All About Pocket Knives

What do you use to sharpen D2 steel? I am having a fit with trying to get a Northwoods muskrat shaveing sharp. I am using a sharpmaker with a little improvement each day. I give it approximatey 20 minutes a day then give up. At this pace it should be done in two weeks.

i use a lansky 3-stone system with good results.

I have heard from more than one person that D2 will not take a super sharp edge. Something about the grain of the steel being too coarse. My own D2 knives are not as sharp as I would like so I know the frustration. I had decent results with a diamond hone.

D2 can be difficlut to sharpen, but I - like Johnnie recommend a Lansky. I use the diamond kit with a sapphire and I always strop. I also use my Bader with a high grit and slow speed to put a killer edge on D2. I have seen many knives that guys thought were sharp only to find under magnification that it was merely a rolled edge.

To get that perfect shaving edge, you have to hold that blade at the exact same angle every stroke and then copy it on the other side.

You can get D2 just as sharp plain carbon steel (not high carbon) which is more forgiving. I have been taking a liking to A2 lately, probably the most under used steel we have, I'd like to make a few folders with A2 time and customers willing.

I can get my mountain man shaving in no time freeehanding it but my only gripe with the knife is it goes dull so easily. You give it a funny look and the edge will dent. . I got tired of trying to keep it sharp so I started carrying my buck again.

i believe the trick is a mechanical edge. my d2 blades stay very sharp. i sharpen my carbons by hand but i get much better and a longer lasting edge with angle guides on carbon or the tool steels.

Yes, it lasts a very long time on a Lansky or on a Bader. I am going to build ramps (platform) at the angles I want rather than an adjustable one (PIA and ready to toss but works OK once I have an angle) for the Bader. The fixed ones will be marked and fitted to the short platen, the one for slack grinding. Shaving sharp and it lasts almost forever. My last one and I will send it to my brother, a friend of his wants it for $$$. At Rc60, it's hard to get a good edge without a mechanical device. My last one

D2 is an animal onto itself, I bought a bunch of A2 and L6 replacement. I will play with those once I get back from Ohio - guess I need to look at the list first. I have a couple tutorials and I know I have some drop point hunters and sheaths, deer season starts here the second Saturday in August (second Saturday in July for archers), I know I have a few and can't work a full day at all yet. I sold my all my Mountain Man knives they didn't quite match up.

Once I get back from Ohio - leaving -TODAY!

Archer,

I use a Burke Sharpening System (power) to sharpen all my palm tools and knives for carving. It works for me and is a quick way to get an edge on a tool. (also a good way to burn up a tool if not careful )Just remember, if you use power to sharpen, heat is your enemy. And as Hukk pointed out, consistent angle of the desired bevel means everything.
I would also recommend a very good source of light when sharpening. Light will reflect any dullness in the edge.

When stropping, especially power stropping, be careful not to over-strop and "round" the edge. Again, as I believe Hukk mentioned, a knife may appear to be "razor" sharp, and in fact shave hairs off your arm, but not carve very well due to rounding caused by over-stropping. By the way, I always keep a piece of Basswood (Linden Wood) on hand and carve cross grain on the end grain to test the cleanliness of the cut. If I see any scratch marks or milky streaks, I still have work to do. A clean cut should leave no marks and a nice clean sheen on the end grain.

Also, in obtaining that razor sharp edge, there are two criteria that must be met... A "wire burr" must be created and then removed.

My apologies if I have been long winded, but I have gone through many frustrating "sharpening sessions" when I started carving and can relate to anyone with sharpening woes! Heck, I still have diffuculty with some of my v-tools and odd shaped chisels! I can post a pic of my sharpener once I figure out how to!

Well, I hope this works, my lovely wife showed me how to post a pic. This should be a pic of my Burke Sharpener as well as part of my messy carving room. Drum roll please...

cool don, ya know that jim beam will make ya cut yourself!

HA! You're right! ...That's why I stick to collecting "empty" bottles to put my carved bottlestoppers in! I am just thrilled my pic post worked! Now I can post some pics of my knives.

carvin don wrote:...I have gone through many frustrating "sharpening sessions" when I started carving and can relate to anyone with sharpening woes...

Is that yourself you’ve carved there..?
Very nice work!

Could you say something about the edge angle(s) you prefer when sharpening your carving knives?
I often like to establish a new edge with a lower degree angle when I start using a new knife.
I find that many knives come from the factory pretty dull…

Howdy Froggyedge,

Nah, I ain't that handsome.

I appreciate the kind words.


I agree with you, I prefer to remove the factory bevel on my carving knives as well. If sharpening by hand on a diamond stone for instance, I would lay the blade flat to the stone and take her down from there. This however, can be time consuming, hence the purchase of the power sharpener. Some folks raise the angle slightly, others even higher yet, whichever angle you choose, be consistent on both sides. I do not use any specific angle guide, more or less I try to sharpen to what I am going to be using the tool for. If I am carving Basswood, I prefer no bevel (or flat bevel some folks say) due to the ease of which the wood carves. Other hardwoods such as Butternut, I do like to have a small bevel on there for added strength.

The thinner you get that edge, the easier it will slice through the wood, but is also more brittle and prone to "chip" and "nick" if you are carving through harder woods or hit a knot. Thin blades are great for detail work.

I am no expert sharpener by far! This method works for me, but there are as many ways to sharpen as there are carvers and knife collectors! I think it's best to choose a system you are comfortable with and stick with it...practice,practice,practice...those cheap chinese knives come in handy right 'bout now.

Don't know if I helped any...I'm not that good at explaining things. Unfortunately, I learned alot by ruining or "altering" many tools! Even those tools you've "altered" find a place to be used! I sure am havin' loads of fun along the way!

Froggyedge,

Here are two identical knives, both Camillus Yello-Jaket carpenter/whittlers, the top one is in factory condition, the bottom one I sharpened up for carving. You can see how the light plays off the bevels on both knives. note: you will notice the bevel reflect light near the tip of the knife on the one I sharpened...I had dropped the knife and bent the tip and had to reshape it, obviously not matching the bevel quite to the rest of the blade. Oh well...it still carves nice, and that's all I care about!

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I thought it was just me doing something wrong. I have never spent so much time on one knife in my life. Funny thing is, I have two other D2 knives, a Northwoods Gunstock and toothpick. Those two were not as difficult. This Muskrat is killing me. The edge that needs to be obtained first, is that when you can feel the edge with your fingernail on one side? Then work it out. That's where I am now, however I have not worked it out yet. Still trying

carvin don ;

My brother-in-law uses a leather wheel to sharpen his carving tools.

He made it all by him self and works gr8. He calls it his power strop
(dang I fore got how to spell that word) strop ?

(Like the leather strap used to sharpen a razor)


EDITED Thanks Johnet

strop

You got it... after sharpening a knife, stropping can maintain that edge for a long while, as long as you don't over-strop and round the edge. A flat stick and a good piece of leather glued to it with some aluminum oxide works wonders as well!

Archer wrote: The edge that needs to be obtained first, is that when you can feel the edge with your fingernail on one side? Then work it out.

Archer,
Not necessarily...

Try taking a black magic marker and mark along the edge of the knife the bevel you desire. Take it to your stone until you've removed the black mark, do this on both sides, and at some point you should see a wire burr develop. (I can't stress enough the importance of GOOD LIGHTING! A fellow carver taught me that! A good light source will enable you to see burrs, nicks, rounding and all things dull.) Make sure to keep that angle steady for both sides. Once you have that wire burr, take some aluminum oxide compound and apply it to your strop and remove that burr. When stropping, keep that blade flat, or rather at the angle you sharpened your knife to and make one sweep up, stop, lift the knife off (or do the barber roll, keeping the blade to the strop at all times and turning it over to lay flat on the opposite side) bring the knife back down on the opposite side and strop it. Continue till burr is removed. (you will see your strop darken as the burr is removed, any streaks or track marks in the leather you see mean to keep stropping.) Stropping should be executed just as evenly as when you sharpened the knife on a stone. Stropping will also polish up and remove scratch marks caused by the stones, making for a smooth, clean cut.

I sure hope I'm not messin' any folks up here, cause' I'm no expert, and learn by trial and error. There are many methods out there that work, but I was always told you have to do two things to get that edge...create the wire burr, then remove it...sounded simple and looked simple when I watched him do it! I will have to post some pics of some knives I've "altered" in the learning process! I would love to hear some other folks opinions on sharpening, as someone elses method might work better for you. Happy Sharpening!

carvin don wrote:I agree with you, I prefer to remove the factory bevel on my carving knives as well. If sharpening by hand on a diamond stone for instance, I would lay the blade flat to the stone and take her down from there. This however, can be time consuming, hence the purchase of the power sharpener. Some folks raise the angle slightly, others even higher yet, whichever angle you choose, be consistent on both sides.
The thinner you get that edge, the easier it will slice through the wood, but is also more brittle and prone to "chip" and "nick" if you are carving through harder woods or hit a knot. Thin blades are great for detail work. ...This method works for me... I think it's best to choose a system you are comfortable with and stick with it...

I think you have given very good explanations! And photos too. Thank you!
I agree with you and what you have learned from experience.
Often you read that when sharpening your knife you should always try to keep the angle used by the manufacturer. I have several knives where that would mean a very steep angle and following the instruction would mean never having a sharp knife!
I am used to Scandinavian knives, which usually have a wide bevel and a rather thin edge that really bites into wood and they make good slicers too. Quite a few knives come from the factory with an edge that will just slide along the surface of the wood if you try to make some thin shavings. Knives with a thick edge sharpened at a steep angle may take a lot of abuse without being damaged, but unless you are planning to do a lot of chopping such knives will not perform very well IMO.

Thanks Froggyedge...Nice knife