sharpening advice

[elhig]

hi all,

I'm currently in the middle of making my first knife & have been following Green Pete's DVD instructional. I've got some metal work experience (used to be a plant fitter in a prev life & I'm training to be a techy teacher) but none with this kind of edge detail. Also it's going to be a scandi grind.

I'm going to be looking to hone the edge soon & was thinking about getting a Japanese Waterstone.

There's two things I'm not sure about though,
1st
what grit should I be using and do I need more than one?? (I've a combination 120/240 grit stone already that I'm going to start it with, is it too big a jump to move onto a waterstone from this?)

2nd
I'm a little worried about keeping the angle right as the edge isn't already there to guide me (I've used a jig to hold it at 22 deg while I roughed it out but I'm still a bit worried). Would I be better off getting a system that comes with a guide clamp?? If so any recommendations?

Any and all helps appreciated

Ta

 

[JonathanD]

Get an 800, 1200 and 6000 grit. You could also use a combination 1000 and 6000 grit stone. Dead easy to sharpen a scandi grind. Look on Yuotube for Ray Mears Knife Sharpening as he does a great tutorial on the subject.

 

[elhig]

cheers mate, the 3 stones are way out my price range (was hoping I'd only need the one) but I might be able to squeeze a combi stone past the Mrs ;-)

 

[Hoodoo]

Use wet/dry sandpaper mounted on a wooden block. Cheap as chips and you can take it to mirror finish.

 

[elhig]

now that's a stroke of genius if I ever heard one.

I'm bit more flush than usual this week though so I might still splash on the combi. I'm really enjoying making this knife so I think I'll be getting use out of the stone in the future

 

[Hedgehog]

The 1000/6000 is a great thing to have. Use coarse wet & dry if you need to take out more serious damage.

The coarser water stones are very good but also rather soft so they need lapping more often to keep them flat.

Don't forget to strop after the 6000 too. Back of a leather belt, cardboard & autosol, Birchbark Polypore...

 

[Peat]

now that's a stroke of genius if I ever heard one.

I'm bit more flush than usual this week though so I might still splash on the combi. I'm really enjoying making this knife so I think I'll be getting use out of the stone in the future

British red did a great tutorial on sharpening with wet and dry:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11571

 

[elhig]

thankfully I've already got a strop as I switched to a straight razor about 2 years ago. Been using it on my mora hunter as it needed touching up a little.

I think I'm still going to go with the combi stone but I'll be making a set of the wet & dry's as well. Can't believe I never thought of that as we use the same idea in wood work when we want kids to sand a large area flat, just it's a cutting from an old belt sander instead of the wet and dry.

 

[alecf]

I'd definitely recommend making sure you use some high quality wet and dry, as I've been using up cheap stuff untill now, and the coarse grits wear out far to quick...

 

[Ex Member lyndon]

the three stones mentioned come in a single block
http://www.axminster.co.uk/?sessionID=DGX
cheaper than the £45 i payed for my double sided stone infact i have used a lansky sharpening system to great affect that and a strop but you wont sharpen a scandi grind with a system its to wide unless you cheat by useing a micro bevel at the edge of the scandi.

on the subject of the water stone you allready have ...if you can try to finish grinding at the highest grit you can get on your sanding machine assuming your useing one i use 120 on a 1 inch belt sander from axminster atm its really not fine enuff 240 or even 400 would be better may have to end up makeing my own belts, this ofc would just make the stone you allready have redundent. 240 is still for axe or scyth sharpening unles your comming straight off a hand file.

 

[Mahikan]

My mentor "Mors K' taught us to use wet and dry paper stuck to the cover from a hard back book, rough to smooth. Of course thin flat wood can be used as mentioned earlier.

Then using the back of a small house hold 4" ceramic tile, smoothed flat, you can start to put a finishing hone to the blade it can finally be stropped on a leather belt, you then have a blade that can shave the hairs from your arm or leg.

I the field I have used limestone rocks, that we get a lot of here, then put a finishing hone on my blade with my belt. Or used razor strop fungus (birch polypore) to put that final edge on.

All of that stuff is really light weight to carry in the bush, at home I don't really go up market with my sharpening kit I buy billy basic honing stones that seem to work well.

Dave
www.mahikan.ca

 

[Grey Owl]

Hey there Dave, this is Forgetful Dave from RatRoot Rendezvouz. The moment I saw the Mahikan I knew it had to be you. Hope all is well for the 2 of you. It has been a few years since we have met up, perhaps we'll see you in the fall.

My apologies to everyone else for sidetracking the thread. But everything that Mahikan said works. But he forgot the 'special' ingredient to make the wet/dry work. Over our way 3" wide double sided carpet tape works a charm, as does spray adhesive, to attach the wet/dry to a book cover or piece of 1/8 plywood, mdf or particle board that has been cut to size.

 

[Mahikan]

Hi Dave,
How ironic we should re connect through a Brit Bushcraft Site!

Yep you are so right the magic carpet tape is the secret ingredient, or is it the magic carpet that is the secret ingredient.

Are you heading to Rat Root this year? We both should be there, last year it was probably the best I have seen lots of activities going on. This year looks like some Black Powder shooting going on.
Like the website you posted there. Before I lead this thread too far out to sea I had better say Bye

Dave
www.mahikan.ca