Cheap but good sharpening stone

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law4dkr

Member
Jan 2, 2011
20
0
Herts/Notts
Hi, fairly new on here and just looking for some inexpensive advice. I've recently bought a Fallkniven F1 and want to keep it sharp, so I've been reading the stickies and tips on here, but the problem is I can't afford to splash out on the japanese waterstones that are recommended (and my OH wasn't impressed that I spent £80+ on a knife anyway, so loads of cash on a stone would be frowned upon to say the least, plus I don't see how it can be worth 30-40 quid for a stone!) and I'm clueless when it comes to selecting a decent alternative.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm preferably looking to spend up to a maximum of 20 quid.

Thanks in advance :)
 

law4dkr

Member
Jan 2, 2011
20
0
Herts/Notts
Lol I did, but I'm a bit wary of taking some wet and dry to my shiny new knife! Plus I have more than £5 to spend, so I was hoping for something a bit more off the shelf since I don't have any tools available and live in a flat!

Thanks for the suggestion though!
 

Hoodoo

Full Member
Nov 17, 2003
5,302
13
Michigan, USA
Lol I did, but I'm a bit wary of taking some wet and dry to my shiny new knife! Plus I have more than £5 to spend, so I was hoping for something a bit more off the shelf since I don't have any tools available and live in a flat!

Thanks for the suggestion though!

You can pay more but it won't be better than wet/dry sandpaper. However, if the steel is really hard, it pays to have a diamond stone or two.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,109
2,845
66
Pembrokeshire
Wet and Dry on firm camping mat/mouse mat keeps my F1 in tip top condition, though I have diamond stones on standby in case of severe dings....
 

law4dkr

Member
Jan 2, 2011
20
0
Herts/Notts
OK, I'll have a second look at that £5 kit then, and as the F1 is known for having hard steel then I'll also look at a diamond stone.

Thanks Hoodoo :)
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
24
48
Yorkshire
The Fallkniven DC4 is what I use most of the time, I've got a waterstone set too which I maybe use once or twice a year. I find the DC4 and a good strop gives me a good enough edge for what I need.
 

sxmolloy

Full Member
Mar 22, 2006
1,432
20
46
lancashire, north west england
I agree entirely with Shewie. I own a Fallkniven F1 and also a DC4 (which is also made by Fallkniven). I also own a set of Japanese waterstones but use the DC4 95% of the time. So if you don't fancy knocking together your own sharpening kit, that's the way to go IMO. Check out Ebay, there's normally a few being sold on there.
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
I bought an 8 quid four sided diamond hone from the gardening department of B&Q and I have to say that I prefer it to the just less that 40 quid DMT diamond hone I've had for years.

Looks like this...
_127178_224655.jpg


You should clean it and DRY it after use but its lasted well so far and gets used on knives, chisels, plane irons, yada yada yada.

The DMT stone might be better quality but its nice to have four grit sizes on one sharpening "Stone".
 

michiel

Settler
Jun 19, 2006
578
2
36
Belgium - Herentals
For bushcraft knives king stones suffice. I would get a xxc DMT plate (to keep stones flat ), a 300 grit king, 1000, 6000. I prefer something between the 1 and 6k, but you can skip it. It will take you a bit longer to get the scratches out on the 6k.
 

Hedgehog

Nomad
Jun 10, 2005
434
0
54
East Sussex
I bought an 8 quid four sided diamond hone from the gardening department of B&Q and I have to say that I prefer it to the just less that 40 quid DMT diamond hone I've had for years.

Looks like this...
_127178_224655.jpg


You should clean it and DRY it after use but its lasted well so far and gets used on knives, chisels, plane irons, yada yada yada.

The DMT stone might be better quality but its nice to have four grit sizes on one sharpening "Stone".

I have plenty of these though not attatched to a block, picked up sets of 3 for 2.99 near here. Good for quick & rough jobs & for keeping waterstones flat if you don't have a lapping plate. As you say not good quality but very useful.
 

flexo

Forager
Dec 3, 2010
118
0
france
somewhere i have seen a post about someone who made stones off a former british quarry
was it here? somewhere else?on a blog? somebody here related?...
if you want a stonish stone,i can recommand southern french quarry ones from Ariège ,from 5 to 10 euros (about the same £) traditionnal stones,fine and semi-hard no grain number these are for pl...
 

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