1095 sharpening?

B

Buck268

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Nov 5, 2006
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So I have a USMC Kabar thats something of a user- in that I've used it a bunch but now it just sits in one of my prep boxes. It has the original bevel angle on it with a reasonably sharp "working" edge from a number of years back. I'm looking to reprofile to a thinner edge but unsure how far to take it. Ideally I plan to maintain it on the Sharpmaker in the future, so I'm thinking about 15 degrees per side... Since this works well on my VG10 and other mid-grade stainless I figure 1095 should be fine. Good plan? Better suggestions? Currently I'm a little torn between doing it myself (either freehand or with x-coarse stones resting against sharpmaker) or sending it out to someone here...
 
I use 15 DPS on my Ka-Bar with no problem. Skinned a big buck, cut through the rib cage, pried vertebrae apart...still sharp.
 
Buck268, you should be able to thin it down on a x coarse stone. The ACE Hardware stone should work well. Tape the spine with a few layers
of tape and take it to the coarse stone. Use oil and pressure. I would stop near where you want it as there will be some additional thinning on finer stones to remove the deep scratch marks. You'll be surprised how this improves performance. DM
 
David Martin said:
Buck268, you should be able to thin it down on a x coarse stone. The ACE Hardware stone should work well. Tape the spine with a few layers
of tape and take it to the coarse stone. Use oil and pressure. I would stop near where you want it as there will be some additional thinning on finer stones to remove the deep scratch marks. You'll be surprised how this improves performance. DM
Click to expand...
Dave speaks the truth, you can turn that into a cutter and dont need to break the bank doing it. I love 1095...


Russ
 
If it already has a working edge, I think the SharpMaker should do a pretty good job on it. It certainly has no problems with 1095, as long as it isn't too blunt. My BK-11 took ages, and still isn't all that sharp, but it sure as heck didn't have a working edge on it from the factory. The edge was terrible. My Esees all came pretty sharp, and with a few minutes on the SharpMaker got screaming sharp.
 
Military Kabars almost always need some thinning to get a good working edge. But a 1095 Kabar that is sharp is a beautiful thing (especially if it says U.S.M.C. on it).
 
The Spyderco ceramics are quality sharpening tools but not a good choice for carbon steels IMO. It doesn't help that most Kabar's have a thick grind and this can make the already slow cutting ceramics seem even slower. The rec for a Coarse/Fine aluminum oxide stone is a good one, it will give the coarsness needed to thin the edge bevel but also offer enough refinement to make a good slicing edge. I would buy/make a strop if you don't have one, it can really help in getting that last bit of burr off the edge and can greatly improved sharpness.
 
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