For freehanders, what stones do you use on your TRADITIONALS?

getout87

getout87

Joined
Mar 27, 2012
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I've been getting into traditionals more lately, and it just seems appropriate that I learn to freehand sharpen my traditional knives. The sharpmaker works ok, but feels too "new age" for my wood and bone handled slip joints.

Anyway, what is a good set of stones for a beginner?
 
Smith makes a 4x1" double-sided stone course/fine. Often sold with a can of oil. I've used one for 40 years. Learned to sharpen on my own with it as a teenager. Went to the Sharpmaker, still use it, but for some knives, I go back to the stone.

For carbon steel, I think the oil on the stone, which gets on/in the knife, helps keep the knife oiled and you get less rust on the interior or around the pivot.
 
My Smith's stones are all that I need to get my knives to where they'll shave. They're cheap, but they really get the job done. They can be had for very little buckage at the big blue hardware store.

Edan
 
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I use med diamond stone followed up with med. ,soft Arkansas & then strop. I like ez lap on the diamond bench stone
 
For some years I was using diamond stones, but then I found my old boy scout stone up the attic in a box in back of some stuff. I've been using that just for yuks, and it does a surprisingly great job. It's now my main go-to sharpener if I don't have a coffee mug around.:D

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I have a DMT Diasharp course, fine, and extra fine. I don't use the extra fine much because mine doesn't feel very smooth at all, though it does work. I also have a Norton India combination course/fine bench stone that I tend to use the most now. Still getting used to it. I forget what it cost, but it's around $30 I think, and it's a stone that will do all you need and last a lifetime, with no or at least very little need for flattening. And it feels right sharpening a traditional knife on it. Traditional stone for a traditional knife I guess. I'm looking to get some sort of Norton India pocket stone, but for now I have a DMT Minisharp fine diamond keyring sharpener that works very well. Also looking to try a Fallkniven DC3 or DC4, just not sure if their ceramics are raise aa larger burr on carbon steel or if they are good for polishing off the burr from the diamond. Might try one out. Anyways, that's what I use. Sometimes a cheapo combo stone that works fine.

And the bottom , unglazed ceramic portion of a coffeecup sometimes for touch-ups. Read through some of the posts from our respected elder on the trad forum jackknife, you'll find much wisdom in what he says. And he keeps it nice and basic as it should be.
 
Natural stone Carl ?
I might start to carry the white Arkansas i have around, as soon as i make a leather sheath for it.
 
At home on the bench, a combination soft/hard arkansas from Dan's, then strop (bark river black, then white).

In the field, a smallish (3x4") hard arkansas.
 
I've been looking to try some Arkansas stones, but I'm seeing the prices of good quality ones, and WOW. More than I want to pay for a single stone right now. But maybe a cheaper one will be much the same. A fitting type of stone for a traditional knife though.
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
Natural stone Carl ?
I might start to carry the white Arkansas i have around, as soon as i make a leather sheath for it.
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Nah, it's the what we called 'carborundum' stone back in the 50's. It's probibly a silica carbide stone. But it cuts very fast, and if you ease off the pressure and use very light strokes at the end, it gets shaving sharp with a little practice. This was the "Official" boy scout stone we all had back then, and it was all we knew. In the 60's I got inot the natural Arkansas stones, then in the 80's I tried the diamond hones. It was all good, but when I was rumaging around in the attic, and found my old stone and sharpened a knife with it, it really did just as well as the other stuff. Once it clean shaves the hair off your arm, sharp is sharp. That piece of rope or UPS box an't gonna know the difference.:D

Carl.
 
Thank's everyone. I just placed an order for the two sided smith's stone, and decided to toss in a opinel #8 on impulse. From that store named after that big river, all less than $20 shipped!
 
I have a bunch of rocks -- Arkansas, India, Viking, and Wastila. They all work, though I'll use different stones depending on whether I have to reprofile, sharpen or just lightly touch up a blade. I still have to pick up some water stones to try out.

I don't use stones as much now. I prefer a convex edge on my knives. Once I've properly sharpened a knife I maintain it with a strop and sandpaper, converting it to convex over time. I do still use the stones to set the initial edge. Diamond is good, though for a thin, carbon bladed slipjoint the coarse stone on a tri-hone works fine.

jackknife said:
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Carl, I didn't know you had a #15. What are your impressions of our little forumite favorite? Do you think that you're going to keep this one? I know that most GECs are a little too large for your tastes.

BTW now that you know how to post pictures when are you going to stop holding out on us and show us your dad's and granddad's knives?

- Christian
 
I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker that I used to use as it was intended, with the different angles, brass rods, and heavy base. My 5-yr old son, who was about 3 at the time found the rods and banged them together and chipped the heck out of the med-grit ones. I have since taken to free-handing, and am getting better edges than ever before. I still use the Sharpmaker rods, with both the med and fine grits. I could have saved myself $30-40 though and just gotten a couple ceramic rods, for what use I got out of the S.S.

I find it easier to match the given angle of whatever knife I am working on, with free-hand. I need some diamond for rough finishing and reprofiling, if I ever get around to buying one. I just never had the patience to reprofile on the Sharmpaker, with the medium grit rods.
 
I like to use an axe puck for reprofiling and then use soft Arkansas (washita) followed by hard Arkansas. Got some water stones a few years back and now find myself using them more than the Arkansas for fixed blade knives.
 
Daniel Dorn said:
I find it easier to match the given angle of whatever knife I am working on, with free-hand. I need some diamond for rough finishing and reprofiling, if I ever get around to buying one. I just never had the patience to reprofile on the Sharmpaker, with the medium grit rods.
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This is the beauty of the human brain used in combination with eye and hand motion. The human mind is an incredible computer, capable of making minute judgements many times a second. Free hand sharpening is just like instinctive shooting with a bow. It's sooo easy free hand to just match the original angles of the blade. Free hand sharpening is like taking the blinders off.

Carl.
 
kamagong said:
Carl, I didn't know you had a #15. What are your impressions of our little forumite favorite? Do you think that you're going to keep this one? I know that most GECs are a little too large for your tastes.

BTW now that you know how to post pictures when are you going to stop holding out on us and show us your dad's and granddad's knives?

- Christian
Click to expand...

The number 15 was gifted to me by Dan, (Silenthunterstudios) as sort of a trade when I gave him some of my knife books, three hiking staves two of which were of my own making that I sometimes sell at local craft fairs (Carl's Third Leg Hiking Staves), and and a beaver made staff, with all the teethmarks stikk there. Dan and I had met up at Salerno's in Eldersburg for lunch, and we had a good afternoon swap meet and eat.:thumbup:

My impressions of the 15 after a few weeks of c array is, that it is a very well made knife, good edge holding, and has a lot of "Carry me" charm calling out. The ebony scales are beautiful close grain examples, and polished up great with a little linseed oil and soft rag. The carbon blade took a hair poping edge that shaved hair without any drag at all. After carrying Fausto's little Pattese I have gotten a little more accepting of single blade knives. And the 15 is a very nice one! The 15 and the Resolza may fight it out to see who gets top billing. The Resolza is lighter, and that horn handle is beguiling. The 15 has a homespun appeal to it.

I have to get over to my Daughters place where my grandson has hoarded all the heirlooms and has become the family historian. He has dad's and granddad's stuff in glass display cases with pictures of the men and some of their stuff. My youngest son, Matt has other stuff he treats like King Tut's treasure.

Carl.
 
While I own some Arkansas and other natural stones, I primarily use diamond hones in a variety of grits (DMT) followed by Spyderco ceramics.
Once in a great while I'll break out my Norton Fine India and Crystolon stones.

Diamond and ceramic make most routine sharpening and touch-ups a simple enough matter.
 
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