Edge upkeep while traveling

N

Niddler1

Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
53
Hi folks!

I will be travelling across the U.S. for a month to attend a summer music program. I think I'll take my Benchmade 484-1 and PM2. At home, all my edges are pristine and kept to a 7000grit polish. However, it is utterly impractical to bring all my sharpening equipment with me. What would you recommend to keep my edges workable? (without completely destroying them for when I get home) I was thinking of just taking a piece of 3000 grit paper.
Thanks
 
I'm sure that would work. I take a single Spyderco Sharpmaker rod sometimes.
 
I take a small strop with me. Sandpaper will work, but leather won't crease or tear by accident. In a pinch, I can steel the edge with whatever is at hand and strop it stupid sharp again. The bottom of a ceramic coffee cup is also useful for touching up away from home, as long as it isn't glazed or coated. Just remove the coffee first.
 
Yeah I was going to say one medium sharpmaker rod. I unfortunately broke one of my medium rods when I dropped it so now I have 2 mini travel stones.
 
I bought DMT Alighner for that purpose. Haven't tried it on the road yet.

Miso
 
Niddler1 said:
Hi folks!

I will be travelling across the U.S. for a month to attend a summer music program. I think I'll take my Benchmade 484-1 and PM2. At home, all my edges are pristine and kept to a 7000grit polish. However, it is utterly impractical to bring all my sharpening equipment with me. What would you recommend to keep my edges workable? (without completely destroying them for when I get home) I was thinking of just taking a piece of 3000 grit paper.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Hi,
How often do you sharpen your knives?
How much stuff do you cut?
How much cutting are you planning to do?

If you're thinking only to take 3000 grit paper,
for high carbide steels,
it doesn't sound like you'll be doing a lot of cutting,
so it doesn't sound like you really need to carry any abrasives at all

It takes me about 1-3 months of kitchen use to reach 1000 slices...
sure the edges are usually rolled on dinner plates after the first 15 minutes of use :)

But here is a question for you, are you going on some kind of school campus?
They usually have some kinds of prohibitions ...
confiscation is always a possibility, something to think about.
$3+tax could get you a sharpening stone, and two knives of your choice
(plain edge slipjoint, serrated lockback, kitchen )


But,
Since it appears you're talking about S30V / CPM-S90V knives,
I'd be thinking about keychain or pocket diamond sharpeners,
whatever make/brand /grit you like,
mini keychain diamond stone for as low as $1.10
3-in-1 or 4-in-1 diamond rods for $2.75-$3.12
double side diamond plate (400/1000) or folding (400/600) abouts $4
...
diamond spray/paste on wooden stick for higher grits :)
..
DMT
 
I take a Spyderco Doublestuff stone and a small Kangaroo strop. I'm not usually gone for a month, but those'll work for a week or so. I also have some DMT Dia-Folds. If I was going for a month I'd probably add the C/F Dia-Fold (Blue & Orange).

I usually have M390, S30V, and O1 or A2 to deal with on the road.
 
Niddler1 said:
Hi folks!

I will be travelling across the U.S. for a month to attend a summer music program. I think I'll take my Benchmade 484-1 and PM2. At home, all my edges are pristine and kept to a 7000grit polish. However, it is utterly impractical to bring all my sharpening equipment with me. What would you recommend to keep my edges workable? (without completely destroying them for when I get home) I was thinking of just taking a piece of 3000 grit paper.
Thanks
Click to expand...

If both knives are in relatively vanadium-heavy steels (I'm assuming they are), and you're wanting to maintain as much polish as you can, the suggestion of the DMT Dia-Fold in EF/EEF (1200/8000, i.e., 9µ/3µ) is a pretty good solution. Additionally, for stropping to higher polish on such steels, any small, smooth piece of wood with some diamond paste in 3µ and finer, such as DMT Dia-Paste, works very well on such steels, especially when preceding it with the DMT EF/EEF hone. A 'tongue depressor' type wooden stick with some compound on it makes a great, portable field-ready strop. Put it in a zip-loc sandwich bag and you're good to go.

3000 grit sandpaper, in aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, won't do as good a job in keeping the apex as sharp as it can be, if the steels have much vanadium content in them. That's why the diamond hone & paste compound are recommended.


David
 
I don't plan on doing a lot of cutting, and likely won't...
At home I sharpen my knives whenever they're anything short of perfection
The area of the program doesn't have any restrictions, nothing to worry about there.
bucketstove said:
Hi,
How often do you sharpen your knives?
How much stuff do you cut?
How much cutting are you planning to do?

If you're thinking only to take 3000 grit paper,
for high carbide steels,
it doesn't sound like you'll be doing a lot of cutting,
so it doesn't sound like you really need to carry any abrasives at all

It takes me about 1-3 months of kitchen use to reach 1000 slices...
sure the edges are usually rolled on dinner plates after the first 15 minutes of use :)

But here is a question for you, are you going on some kind of school campus?
They usually have some kinds of prohibitions ...
confiscation is always a possibility, something to think about.
$3+tax could get you a sharpening stone, and two knives of your choice
(plain edge slipjoint, serrated lockback, kitchen )


But,
Since it appears you're talking about S30V / CPM-S90V knives,
I'd be thinking about keychain or pocket diamond sharpeners,
whatever make/brand /grit you like,
mini keychain diamond stone for as low as $1.10
3-in-1 or 4-in-1 diamond rods for $2.75-$3.12
double side diamond plate (400/1000) or folding (400/600) abouts $4
...
diamond spray/paste on wooden stick for higher grits :)
..
DMT
Click to expand...
 
I'd grab my 4x1" "coarse/fine" double sided synthetic stone, and my 3x1" washita. They're small so they're impractical for sharpening blades that need alot of work, yet they can work wonders for quick touch-ups. And being small, there's no problem finding room for them.

I'm sure there are many other stones that would do the same or better job, but out of the collection of mostly second hand stones I already have, those are the ones I'd grab when I need something capable of doing regular maintainance without taking too much space.
 
I generally just travel with a double sided compact strop. One side with 14 micron diamond paste, the other with 5 micron.

As long as you avoid rolling or chipping the edge, that should keep them plenty sharp.

Hell, that's generally all I use at home for that matter.
 
I went through the same analysis a little while ago. I'd go with the DMI Dia-Sharp, which are credit card sized diamond plates, if you plan to do any serious cutting. For minor maintenance, a few sheets of varying grits of sandpaper would probably be fine. If money is a big consideration, the advice to use the bottom of a coffee cup or the top of a car window works great. You can also use the back of your leather belt (assuming its real leather) as a strop.
 
I'd go DMT Credit Cards. C-EF set. It'll work for repair up to nice slicing edges.

Which is what I carry in my other wallet.
 
42pixels said:
I just bring a fallkniven DC4 and a small strop, takes care of just about any sharpening need.
Click to expand...

For travel, I actually use the leather pouch for the DC4 with the stone in it as a strop. Works pretty good. It's bare leather but for travel, it does the job.
 
If you can't fit a SharpMaker.
You need to buy a cheap box knife.
I travel too. And I always have space for it.
 
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