Allow me to express my appreciation for your sharing of information and experiences. I do intend to experiment with a variety of strops and treatments, time and health permitting, and look forward to implementing many of the things I have become acquainted with on this forum. My insistence on the "crayons" for the first round is based on preparation of some Christmas presents I'm looking to assemble: lightweight, space-saving, adaptable sharpening kits for backpacking, tent camping, and condos where thin pieces of bar stock are provided in the kitchen. Specifically, a HeavyHanded Washboard, 3 to 6 sheets of various grits of sandpaper rolled around 2 or 3 sticks of buffing compound not subject to spills or leakage. Inexpensive, adaptable for knives, machetes, hatchets. Did I mention inexpensive? In my long years of single and family experience, nowhere are your treasured personal possessions more vulnerable than ON VACATION. Thus, the need for compound that would last a long time in storage. Some of my giftees would only pull this stuff out when it's time to pack and leave. A couple might make more use of these items once they find out how practical they are. Yes, I know that, over a lifetime of sharpening, sandpaper is frightfully expensive. Most people won't do a lifetime of sharpening. Most will do it occasionally or just when necessary. Other, more frequent, sharpeners who find themselves financially constrained, might find it easier to pick up a few sheets of sandpaper now and then than to invest in a series of stones, diamonds, ceramics and leathers that can quickly outvalue the cutlery they were designed to service. Most of the people I know are not fascinated with the subject of sharpened steel to the point of endangering the house payment.

This solution seemed, to me, to bridge the gap between those who do too little sharpening and those who, possibly, do a bit much.

Thank you again for the thoughtful input and the leads to sources.