Sharpening and care?

[cbach8tw]

I know this may seem small, but I want to know a good way to sharpen a very small jk knife i have, it is a fire kit with a 2 blade and a small handle. What ways have you guys found effective to sharpen your JK? Not only this one but I also have a Hudson Bay knife, so my Jks are small and big. I have tried using cardboard just to strop the edge of the small one. So I am interested in your ways to sharpen and maintain your edges and knife care.

 

[JK Knives]

I've always used a DMT blue diamond steel

 

[NJBillK]

Depending on how much work is required, I will also use a DMT Blue (coarse) or a DMT red (fine).

I find that the Blue will work well for a working edge and will leave it slicing aggressively for things like fish skin and soft tissue, but for wood work and general edc, I will often go up to a DMT red (fine) for some apex smoothing and refinement.
Any kitchen use will have me using a 16K ceramic rod as a "steel" to hone the edge as it is needed. This tends to easily get me through any prep work that is needed while polishing the edge as I go. Making it easier to to back to what preferred edge polish I want afterwards (fine or coarse).

 

[fishiker]

I like to start with a JewelStik then switch to a mouse pad covered with a fine grit sandpaper. Once I'm happy with that edge I finish with a leather strop. I've had good results on smaller blades with a set of crock sticks.

 

[cbach8tw]

Thanks

 

[mykel m]

Cheap but effective for all my sharpening needs.

Yeah that is a cheap ass Chines made 4 way (200-600 grt.) diamond block.It works dang it.(no water needed)

The strop is now loaded with black compound from a little buffing kit from Sears and is good for buffing bolsters on traditional knifes and the very rare shinning up of an edge if I sharpen past 600 grit.

For a convex edge I use sand paper on a foam pad.(400-2000grit)

The EzLap sticks, 150, 250, 400, 600 and 1200 grit, are used mostly for re-profiling edges.(The 150 and 250)
I like that I can use them like a file to remove steel fast, then use the finer grits to remove the marks left by the course sticks.
I take them camping for any and all sharpening needs.Highly recommended.:thumbup:

The pink thing is a ceramic nozzle from an old sand blaster and works great for touchups.

The white crock stick resides in the pencil holder on the end table next to my recliner and is used for the occasional touchup also.

 

[cbach8tw]

Cool ideas. Thanks again.

 

[jds1]

Jeff

 

[cbach8tw]

Time to close, appreciate the info.