(DIY) The JCKT-3 pocket sharpener!

J

JCKT

Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Messages
101
Hello everyone!

I have been working on something for a few weeks now and figured I'd finally share it. There are many pocket sharpening options available right now, but this may be of interest to some. I like many used to own an older model Fallkniven DC4. Loved its polishing capabilities on the fine stone, but unfortunately I lost it on a backpacking trip. So I have been on the lookout for a suitable replacement ever since. The newer stone's fine side is extremely coarse compared to the older stone and being a bit spoiled by the past, I needed something similar. So instead of buying anymore pocket stones I figured I'd make one for myself. So I am going to show you exactly what I did and if you guys are interested you're welcome to give it a try for yourself! Also, any suggestions for improvement would be more than welcome. Anyway, enough chat.

Here is the idea:

DMT Dia-Sharp Credit Card Sharpener + Arkansas Stone

Seems pretty simple, but I ran into a few problems while trying to achieve it. Number one being, no one makes a credit card shaped Arkansas Stone. If they do make one close in size its usually something like a half an inch thick, which wouldn't be very... portable. So upon contacting Dan's Whetstone the very nice people there informed me that they did have (although its not listed on the website) a 4"x2"x1/4" stone. It usually is bonded to different stone of the same size to make a combo stone, which is why it was not listed on the website. So with the Credit Card Diamond Sharpener was 3"x2" I needed to remove 1" of stone material without destroying it. To fix this problem I purchased an inexpensive 7" tile saw. Measured everything up and made my cut. After the cut was made it was as easy as some water resistant epoxy. Here are the available options:

Dia-sharp
Coarse: 325 mesh, 45 micron
Fine: 600 mesh, 25 micron
Extra Fine: 1200 mesh, 9 micron

Arkansas Stones
Soft: Medium
Hard: Very Fine
Black: Ultra Fine

Any one of these combinations would work but the two that I feel would work best are Fine/Hard and Extra-Fine/Black. Here are some photos!

Fine Diamond Side
1065505_1404070424.JPG


Hard Arkansas Side
1065502_1404070375.JPG


After the cut
1065500_1404070314.JPG


Right to left: Spyderco Double Stuff, JCKT-3, Fallkniven DC4
1065499_1404070297.JPG


Same as above
1065517_1404072342.JPG


Size comparison
1065508_1404070447.JPG


I haven't exactly figured out the best way to round the edges, so I figured I would snap some photos before I possibly ruined something. If I were making it for someone else though or if I were a little more OCD than I actually am, I'd round the edges to match.

An important note about Arkansas Stones, they cut slower than their synthetic counter parts however they also do a good job polishing the edge. So if you do go this route you may have to spend a little more time on the polishing stone than you may be used to, but you will get a fantastically polished edge when you are done. Another good note for Arkansas stones is that they don't wear anywhere near as fast as other synthetic stones. When using the JCKT-3, just dunk it in water and let the stone soak for a bit then pull out and use either side. Make sure to keep water on whatever surface you are using at the time. To clean go ahead and dunk it again and rub your finger along the stone to help break the metal fragments while the stone is saturated with water. If the Arkansas stone gets loaded down, just follow standard Ark cleaning processes.

As far as storage goes, it being credit card sized really gives you a lot of options. In fact, you can just go to amazon or ebay and type "Credit Card Holder" to find a plethora of options.

So that's it! I call it the JCKT-3 but you may call it whatever you like. Any thoughts and opinions would be more than welcome!
 
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Well done JCKT.

The pics look good from here.
How does the Arkansas compare to the old FK ceramic?
 
Cool stuff, man! As a note, Arkansas stones use silicon dioxide (quartz) as their abrasive, which is very soft compared to the aluminum oxide or silicon carbide commonly used in synthetic bonded abrasives. As such, they generate the best results on low-alloy steels.
 
mtangent said:
Well done JCKT.

The pics look good from here.
How does the Arkansas compare to the old FK ceramic?
Click to expand...

In my opinion the black produces a more polished edge than the old FK ceramic, however it cuts much slower. The Hard Arkansas stones from Dans Whetstone are very high quality and they strike a good balance. The hard and old ceramic are pretty close in my opinion, but your opinion may vary. I will say I am very satisified with the Fine diamond and Hard Arkansas. I haven't been able to fully test the Extra-Fine/Black stone yet as the epoxy is still drying, but I'll let you know when its done!


FortyTwoBlades said:
Cool stuff, man! As a note, Arkansas stones use silicon dioxide (quartz) as their abrasive, which is very soft compared to the aluminum oxide or silicon carbide commonly used in synthetic bonded abrasives. As such, they generate the best results on low-alloy steels.
Click to expand...

This is a very very good point! Arkansas stones don't cut as fast as their synthetic counterparts and this is especially true on higher alloy steels. There are limitations to Arkansas stones and you should explore that before heading this direction. I personally favor Ark's over other methods and haven't had any problems with them not cutting, however I don't have many knives with very exotic steels.
 
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Specifically with high-vanadium carbide steels the silicon dioxide isn't hard enough to actually abrade the carbides, but wears away the regular steel around them. This leaves the carbides exposed and unsupported and they quickly fracture our of the edge, resulting in premature dulling. Gotta' go cubic boron nitride or diamond with those.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Specifically with high-vanadium carbide steels the silicon dioxide isn't hard enough to actually abrade the carbides, but wears away the regular steel around them. This leaves the carbides exposed and unsupported and they quickly fracture our of the edge, resulting in premature dulling. Gotta' go cubic boron nitride or diamond with those.
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Awesome info! Do you have any specific steels that you would recommend against using with an Arkansas Stone?

Edit: After a bit of research I found a few: CPM S30V, CPM S90V, A7, A9, and CPM S39VN.
 
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I'd think a coarse DMT and a soft Arkie on the other side would be a great combo. My own experience is that the Arkansas do best with a bit of oil, or they might be prone to glazing, especially if used on some stainless like 154cm or even 440c. YMMV.
 
The 'upper limit' to me, for avoiding using an Arkansas stone, is 440C (as on Buck's older blades, anyway). Anything heavier in chromium carbides, like 440C, 154CM/ATS-34, D2, ZDP-189, etc won't respond well to the coarser Arkansas stones, but may still polish or burnish somewhat (albeit slowly) on the hard black or translucent Arkansas stones. I've occasionally used a small black hard Arkansas to de-burr steels like VG-10; it's slow working speed can be advantageous (gentler) for that, and is pretty tolerant of fairly heavy pressure as well, without generating bigger burrs.

Pretty much anything with significant vanadium carbides, like S30V and beyond, will be even harder than the chromium carbide steels. I wouldn't even try Arkansas stones on those.

The Arkansas stone should do well enough on carbon steels (1095, CV, etc.) and some simple stainless, like 420HC, 440A and many other similar steels (12C27, 8Cr, etc.)


David
 
HeavyHanded said:
I'd think a coarse DMT and a soft Arkie on the other side would be a great combo. My own experience is that the Arkansas do best with a bit of oil, or they might be prone to glazing, especially if used on some stainless like 154cm or even 440c. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I have been thinking about testing out that combo as well, especially since it would cut the fastest of the available options. As far as oil vs water, I've always used water on my stones and haven't had any issues, however I do scrub and clean my stones every couple of months. I hear oil keeps them cleaner, which could be very handy in a small stone. Just be sure to keep the oil off of the diamond surface.
 
JCKT said:
I have been thinking about testing out that combo as well, especially since it would cut the fastest of the available options. As far as oil vs water, I've always used water on my stones and haven't had any issues, however I do scrub and clean my stones every couple of months. I hear oil keeps them cleaner, which could be very handy in a small stone. Just be sure to keep the oil off of the diamond surface.
Click to expand...

From what I understand (at your own risk!) one can use oils on their diamond plate as long as it has no solvents. Basically anything OK for nickel plating, OK for diamond plate - bad for nickel plating, bad for diamond plate. I've taken to using it on my DMTs (I sharpen the carbide cutters in them that I use for tooling the Washboard), and a couple drops of mineral oil (what else) works great for keeping things grinding - clean up is a wipe with a rag. I've also taken to using a drop of mineral oil on diamond and alumox lapping films - keeps them cleaner than soapy water. I haven't used my Arkansas stones in a while, but they did come with some honing oil that was just like mineral oil. Have used both with soapy water and had good results, but my hard Arkansas glazed after a few and had to be lapped periodically.
 
HeavyHanded said:
From what I understand (at your own risk!) one can use oils on their diamond plate as long as it has no solvents. Basically anything OK for nickel plating, OK for diamond plate - bad for nickel plating, bad for diamond plate. I've taken to using it on my DMTs (I sharpen the carbide cutters in them that I use for tooling the Washboard), and a couple drops of mineral oil (what else) works great for keeping things grinding - clean up is a wipe with a rag. I've also taken to using a drop of mineral oil on diamond and alumox lapping films - keeps them cleaner than soapy water. I haven't used my Arkansas stones in a while, but they did come with some honing oil that was just like mineral oil. Have used both with soapy water and had good results, but my hard Arkansas glazed after a few and had to be lapped periodically.
Click to expand...

Another bit of a good information right there! I've always used water on my diamond surfaces. I may make another Fine/Hard Ark combo and use only with oil and keep the one I currently have and only use it with water and see if one is better than the other. I know that this system can be improved (I am even open to hearing other stone options, as I already have the cutting equipment required for trimming stones) and I know that this forum has the knowledge to do so. So if you have any ideas for good combos or things to try, please let me know! I wont be offended if my idea needs an overhaul, I am just on a quest for a better pocket sharpening system and figured I'd share my findings as I go.
 
A Washita on one side and a hard on the other might be a nice combo. Cut into a hexagon shape it could be used like a puck and still be nice and stable for sharpening off a bench.

If I had to dream one up, a coarse Norton Crystalon on one side and the fine hone from the Razor's Edge System on the other - thin them down and cut into a hex 3 1/2" across. Would be pretty sweet.
 
Here are two photos showing the rounded edges attempt and the Extra Fine/Black combo stone:

1066439_1404166422.jpg


1066446_1404166475.jpg
 
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