Tips for knife repair and maintenance

[themaniac26]

So I found some old Old Hickory knives and was thinking of repairing them(haven't looked at them very well yet so they might be in good condition) and as I have practically no knowledge on knife maintenance and repair I came here, so here are some questions. What would you recommend for a cheap strop $10(USD) or under, what is a good sharpening stone for $20(USD) or under, and as I have no idea whether its stainless steel or some other type of metal(and I plan on getting a carbon steel knife eventually) how would you recommend protecting it from the environment, would just making sure its dry and clean after use be fine or should I use something like vegetable oil, or something else? And if you have any other tips do share.

 

[maximus83]

Really cheap strop options:
* Bottom of a ceramic coffee cup (free)
* Thin piece of balsa wood from a hobby store
* I've even used cardboard when I had nothing else, but the above 2 worked better.

I don't know what's the "best" sharpening stone in that price range. However there are some serious minimalist sharpening pros on here who can help, if you browse around the other threads. Check out some of the stones that FortyTwoBlades offers.

Maintenance: clean and dry after use, coat with mineral oil if you need to.

 

[awestib]

Norton crystolon combination oil stone "to be used with oil" and and old strip of denim with mother mag polishing paste

 

[themaniac26]

Really cheap strop options:
* Bottom of a ceramic coffee cup (free)
* Thin piece of balsa wood from a hobby store
* I've even used cardboard when I had nothing else, but the above 2 worked better.

I don't know what's the "best" sharpening stone in that price range. However there are some serious minimalist sharpening pros on here who can help, if you browse around the other threads. Check out some of the stones that FortyTwoBlades offers.

Maintenance: clean and dry after use, coat with mineral oil if you need to.

Norton crystolon combination oil stone "to be used with oil" and and old strip of denim with mother mag polishing paste

thanks

 

[awestib]

The Norton 8x2x1 size combination oil stone you can find here for US$ 24,-:
https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Norton-Combination-Crystolon-Stone-P179C206.aspx

Those are very reliable, the 6x2x1 could also be a "field stone". Sometimes they "drink" the oil (I use the Norton sharpening oil) so the best solution to that rather than soaking them in oil I got from our own HeavyHanded: I applied a layer of Vaseline to the surface, one at a time, and heat it up in the oven or with a heat gun until it melts and goes into the stone. Once cooled down, it acts as a barrier for the applied surface oil to soak in to far. Great solution, worked for mine!

The Baryonyx Arctic Fox field stone is a small, handy combination stone that works well for my needs. It's a waterstone but can be used dry as well in a pinch. Here is a link: http://www.baryonyxknife.com/baafofist.html

 

[themaniac26]

The Norton 8x2x1 size combination oil stone you can find here for US$ 24,-:
https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Norton-Combination-Crystolon-Stone-P179C206.aspx

Those are very reliable, the 6x2x1 could also be a "field stone". Sometimes they "drink" the oil (I use the Norton sharpening oil) so the best solution to that rather than soaking them in oil I got from our own HeavyHanded: I applied a layer of Vaseline to the surface, one at a time, and heat it up in the oven or with a heat gun until it melts and goes into the stone. Once cooled down, it acts as a barrier for the applied surface oil to soak in to far. Great solution, worked for mine!

The Baryonyx Arctic Fox field stone is a small, handy combination stone that works well for my needs. It's a waterstone but can be used dry as well in a pinch. Here is a link: http://www.baryonyxknife.com/baafofist.html

Thanks I'll take a look at them, also while I was looking, I found the Fallkniven Knives DC4 Whetstone and from what I can find it seems good, do you have any knowledge on it and how it compares to the ones you linked?

EDIT: Also with the Norton one can one use any type of oil(i.e. vegetable oil or motor oil) or do you need to use a more specific type of oil(like sharpening oil if such a thing exists)