absolute minamilist sharpening?

T

Tin.Man

Joined
Sep 5, 2010
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I have the spyderco sharpmaker, and while it works well(everyone says it does, Im stilling having issues with belly, and the tip...)

What would you guys recommend for absolutely simple, light, effective?

Say something that works in the field, when I travel, and very light?

The spyderco 303 ceramic pocket stone?

Also I have done some serious searching, looking for instructions on how to hold an angle using just a stone?
 
The winner for me in the small/light/effective category is an EZE-Lap diamond rod, which is about half the size of a ball point pen, with a cap and pocket clip.
 
i have a dmt diafold coarse/fine and fine/extra-fine. i've used it to sharpen my machete in the field and to re-profile my bhk bushcrafter at home (removed the ricasso or whatever it's called and put the scandi grind all the way against the slabs)...can't get anymore simple & lightweight without sacrificing effectiveness than that.
 
I bought a small double sided strop from Knivesshipfree. I put green compound one side, black compound on the other (Bark River compounds). I take it everywhere I go. Small enough to fit in my pocket, or backpack, or wherever, and provides a nice easy way to touch a blade up. Throw some sandpaper in and you have even more options.
 
For VERY simple and light (and cheap), I'll 2nd the recommendation for wet/dry sandpaper + strop. If using a block for the strop, the sandpaper can simply be laid atop the leather, and use the same edge-trailing stroke as for stropping. Can produce some excellent edges FAST this way. A selection of grits from 220 thru 1000 would accomplish anything from reprofiling an edge, to light touch-ups.

For pocket hones, any or all of these are fine/excellent:

Spyderco Double Stuff ceramic hone
DMT Dia-Fold. The red/blue (Fine/Coarse) would handle 99% of anything you need to do.
DMT 'credit card' size pocket sharpeners (they're about as small as I'd go)
Fallkniven DC3/DC4 (diamond and ceramic in one double-sided hone)

Also I have done some serious searching, looking for instructions on how to hold an angle using just a stone?
Click to expand...

This is mostly a matter of practice. However, you can place a coin or two on the hone, to lay the spine of the blade against as a starting reference, when beginning the stroke. You can also use the tip of your finger, overlapping the spine, so that it just drags along the stone as you make the stroke. Focus on keeping your fingertip just 'brushing' the surface lightly. This actually is a very good tactile feedback method, for controlling both the angle and the pressure exerted (keep it LIGHT).
 
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fallkniven dc4, one side is a pretty course diamond plate and the other is a really fine ceramic stone. Then some compound on to the leather sheath and you got a strop.

Spyderco's double stuff is great too, but has no reprofiling potential at all.

I haven't used any portable dmt diafolds, but they cost 2x more than my mentioned pocket stones. DMT stones create great working edges though, and fast.

Use the sharpie technique to see how to follow the stone to the curve of the blade. Draw, swipe, check, draw swipe, check... You should be able to learn how to follow the edge.
 
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Hi Tin.Man -

I use a DMT double-sided Diafold - the green and tan, fine/xtra fine diamond pocket stone.

http://www.dmtsharp.com/products/diafold.htm

It is an excellent hone that folds neatly into it's own handle for pocket carry or storage.

To get the proper angle, I hold the knife against the stone, and then I gently rock the edge of the knife (moving the spine up and down) to "feel" where the bevel is flat on the stone - that sets the angle for me. From there, I take two or three gentle passes, do not put pressure on the knife, and then repeat on the other side, switching hands to make sure you can feel the bevel lying flat on the stone.

It takes a while to get the hang of it, but I can make most knives easily pop hair just using my green/tan Diafold.


best regards -

mqqn
 
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+1 more for wetordry sandpaper. another choice is a single ceramic stick. i have a pocket size stick that fits in a wood container that is no longer than a bic lighter. its great for a touchup if you dont have anything else.
 
shecky said:
The winner for me in the small/light/effective category is an EZE-Lap diamond rod, which is about half the size of a ball point pen, with a cap and pocket clip.
Click to expand...

A very good choice.:thumbup:

For many years now, my only sharpening tools have been the small pocket EZE-lap diamond hones. The model L is my favorite, and I cut off most of the red plastic handle so it fits in the zipper part of my wallet. That way I can touch up the blade of my pocket knife anywhere, at any time. I finsihs up with a stropping on the back of my belt.

In a pinch, away from home and you don't have a small diamond hone on you, the un-glazed ring on the bottom of a coffee mug is very good, as is the top of your car window rolled halfway down.

Carl.
 
Years ago when I was on a Forest Service work crew and used my Buck 110 all the time, I carried an EZE-Lap Model M. It puts a good working edge on a blade and never needs cleaning like the ceramic rods do.
 
Thank you guys soo much!

So in terms of stropping, again total noob do I keep same angle as sharpening if say im going with a standard v-grind? Not ready for convex....yet ;)
 
sorry, last one when you use the diafold, do you trail the edge like you strop, or the opposite? Sandpaper you would have to trail to not tear into it correct?

Thank you all again for all the help.
 
Tin.Man said:
Thank you guys soo much!

So in terms of stropping, again total noob do I keep same angle as sharpening if say im going with a standard v-grind? Not ready for convex....yet ;)
Click to expand...

Ordinarily, yes. The general idea is to keep the bevel flush with the strop, which implies that the angle will be the same. Once you develop some feel for it, many like to raise the angle just a little bit (steeper than the original bevel angle), and make a few VERY, VERY LIGHT passes on the actual edge. The idea behind this is to make sure that the actual edge is as clean, pure and burr-free as possible. It's extremely important to make sure the pressure is very light (almost 'weightless', effectively), so the edge won't get rounded off.

Edit:
Here's an excellent thread on stropping angle & pressure:
Stropping: angle plus pressure

Tin.Man said:
sorry, last one when you use the diafold, do you trail the edge like you strop, or the opposite? Sandpaper you would have to trail to not tear into it correct?

Thank you all again for all the help.
Click to expand...

Ordinarily, on hard surfaces (such as the Dia-Fold, and other stones/hones) most will use an edge-LEADING stroke. On any soft surface, such as when stropping or convexing on sandpaper w/soft backing, an edge-TRAILING stroke would be used, mainly to avoid cutting into the leather/sandpaper, but also to minimize the risk of blunting/rounding the edge by digging into the soft media.

An edge-trailing stroke, as with stropping, can work on any media, hard or soft. Some prefer to strop on hard surfaces, too (such as wood w/compound).

Some more experienced sharpeners will/can go either direction, such as convexing w/edge-trailing (or edge-leading) strokes on a bench stone, but that's generally something that takes some experience to get comfortable with, after the 'feel' has been developed for sharpening.
 
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I carry a small, double sided leather strop. Looks like a paint stirrer, although slightly thicker. I carry 2 sheets of 400 grit, 800 grit and 1500 wet or dry 3m sandpaper. One side of the strop has medium compound and the other side has fine compound. I can and have reprofiled a chipped edge while in the field and got it back to shaving sharp.

The entire kit is lighter than most medium sized wetstones. I also find it to be very relaxing, just my opinion though.
 
Tin.Man said:
sorry, last one when you use the diafold, do you trail the edge like you strop, or the opposite? Sandpaper you would have to trail to not tear into it correct?

Thank you all again for all the help.
Click to expand...

Hi Tin.Man -

I get my best results with the Diafold using an edge-leading stroke.

best regards -

mqqn
 
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