Grit size: Homes v.s. Field use

hiwa · Dec 28, 2010

I've been thinking a lot about what I see people sharpening their knives with and have arrived at a question. Do you use a coarser grit, say 600 maybe , for sharpening in the field and then a finer polish once you get home? I'm thinking are you really going to take the time "out there" to maintain that degree of sharpness and polished edge, or do you compromise by going to a coarser grit to save time in the woods to get work done then go a lot finer once you get home?
I think this would kind of defeat the purpose of having a super-fine polished edge only to use a coarser (ie,faster) hone in the woods and then having to re-polish/sharpen it again later. Myself , I find a DMT 600 or Norton fine india is more than sufficient in the bush and find sharpening it with a 1000/2000 is kind of a waste of time for a user if I'm going to be touching it up with the DMT, DC-4 , or diamond rod when I'm out.
I suppose this question pertains more to people who use their knives in the field or other places and have to sharpen often. I though of posting this is W&SS , but it's a sharpening related question so I pose it here. I'm just wondering how you guys approach this scenario and what you think about this.

Edit: (This question pertains mostly to your mainly used field knife ,let's say in the 3 - 8" Range , usually a FB)

manowar669 · Dec 28, 2010

Depends on the knife and it's use. A big camp chopper will take a beating in a second on hard wood etc., so having a fine polished edge is a waste of time. On the other hand, a skinner, or caping knife needs to be sharp. Don't let it get dull, and a few swipes on a strop in the field, (while skinning, etc), will keep that fine edge.

People who really use their knives (work knives) will steel or touch up their knives in two seconds and go right back to work. Last time I hunted at a camp in NC, the guide field dressed some guy's deer right next to the truck in about a minute, and when we got back to camp, he used a steel for like 5 seconds and started processing deer. As needed, he would steel the knife and go back to work. I use a sharpmaker, and it takes me about 10 seconds to bring back a razor edge. Portable too.

grizzled gizzard · Dec 28, 2010

Notice that the guide went back to camp where his equipment was. Sharpen your knives at home. Using them sensibly in the field should not dull a decent knife except in extreme conditions, like whacking your way through briar's with a chete all day.

It probably makes more sense to bring two knives than one knife and a sharpening kit if you really think it might be necessary.

Sparljo · Dec 29, 2010

Absolutely.

If I need a sharp field edge, and the one I brought isnt cutting it, I go coarse.

Forget 600 grit... more like 120 or 220 grit. Depends on if I find something to sharpen on, or brought something with me.

Thing is I can put a working edge back on fast, and do what I need to do.

You know those nasty pull through carbide scrapers? Those work awesome and thats why they sell so well. Some guys don't like how they eat up blades ( me included)..... but really... are you saving that metal for something other than making edges to cut? Wear that sucker down.... then when its new knife time you can have a reason.

Sometimes when I am polishing an edge to perfection I will think about this. Other times I just keep polishing.

Gadgetaholic · Dec 29, 2010

Sparljo said:
You know those nasty pull through carbide scrapers? Those work awesome and thats why they sell so well. Some guys don't like how they eat up blades ( me included)..... but really... are you saving that metal for something other than making edges to cut? Wear that sucker down.... then when its new knife time you can have a reason.

Work awesome? No they don't! Those things are complete rubbish, producing a crappy edge and they aren't set to the right angle. There are plenty of options that are just as portable (or more portable) that produce a much better edge. A DMT fine/course Diafold would be 10x as good for putting a decent edge back on a knife.

hiwa · Dec 29, 2010

Gadgetaholic said:
Work awesome? No they don't! Those things are complete rubbish, producing a crappy edge and they aren't set to the right angle. There are plenty of options that are just as portable (or more portable) that produce a much better edge. A DMT fine/course Diafold would be 10x as good for putting a decent edge back on a knife.

Sorry Sparljo , but I agree with this.
I've tried carbide sharpeners and seen the close-up results myself. What appears and feels like a sharp edge is really a weak edge where the metal either folds , bends or rips off (sometimes unaware by the naked eye)
Much better to go with a medium grit stone as I suggested in my opening post ( or anything else for that matter) I think most people here would agree with me that carbide pull-through sharpening aids suck big-time. YMMV.
My whole thought on my OP is it worth it to put a fine polished edge on a field knife if only to remove it in course-of-duty sharpening as you use the knife in the field with a coarser stone?
I touch up all my blades before going to the bush or elsewhere , but to not bring a means of sharpening them as I use them makes no sense to me. I always bring some sort of sharpening system , even if its only a diamond grit rod.
I wonder if people with user blades actually maintain those mirror edges all the time as such ; change sharpening strategies depending on where they are, or do not really care.

Obsessed with Edges · Dec 29, 2010

Sparljo said:
You know those nasty pull through carbide scrapers? Those work awesome and thats why they sell so well.

Here's a pic of what those will do to an edge:

Pic borrowed from:
http://sharpeningtechniques.blogspot.com/2009/12/micro-photos-of-identical-knives-after.html

Sparljo · Dec 29, 2010

Hmm... maybe my point was lost.

Its not that a carbide scraper is the best way to put a field edge on or isnt.

Its that whatever works is the best way to put a field edge on if you really need that edge.

jackknife · Dec 30, 2010

It's been many years since I bothered with anything over a 600 grit. I don't do the polished edge thing anymore, it's just not worth it to me. I spent years in my younger days, trying for that hair whittling edge, but then I realized it was just an ego trip. That polished edge out in the field did not hold up as well as a course edge when cutting through fish scales and guts, hides with dirt in the fur, and other rough stuff. I noticed that when I went course, the knife cut well longer. Also the very fine polished edge will slide on some cutting mediums, while the 600 or courser edge bites through.

For the last year, I've actually been using my old boy scout pocket stone from the early 1950's, and it does just fine. I don't know what grit the old gray carborundum stomes are, but it puts a biting edge on a knife.

For field use, I carry a cut down Eze-lap model L in my wallet. The red one, that's listed at 600 grit. It puts a fast edge on, and with a little stropping on the back of my belt, it gets hair shaving sharp. Takes about 5 minutes to do in the field, anywhere at any time.

Yeah, 600 grit max for me at home or in the field.

Carl.

KennyB · Dec 30, 2010

I've rarely had to sharpen in the field, but I've never had the urge to take something over 750 grit with me. My Smith's diamond field sharpener is 325/750 grit. A little finer than a lot, and I really like the edge that it leaves. They won't shave or whittle hair, but honestly they feel like the cut through stuff a lot faster. I mostly do this to my Case Trapper though and just started keeping the clip at 750 grit and the spey at 1000.

In the few times I was doing something where my knife went dull ( installing fiberglass insulation ), I just relied on the 325 side for an edge. It was quicker to sharpen, so I got back to work faster. In the grand reality of things, the time that I would have had to spend to put a finer edge on it probably would not have been proportionate to how much longer it would have cut, and to me it felt like I could cut a lot more of the fiberglass in single slices with the coarse edge, so overall I think if I'm ever doing field work where I'm going to be resharpening frequently, I don't think going above 325 is really needed.

As far as when I get home though... Well, I like my EDC knives to have polished edges. Something about the way they cut, and they're easy to keep permanently sharp with a strop. I stop at 1000 and strop that with CrO... I hear that jumping up that much on the grit progression shouldn't do anything, but it works really well for keeping my edges sharp pretty much permanently through EDC use.