Field Sharpeners

Grampa said:
Regular stropping on my levis. Any nicks or dings, if they happen, can be dealt with by using locally available stones.

I mean, heck, what do you think the vikings used with their precious Moras! :rolleyes:
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Just kidding earlier. I'd use a stone in a flash if that's all I had. :)
 
SpookyPistolero said:
Interestingly, I can't maintain a convex edge worth a darn, but I can sharpen up a scandi no problem with sandpaper. Weird!
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So how do you use sandpaper without convexing the edge? You'd have to back it up with something flat at firm (I would think.) I like my scandi grinds and would like to keep them that way.
 
I use a small ceramic rod from A. G. Russell; it's from their small V-block set. I have an inner tube around my Becker Necker sheath and that's where the ceramic rod lives, along with some other important items. Works for me :)
 
Scott Ridgeway said:
So how do you use sandpaper without convexing the edge? You'd have to back it up with something flat at firm (I would think.) I like my scandi grinds and would like to keep them that way.
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I do use a flat surface as a backing, usually just a hardback book or hardwood table. Works quite well. I'm sure there is a 'microbevel' that is getting convexed, but it slices like a demon and holds up well. It makes no since to me that similar technique will not effectively maintain a true convex edge.
 
Anyone know where I can get a small sharpening steel?

I know SAK sells one but don't know where.
 
Can anybody give me a crash course on how to sharpen with sand paper? I have a classic mora (laminated carbon) that could use a good sharpening but I've been neglecting it for a while. I usually get my brother to sharpen my knives since the process somewhat intimidates me.

How many strokes on each side, strop it with leather afterwards? etc.
 
midnite-penguin said:
Can anybody give me a crash course on how to sharpen with sand paper? I have a classic mora (laminated carbon) that could use a good sharpening but I've been neglecting it for a while. I usually get my brother to sharpen my knives since the process somewhat intimidates me.

How many strokes on each side, strop it with leather afterwards? etc.
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To keep a scandi a true scandi, I don't recommend the use of sandpaper. Find a stone and just lay the bevel flat on the stone. This is the best way to maintain an edge on a scandi, and one of the reasons scandis are so popular (ease of maintenance).

Read this:
http://ragweedforge.com/scanshrp.html
 
Thanks, I think I got a little gunk on my blade in some places from refinishing the handle. It's most likely polyurethane residue from my fingertips(I should have covered the blade in tape). Any suggestions on what to use to safely get it off?

Its laminated carbon.
 
Sharpening or normal wear from usage will likely remove it, but acetone ought to get it off if that's not quick enough. I don't think it should hurt the blade at all, perhaps someone else will stop by who could better answer that point.
 
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Here is the best sharpener out there. Fast, easy, efficient, compact, three different grits. I have been using them for 18 years. They work great, take off almost no steel. This is there new three in one Green model. edge maker pro. Yes it will do scary sharp too. Great thread going on about this system over on maintenance and tinkering.

Warning, this system is to fast and easy for some.:D
 
Wouldn't be ideal for Scandi grinds though, correct? I mean since they have that big ass bevel. Or would it just put a micro bevel on the edge and still be very sharp?
 
Anybody? I'm considering pulling the trigger on this but basically all the knives in my meager collection are skandi grinds
 
Thomas Linton said:
Who makes that little diamond rod sharpener that looks like an ink pen when inside its cover? Weighs virtually nil. Sharpens fish hooks as well.
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Eze-lap i have had one for years but only use it on serrations.


I have a ton of stones and steels and sharpening devices and i almost always just use a small hand held stone and finish it with a small ceramic. I use diamond stones sometimes but prefer the real thing for the best finish (may take a little longer to get sharp but takes less time to finish) anyway with a little practice a three inch pocket stone is all you need in the field to get even a large 10 inch bowie hair shaving sharp and i never use circular motions unless i am working on a damaged edge.
 
midnite-penguin said:
Anybody? I'm considering pulling the trigger on this but basically all the knives in my meager collection are skandi grinds
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Go back to that same site where I linked the sharpening how-to, and look under his sharpening supplies. Ragnar has a lot of good basics. Even if one of those setups works for a scandi, it's important to know how to maintain the edge with basic tools that you can always have with you. It's also a lot cheaper.

Pick up a decent hand stone and a ceramic rod, it'll cost you under $10 probably. Get an extra mora if you want, then use it a lot and sharpen it as you go. Just use the mora as a learning tool to teach you what works in keeping the blade sharp, that way you don't ever hurt your own stock.
 
The edgemaker pro works great on scandi's. I have sharpened hundreds of them on these sharpeners. Nobody that has not tried them would ever believe how well they work.
 
Okay, guys.......at what point does your lightweight "bug out" bag begin to resemble the super massive black hole that is your wife's or girlfriend's purse?:D
 
Thanks JR42.

I think a steel works best for carbon and some stainless for field sharpening because most of the time the burr just needs realigning and not removal. Plus the steel is much quicker.
 
Last night I did some extensive touch up work with both sharpeners pictured in the opening post. I found that, for me, the longer, thinner, two-sided plate from Ragnar's was the easiest to work with. This is not the result I expected. Nonetheless, the steel plate will remain my go-to sharpener for the field. The 1 oz weight penalty associated with carrying the Ragnar's plate seems negligible in view of the utility provided.

I also placed an order for the fallkniven dc-3 sharpener recommended by Mountainfolk Mike. It will be tried out against the Ragnar plate when it arrives.

Cheers, :)
 
I like the DMT Diafolds. I get a coarse and a fine "stone" with a fold out handle to keep my big fat fingers away from the blade. It's also light and easy to carry. Does enough for field sharpening. I keep the big oilstones and Arkansas stones at home.
 
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