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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
what's a good sharpening stone preferably under 30 dollars.
- Thread starter 15mtyler
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2013
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- 115
Spyderco double stuff
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- Feb 8, 2013
- Messages
- 2,328
The accusharp dual Arkansas is great and comes in at around $12
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2013
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- 6,784
Do you not like DMT Diamond stones? All i do is feel hand and Dmt's DiaSharp Diamond Stone or Diafold are all if use besides strop afterwards. They are perfect for hard to sharpen steels like d2,s90v,3v. You can find either for around $30. They take alot of work out of sharping.
I am also still trying to learn how to sharpen but I have the Norton Crystolon combination stone. This stone works much faster than the Arkansas stones that I had been using. You can collect the swarf created and use it on a piece of paper to use like a strop.
Norton Crystolon or India combo stone, each should set you back $20-25 for an 8x2x1. I use Nortons Economy version of those stones which set me back about $6.50 each and get good results from those. Personally I would grab the India combo and than the Norton Economy Crystolon (gray and dark gray) at home depot so you have something more abrasive to use for reprofiles to cut down on time. And than when funds allow grab the normal Crystolon. Though the height difference between the economy and higher end version means you should probably shim the economy stone higher up to get a closer angle so you can do the blunt of the work on a reprofile on it than switch over to the other stone to finish the reprofile.
Strangely enough I actually prefer my Norton Economy stones over the C/F/EF stones I got with my DMT Aligner and I find they work pretty good with using the clamp with the benchstones. Some advice use something to stabilize the benchstone to whatever platform your using, I personally use an old cloth top mousepad but I have heard of other people using those non-slip dresser liners as well. I used to use a non-slip dashboard mat but with how I use water +dish soap instead of oil when the mat got wet enough underneath it would lose grip and need to be dried.
Other combo is what I am currently using which is both of the economy combo stones the crystolon and india and than buy some strop compound. After that build some strops on the cheap as you can use balsa, mdf, paper, denim, leather, etc. I am personally planning on picking up some Flexcut Gold in the near future as I have been using some of the cheap craftsman green compound which I don't recommend as it's like applying a stupidly hard crayon. I recommend experimenting with building strops to find out what you like, after a lot of experimenting I have found I like using the textured rubbery side of a mouspad with a piece of paper on top of it to strop on. I accomplish this by cutting a piece of mousepad the size of one of my stones and than have that face upwards and than wrap a piece of paper with or without compound around it and do so in such a way that it only has 1 layer of paper where I strop on so it still retains some of the texture feel. This is what I found that works for me, what works for you may be entirely different. Your going to be limited by your skill more than anything for awhile, I can get a knife to pushcut paper off either one of these economy stones before taking them to a strop and I am still limited by my skill.
The norton economy india stone is harder to find but I found one where you had to special elite or prime member by their definition and they gave me free 2 days shipping which was nice. The stone was 8x2x3/4, and it's considered an aluminum oxide stone which is their india. Just know your going to have to flatten these economy stones which is no fun.
Strangely enough I actually prefer my Norton Economy stones over the C/F/EF stones I got with my DMT Aligner and I find they work pretty good with using the clamp with the benchstones. Some advice use something to stabilize the benchstone to whatever platform your using, I personally use an old cloth top mousepad but I have heard of other people using those non-slip dresser liners as well. I used to use a non-slip dashboard mat but with how I use water +dish soap instead of oil when the mat got wet enough underneath it would lose grip and need to be dried.
Other combo is what I am currently using which is both of the economy combo stones the crystolon and india and than buy some strop compound. After that build some strops on the cheap as you can use balsa, mdf, paper, denim, leather, etc. I am personally planning on picking up some Flexcut Gold in the near future as I have been using some of the cheap craftsman green compound which I don't recommend as it's like applying a stupidly hard crayon. I recommend experimenting with building strops to find out what you like, after a lot of experimenting I have found I like using the textured rubbery side of a mouspad with a piece of paper on top of it to strop on. I accomplish this by cutting a piece of mousepad the size of one of my stones and than have that face upwards and than wrap a piece of paper with or without compound around it and do so in such a way that it only has 1 layer of paper where I strop on so it still retains some of the texture feel. This is what I found that works for me, what works for you may be entirely different. Your going to be limited by your skill more than anything for awhile, I can get a knife to pushcut paper off either one of these economy stones before taking them to a strop and I am still limited by my skill.
The norton economy india stone is harder to find but I found one where you had to special elite or prime member by their definition and they gave me free 2 days shipping which was nice. The stone was 8x2x3/4, and it's considered an aluminum oxide stone which is their india. Just know your going to have to flatten these economy stones which is no fun.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2010
- Messages
- 6,642
For the money I'd grab one of the combination silicon carbide stones at your nearest ACE. Made in USA and surprisingly good quality - I use mine more often than my Crystalon these days. The Norton India stone is another good choice for the next stone up. You might be able to get a King 800 grit and 4k for close to that price but will be over by a couple of bucks.
To learn on and possibly go straight up freehand, the silicon carbide stones are tough to beat. Razor Sharp Systems sometimes sells seconds for very cheap prices right on the web site - a coarse and fine stone in the 6" size might be had for your price range and are good stones to have around.
To learn on and possibly go straight up freehand, the silicon carbide stones are tough to beat. Razor Sharp Systems sometimes sells seconds for very cheap prices right on the web site - a coarse and fine stone in the 6" size might be had for your price range and are good stones to have around.
David Martin
Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
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- 19,520
I agree with above ^. NRA, how did you get your Norton 313 Tri-Hone? Those are one of the finest sharping systems. NOT cheap and I really like mine. DM
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2014
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I put an ad on Craig's list looking for professional sharpening systems. I was looking for a wet slow speed grinder like a Tormec. Only reply I got was for an unused old tri stone for $40 in the next town. I drove over and got it.
Problem is, my mind, logically, tells me the only edge I can made on it, is convex, and I want an anal straight bevel. Not possible by human hands without a jig. So, it sits.
Before someone says they can made straight bevels free hand, Murry Carter says he can't.
I do think a convex edge is very good, it is not my passion
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2009
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- 3,198
I have been free hand sharpening for literally 50 years, and I would have to call BS on anyone that thinks they can put a perfectly straight cut bevel, equal on both sides along the entire length of a blade. I can get my knives hair shaving sharp with free hand sharpening, but under close examination you can see there is a difference in the edge bevels.
When I was a kid and was still learning, I found that different shaped handles and different blade shapes gave me different bevels! It took years of practice to realize that each one of my knives is different and that just flipping the knife over to sharpen the other side of the blade changed the geometry of the angle a lot by the way the knife was held in my hands. So using the old method of one stroke one side, then flip and one stroke on the other side, I changed hand grips hundreds of times every sharpening session.
No once has the mechanical ability for perfect duplication of an angle when free hand sharpening. Think about it; each stroke exactly the same, and then duplicated on both side of the blade? Nah. All of us that free hand were putting convex edges on our knives long before it was stylish!
I sharpen my work knives once a week, so I don't kill myself by going past about 1000 grit with them. The only knives I like scary sharp are my smaller traditional patterns, and I will take those the strop if the steel will hold that fine of an edge.
Robert
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