Field sharpener for knife

[MAkives]

Hello ive been looking for a field sharpener that will give me a pretty fine edge on my knives.ive got a worksharp field sharpener to get a decent edge but i want a finer edge. Ive looked at the dc4 and eze laps but am still looking. It will be used to get a fine edge on knives with a 6" or shorter blade

 

[WK ONE]

I like my Spyderco Doublestuf, I can get my blades popping hair in a very short time.

 

[EricV]

Strop and compound. Or just compound on the inside of the leather belt you're wearing

 

[TravisH]

Well, the WorkSharp Field Sharpener already has a Fine Ceramic Rod.

I would assume that the WorkSharp Retractable Ceramic Hone is of the same grit but should provide a larger sharpening area ...

There's the DMT DuaFold Dual Sided DiaFolds in Fine/Extra Fine and Extra Fine/Extra Extra Fine ...

Otherwise, I'd go with a strop.

 

[NJBillK]

Dmt diafold in Fine/Extra fine. If more removal is needed for knife and axe maintenence for rough field work you can go Coarse/Fine dmt diafold.

 

[thatsaknife]

Compound on a paint stick. Sandpaper on another. Cut sticks in half. Double sided tape for Sandpaper one grit on each side and white and green compound on each side of the other stick. Glue a couple strips of thin leather if ya want.

 

[hiwa]

Been using the DC-4 and Eze-lap Model M ( diamond rod in brass tube) for a solid 5 years now. Best field sharpening rig I've ever used and does everything from penknives to axes. I carry it in a cordura flashlight pouch.

 

[Rappy]

Smiths Pocket Pal, I bought it as a whim.
Sharpened my cheapo kitchen knives easily, ran it through the ceramic multiple times with just the weight of the knife.

Works amazingly well !

 

[strategy9]

A homemade honing stick works wonders to help never lose that edge with regular honing.
Cut (or buy) a squared or half round stick/dowel,
buy an old Leather belt at Goodwill/salvation army,
glue two or 3 strips of leather and to the stick, and glue one or two strips of SiC sandpaper to the other side(s). Whatever you prefer for your needs.
Leave one Leather strip raw, compound the other(s), and there you have a 4 stage sharpening/honing stick that can bring any working edge up to a razor sharp level.
Find a piece of PVC or conduit that it will fit in and make a case.
+
The small 4" diamond sharpeners; dmt diafolds, Smith's, etc.

I prefer a dual coarse/fine (Smith's because it's cheaper and still works)
The coarse side gets enough metal off for burrs and dings and such. Fine puts a good enough working edge on. Regular hits on the honing stick and you'll rarely ever need the sharpener.

I saw a youtube video on one a while back and thought "why not" so i made a little project out of it, and it worked great. Grest for camping too because it's so cheap; I actually can't find mine since our move a few months ago or I'd take pics: probably in a box somewhere, garage or basement, idk, but I have enough Knives they dont dull often, and enough other sharpening and honing devices around the house that it hasn't been crucial to find, however I have been planning on making a new one here in the (very) near future.

Maybe next weekend?

 

[Franciscomv]

Sandpaper and a strop with buffing compound. This is what I usually carry when travelling, simple, cheap and lightweight.

I sometimes add a small double sided (fine/medium) diamond sharpener.

 

[fsatsil]

+1 on the DMT Diafold xfine/xxfine and a strop loaded with 1micron Diapaste

 

[wiredbeans]

Hello ive been looking for a field sharpener that will give me a pretty fine edge on my knives.ive got a worksharp field sharpener to get a decent edge but i want a finer edge. Ive looked at the dc4 and eze laps but am still looking. It will be used to get a fine edge on knives with a 6" or shorter blade

You can buy just 1 Spyderco sharpmaker fine ceramic rod, it will do your serrated blade and hooks too

 

[jackknife]

For many years now I've kept a little Eze-Lap model L in my wallet. Cut off most of the plastic handle, and it's flat enough and so light it tucks in the zipper compartment of the wallet with no trouble. Puts a very fine edge on a blade in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Hello ive been looking for a field sharpener that will give me a pretty fine edge on my knives.ive got a worksharp field sharpener to get a decent edge but i want a finer edge. Ive looked at the dc4 and eze laps but am still looking. It will be used to get a fine edge on knives with a 6" or shorter blade

The DC4's diamond side is approximately similar to the DMT Fine (600-mesh/25µ) in grit; in fact, Fallkniven does rate it at 25µ grit. The ceramic side is somewhat of a toss-up in what it'll emulate, as there's been a lot of variability (as reported here on the forum) in it's finish. If looking for something finer than the 600 diamond, the double-sided DMT Dia-fold in EF/EEF (green & tan; 9µ & 3µ) would be an easy solution. The EF will yield a very fine 'satin' finish on most steels, while still retaining some toothy bite, and the EEF will start to approach mirror finish.


David

 

[MAkives]

Thanks guys from what ive read ill probably just buy the spyderco diafold unless the eze laps are better. If i feel like it ill also buy a stone but thanks.
P.s. i cant seem to strop right i can sharpen my knives just fine but i suck at stropping.
Some people say to just act like youre sharpening it normally in that arc others tell me to just drag it back sttaight

 

[MAkives]

Does anybody have experience with the spyderco bench and pocket stones those look really tempting

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks guys from what ive read ill probably just buy the spyderco diafold unless the eze laps are better. If i feel like it ill also buy a stone but thanks.
P.s. i cant seem to strop right i can sharpen my knives just fine but i suck at stropping.
Some people say to just act like youre sharpening it normally in that arc others tell me to just drag it back sttaight

Either of the DMT Dia-Fold or Eze-Lap hones should suit you; they both have good reputations.

As for stropping, the main thing is to keep the angle conservatively low and pressure very, very light, to minimize or prevent edge rounding. As for the 'shape' of the stroke, either an arcing sweep (works well on longer strops like belts or hanging strops) or the 'straight back' & perpendicular motion will work. A lot of that comes down to personal preference and figuring what's most 'natural feeling' to you and most effective. I tend to favor a longer strop of 12"-24" length, so the long & sweeping arc motion is what I prefer. A straighter & slower 'straight back' stroke is often easier to control on a shorter block-mounted strop.

If you haven't seen it already, you might look at the stropping 'sticky' thread at the top portion of the Maint forum page. Link is below:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/750008-Stropping-angle-plus-pressure


David

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Does anybody have experience with the spyderco bench and pocket stones those look really tempting

They can work well as refining & upkeep hones. So long as you don't let your edges get too dull or if they don't need major repairs (dings, chips, etc), they work pretty well. I have both the bench-sized hones and a couple of the 'DoubleStuff' pocket hones; the smaller DoubleStuff hones get used a lot more, and I almost never use the larger bench stones. Relative to the amount of refining that usually needs done on my own knives, the smaller hones handle it easily, and are obviously more convenient to use or take with me, wherever I happen to be.


David

 

[WK ONE]

Does anybody have experience with the spyderco bench and pocket stones those look really tempting

As I said above, the Spyderco Doublestuf is a great pocket stone. I use it on all my knives, it does a great job.

 

[ecallahan]

I've gone to the Spyderco Doublestuff, and DC4. The DS does a great job on touchups. I really like the DC4 also. I lapped the ceramic side. It did not take long, I lapped it with the fine DMT plate. It may have taken 5 minutes or so. Very flat and smooth. I would guess it is a little smoother than the medium Spyderco. I also bring a small strop loaded with diamond spray.