sharpening convex in the woods?

Rotte said:
Finally KGD and I disagree about something!!! I'm neurotic about keeping my edges sharp. I keep a small homemade sharpener in a ziplock bag my pack.

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I just stapled some thin foam on one side and stapled some fine sand paper on top of that. It's a portable mousepad. :)

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On the other side I glued a scrap of leather (red!) and impregnated it with stropping compound.

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I made two of these, the one pictured is the larger. The smaller one is about 6" long and weighs next to nothing. This little block will keep a convexed edge hair-popping sharp and was made with scraps from around the house in about 10 minutes plus time for the glue to dry.
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Look's like the Ideal setup, You get the Slack Belt result's with out the High Dollar equipment plus you get a Strop, Great Homebrew Sharpener Rotte, Perfect for the Convex Edge, And the Price Is right, Thank's for sharing the picture's and your Ingunuity,
 
I have used my leather belt at home and in the field it works great ,it helps if you wear a heavy leather belt and your knife just needs a little help. I have never done it but I would just get a flat piece of wood(baton a 2" thick straight branch) rub some stones together to make some fine grit and rub it into the wood and there you go a fairly coarse strop then you go to your belt to polish.I will have to try this next time I am out to see how it works.
 
I'm almost as enthusiastic about packing sharpeners as knives:D I'll usually have 1-2 Eze-Lap Diamond stones (1x3 or 1x4) in my pack, and one in my pocket. I don't think I ever used one in the field:p, but just in case...
 
The fellow who owns Black JackKnives and most if not all of his knives are convexed edge recommends stroopping on cardboard to refinish an edge.
 
I have carried a number of field sharpeners at different times, from a basic small pocket stone to an altoids tin sharpener, and all work fine. It's really all about technique.

Here is my current field sharpener. It is a 1200 grit DMT credit card, with a piece of loaded leather glued to the back.
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But I believe your original post is phrased to ask about sharpeners that you might find in the woods, in case you are not carrying anything. A flattish, smooth stone found in a river or stream will probably be best, just use light pressure and don' focus on angles as much as making sure you are hitting the edge.
 
I have a KSF field hone colored with compound, with 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit wrapped around it stored in a small ziplock bag. Easy to keep things screaming sharp, light, small, and I haven't had to use lower than 2000 grit in the field yet.
 
Ron Hood also recommended the belt for stropping--he just rubbed ordinary dirt into the belt as a "compound." He also recommended using the edge of another knife as a sharpening steel to dress both edges at the same time.
 
I've started using this one...

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This keeps everything in one place and it is easy enough to take anywhere.
 
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