Let's Talk About Sharpening Our Survive! Knives

Silver Needle said:
Ok so now I'm wondering if the coarse/fine combination will be the best for an average guy?
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Yes. No real need for extra coarse or extra fine unless you're gonna do extreme damage to your knife. Do you have a strop? I generally don't go over fine for working knives and then I hit the strop for a little bit just to refine the edge that the stone put on it and to blend the edge. (Nobody is a machine so YES you will have SLIGHT variations in the angle of each stroke on the stone. The black compound will blend it and help make a mild convex while refining the edge)
 
Awesome advice from someone who knows. I'm still saving for the dmt and I've considered a Flexxx strop. How necessary do you think a strop is for the average/casual knife user?
 
Silver Needle said:
Awesome advice from someone who knows. I'm still saving for the dmt and I've considered a Flexxx strop. How necessary do you think a strop is for the average/casual knife user?
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Very. It's an absolutely essential piece of knife maintenance equipment. Go with something like his pro field strop (might've botched the name) and then you have 2 grits in a lightweight package that's still plenty of surface that weighs nothing so you can throw it in a pack of you want to. I always bring mine in my pack when hunting or camping.
 
Well there it is. Now I know what I have to do :thumbup:

The field strop is the best deal on the site. Thanks man. Now you can look forward to me bugging you for stropping advice in the future :D
 
Silver Needle said:
Well there it is. Now I know what I have to do :thumbup:

The field strop is the best deal on the site. Thanks man. Now you can look forward to me bugging you for stropping advice in the future :D
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No problem. Go with the pro one. It's 2 layers of thick leather, not the one with wood in between. That one is real small, I have both so trust me on this one..


Pressure is everything. Almost none is how much you want lol. Just the pressure of the weight of the knife.
 
ManOfSteel89 said:
No problem. Go with the pro one. It's 2 layers of thick leather, not the one with wood in between. That one is real small, I have both so trust me on this one..


Pressure is everything. Almost none is how much you want lol. Just the pressure of the weight of the knife.
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Ok, so like the pressure of you getting me to buy more and more sharpening gear? :p
 
ManOfSteel89 said:
No problem. Go with the pro one. It's 2 layers of thick leather, not the one with wood in between. That one is real small, I have both so trust me on this one..


Pressure is everything. Almost none is how much you want lol. Just the pressure of the weight of the knife.
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Well now i have something else on the "buy" list. I like the idea of starting with a strop as i feel like the damage i could do is minimal compared to stones (foolish last words??? maybe....)
 
redwood22 said:
Well now i have something else on the "buy" list. I like the idea of starting with a strop as i feel like the damage i could do is minimal compared to stones (foolish last words??? maybe....)
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You can put sandpaper on a strop for the same effect as a mousepad too.
 
ManOfSteel89 said:
Best thing I could recommend for an axe is a mousepad and 3M sandpaper. Will help you keep that beautiful, wood-killing full convex and will let you get a nice high polish on your axe which is better for wood processing and will also help prevent corrosion over a rough finish. I used to do my Wildlife Hatchet and my Velvicut Hudson Bay up to like 2000 grit or something like that. Would shave your face and then chop a tree down.




Just do it!
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I will have to give that a try! I was using a lansky Puck very carefully, worked well but not amazingly (def not shaving sharp)
 
Standard78 said:
Haha same here! Now I'm starting to hunt for a big DMT setup. You and I both know that m390 4.1 could've benefited from it!
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hahaha i actually thought it was in way better shape sharpness wise, I sent it to Guy because I think it'll take me a few yrs or a lifetime to learn how to get knives that sharp...
 
ManOfSteel89 said:
Not sure. He definitely makes a pocket strop




I mean honestly dude it's better for me for you to buy nothing and send them to me for sharpening lol
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I know I know, I just had to give you a hard time.

redwood22 said:
Well now i have something else on the "buy" list. I like the idea of starting with a strop as i feel like the damage i could do is minimal compared to stones (foolish last words??? maybe....)
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MoS's earlier comment on the strop letting a blade last longer really sold me on the idea.

MoS, what was it you liked so much better on the pro field strop? Is all leather a better surface than having wood in the middle?
 
Silver Needle said:
I know I know, I just had to give you a hard time.


MoS's earlier comment on the strop letting a blade last longer really sold me on the idea.

MoS, what was it you liked so much better on the pro field strop? Is all leather a better surface than having wood in the middle?
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It's not that. It's that it's so much more stropping area and a thinner profile with around the same weight so it can be dropped into any pocket in a bag and forgotten about. The field is far right. Field pro is the one to the left of it. It's still real stiff so it won't bend on you but has plenty of give like leather should. Mutton is in the middle with some leather I had him cut and prep for compound so I can make my own. 4.1 for reference.

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OK so I touched up the 5.1 on the spyderco and she was shaving sharp. Went to the dry strop and now nothing. Still makes nice curls in paper but won't shave hair. :( was I using too much pressure maybe? The leather is pretty hard I might add.
 
Texas_toothpick said:


OK so I touched up the 5.1 on the spyderco and she was shaving sharp. Went to the dry strop and now nothing. Still makes nice curls in paper but won't shave hair. :( was I using too much pressure maybe? The leather is pretty hard I might add.
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That's possible. Your angle might be too high or you're using too much pressure. Lower your angle and use less pressure. Stropping is real frustrating when you're just starting. Take your time. Worse comes to worst you can go back to the stones but try not to do that too much if you can avoid it. Also, try to keep an even (roughly) amount of strokes on each side. Your strop angle should be ever so slightly lower (closer to the strop) than your sharpening angle because the strop has give so it's gonna give it a convex effect
 
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