Waterstone and Leather Strop Field Sharpening kits - May 2011
- Thread starter shep
- Start date
Got mine in the post today, thanks Shep, absolutely beautiful. I love your monogram on the leather too. Thanks.
Mine arrived, lovely bit of kit. Saves me lugging around the big one now 
What method do you recommend for it's use (assume soaked and nagura applied);
1. Sit the stone on the leather (or something to stop it sliding around) and move the blade across the stone.
2. Hold the blade still, move the stone across the blade.
3. Hold the blade still and move the stone across the blade in 'circles' (like I do my DC4)
Thanks guys.
Ben
What method do you recommend for it's use (assume soaked and nagura applied);
1. Sit the stone on the leather (or something to stop it sliding around) and move the blade across the stone.
2. Hold the blade still, move the stone across the blade.
3. Hold the blade still and move the stone across the blade in 'circles' (like I do my DC4)
Thanks guys.
Ben
If you don't have one of these folks I can highly recommend them. I've used mine a fair bit now and I couldn't be happier with it.
Just to say that i recently took delivery of one of these, and that it is a great bit of kit.
Also, having enquired of Shep if he had any tips or tricks in the use of the stone/strop (i have previously been using a DC4), he mailed me some very useful instructions. I thought that some of you who have already bought one of these, or may be considering buying one would also find them useful. So here is what the man had to say ..... hope this is of interest
Orange side is 1000 grit (coarser), cream side is 6000 grit (fine). So compared to the DC4 you've got a useable 'rough' side as opposed to the brutal diamond side of the DC4 and a finer fine side for extra sharpness.
The sequence I use is based on one of the books and is as follows:
Soak the combi stone for about 10mins
then for dull edges on 01 steel or equivalent:
Orange side
8 passes on one bevel
8 passes on other bevel
16 passes alternating
Cream side
8 passes alternating
Rub nagura into cream side for fine slurry
Further 8 passes alternating
Strop
(leave the slurry residue on your blade)
25 passes alternating on flesh side
25 passes alternating on smooth side
Shave
Watch in amazement as hairs fall from your arm at a stroke
Other notes
For honing a blade that is pretty good, skip the orange side
I double all of the above for harder steels like my 154CM leatherman
I often cut corners and skip a few passes and the results are still very good
Always take care to keep the angle correct so that the bevel lies flat on both the stones and the strop
Enjoy!
Also, having enquired of Shep if he had any tips or tricks in the use of the stone/strop (i have previously been using a DC4), he mailed me some very useful instructions. I thought that some of you who have already bought one of these, or may be considering buying one would also find them useful. So here is what the man had to say ..... hope this is of interest
Orange side is 1000 grit (coarser), cream side is 6000 grit (fine). So compared to the DC4 you've got a useable 'rough' side as opposed to the brutal diamond side of the DC4 and a finer fine side for extra sharpness.
The sequence I use is based on one of the books and is as follows:
Soak the combi stone for about 10mins
then for dull edges on 01 steel or equivalent:
Orange side
8 passes on one bevel
8 passes on other bevel
16 passes alternating
Cream side
8 passes alternating
Rub nagura into cream side for fine slurry
Further 8 passes alternating
Strop
(leave the slurry residue on your blade)
25 passes alternating on flesh side
25 passes alternating on smooth side
Shave
Watch in amazement as hairs fall from your arm at a stroke
Other notes
For honing a blade that is pretty good, skip the orange side
I double all of the above for harder steels like my 154CM leatherman
I often cut corners and skip a few passes and the results are still very good
Always take care to keep the angle correct so that the bevel lies flat on both the stones and the strop
Enjoy!
