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For the field maintenance of Mora (or scandi ground blades)?
- Thread starter pinnah
- Start date
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I have a DC-4 that I have used almost daily for several years and it is still flat. :thumbup: It is the best pocket sized stone I've used. Like it so well that I bought the 8" bench stone as well. (but haven't used it yet...too pretty
).
Looking close you can see an Altoids tin and two small sections of sandpaper. Using my tumb and index finger to hold the paper in place on the back side of the tin I sharpen my Scandi by running it perpendicular to the sandpaper between my fingers so that a large surface area isn't required. I'm sure folks will tell me I'm doing it wrong but it's simple, light, and it works. The knife will clean shave hair when done. I've seen some nice kits put together with various grits and places to store them systems to clamp the paper down and even integrated strops. I might put something like that together some day but I prefer simple for now. One of the advantages of the Scandi grind is supposed to be ease of field sharpening, don't over think it.
Field Sharpening
three ways
the DMT EF credit card is great to take it to a flat or saber grind but it is too hard to control it on the scandi
the DMT mini folding again I take to the blade
it is easier to use it as a file like action
it is excellent this way for machete and axes
because the way it is made
I can hold it flat to the scandi so it works well
but I don't like the holie surface for the zero grind
the DC 4 I use as a stationary stone and bring the knife to the stone
it has some height so I can use it like any other stone
the continuous fine diamond is excellent and so is the ceramic
then I strip with the leather case
So the DC 4 is the best bet for a scandi
and the DMT mini the next best for general use
three ways
the DMT EF credit card is great to take it to a flat or saber grind but it is too hard to control it on the scandi
the DMT mini folding again I take to the blade
it is easier to use it as a file like action
it is excellent this way for machete and axes
because the way it is made
I can hold it flat to the scandi so it works well
but I don't like the holie surface for the zero grind
the DC 4 I use as a stationary stone and bring the knife to the stone
it has some height so I can use it like any other stone
the continuous fine diamond is excellent and so is the ceramic
then I strip with the leather case
So the DC 4 is the best bet for a scandi
and the DMT mini the next best for general use
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2006
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Depends on the wood in your neck I guess. I haven't had any problems with strops but I may touch up more frequently then you and the woods here are on the soft side. I like the strop because it gives you a slight convex witch I find more useful then flat scandis. Essentially adding a micro bevel.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2006
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Here's a repost from a few years back of one I was running using tape. This one was for doing convex blades so it has two layers of tape with a compliant core between. The little DMT can tackle the small stockman fine, but relatively speaking it is out of it's depth compared to a surface that is > than 5.5*3. As the knives get bigger the performance gap just gets wider. The increase in accuracy / efficiency is huge, and it is safer too. The options with the DMT are to either bring it to the blade like one was taking the burrs off a skate [crude and inaccurate = never optimize the edge, or takes longer to get that edge], or mount the stone.
I don't like a Scandi grind at all, but if I were doing one I'd do it properly. As a minimum I'd mount the DMT to a pot bottom with a small ball of Blu Tack on each corner, and hold the pot still with my feet. I've done that and it works. I prefer the tape method though just because you introduce so much more efficiency with a bigger area of abrasive. I'd simply dump the compliant layer.
I know this might seem excessive but I do take pride in my edges. And in the long run I find that by staying on top of your game not only do knives cut better but they live longer. A blundering series of cobbled together nause-ups irks me and shortens the knife's working life by a lot. I think I was done with the achievement of shaving arm hair before I was 12. And I was born allergic to epithets like razor sharp and cuts like a hot laser through butter. This method gets me the closest to what I can achieve at home without dragging a bunch of extraneous crap just in case.
I don't like a Scandi grind at all, but if I were doing one I'd do it properly. As a minimum I'd mount the DMT to a pot bottom with a small ball of Blu Tack on each corner, and hold the pot still with my feet. I've done that and it works. I prefer the tape method though just because you introduce so much more efficiency with a bigger area of abrasive. I'd simply dump the compliant layer.
I know this might seem excessive but I do take pride in my edges. And in the long run I find that by staying on top of your game not only do knives cut better but they live longer. A blundering series of cobbled together nause-ups irks me and shortens the knife's working life by a lot. I think I was done with the achievement of shaving arm hair before I was 12. And I was born allergic to epithets like razor sharp and cuts like a hot laser through butter. This method gets me the closest to what I can achieve at home without dragging a bunch of extraneous crap just in case.
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2005
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- 156
No great outdoor adventures with my Mora Robust. But, a lot of Florida yard brush cutting and clearing and opening 30 bags of river rock. The rock sludge in the bags dull it a little after about 10 bags. I've been using just a ceramic stick, 2000 grit sandpaper (wet) and finish on a home made belt strop on a board with some jewelers rouge compound. All could easily fit in a backpack if necessary. Gets it back to hair poppin' sharp. I do have a proper stropping board coming in the mail from some Amarillo Texas fellas. Can't wait to try that.
I use a fine DMT hone or one from Dianova. Both are light and effective sharpeners.
That said I think there is too much focus on sharpening.
Most trips I don`t bother sharpening my knife at all.
If skinning a moose, OK, you need a touch up.
But do you really use Your knives that much.
That said I think there is too much focus on sharpening.
Most trips I don`t bother sharpening my knife at all.
If skinning a moose, OK, you need a touch up.
But do you really use Your knives that much.
Personally I've never had a problem sharpening a scandi ground blade on a small stone. In fact, I feel a scandi is the easiest to sharpen, even on my little DMT stones. Then again, I've even sharpened much larger knives on them, and had no trouble (BK9), so maybe I'm a bit crazy?
Just hold the dmt in your hand (fingertips work best for me), lay the bevel flat... And sharpen. Because the bevel is so wide, I have no problem keeping it flat, even if the stone isn't flat on the ground.
Maybe I just sharpen before they get as dull as yours does? So I don't have to "reprofile" as much? No idea, I'd just never actually thought about it being a problem, as I've never seemed to have an issue with it.
That said, wet dry sandpaper is a great option. Its actually how I sharpen all of my knives, and it packs up nice and small. Plus its cheap, and easy to replace if lost or worn out.
Good luck finding something that works for you
.
Just hold the dmt in your hand (fingertips work best for me), lay the bevel flat... And sharpen. Because the bevel is so wide, I have no problem keeping it flat, even if the stone isn't flat on the ground.
Maybe I just sharpen before they get as dull as yours does? So I don't have to "reprofile" as much? No idea, I'd just never actually thought about it being a problem, as I've never seemed to have an issue with it.
That said, wet dry sandpaper is a great option. Its actually how I sharpen all of my knives, and it packs up nice and small. Plus its cheap, and easy to replace if lost or worn out.
Good luck finding something that works for you
.ocnLogan,
Can you describe the motion you use on the stone?
I definitely find it much easier to control the knife putting a micro bevel on it.
When I hold my small DMT stone in my left hand, I can pretty accurately put on a micro bevel by holding the knife by the handle in a normal grip and making forward trailing strokes, first on one side and then the other. Very easy and consistent. Although I note, that I am aware of and happy that the natural movement of my hand is putting a convexed apex on the micro bevel.
When I try this on the full scandi grind, the same natural movement of my hand that puts on a reliable convex micro-bevel causes the scandi bevel to rock back and forth, first by tipping up on the apex and later by rocking back on the shoulder of the scandi bevel.
I can begin to control this rocking motion by chocking up on the blade and putting my index finger on the flat side of the blade, but I can't really control this making my normal forward and trailing strokes.
I *can* eek out: a) a back and forth sawing motion (tip to tang), b) a back and forth scrubbing motion (blade to spine) or c) a circular scubbing motion.
Is this the best possible?
Note by the way, these take more time than just the few strokes of a micro bevel.
Can you describe the motion you use on the stone?
I definitely find it much easier to control the knife putting a micro bevel on it.
When I hold my small DMT stone in my left hand, I can pretty accurately put on a micro bevel by holding the knife by the handle in a normal grip and making forward trailing strokes, first on one side and then the other. Very easy and consistent. Although I note, that I am aware of and happy that the natural movement of my hand is putting a convexed apex on the micro bevel.
When I try this on the full scandi grind, the same natural movement of my hand that puts on a reliable convex micro-bevel causes the scandi bevel to rock back and forth, first by tipping up on the apex and later by rocking back on the shoulder of the scandi bevel.
I can begin to control this rocking motion by chocking up on the blade and putting my index finger on the flat side of the blade, but I can't really control this making my normal forward and trailing strokes.
I *can* eek out: a) a back and forth sawing motion (tip to tang), b) a back and forth scrubbing motion (blade to spine) or c) a circular scubbing motion.
Is this the best possible?
Note by the way, these take more time than just the few strokes of a micro bevel.
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- Feb 28, 2006
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- 4,012
For the stuff I do now I can say that I rarely field sharpen. Modern knives are made of good enough steel and hard enough that when combined with modern methods field sharpening is usually redundant. I wish that wasn't the case 'cos it would mean that I was in all probability in a different country for a lot longer than I get the opportunity to be now. For sure I can predict with a good amount of confidence that a domestic camping trip for a week or so isn't going to need it. Food and cordage isn't especially rough on knives.
That said, I've done plenty of themed stuff where the opposite it true, like when I deliberately don't take the right kit or have access to modern methods. Stuff that involves making natural shelter, finding food, setting fire to stuff, and a good amount of salvage can be brutal on knives. I wiped the edge clean off a SAK in seconds taking salvage from a tredder. Similarly, it took a couple of minutes to kill the sharpness of a knife cutting down old carpet to use as blankets. I vividly recall lots of episodes like that. I've done enough stuff like that for several lifetimes so I don't need to do it now, but it does make you appreciate having a proper sharpening method with you. Those that espouse the idea that you can always find something good to sharpen on in the wild either a] have never been much beyond their comfort zone, or b] don't understand what truly sharp is, or c] don't have a knife they care about, or d] listen to celebrity survival gurus as a substitute for knowledge. May be all of those. Sometimes you can, sometimes
At this point the most common situation is for a combination of both of those dramatically different aspects at once, usually waterside. I've been on several trips over the last few years where using the knife hard was not necessary but an opportunity has presented itself. The first was so irritating I am keen to never be in that position again. There we were at the beach, day two, all tarp, stove and sleeping bag, and I find a washed up fishing net. Great, I want the floats off that and the little lead sinkers. My adorable Spyderco Delica rapidly presented as dull, weedy and ineffectual when cutting the lines that were encrusted with who knows what. It's is one of only a handful of times in my life I have ever felt under-knifed. I could have compensated for the knife being too small if it had been sharp, but it just couldn't sustain itself. One could hardly blame the knife, it's great, the task was just too demanding. A bit of wet-n-dry taped to something would have corrected the situation immediately for almost zero size and weight penalty. I didn't have any so I rode out the rest of the week with the SAK. No biggie, but irritating enough to know that I'd sooner wax my hoop than put myself in that position again.
You're right, doing a "normal" resharpen of a scandi blade takes a bit longer, but personally it doesn't bother me to take a break and sharpen for a minute or so
I do usually choke up on the blade (because of the small size of the dmt). I also put my thumb almost right on/just above the bevel, roughly in the middle of the blade to make sure that it is staying flat on the bevel. With a blade the size of a mora, I have no problem keeping the bevel flat the whole time with that method.
My strokes start with the blade up against the stone on the far left (I'm right handed), and I do pull strokes back and towards me. With my Mora, that means I pull down towards me roughly twice as fast as I move sideways on the stone for a full stroke of the blade. Other times I will focus solely on a certain portion of the blade. When I do that, I put my thumb (or sometimes forefinger) right above the bevel, to keep it flat, and then draw backwards from one side of the stone to the other.
And like I said, perhaps the reason it doesn't bother me is just because of what I'm used to (sandpaper, and these very small stones are the only things I use to re-profile/sharpen all of my knives). With sandpaper I have to hold it down flat on the surface (otherwise the ends curl in), which means I've gotten used to holding a knife steady on its bevel with my one hand. And with the size of the bevel on a scandi, it just seems very easy for me (comparatively).
I also tend to strop the knife on all sorts of things (belts, boots, even the palm of my hand at times (be careful on that one), so perhaps the edge just isn't as deformed so it doesn't take as much effort? Its also possible we have different standards of sharpness, which could explain things as well.
Anyway, hopefully that explanation makes sense
. If not, let me know and I'll try to clarify it better.And good luck finding something that works for you
.
kamagong
Gold Member
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- Jan 13, 2001
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Sharpening in the field is a matter of expediency, not what's best. I think your current set up is fine. A microbevel might not be "ideal," but it'll keep your knife cutting. You can see to the blade when you get home.
People have been using pocket sized stones for their scandi ground knives a long time.
Sharpening in the Viking Age.
People have been using pocket sized stones for their scandi ground knives a long time.
Sharpening in the Viking Age.