BK2 honing help

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putnamm

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Mar 5, 2021
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I bought a BK2 last week. I really like this knife. However, out of the box it was not as sharp as I would like. I used my own strop with Tormek compound for about twenty passes on each side (alternating sides every five passes). That didn't seem to do the trick. So I powered on my Tormek and used the honing wheel (leather) with compound for a few passes on each side. Still not up to my standards.

I am trying to shave hairs on my arm, cut [relatively thick] paper stock and also slice tomatoes as indicators of sharpness. In no cases does the knife perform as I would expect. I bought this knife to be my single solution for an outdoor knife. I understand that it is very sturdy, very heavy, a good chopper, etc. But if it is not capable of carrying what I feel to be a sufficiently sharp edge then I will defer to something like a Mora or other brand I know can do so.

Do any other owners have suggestions on achieving a sufficiently sharp edge on the BK2? Is the coated blade a problem? I have yet to resort to the Tormek's stone wheel, diamond plates or other "grinding" options as I would expect the manufacturer to deliver a sufficient grind.

Just looking for the experience and opinions of others. Thanks.
 
Keep in mind that the bk2 is the epitomy of sharpened pry bar... it's a quarter inch thick - if you got it for slicing tomatoes, you bought the wrong knife.
1095 does take a good edge, though; the BK2 will cut paper, and probably shave coarse hair...it's just not the best option for finer tasks
 
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Not to be insulting; but did the edge FEEL sharp before you started? Does it feel the same, better, or worse after the stropping and the leather honing wheel? I'm not doubting your skills with your tools; but many have made similar complaints (not necessarily regarding this knife) and some had likely dulled the original edge with their efforts.
At this point, I'd probably just consider it dull & proceed accordingly. Get a fresh edge on it, and see what you think.
 
No insult taken. It does feel sharper after the honing I have done (i.e. just dragging my thumb across it). And testing on paper/card stock it does seem to perform better. I think my expectations were probably just out of whack in looking for a "single solution" outdoor knife with the BK2. When chopping or trimming wood it performs like a champ. When I try to carve notches or toggles I find myself having to work more than I would like. But again, that is likely due to my own unreasonable expectations for the knife.
 
I have up on the idea of a do-it-all knife. There's always a compromise. I don't use my bk2 much - I prefer a longer blade for chopping, and a thinner blade for cutting - but I haven't considered getting rid of it, either.
 
It is absolutely an impressive tool. No doubt about that. I think my expectations were just out-of-whack.
I appreciate your input. Thanks.
 
Just circling back on this... I took the BK2 to my Tormek stone grinder this morning, set per instructions to match the knife's existing bevel angle. I made maybe 10-12 passes on each side, alternating each side every time. Then I stropped it with the Tormek's leather honing wheel. This made a huge difference in sharpness as compared to the knife "out of the box." So I think it just need a little love. It's sharp as a razor now.
 
You may also want to lower the edge angle a little bit. 20 degrees per side is factory and can get plenty sharp, but going to 17 per side will make it even better. I'm not sure what I did on mine, I just started with a coarse diamond stone and went up to spyderco fine and it will pop hairs off my arm with no trouble. However it is not the best for slicing any fruits or vegetables.

If you need a knife that will perform outdoors and be relatively slicey I would suggest the bk10. Around the same size, with a thinner blade stock, and better grind for actual knife duties. Bk7 if you need to do some light chopping.

I love my bk2, but if I want a knife to actually cut I go with one of the thinner models.
 
With my BK2 i did the following:
I used it as a small hatchet, destruction tool, hammer, splitting wedge and love it.
Then I sharpened it back up again to use it on more delicate tasks.
However the finer my sharpening got, the less i could actually use it.

So reground to a 17 degree per side edge and use a 400 grit stone - Now I can shave my arm hair and actually cut tomatoes (without crushing them),
but all denser veggies like carrots and taters are still a no go. (as they just split apart)

Hope that helps
 
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