How are you sharpening your Waki's?

Eric Isaacson

Eric Isaacson

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Joined
Dec 19, 1999
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I had a question from a customer the other day on how he should sharpen his Waki in the field and I started wondering how some of the forumites are doing this?

Any info for me to pass along to him would be appreciated, right now he doesn't have much of anything for sharpening.
 
It helps to use a stone properly sized for the tool being sharpened. I use an old headstone.










LOL
 
I convexed my user and it stays sharp enough while in the field. If i had an extended stay, maybe a strop or wet/dry sandpaper. Use whatever you feel most comfortable with.
 
220 and 600 grit sandpaper on a paint stick.
 
Well, a belt sander is the most sane, though obviously it doesn't do him any good if he wants to sharpen in the field. The paper-on-paint stick ideas are good ones, although I'd go with something more rigid, personally, not only for durability in sharpening but also in packing. Might go to Home Depot, look at an oak 1X1 and cut it to about ten inches or so . It won't be heavy, will be extremely strong, and provides several surfaces if he wants to use some mid-strength (so it's removable) adhesive and have a few different grits.

DMT dia-folds are honestly my favorite field sharpener---last the longest, require no maintenance, remove material quickly and, once you've practiced up a bit, will do convex edges if that's your preference. :)
 
EdgePro Apex with stones from 220gr (set edge) through 330>600>800>1000 to the to the 2000gr tapes (set micro bevel and polish) > 3000gr tapes (finishing polish and finalize micro bevel). All the tapes are used on dead flat plate glass covered blanks.

I add a very small "micro bevel" on the very bottom of the edge that is normally 1.5 to 2 degrees steeper then the main part of the edge. It is literally so short that you cannot see it clearly with some magnification (e.g. loop) but it is there. This allows a fantastically sharp edge but with just a hair more steel behind the area that takes the most abuse during cutting. I find this is an outstanding technique for INFI or SR-101 sharpening (although it works well on a lot of other steels too).

The combo for me produces an edge that is tough as hell but very east to touch up even in the field if needed.

With a Waki (or AK) you it is safest to have 2 people and move slowly and carefully the first time through. So the wife did the hold and align and I worked the stones and assured there were no twists or angle changes.

Run my Waki + a few AK's this way and it works VERY well. Everybody needs to be paying attention because as soon as you are on the 600gr stones you are working around a razor that will cut you to the bone with very little effort.

Heck my Waki was my very first Swamprat and I LOVE IT!

Hopefully Eric is just minutes away from telling me the rest of my "Rat family" (2 HLRM's, 2 Swamp Wardens, and 1 RMD) are ready to hit the mail...

Dr. H
 
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