INDIA STONES???... Sharpening knives in the field??

T

T.M.A.

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So I bought a couple of these stones thinking they would be great to throw in a sheath and use in the field. Didn't want to spend the cash on a DC4 or the like:

Ontario 499 Sharpening Stone 3" x 7/8" x 3/16" for Sheath - KnifeCenter - 6151

Little "India" stones.

Initially thought they were water stones, but turns out they're oil. A bit of a bummer, but I guess... Can I use them effectively with water??

What do ya'll keep with you to put a quick edge on your knives when you're outside??

Thanks!


-T
 
If I wanted to pack-carry a field sharpening kit I'd go with a couple of pieces of 1X2 and a few grades of Wet of Dry to wrap around the sticks and maybe a few elastic bands to hold the paper on the sticks. A second stick wrapped with thin leather if you want a strop. Lightweight, effective and they won't break.
 
I touch up my knife edges fairly often with a few very light edge-leading strokes using the grit I finished sharpening with, so don't need to do much aggressive sharpening unless I roll or chip an edge.

I like coarse edges and use a DMT Double Sided Diafold (Coarse/Extra Coarse) in the wilderness to maintain edges. It's lightweight, compact, and foldable, can be used either dry or with water, and can handle more aggressive sharpening, if needed.
 
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HeavyHanded said:
If its a quick touch up just use it dry. When you get back home put a thin film of oil on it and let it sit for a few, the swarf will wipe off with a rag.
Click to expand...

^This.

For touch-up use in the field, it won't likely matter much if it's used dry, or with water.

Oil works best for keeping the stone from clogging, over the longer term. But with the relatively light & infrequent use it'll probably get in the field, it's not that big of a deal. As suggested above, clean it up with some oil when it's convenient to do so.

The 'India' description probably just implies it's an aluminum oxide oil stone. Very generic, and these are the most common stones out there.
 
T.M.A. said:
So I bought a couple of these stones thinking they would be great to throw in a sheath and use in the field. Didn't want to spend the cash on a DC4 or the like:

Ontario 499 Sharpening Stone 3" x 7/8" x 3/16" for Sheath - KnifeCenter - 6151

Little "India" stones.

Initially thought they were water stones, but turns out they're oil. A bit of a bummer, but I guess... Can I use them effectively with water??

What do ya'll keep with you to put a quick edge on your knives when you're outside??

Thanks!


-T
Click to expand...

Another thought, when touching tools up on a hike I just smear some firepit ash on a board or smooth relatively straight piece of wood - a few drops of water make it a nice consistency. Strop with that. The silica oxide in the ash is a fairly high concentration - it'll scrub your pans clean too.

This works best of carbon steel - a good choice for big choppers and hatchets, not so much for stainless pocket knives.
 
T.M.A. said:
Anybody got any quick suggestions for sharpening recurves? Cheap tools?
Click to expand...

Speaking of India stones...

This is a pocket-sized Norton India Fine (about $10 or so), which has become my favorite for occasional touch-ups on the steels I use, such as 1095, CV, 420HC & similar steels. The India is an oil stone, so a light 'sheen' of mineral oil applied for use will keep it cutting well over the long term.

I radiused one edge of this stone, using a coarse SiC stone to do that work (done easily, BTW). That radiused edge is what I use on blades with even some minor recurve, and would work well with any other recurved blade, assuming the steel is responsive to this type of stone.

XBXzIAW.jpg

BSWIDUF.jpg


If more wear-resistant steels are to be worked, i.e., those with significant vanadium carbide content in particular, I'd suggest using a round or oval diamond rod for recurves on those.
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
Speaking of India stones...

This is a pocket-sized Norton India Fine (about $10 or so), which has become my favorite for occasional touch-ups on the steels I use, such as 1095, CV, 420HC & similar steels. The India is an oil stone, so a light 'sheen' of mineral oil applied for use will keep it cutting well over the long term.

I radiused one edge of this stone, using a coarse SiC stone to do that work (done easily, BTW). That radiused edge is what I use on blades with even some minor recurve, and would work well with any other recurved blade, assuming the steel is responsive to this type of stone.

XBXzIAW.jpg

BSWIDUF.jpg


If more wear-resistant steels are to be worked, i.e., those with significant vanadium carbide content in particular, I'd suggest using a round or oval diamond rod for recurves on those.
Click to expand...

You're a PRO!

Thank you!

Purchased from where??
 
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For field touch up, I carry a little EZE-LAP fine diamond rod I’ve had for many years. One side is flattened, the other has a longitudinal groove. Closed, it’s about 2/3 the length of a ballpoint pen, has a pocket clip.

Parker
 
Many great suggestions--there's more than one right answer and whenever I read threads like this I have to resist the urge to buy more interesting stones. :p

Here's a post I did a while back in a thread showing my 3 fave field sharpeners side-by-side, some pics and comments. This was over 3 years ago, but nothing has changed, these would still be the ones I'd recommend and all are solid. The Baryonyx Arctic Fox 2-grit field stone, the Spyderco DoubleStuff2 with CBN, or the DMT diafold 2-grit coarse/fine sharpener. Of these, I like the Arctic Fox when using steels that respond well to it (more traditional stainless and carbon steels), and the Spyderco CBN for high vanadium-carbide steels.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/new-spyderco-double-stuff-2-is-out.1526435/page-3#post-17626152
 
maximus83 said:
Many great suggestions--there's more than one right answer and whenever I read threads like this I have to resist the urge to buy more interesting stones. :p

Here's a post I did a while back in a thread showing my 3 fave field sharpeners side-by-side, some pics and comments. This was over 3 years ago, but nothing has changed, these would still be the ones I'd recommend and all are solid. The Baryonyx Arctic Fox 2-grit field stone, the Spyderco DoubleStuff2 with CBN, or the DMT diafold 2-grit coarse/fine sharpener. Of these, I like the Arctic Fox when using steels that respond well to it (more traditional stainless and carbon steels), and the Spyderco CBN for high vanadium-carbide steels.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/new-spyderco-double-stuff-2-is-out.1526435/page-3#post-17626152
Click to expand...

PRO!
 
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