Who Says D2 Is Hard To Sharpen !!!

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
12,294
I keep hearing that D2 is hard to sharpen, well I have just sharpened my D2 Ka-Bar and it has taken taken quite a good edge, so seeing as how I suck at sharpening it can't be that hard to do !!!
Anyway I decided to take it out today and try it out.

The weather today was awesome, maybe a little too warm for Maisy !
PICT5004.jpg

There were flowers blooming wherever you looked adding amazing colours...
PICT4993.jpg

This is one of my favourites " Indian Paintbrush "...
PICT4991.jpg

The urge to cool off was getting increasingly more tempting for my pooch !
PICT4996.jpg

She can never resist temptation....
PICT4997.jpg


PICT4994.jpg

There are even amazing colours to be seen in the sea today...
PICT4998.jpg

A pic of my knife and my newly camo'd flask, worked a treat, put it down and lost it !!!! JK !
PICT5000.jpg

I could only find one crabby stick where I stopped but I tried making a featherstick and the Ka-Bar cut pretty well...
PICT5001.jpg

I shouted Maisy back and we made the return trip !
PICT4992.jpg
 
Nice sea stars. Whats the ocean temp like around there. Does it vary much thru-out the year.

Thanks Matt
 
Thanks for sharing, spoiled pitdog, with all your fancy scenery, nice doggie companion, etc. :mad: Making all the rest of us envious :(

Just kidding, man, looks great. Where's Mrs. and Jr. pit? Send them to their rooms so you didn't have to share? ...............sorry, slipped again.:o

Doc :D
 
Whoever says D2 is hard to sharpen probably couldn't sharpen a toothpick.

Great pics, thanks. Can't let Richard see or he'd be jealous too.
 
Don't you normally hike with a Dumpster Mutt? Great pics either way!

I have a Benchmade710D2 that I EDC, I try to maintain it's sharpness by steeling it at least once a week - I have no sharpening skills, but with steeling regularly I've managed to keep it shaving sharp!
 
Grimspoon said:
Don't you normally hike with a Dumpster Mutt? Great pics either way!

I have a Benchmade710D2 that I EDC, I try to maintain it's sharpness by steeling it at least once a week - I have no sharpening skills, but with steeling regularly I've managed to keep it shaving sharp!
Click to expand...

Yeah I usually have my DM and love it but I sometimes think people will get bored of DM pics all the time so I try and shake it up !
I actually prefer my RMD but don't mind beating on my DM !!!!
 
I don't have much trouble with D2 unless I let them get really dull. It's sure best to keep them sharp.
 
It's not that D2 is particularly hard to sharpen, it's just that it's usually so... hard. And folks who don't have power tools or who don't want to use them just to put an edge on the knife are comparing how easy it is to sharpen other blade steels with stones to the D2.

I have one D2 blade currently. I didn't want to regrind the blade, just put a reasonable edge on it as the factory edge was ridiculously blunt. I used a file, then stones. It took at least twice as long as to reprofile and sharpen 1095 or 01. Cost of doing business with higher-end alloys.
 
D2 is difficult to sharpen in some cases. Since it's a coarse grade it will not willingly take a keen edge without the risk of edge-chipping.

Also there is a difference between sharp and SHARP. For a wide edge angle and a "working edge" it's ok, for a keen edge with a small edge angle it will not work at all. For instance a scandi grind does not go well at all with D2. It requires a fine-grain steel or a carbon steel.

Not all good or all bad, just a different type of steel compared to 1095 or a fine-grain Sandvik stainless (Mora stainless). D2 have an advantage in wear resistance but it's lacking in corrosion resistance (stainless), toughness, edge-stability and sharpness compared to the others.

D2 was developed for stamping tools, which means high wear resistance in edge angles of about 90 degrees, which would be typical for such a tool.
 
sixgunner455 said:
It's not that D2 is particularly hard to sharpen, it's just that it's usually so... hard.
Click to expand...


That statement says it all.

The tough carbides that make for awesome edge retention resist profiling and polishing.

But it’s well worth the extra effort. :thumbup:

A highly polished D2 edge will stay sharper longer then most steels, and a little time on a strop will keep that edge hair popping.

If you need to re-profile a very dull D2 blade prepare to spend more time then with most steels, but there is nothing particularly tricky or difficult about it.
 
Great pictures as usual Pit. I agree about the D2. I have a RAT-7 in D2 and I can sharpen it up no problem and it holds an excellent edge.
 
The problem I find with D2 is that it's so damn wear resistant. Whenever I finish a D2 blade after it's HTed, it wears out belts quick. The best way to sharpen D2 is with diamond abrasives.
Scott
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top