3-Month Traditional Sharpening Challenge

Buzzbait

Buzzbait

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Joined
Feb 25, 2001
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I realized today that I've used a Spyderco Sharpmaker for all but my convex ground knives for so long now, that I didn't even know where my other sharpeners were anymore. So down to the basement I went, and after rummaging through a few old boxes, I found my various bench stones and whatnot. I even made a project out of it, grabbing some old wood out of the garage, hitting up the leather working box for a piece of scrap, and making myself a nice new 4X7 bench strop. I had my choice of green compound or Yellowstone, and went with the green this time. If I have time next week, I may make up a separate strop and load it with Yellowstone for comparison.

I think that I'm going to challenge myself for the next 3 months or so . I'll carry a carbon steel traditional each day, and use only bench stones and my leather strop to maintain the blade edges. For now, the Northfield #72 and the Camillus TL-29 get the nod, but the incoming #15 will probably also get a lot of pocket time. I don't see any other knife purchases on the horizon, so it'll probably be just those three knives in my righthand pocket.

I did a quick run through with my old Smith's medium and hard Arkansas stone kit, and then the new strop. I was surprised to see how quickly I got the edge back, and how nicely the edge polished up. I expected a lot more problems, being without my diamonds and edge guide. I think I'm going to enjoy this challenge. Sharpening was a lot more relaxing this time, in comparison to my usual sharpening sessions.

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PS - I've made a few strops over the years, but this was my best strop yet. Instead of trying to use the smooth side of the leather, which stropping compound always has problems sticking to, or trying to use the flesh side, which always has too high a nap to allow the stropping compound to smooth out, I went somewhere in the middle. I went smooth side up, and then put the smooth side on a belt sander for a minute, sanding off the smoothness, leaving a low nap surface. The compound adhered beautifully on the first try. Running the edge across this strop is buttery smooth.
 
Sounds like fun. I only have a Norton stone a leather strop and 1000 grit sandpaper and that's been my one and only for years.
It really is fun going freehand isn't it? :D
 
I've always been leery of power sharpeners (of course when I was younger, they were basically a grinder with two stones at an angle) I thought they would take off too much metal, over heat the blade, and the one grind angle was more suitable for an axe or hatchet, not a knife of any kind or price; including a $1.00 gas station no name made in 1960's Japan from recycled car fenders special.
 
getting traditional with the traditionals. i like it! Good stuff.
 
I switched back to freehand and Arkansas stones a few years ago.
 
My bench stone is one of those Smith's combination setups, with a medium bench stone mounted onto a cheap plastic base, and a smaller fine stone tucked up underneath. I did some research, and gave them a good cleaning today with Simple Green and a toothbrush. Just like new now!!!

But I really need to invest in a better set of stones.
 
I've only ever used stones and a strop, I've never felt like my edges lacked at all.

Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start with a fancy sharpening kit :P
 
pmew said:
I've only ever used stones and a strop, I've never felt like my edges lacked at all.

Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start with a fancy sharpening kit :P
Click to expand...

I'm the same way. All I need is my dads hand-me-down course/fine stone, and my arkansas stone. Unfortunately, I don't own a strop yet
 
I was all Sharpmaker and diamond rods for the years I collected tacticals, after a previous lifetime of only traditional slipjoints and Arkansas stones. The super-steels really needed the diamonds. Now that I've come full circle, and am back to only traditionals for EDC, the Arkansas stones and strop are back in action. I'm pretty much back to 400-series stainless and simple carbon steels. There are only really a couple of notable changes.

First, I actually have a bench strop now. My previous strop was a thin piece of leather rolled up until I needed it. Then it got rolled out onto the table, and touched up with Herb's Yellowstone. I don't know why it took me so long to make a better strop. It took all of a half-hour, and it is sooooooooo much nicer.

Second, I've made the switch to Simple Green for wetting and cleaning the stones. My initial impression is that the Simple Green is much less hassle than anything else I've ever tried. Oil always gave me fits and was very messy. Water and dish soap was better, but still not excellent. Simple Green is just absurdly easy to use. It's almost cheating. I have half a mind to go back to oil again, just to embrace the full traditional style, evils and all. But for now, I'm rocking the Simple Green.

It's been a cool 24 hours thus far. I've cut leather, slabbed on rubber cement, cut wood, and cleaned stone. All traditional materials that I really haven't touched in years. It feels good. Back to my roots.
 
I thought you used sandpaper to convex the edge of your knives?

:confused:

Good to see you back Buzz. Stick around a bit, the world of slipjoints has changed some since you were a more active poster. Still have that Robeson half-whittler?
 
Hahahahaha.

Yep. I still use wet/dry paper on a mouse pad for my convex ground knives. Although now that I have a nice quality strop........ that may change also. :D The new strop should be able to handle 52100.

I still have the Robeson, although it doesn't get much use anymore. It's getting a little small for my hands these days. I bought a Case Seahorse Whittler about a month back, to see if it works out better for me. If not, I may be headed back to my Old timer 80T, although I'll sorely miss having a wharncliffe blade.

Much is definitely changed in recent years. The traditionals forum has grown like crazy!!!!! GEC and Canal Street has definitely put US-made slipjoints back on the map. It's good to see. I'm glad I'm into traditionals though, as I've never even heard of half of the new super-steels. I wouldn't know where to start.

Good to see you, kamagong.
 
Still have that unhealthy fascination with wharncliffes I see. ;)

Take a look at the GEC 57. It's available in a half-wharncliffe configuration, just like your favored Robeson. Might be just the thing at 3 1/2" closed.
 
Good to see ya back BB !!! and that's a good challenge too, I bought a water stone that I've not taken out of the box yet, one of these days I'll do that, waiting I guess for when and if we ever sell our house, I'll take time to rig up the sink board to use it, in the mean time I use shapton pro stones, these are made for the edge pro system, but I had sold that off and kept these stones and sharpen by hand using them. Holding the stone in my left, gripped by the ends of the metal plate and the knife in my right, seems to work well for me so far.

Good luck with your challenge!
G2
 
I attempted to give my new GEC #15 it's first sharpening last night. The edge wasn't as bad as many other new slipjoints, but I wanted to reprofile it to 15 degrees on each side. My freehand skills were definitely not up to the task of reprofiling. I left a few marks on the blade, and did a crap job. In the end, I had to break out the Sharpmaker to establish the initial profile.

So I think I need to amend my challenge to sharpening, but no reprofiling. At least until I can make myself up a 15-degree edge guide. Does anybody else ever use an edge angle block with their freehand stones? If so, do you use it directly on the blade, or do you place it under the stone? I've never used an edge guide, but I could see it being quite handy for reprofiling.

The new bench strop is working out famously. I can't believe that I suffered with just a narrow strip of leather for all these years. Having a 4.5" X 7" strop is quite a luxury. Tons of room to work my blades. Even my fixed blades. I could strop all day and all night, and be a happy man. To tell you the truth, with regular stropping on the green polishing compound, the Arkansas stones aren't seeing too much action. The stropping seems to be enough to keep the blades going, as long as I don't wait too long before touching up the edges.

I may have to work on the bench strop next weekend though. I initially just used some MinWax wood stain on the wood base, but that green compound is messy and really gets into the wood. I think I'll sand down the base, stain it again, and then put on a coat or two of spar varnish to repel the green compound. I did hit up Walmart for some thin rubber adhesive-backed feet for the base, so no more slipping and sliding around the table.
 
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