Sharpening Stone for Beginners?

B

blaydz

Joined
Jun 13, 2012
Messages
10
I have never sharpened a knife using stones before, but I am really wanting to learn! I have watched a countless number of youtube videos on knife sharpening techniques and such (I'm talking like months of video-watching, lol) so now I want to actually buy a stone and apply what I've learned. I've done a lot of research and it seems that diamond stones are the best for beginners. Therefore, I am seriously considering the DMT DuoSharp Fine/Coarse Stone along with a leather strop. Also, I plan on sharpening all of my blades with this, everything from my USMC KA-BAR to my small Case pocket knife. So, would the DMT DuoSharp Fine/Coarse Stone and leather strop be a good sharpening set for a beginner? Thanks!
 
The Duo-Sharp is a good hone, and could be very versatile in the long run. Easy to use (only light pressure; use either dry or with water, or dish soap + water) and very easy to clean up with dish soap + water.

Only thing I'll emphasize is, diamond could be overkill for some blade steels (basic carbon steel blades, and low/mid-range stainless). On those, you should be able to accomplish a lot with just the Fine side of that hone. Especially for small blades in basic steels (like the Case, for example), I'd never even use the Coarse diamond for those. The Fine side will work very fast, without removing a lot more steel than necessary.

IF you ever feel the need to completely re-bevel the bigger/thicker KA-BAR blade, the Coarse side of the hone can speed things up. The diamond and the large surface area of the Duo-Sharp make a big difference in speed (much more metal removed in each pass).

For light touch-ups on either blade, even a small pocket-size diamond hone can be very versatile, along with a strop & compound, and maybe a medium/fine ceramic hone as well (not necessary, but can be handy at times).


David
 
The fine/coarse Duo-Sharp would be a good place to start, I just recently got into free hand sharpening myself. I already had a DMT coarse I had actually never used before, then I bought a double sided Dia-Sharp fine/extra fine. I would consider getting the 6x2 coarse/fine Dia-sharp, it is a little smaller but for the value it is pretty good. I also wanted to say the fine side can get a knife very sharp, I use my extra-fine side but it is not needed to produce a very sharp edge.
 
Awesome, so it seems as though the Duo-Sharp would be a good choice. Any other comments/suggestions? It would be much appreciated!
 
Duo-sharp is a good choice but let's take a different/cons look

New duo-sharp is agressive and lumpy (yes, there are high-spots of diamond & metal protruding upward from surface) so if you are impatience (like I am), you might get: many deep scratches on blade, bare spots on stone. and with pokadot pattern, the blade tip may get caugh or dig, plus for tiny blades you need to use the tiny continuous stone surface.

Could try to practice by buy & use:
1) 3M pro grade sandpaper (AlO, pink color) - 100, 220, 400 grits (3 pks total ~12)
* AlO at these large sizes can abrade all steels, including high alloy steel.
2) DMT dia-fold E/EE ($30) or just DMT 6x2 E ($25)

A worn 400grit sandpaper has effective grit from 800 to 3000 grit, depend on how much it worn/dulled out.

Upgrade to better+larger+varieties until broke when you are ready.
 
blaydz said:
Why can't I use the 8 inch Duo-Sharp on smaller pocket knives?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I should have been more clear. The 8" duo-sharp has a 0.75" section of continuous surface designated for small knives. 0.75" wide is tiny IMO.
 
If your collection does not contain many powder metals I might look to other stones. Diamond stones are great and give results quickly but as David said its overkill for some things. You will experience gouging of the metal and excessive burring on softer steels that have fewer alloy elements. You will still get a VERY Sharp edge but it won't be as clean as it should be.

Stone size does not matter, although bigger is usually better.

I would like to recommend you look into waterstones, they will provide a better edge to the types of knives you have mentioned and offer greater feedback while sharpening (what you feel from the stone while sharpening).
 
blaydz said:
Why can't I use the 8 inch Duo-Sharp on smaller pocket knives?
Click to expand...

There's no reason you can't. Only thing to look out for, is a tip-leading stroke across the 'dots' on the interrupted surface of the hone. Keep the tip oriented in a direction at least somewhat away from the direction of the stroke, and you'll minimize or avoid 'digging in' with the tip, and damaging it. Whether it's the large Duo-Sharp hone or any of the smaller interrupted surface hones (Dia-Folds and other pocket hones from DMT), same technique applies. This is also a good reason to maintain light pressure (good technique anyway, on any hone), so you don't press the tip down into the composite/plastic of the dots on the hone. All of this may sound a bit intimidating right now, but it's fairly intuitive as to how to approach sharpening on these hones, once you handle and use them a bit.

(BTW, my Duo-Sharp is an older model without the small 'patch' of continuous surface found on newer models, as mentioned earlier. I've learned to live without it, and I've found it's not that big a deal anyway. I feel like it actually encourages good technique, in maintaining a light touch and keeping the tip of the blade pointed away from the direction of the stroke. That's good for making very sharp tips anyway, so I feel like I've benefited in learning to do it this way. I use the very same technique on all of my other hones as well. :))

Edit:
Another 'tip' for small blades on diamond hones: use a finer grit, even for re-bevelling. Diamond works FAST, even at smaller grit sizes. A small & thin blade is much easier to handle on an EF or EEF diamond hone, and it doesn't require much metal removal anyway, even for a completely new bevel. Simpler steels will feel almost buttery-soft on them, and amazingly slick on a finer-grit diamond hone. Much easier to protect the tips, when the honing is that much smoother. Even better with a little water, water + dish soap or mineral oil.


David
 
Last edited:
blaydz said:
I have never sharpened a knife using stones before, but I am really wanting to learn! I have watched a countless number of youtube videos on knife sharpening techniques and such (I'm talking like months of video-watching, lol) so now I want to actually buy a stone and apply what I've learned. I've done a lot of research and it seems that diamond stones are the best for beginners. Therefore, I am seriously considering the DMT DuoSharp Fine/Coarse Stone along with a leather strop. Also, I plan on sharpening all of my blades with this, everything from my USMC KA-BAR to my small Case pocket knife. So, would the DMT DuoSharp Fine/Coarse Stone and leather strop be a good sharpening set for a beginner? Thanks!
Click to expand...

My stock answer for all beginners getting into freehand is a Norton combination Crystalon (silicon carbide) stone. Great feedback, works well on all steels, very simple to use and understand. Even if you expand your collection to include other stones etc, it will never collect dust.

HH
 
Another stone to look into is the spyderco ultra fine stone 306uf I think it is called. It is a ceramic stone and is good for refining an already sharp edge. It is slower cutting so it is harder to screw up your sharp edge too. Not as aggressive as the diamonds.
 
HeavyHanded said:
My stock answer for all beginners getting into freehand is a Norton combination Crystalon (silicon carbide) stone.
Click to expand...

Which Norton Combination stone would you recommend? (they come in different grits)

And would this one combination stone be enough?
 
Yes, it would be enough. Yet, consider a strop with chromium oxide slurry applied and this finishes off the blade nicely and removes the burr. DM
 
blaydz said:
Sounds good, which grit for the Norton stone?
Click to expand...

The standard stones are coarse/fine. The fine side is a nominal 300 grit or so but one can make a more refined edge than you'd think - light pressure and use a lube, oil or soapy water. It will shave arm hair no problem. A hasty strop can be made by simply wrapping a sheet of paper around the same stone and putting some compound on that.
 
Norton's fine India combination stone, the fine side is 320 grit. When sharpening on this using HH suggestion the final edge cuts nice. Then should you want it finer, strop it and this brings it up to about 400. Working with it and getting good with only these two items will give you a very nice cutting edge. Plus, it offers good economy lasting 20-30 years and will cut most any steel. Good sharpening, DM
 
Dave's right. My Norton is 35+ years and still in excellent shape, it will last along time if you take care of it. I've also sharpened VG10 and S30V steel on it.

Ric
 
It seems like the Norton India Combination stone always gets excellent reviews from everyone. I think that's the one I will go with since it appears to be great for basic steels. I'll also get a leather strop with compound to finish off my beginners set. I appreciate the suggestions!


Edit: Quick question. Is it OK to use mineral oil on Norton India stones?
 
Last edited:
blaydz said:
It seems like the Norton India Combination stone always gets excellent reviews from everyone. I think that's the one I will go with since it appears to be great for basic steels. I'll also get a leather strop with compound to finish off my beginners set. I appreciate the suggestions!


Edit: Quick question. Is it OK to use mineral oil on Norton India stones?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Norton's honing oil is mineral oil.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top