Is it possible to sharpen small traditional folders on kitchen stones?

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eeb89

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Aug 2, 2015
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Sorry in advance if this is in the wrong section. I recently purchased a GEC 14 boys knife and am hoping to sharpen it using the stones I use for my kitchen knives. Is this advisable or should I finally get a sharp maker?
 
Should sharpen up just fine using your kitchen stones, depending on what exactly you are referring to as a "kitchen stone." 1095 is not a complex steel to sharpen.


*if you are using water stones, then make sure you dry the knife well when you are done sharpening.
 
Do you mean whetstones? It's all I use. I don't have a Sharpmaker.
 
You can sharpen that 1095 with any stone just don't use one of those pull through sharpeners or electric sharpeners the sale for kitchen knives, Those things can damage a blade.
 
Thanks guys. I'm going to give it a try, my only worry is that the sub 2.5 inch blade might make the stone uneven if I can't cover the whole stone like I'd be able to with a larger knife. It's a King 1000/6000 double sided stone. I'm still learning but will do my best!
 
eeb89 said:
Thanks guys. I'm going to give it a try, my only worry is that the sub 2.5 inch blade might make the stone uneven if I can't cover the whole stone like I'd be able to with a larger knife. It's a King 1000/6000 double sided stone. I'm still learning but will do my best!
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1095 responds very, very nicely to a simple hardware store stone in aluminum oxide, used with a little mineral oil. The aluminum oxide stones are the two-sided grey stones you typically see in these stores. A simple stone in dual grit (C/F), such as can be found at ACE Hardware for example, is a perfect companion to a 1095-bladed traditional knife. Most or all work on such a blade can likely be done on the 'Fine' side of the stone, the vast majority of the time.

If you're concerned about maintaining the flatness of your King waterstone, you could reserve that one for your kitchen knives, and pick up a 6" or 8" aluminum oxide oil stone as above, for about $7 to $12 or so, depending on where you get it. I mentioned the ACE stones in particular, because I know they're of decent or even very good quality. ACE also carries these stones in a more portable 4" size (also dual-grit), which is usually my most-used stone for Traditional-sized folder blades.


David
 
Small traditional folders also love to be sharpened on the bottom of coffee mugs. The unglazed ring is a very nice ceramic that puts a nice shaving edge on a pocket knife or paring knife.

 
Stones are a wear item. They dish over time. Flatten them out occasionally, and replace as needed. No big deal.
 
You're going to need a stone fixer or flattening stone for your King regardless. Water stones require flattening. You can get a 6" x 2" stone fixer from Korin for about $20 if you're on a budget.
 
If you don't want to worry about dishing as much get a Norton crystolon or india stone. They're not very friable. The 8" fine/coarse stones run about $20 each.
 
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