Ontario RAT-3 sharpening


SleepEatingOutdoors

SleepEatingOutdoors

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Anyone have a rat3? I just cannot get this knife to sharpen. After about a hour on the worksharp field sharpener, I can only get it to pop hairs. This is after extensive fine diamond stone @20 degrees. Some light ceramic rod @25 degrees and then leather stopping for about 5 min. I use this sharpener on many knives and have no problems shaving with them afterwards. My edc when I'm not working is a gerber 154cm steel that I can get sharper than this 1095 rat3. Is the grind on the rat3 different?
 
MEC003 said:
Hmm... 1095 is a pretty easy steel to sharpen. I usually finish with ceramic rod and it gets pretty sharp. That's odd. Hopefully someone else has some advice
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Right. 1095 should be stupid easy, I sharpies the edge and took it slow to check my angle and im point on. It just seems to get to a certain point and never gets any sharper.
 
SleepEatingOutdoors said:
Anyone have a rat3? I just cannot get this knife to sharpen. After about a hour on the worksharp field sharpener, I can only get it to pop hairs. This is after extensive fine diamond stone @20 degrees. Some light ceramic rod @25 degrees and then leather stopping for about 5 min. I use this sharpener on many knives and have no problems shaving with them afterwards. My edc when I'm not working is a gerber 154cm steel that I can get sharper than this 1095 rat3. Is the grind on the rat3 different?
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I don't understand. "Only get it to pop hairs"? Popping hairs requires a sharper edge than just shaving hair which requires a sharper edge than scraping hair.
 
I use grey India wetstones with a bit of tooth and then oiled Arkansas stones and then an unloaded rawhide strop on my 1095. Which is all of my field knives. I don’t try to get razor edges or gleaming bevels. I try to get it field sharp so it’ll cut stuff for a while.

maybe my standards are low.

edit: I also find it easier to use large stones. The little ceramic rods don’t seem to do much for me either.
 
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I have a RAT3 that I recently pulled out and sharpened yesterday actually. I use a red DMT plate and the strop with some green compound on a belt. Mine sharpens rather easily, but I have sharpened it the same way for years so I guess we are just use to each other by now. About like my other 1095 knives.
 
Did you build up a bur or are you just sharpening the shoulders and not getting a new apex? In my experience, OKC rat fixed blades are thick behind the edge and the edge is a bit thickly sharpened so you may not be getting the edge sharpened at all.

Try the sharpie trick and see if you removing it all or not.

That is my thoughts anyway, having done this myself before. If you're already doing all of this, I'm no longer able to guess your problem so good luck and hopefully you get it worked out.
 
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My rat1 came with a pretty obtuse edge angle. IF your sharpening to 25 degrees per side than you included angle is 50 degrees before stropping. If that’s the case then pop’n hairs is actually a heck of an accomplishment!
 
rhino on INGO said:
That's one step past hair whittling, which is one step past "tree topping," which is one step past hair poppin'! The hairs choose to commit suicide and eject themselves from the arm rather than face the edge!
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Maybe that's why I think my hairline is moving backwards. I need to stop sharpening. I heard the ultimate is when you look at the edge and your eyes bleed! None too pretty but man imagine how easy it would be to open the Amazon packages!
 
I picked up a Rat 3 at a big box store a while back.

Out of the blister pac the edge is useless.

I expected more for the cost.

It will take a LOT of work to make this knife field ready.
 
If it can cut through hairs it's good enough to do any outdoor activity. Much sharper than that and you'll roll your edge trying to cut hot butter. Just my $0.02
 
I am not impressed with a factory geometry on the Ontario RAT3 knives. I own several of them and have changes the blade geometry on all of them.

On this RAT3 I reprofiled the blade to convex edge with a very minute micro bevel. The knife performs substantially better with the convex grind vs factory edge.


 
On my Rat7 I ended up at 23 degree per side using my WS Precision Adjust jigy . This gave me a good working edge that will shave but is not hair popping sharp.
 
jsb223 said:
I picked up a Rat 3 at a big box store a while back.

Out of the blister pac the edge is useless.

I expected more for the cost.

It will take a LOT of work to make this knife field ready.
Click to expand...

I had some time Sunday so I used a mechanical sharpener and re-profiled the edge
on the Rat 3. I'm about an hour into it and it's getting much better.

I would guess I've got about half again as much time to go and I'll have a workable knife.

Generally I like a bigger knife but I'm putting together a smaller pack for discrete travel proposes
and this one is about the right size to get the job done if need be.
 
jsb223 said:
I had some time Sunday so I used a mechanical sharpener and re-profiled the edge
on the Rat 3. I'm about an hour into it and it's getting much better.

I would guess I've got about half again as much time to go and I'll have a workable knife.

Generally I like a bigger knife but I'm putting together a smaller pack for discrete travel proposes
and this one is about the right size to get the job done if need be.
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You weren't kidding when you said it would take alot of work to get the knife ready. Almost 2.5 years!
 
When you use it what is it you find yourself cutting the most with the Rat-3?
 
Dr_Rez said:
You weren't kidding when you said it would take alot of work to get the knife ready. Almost 2.5 years!
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TBO I've got more knives that any one person should have.

It's the one collection of "things" I've never sold from.

And the bulk of gift purchases for others.
 
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