a very fine white compound on it
If you feel the edge is slightly loosing the edge
Touch up the edge with a few swipes of an extra fine DMT stone
Then strop again

I have quite a few Queen D2 slipjoints
The DMT Aligner jig with E course to E fine will easily and accurately sharpen D2

This^^^

Stropping is the key.
Depending on what you cut, and how often, a strop might be all you will need for a while.

Never let it get too dull.......
 
Sorry about the delay guys, busy week.

I think I'll scrap my idea of learning free hand for now and invest in a system. My friend gifted me a brand new Benchmade 940 the other day. If I ever want to use a knife that expensive, I need to be able to sharpen it right. I think I'll pick up a sharpmaker, a strop, and practice on all my cheap knives until I can get a good edge without scratching or damaging the blade. What angle do you guys recommend?
 
If you want to use the sharpmaker you are either going to have to prop it up on the sides to get the appropriate angle or adjust your hand placement to hit the bevel if you don't want to reprofile. But trust me you want to, but that means is your removing enough metal to match the sharpmaker angles. Sadly this is where the base sharpmaker is severely lacking in heavy metal removal but there are ways around it. Diamond/CBN rods (they both are pretty much equal in metal removal/finish to my understanding just different material), wet or dry sandpaper attached to the rod and used in edge trailing motion, or prop up a stone to it and secure it to there with a rubber band.

If you don't plan on doing this often or are tight on funds just pick up the sandpaper and attach it to the rods, there are plenty of people who do that hear and a quick search will get you all the information you ever want. Proping up a stone works as well, I've used a basic silicon carbide stone in this fashion with good results. And I own the diamond rods and the main benefit of that over the stone setup is it's an easier setup but it's still not as fast for removing metal when compared to the stone (norton economy stone). Something like a DMT 6x2 coarse should work pretty good. And from my experience so far it seems like the DMT coarse and spyderco sharpmakers diamond are very close in finish so I wouldn't worry about going from a DMT coarse to the medium spyderco ceramic.

And just a heads up if you choose to ignore this advice I hope you are a very patient person as it's going to take quite awhile with just the spyderco medium stone to reprofile a blade. So at bare minimum save yourself a headache and pick up some sandpaper with it.
 
This thread is about CPM-D2 not D2. There is a difference.

Actually, it is about D2. Composite leeks stopped using CPM-D2 a few years ago when Crucible stopped making it. They are D2 now. Mine says so on the blade

As for sharpening my knives, I had a bad feeling that they would have to be re-profiled. It looks like most of my knives are around 25 degrees. So, hopefully getting them to 40 inclusive with the sharpmaker won't be too hard. I'll definitely get the diamond rods and do every knife I have from cheapest to most expensive. Hopefully I won't be scratching the blade by the time I get to my leek.

I hear that D2 cuts better when it's edge is toothy and that it's not worth going for a mirror edge with it. So, I think I'll hold off on buying the EF rods for now.
 
Actually, it is about D2. Composite leeks stopped using CPM-D2 a few years ago when Crucible stopped making it. They are D2 now. Mine says so on the blade

As for sharpening my knives, I had a bad feeling that they would have to be re-profiled. It looks like most of my knives are around 25 degrees. So, hopefully getting them to 40 inclusive with the sharpmaker won't be too hard. I'll definitely get the diamond rods and do every knife I have from cheapest to most expensive. Hopefully I won't be scratching the blade by the time I get to my leek.

I hear that D2 cuts better when it's edge is toothy and that it's not worth going for a mirror edge with it. So, I think I'll hold off on buying the EF rods for now.

Thanks for the correction, this is the first I've heard of it. I see Kershaw's site is one of the few places that lists it as D2, still finding a lot of CPM-D2 references on sale sites. But actually, they kept using it for years after crucible stopped making it because they had a stockpile.

A coarse edge would be off the diamond rods, once you move to the ceramic rods of the SM you will get a lot of refinement even from the medium (brown) stone. One of D2's highlighted features is the ability to take a flawless mirror polish but it usually takes a good progression of diamond polishing compound and hours of determination. The Spyderco SM is good for touch-up's but that's about it, reprofiling is going to be difficult with 1/2in wide stones.
 
Actually, it is about D2. Composite leeks stopped using CPM-D2 a few years ago when Crucible stopped making it. They are D2 now. Mine says so on the blade

As for sharpening my knives, I had a bad feeling that they would have to be re-profiled. It looks like most of my knives are around 25 degrees. So, hopefully getting them to 40 inclusive with the sharpmaker won't be too hard. I'll definitely get the diamond rods and do every knife I have from cheapest to most expensive. Hopefully I won't be scratching the blade by the time I get to my leek.

I hear that D2 cuts better when it's edge is toothy and that it's not worth going for a mirror edge with it. So, I think I'll hold off on buying the EF rods for now.

A lot of people like D2 with a toothy edge, but it's certainly not limited to that. The (non-CPM) D2 knives I have from Queen have all been polished to 2K+ finish (essentially mirror by naked eye), and they've consistently become sharper as I've continued to refine them over time. It does take a while, and I'm sure that's what deters a lot of people from going beyond a toothy edge on it, especially if attempting it with marginally-hard abrasives or attempting polishing on softer substrates. But the steel can respond beautifully to a more polished finish at the edge, if patient while doing it. At very low edge angles of <25° inclusive, the polished edges on mine might be the sharpest cutters I have, at that finish. D2 really earns it's reputation for edge-holding at low edge angles, whether finished at lower grit, or at something more polished.

Interesting to hear about the transition from CPM-D2 to D2. Looking at Kershaw's specs on the knife, they describe the blade as 'Sandvik 14C28N/D2 composite'. If Sandvik is also producing the D2 in-house, it should still be pretty good.


David
 
Update: I just placed an order for the Spyderco Sharpmaker, two diamond rods, and two EF rods. I came to the conclusion that those are my best bet for getting nice edges without breaking my bank.

How much practice do you guys think it will take for a novice to go from sharpening cheap knives to Kershaws and Benchmades?
 
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