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I own an #30 Ingram knife that I bought used . The guy I bought it from said it was not used at all, but it was not that sharp when it arrived. I think that I dressed one elk with it and it is dull. I guided elk hunters for more than 20 years so I know a little about how to sharpen knifes, but this one will not get sharp. I just seems to be too steep of angle and won't cut.. I know his knives are popular, but I buy knives to use, not look at. I sure don't want any more. Any suggestions?

I’d contact Gene.

Let him sharpen it.

I thought he retired. What would be his contact info?

How do you go about sharpening any of your other knives? What blade steels have you been using? There is no mystery or unique challenge to sharpening any of Gene's knives. They sharpen up as easily as any other knife from any other custom maker or high-end production knife.

Have sharpened Howe, Winston, Olt, and about all production knives. My favorite is Tim Olt. I can do 2 or 3 elk with his knives and then just touch it up with a steel to shaving sharp.
I generally use a diamond or regular steel to touch blades up. I haven't used the Ingram enough to warrant going to a stone. The knife did not hold an edge worth a damn.

Sell it to me?

Gene sharpens all his knives on the humble Lansky.

You can reach him here: geneingramknivesgmail.com

Sell it for sure. Cheap.

I have had a whole bunch of Ingram knives and not one of them was a dud. All my Ingrams have been as good as any custom from any of the many that I have owned over the years. I'd hazard a guess it didn't have a good edge to start with, you said it wasn't real sharp to begin with. You can either reprofile it to whatever angle you want or match the existing angle. If you think the angle is too steep, reprofile it. Sometimes a burr forms and the knife feels sharp but as soon as that burr breaks off the knife will be very dull. A strop takes care of that burr. Or contact Gene and let him sharpen it for you.

Sounds like it was pretty dull when you got it (it would NOT have came from Gene that way, so someone used it) then you dulled it more through use.

It also sounds like it's past just honing, which you said is all you tried to do.

From the sound of things it needs a to be sharpened with stones, either do it yourself or contact Gene. Once you get a good edge on it you will be happy with it.

If you can't get ahold of Gene, I'll sharpen it for you as long as you pay for the return postage.

Dale

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I think I will buy a Lansky sharpener set and give that a try. The D2 blade is a little tough to work, but when sharp, hopefully will hold an edge. It's all a big experiment. Have a safe Fall.

I know Ingram is the saint of this forum, but you are not the first person to doubt his D2. I sold one after messing with it, thought it was my fault. On the other, if you get a Winston D2, you will not be disappointed. RP

You know Gene learned from David?

Not to mention that guy hasn’t responded to any inquiries in 2 years of reaching out lol

Stick with Gene or hit up Ken Honeycutt

From David?

I wanna say his health has declined ( he’s no spring chicken ) …. Not sure if he’s still making knives..

I had some knives ready about 6 or 7 years ago.. so i made the trip to his shop to pick them up.

Nice guy, plenty of stories… gave me the tour of his shop and answered all my questions. Nice to pick a makers brain.