Ceramic sharpening rods

[Man of Tanith]

Morning all,
Can anyone point me in the right direction of some cheapish ceramic rod blanks?
Ive a hankering to make an antler tipped ceramic rod small enough to be actually carried when out and about and all i can seem to find are the huge ones.
Cheers

 

[Ogri the trog]

Some options for field sharpening, just not "rod" shaped - though I did get a ceramic one years ago as a give-away when I got my first Leatherman.

I have seen ceramic "steels" - (rod set into a plastic handle) like butchers use, you could try to re-handle one of those.

If you can do without it being a "rod", ceramic tile off-cuts are made of the right kind of stuff and largely flat.

Another thing that I find useful once in a while are the finger-nail polishing boards sold with 2 or 4 types of abrasive - quite useful as a micro-strop.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[C_Claycomb]

What size (diameter x length) do you consider "small"? Personally I do not like round rods since it is difficult to sharpen the tip of a knife to a point using one. Stop the stroke a fraction too soon, you don't sharpen the tip, stop a fraction too late and you round the tip. The smaller the diameter rod, the more difficult.

Anyway,
Medium size rods
https://www.heinnie.com/ceramic-v-sharpener

Small rods
https://www.heinnie.com/gerber-pocket-sharpener-ceramic
https://www.heinnie.com/lansky-mini-crock-stick

With these latter two, just disassemble to get the little rods out.

While I like the white ceramic for sharpening, grit wise, I would take any of the following in preference to a rod. In order of cost:

• https://www.heinnie.com/lansky-multi-sharpener
• https://www.heinnie.com/fallkniven-whetstones DC3
• https://www.heinnie.com/dmt-mini-sharp extrafine
• https://www.heinnie.com/fallkniven-cc4-ceramic-whetstone
• https://www.heinnie.com/fallkniven-flipstone-sharpener FS3

 

[mikehill]

DC3 would be a better tool and is only tiny and flat, easy to carry anywhere.

 

[Robson Valley]

3M makes top quality wet & dry fine automotive finishing sand papers.
600, 800, 1,000, 1500 is plenty as 1/2 strips to hold on some flat surface for any BC knife.

Find an automotive supply store that makes a big deal out of the painting and finishing.

I've got several ceramic rods in the back of some kitchen drawer. They came in pairs to fit a wooden block.
They plug with metal, I found them hard to clean. The total included bevel angle was too blunt.
They shatter when they hit the floor. Short is no better than useless.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

How about the ones from the Lansky turn box system.
https://uk.knivesandtools.eu/en/pt/...MIgZSDidDw1gIVBxDTCh1ubAm4EAQYASABEgLPz_D_BwE

 

[Robson Valley]

I've got that kind of kit but just the white ceramic rods which fit inside the wooden base.
That in itself is a really convenient design to hold the rods fixed against a vertical knife blade.

The included bevel angle is nice for splitting firewood and breaking pork ribs.
I expect no more than 15* for food.

Lee Valley used to sell just the rods. You drill angled holes for the angle of your choice.
I never got aroiund to doing that. The sandpapers kind of got in the way.

 

[kard133]

How about these?
https://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/ceramic-sharpening-rod-29854-p.asp

 

[Robson Valley]

I'd buy only the long rod, easier to hold and less wobble as you hold the angle to sweep over the bevel.
Excellent prices.