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Knife sharpening question for the experts

X

X-Head

Joined
Nov 8, 1999
Messages
639
First off, maybe this isn't the proper forum for this, but this was the closest I could find. Please forgive me if this is the wrong forum for this. Now, allow me to publicly display the vast depths of my ignorance here:

I am fairly new to sharpening knives. Can someone recommend to me what kind of sharpening implements I should be carrying with me in the field? For instance, I don't read much on any of the bladeforums about the mention of anyone using any honing oil. Am I correct in supposing that you guys don't use any type of lubricant when honing? (I understand you don't use it with ceramic rods, but what about when honing on a stone?) Is honing oil a necessity or just dead weight in my pack?

Does anyone make a small stone with different grits on each side? If so, would this be useful in the field? Are diamond sharpeners better than wetstones?

Finally, if you were putting together a knife sharpening "kit" from scratch, and your two biggest concerns were keeping the weight/volume of the kit to a minimum and covering all the most common edge damage scenarios that can occur in the field to both small and big blades, what would you put in your kit and why?

Thanks for your time and your answers. I can't think of a more knowledgable group of people to throw these questions at (excuse the bad grammar).

Chris

PS-If this has already been covered, please direct me to the pertinent thread. Thanks.

[This message has been edited by X-Head (edited 04-06-2000).]
 
Thanks, e_! I wasn't aware of the "search" feature. I must have been overlooking it since November! Anyway, I used it and found the info I was looking for. It seems that this is one of the most thoroughly covered topics on Bladeforums, and I didn't mean for everyone to rehash all of it just for me. My apologies.

Chris
 
I'll answer your question, at least part of it, and save you the trouble of clicking on a hundred old threads.

I don't use oil because I don't use stones any more. I prefer diamond sharpeners (DMT or Eze-Lap) and ceramic rods (Spyderco Sharpmaker or Pro-File)

For non-serrated blades (which I tend to prefer), I can do what needs to be done sharpening-wise with one simple, light-weight and very effective tool: a double-sided DMT Diafold sharpener. Mine is course/fine (blue /red). If you want something coarser, get one that's black on one side; if you want something finer look for green. For my purposes the blue is coarse enough to re-profile an edge, although it can take a while, and the red is fine enough to give a nicely grabby (agressive) edge--not the best edge for shaving, but how often do you shave with a knife?

Diamond and ceramic sharpeners have the advantage of staying flat. They also work without oil. You can use water with a diamond sharpener, as DMT recommends, but you don't have to. It doesn't seem to make much difference, in my experience.

Diamond sharpeners are better than ceramic bacause 1) they don't need to be scrubbed all the time to remain effective; 2) they don't break if you drop them.

I hope that helps.

David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.

[This message has been edited by David Rock (edited 04-06-2000).]
 
David hit it on the head. If I had to take only one thing in with me it would be a double sided folding diamond stone. Two grits, no lubrication required. If I had the space I'd take a small ceramic stone and a strop.

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"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n"
John Milton
There are only two types of people; those who understand this, and those who think they do.
 
I have read that DMT has just come out with double sided benchstones. I like diamond too but waterstones are good too. Yes they are messy and dishout fairly fast but they produce a very nice edge and cut very rapidly though not as rapidly as diamond. You can get a 1000 / 6000 grit 8" Japanese waterstone from Woodcraft Supply for $30.

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Roger Blake
 
With respect to the oil question, refrain from using it at all times! Read Joe's FAQ on this site, or read John Juranitch's book Razor Edge Book of Sharpening. That book is the bible of sharpening, and John has been the real pioneer of not using oil. I have their pro kit and I have had AWESOME results with them, sans lubricant. I do like water stones though, and they REQUIRE water- don't mess with these unless you have water handy. I tried sharpening knives on stones without oil, and had great results. Go ahead and experiment. If you sharpen your knife on an Arkansas stone without oil and you get a crappy job (due to no oil present) you just have to apply some oil and wipe it off! So it is a harmless test that may swing you over to the no-lubricant side.

Crayola

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"Come What May..."
 
Spyderco makes a great little (1 inch by 4 inch) double sided ceramic stone called the 'double stuff' or something like that. It has medium and fine grit sides. It comes in a leather slip sheath. I coated the sheath with green polish and use that as a strop. Any thick piece of leather (maybe 3 inches by 5 inches) coated with polish can be easily carried. Lay it down on any flat hard surface and you can strop away. If you maintain an edge by stropping, grinding on a stone can be delayed for a long time.

Paracelsus
 
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