Sharpening kit workshop

[AMB]

Did anyone here go to the making a sharpening kit workshop at this years Moot? I wasn't able to go to that workshop and forgot to ask what the kits consisted of. Someone mentioned they were abrasive rubber or wet/dry paper on boards. I was thinking about putting together a light weight field sharpening kit.

Many thanks

 

[Falstaff]

I went to a similar thing at the winter moot. The key things I remember are
- 2 types of very fine abbrasive paste were/are used on strops. Used frequently, strops will keep a sharp blade sharp in the field, e.g. during skinning as well as before and after.
Are also easier to pack.
Key thing is practice to consistently get the right angle (my biggest problem). Angles vary depending on make/style/usage of blades.
At 2023 Bushcraft Show someone showed me how to use a felt tip on my leatherman blade edge. I could then tell if I was getting the angle right if it ground off the ink - works!
For practice it was suggested I start with a blade with a known simple angle, and lift the handle to keep the same angle on any curve in the blade, e.g. typically the end.
Lift the full blade of the strop before turning over at each end of the strop pass, before going back the other way.
There was more, but it doesn't come to mind right now.
In the field and in my van, I have some Trend Tools fine grade diamond steel "cards". Supposed to be for sharpening router and various drill bits. However, very lightweight and business cards sized, ideal for bushcraft, and works well.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Wood board. Carpet underlay foam. Hermes adhesive backed sharpening film. Previously carried by Axminster, now discontinued. Try

Self-Adhesive Abrasive Film| Woodsmith

Achieve unparalleled sharpness for your woodworking tools with our Self-Adhesive Abrasive Film from Hermes. This high-quality film securely adheres to various surfaces, delivering consistent and reliable abrasive performance. Elevate your tool sharpening to new levels with this indispensable...

www.woodsmith.co.uk

Alternative

Hermes WSFlex18CSK Self Adhesive Roll 2.5m

This versatile, durable, all purpose abrasive is perfect for sharpening hand tools, as it produces very sharp edges. It has high tear resistance and features an adaptable, flexible and waterproof latex paper underlay. Simply peel off the backing and...

www.axminstertools.com

 

[demographic]

I don't mind a bit of wood with leather and the green stropping compound and use it on a few knives and even plane blades but I absolutely cantbe done with the inconsistent angle that soft pads like mousemats give. Waay too much give in that system.
Yeah, it polishes the edge but its ugly as sin and inconsistent. As evidenced in several plane blade sharpening tests. Even some leather strops are too soft and give too much.

I've been sharpening knives and blades since I was a kid and the mousemat technique is in my mind, bleedin awful.
Other peoples kilometrage may vary.

 

[Garnett]

Got this...

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/threads/the-ive-found-a-bargain-thread.128887/post-2068903

... And it turned out to be excellent. I'd recommend getting one, but you could emulate it fairly well with a couple of pocket-size diamond plates... Something like these...

3000# Sharpening Diamond Stone Large Kitchen Knife Sharpening System Tools Professional Household Sharpener Whetstone Apex Hot - AliExpress 15

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

... And glue some leather to the back of one for a strop.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Further. A good, cheap, alternative foam, that has more resistance than mouse mat sponge.

Dennett Ethafoam – Glasgow Angling Centre

www.fishingmegastore.com

 

[demographic]

First I use a Trend Diamond hone, usually its a fairly big one cos thats what I have in my workvan or sometimes just for a knife its a DMT Diafold which is about the same size as a pen knife.
Then this is the stuff I use on a bit of leather glued to a bit of wood.
Waxy base containing chromium oxide.

Buffing Compound for Chisels and Plane Irons

Trouble finding good buffing compound? We use chromium oxide for buffing out our steel cutting edges and removing the scratches from the bevels and flat faces of tools. It’s not rocket science.

paulsellers.com

I also just rub the buffing compound directly rubbed onto a bit of wood or MDF if its a surface I don't want rounded off like the back of a plane blade or a chisel.

 

[forrestdweller]

Got this...

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/threads/the-ive-found-a-bargain-thread.128887/post-2068903

... And it turned out to be excellent. I'd recommend getting one, but you could emulate it fairly well with a couple of pocket-size diamond plates... Something like these...

3000# Sharpening Diamond Stone Large Kitchen Knife Sharpening System Tools Professional Household Sharpener Whetstone Apex Hot - AliExpress 15

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

... And glue some leather to the back of one for a strop.

how good is the quality of their stuff?! some of those items look suspiciously low-price, but i'm tempted to get one or two stones once i've the funds and providing the costa rican government doesn't rip me off with import costs...

 

[Garnett]

how good is the quality of their stuff?! some of those items look suspiciously low-price, but i'm tempted to get one or two stones once i've the funds and providing the costa rican government doesn't rip me off with import costs...

I've recently been down a bit of a sharpening rabbit hole, and ordered quite a few bits and pieces from AliExpress - a £26 clone of a €1,000 sharpening system, some diamond plates that fit the system some larger bench diamond plates for freehand sharpening etc etc.

I did a fair bit of reading and research first.

A diamond plate that came bundled in with the sharpening jig looks a bit low quality but everything else has been very good and exceptional in terms of value for money

(EDIT: I realise that my quality-control approach might sound a bit casual - so, just to expand on that: I'm not an expert, but read up a fair bit. I read that the AliExpress diamond plates were durable and effective, but the one criticism I couldn't test was a few comments saying their plates sometimes suffer from grit contamination - so when my plates arrived, I examined them under a microscope, to check, and found them to be very good - and on a par with the plates on my Work Sharp Field Sharpener, and with images I found on line of diamond plates sold by other well-regarded brands)

What are you after? What sort of sharpening are you planning to do? Freehand? Guided system? If you let me know, I might be able to give you more specific views and opinions.

 

[Hammock_man]

AMB sir, search forum for "five pound sharpening kit"

 

[forrestdweller]

I've recently been down a bit of a sharpening rabbit hole, and ordered quite a few bits and pieces from AliExpress - a £26 clone of a €1,000 sharpening system, some diamond plates that fit the system some larger bench diamond plates for freehand sharpening etc etc.

I did a fair bit of reading and research first.

A diamond plate that came bundled in with the sharpening jig looks a bit low quality but everything else has been very good and exceptional in terms of value for money

(EDIT: I realise that my quality-control approach might sound a bit casual - so, just to expand on that: I'm not an expert, but read up a fair bit. I read that the AliExpress diamond plates were durable and effective, but the one criticism I couldn't test was a few comments saying their plates sometimes suffer from grit contamination - so when my plates arrived, I examined them under a microscope, to check, and found them to be very good - and on a par with the plates on my Work Sharp Field Sharpener, and with images I found on line of diamond plates sold by other well-regarded brands)

What are you after? What sort of sharpening are you planning to do? Freehand? Guided system? If you let me know, I might be able to give you more specific views and opinions.

i'm interested in a larger diamond stone for sharpening farm tools, all what's available here are crappy synthetic stones which are softer than the tools you try to sharpen...

 

[Nice65]

i'm interested in a larger diamond stone for sharpening farm tools, all what's available here are crappy synthetic stones which are softer than the tools you try to sharpen...

A paddle strop might be a good alternative. I had a big diamond plate one and can’t seem to google up another one. It was great for kitchen knives, not too much of a polish, more a very fine toothy edge. Being able to use it like a file helps me with my angles rather than moving the knife over a surface.

 

[Garnett]

i'm interested in a larger diamond stone for sharpening farm tools, all what's available here are crappy synthetic stones which are softer than the tools you try to sharpen...

Like @Nice65 says,for larger tools you might be better off with something that lets you keep the tool still and move the stone over the tool's blade edge.

Some people actually prefer the smaller £/€/$2 6x1 format stones that I linked to for this. Alternatively, you could use a puck.

If you still want a larger diamond plate, there are a lot of good, inexpensive 170mmx75mm plates on AliExpress, eg - https://a.aliexpress.com/_Evi3Pxf

Bigger that that and in my opinion the prices start creeping up past where you may as well buy locally.

 

[Pattree]

Alternatively, you could use a puck.

Amen to that!

 

[Nice65]

Found that paddle strop on eBay. Pretty good for doing the grunt work.

400&1000 LARGE DOUBLE-SIDED DIAMOND SHARPENING STONE SHARPENER GRIT KITCHEN | eBay

Double-sided five-purpose whetstone, with rough and fine grinding, sharpening/protecting the edge in one step. V-shaped double-sided blade sharpening position, multiple ways of sharpening: aviation ceramic knife sharpening position, suitable for daily knife maintenance and grinding small burrs...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[forrestdweller]

Like @Nice65 says,for larger tools you might be better off with something that lets you keep the tool still and move the stone over the tool's blade edge.

Some people actually prefer the smaller £/€/$2 6x1 format stones that I linked to for this. Alternatively, you could use a puck.

If you still want a larger diamond plate, there are a lot of good, inexpensive 170mmx75mm plates on AliExpress, eg - https://a.aliexpress.com/_Evi3Pxf

Bigger that that and in my opinion the prices start creeping up past where you may as well buy locally.

thanks for your infos. so far it's just ideas i'm playing with (as i've to make some more money first...) but i'll keep it in mind for when things improve a bit
sadly diamond or ceramic stones are nonexistent here, so buying online would be my only option...

 

[forrestdweller]

Amen to that!

sharpening pucks (for axes etc.) don't exist here and buying one online would cost me 3x more in shipping and import than what the puck costs... :-(

 

[AMB]

AMB sir, search forum for "five pound sharpening kit"

Thank you, will have a look

 

[AMB]

Wood board. Carpet underlay foam. Hermes adhesive backed sharpening film. Previously carried by Axminster, now discontinued. Try

Self-Adhesive Abrasive Film| Woodsmith

Achieve unparalleled sharpness for your woodworking tools with our Self-Adhesive Abrasive Film from Hermes. This high-quality film securely adheres to various surfaces, delivering consistent and reliable abrasive performance. Elevate your tool sharpening to new levels with this indispensable...

www.woodsmith.co.uk

Alternative

Hermes WSFlex18CSK Self Adhesive Roll 2.5m

This versatile, durable, all purpose abrasive is perfect for sharpening hand tools, as it produces very sharp edges. It has high tear resistance and features an adaptable, flexible and waterproof latex paper underlay. Simply peel off the backing and...

www.axminstertools.com

Thanks for the info. Went down the rabbit hole on his 1. Who doesn't love a bit of focused procrastination?) As an alternative to the hermes film rolls I found:

3M™ Sharpening Film Sample Pack

3M™ Sharpening Film Sample Pack. Not sure which abrasive to use to sharpen your chisels? Try the Workshop Heaven Sample Pack with next day delivery option.

workshopheaven.com

the 3M stuff is graded in microns rather than grit, but it's easy to google up a conversion chart

Also Woodsmith sell a similar sharping kit if you don't want to make one yourself:

Sharpening Set | Woodsmith

Achieve razor-sharp edges on your woodworking tools with the Woodwright Sharpening Set, an affordable and efficient solution for maintaining peak tool performance. This set utilises self-adhesive abrasive film mounted on durable acrylic blocks, ensuring a flat surface that won't distort or...

www.woodsmith.co.uk

and sell a slip & strop set including round slips/strops for sharpening curved blades:

Strop and Slip Set | Woodsmith

Strop and Slip Set is a neat and convenient way to help keep many green woodworking tools super sharp. Includes paper based flat and round slips using abrasive paper and flat and round leather strops.

www.woodsmith.co.uk

The sets appear to be produced by a guy called Sean Hellman who also does wood working courses in Devon and has written a book called Sharp that appears to go though the principles of sharpening and then shows you how to sharpen a variety of knives and tools:

Home - Sean Hellman

Craftsman Sean Hellman is renowned widely for his skills in green woodwork. He runs an artisan-led production business, on the edge of Dartmoor, Devon,

seanhellman.com

hope everyone looking at this thread finds the info useful

 

[AMB]

I went to a similar thing at the winter moot. The key things I remember are
- 2 types of very fine abbrasive paste were/are used on strops. Used frequently, strops will keep a sharp blade sharp in the field, e.g. during skinning as well as before and after.
Are also easier to pack.
Key thing is practice to consistently get the right angle (my biggest problem). Angles vary depending on make/style/usage of blades.
At 2023 Bushcraft Show someone showed me how to use a felt tip on my leatherman blade edge. I could then tell if I was getting the angle right if it ground off the ink - works!
For practice it was suggested I start with a blade with a known simple angle, and lift the handle to keep the same angle on any curve in the blade, e.g. typically the end.
Lift the full blade of the strop before turning over at each end of the strop pass, before going back the other way.
There was more, but it doesn't come to mind right now.
In the field and in my van, I have some Trend Tools fine grade diamond steel "cards". Supposed to be for sharpening router and various drill bits. However, very lightweight and business cards sized, ideal for bushcraft, and works well.

angles for stropping haven't been too much of an issue for me as I shaving with a cut throat razor and taught myself to strop with that. You soon know if you've got the angle wrong as either the shave quality is bad & you cut your face or your belt strop suddenly gets shorter! Certainly with razors you can feel if the edge isn't running on the strop surface (lack of drag) and you can hear the difference. You should hear the hiss as the blade is passed over the strop. Paddle strops give a much duller sound. As with honing on a stone, the advise I found as start with the blade flat, tilt the blade until the edge makes contact and check that there isn't a dark line (shaddow) between the blade and the sharpening surface. Obviously stropping & honing is done in opposite directions from each other!

running a marker pen along the blade and removing the ink is a great tip and I've used it on the tomahawk I have as it has a smallish head and backwards curving blade, which can be difficult to sharpen if you're trying to do the whole blade in a single pass. Usually either end doesn't get sharpened as much as the middle.