Field Sharpening

[daizee]

There's been discussion in the BK-72 thread, but this comes up regularly.
Let's hash it out:

What do y'all use for "field sharpening"?
And by "field", I mean away from your house/basement/workshop whatever.

What do you carry with you and why?
What are your backup techniques?
At what point do you say: "That'll have to wait 'til I get home."

Do you pair tools/techniques with specific knife styles or steels?

Let's go!

 

[daizee]

And of course I should put my abrasive where my mouth is, so I'll go first:

My kit this last week in the Sawtooths was this DMT folding diamond plate and a 3-grit soft-core nail buffer from CVS. Mostly I would use the buffer for stropping with the DMT as backup. The DMT is both light and rugged. Both fit together in the accessory pouch of the standard Becker Short sheath. We did little knifery, so I touched neither.

I have a medium-sized messenger bag that is my EDC murse, and the DMT is clipped to a lanyard with a single-cell flashlight in a side pocket of that bag. I moved it for this trip and just now put it back (I'll order a second one).

I use similar abrasives on every knife and every steel, including when I'm putting a first edge on newly made knife, though of course I have bigger versions of each (EZ-Lap for the diamond plate, but close enough). I DO have a small arkansas pocket stone. It's ok. I have had good luck with larger arkansas bench stones for bringing out fantastic edges on even medium-sized-carbide blades, but it doesn't cut deep - I use one of the other tri-stone sides for major edge work.

Your turn!

 

[91bravo]

Most of the time, I just bring enough knives that when one dulls, I just pull out another. I save all the sharpening for when I get home.

With that being said, I have used the file on my Leatherman to bring back the edge with great success before. I keep a DMT stone of some flavor in all of my packs. but I don’t remember ever using them before.

That’s the same sharpener I keep in all of my packs too!

 

[daizee]

Most of the time, I just bring enough knives that when one dulls, I just pull out another. I save all the sharpening for when I get home.

The ol' New York Reload!

 

[91bravo]

Gotta have backups to the backups sometimes.

 

[1066vik]

most of my field sharpening is done with a dual grit - medium/fine folding diamond hone, like the diafold or ez-lap.
I have also been known to use a river rock, car window, or coffee mug as a hone and cardboard as a stop when need be.
ceramic is handy for smoothing the edges on a bad chip - kind of like turning it into a single mostly dull serration.
edge rolls get worked out or cleaned off with a stone.

 

[JJ_Colt45]

I very rarely have needed to sharpen anything while in the field and waited until getting home. That being said, I do carry a DMT Diafold sharpener and a Spyderco Double Stuff 2 stone (with CBN/ceramic) in a small leather sleeve in my bag or pack. I've have pulled them out a few times sitting around a fire with friends after a hunt and sharpened a knife or two.

 

[daizee]

edge rolls get worked out or cleaned off with a stone.

Ooh, that's an interesting item that's worth addressing.
I'll often stand up mild edge rolls with another handy piece of steel, doing a spine-first drag on either another knife's spine, the rim of a metal cup, or whatever is handy.

 

[1066vik]

Exactly.
I once used a chunk of firewood to hammer out an edge ripple on my pack golok and then went back to splitting kindling.

 

[knoefz]

I rarely sharpen anywhere but home, but in my pack is a tiny ceramic/diamondplate combo. And in my campervan a diamond plate an leather strop combo, glueed to a piece of wood. The strop I do use away from home.

 

[Creaky Bones]

I have a Gossman Survival tool that handles multiple tasks including sharpening. Handy chunk of D2 steel.

GST Gossman Survival Tool large

This is a multi purpose sharpening tool. It's 6" long, 1" wide, .200" thick D2 steel. The flats are textured to use for sharpening/honing edged tools. One side is rounded to use like a butcher steel. The other side is squared for scraping and striking a ferro rod. One end is wedged for splitting...

gossmanknivessharphardwareforb.godaddysites.com

 

[Roguer]

What would be good for a S35VN BK-72?

 

[daizee]

What would be good for a S35VN BK-72?

DMT of your chosen size and a cheap strop.
S35VN sharpens easier than 154CM at the same hardness due to the smaller size of the individual carbides. Kabar's S35VN won't be super-hard either, so I'd try whatever you have first and then decide if you need something more aggressive.

Remember Daizee's sharpening rule: If it takes forever to sharpen (not including an enormous divot), you're probably not using enough pressure.

 

[plumberroy]

I have a small Arkansas stone and a Gobian puck which is thinner than finer grit than a Lansky puck . Little fleece drawstring bag with a sleeve for the Arkansas stone to carry them in

 

[MolokaiRider]

DMT Diafold mostly.

I love them, and they are scattered all over the place in my vehicles, home, workplace, and field bags.

 

[Dr Rez]

Been using DMT diafold cards but lately got the Worksharp Field Sharpener. Its pretty cool, a bit bigger but can sharpen anything from dull or even get out chips. Very capable for its size.

 

[Blue Sky]

I don’t sharpen very often when out and about, but I do carry a small double sided med/fine diamond plate. Thin and light, used mostly if I ding an edge or get a little bored in camp.

 

[MolokaiRider]

 

[Plainsman]

My goto portable sharpener has been a leather strop mainly!

If I need to get more aggressive, Ive found Worksharp tools to be very handy. I have a variety of them now and tuck them into various kits. I own and use tHe four below.

This one is what I started with and use the most…
Guided Field/Compact Travel

This one is the best combo of compactness with ability, imo. however, it would be better for my uses, if it had the ceramic stick paired with a strop.
Pocket

This is the smallest and in the category of, “better than nothing.”
EDC Micro

The bench stone is the largest, but still portable enough to be kept in the truck kit.
Bench Stone

EDITED!

I fixed the links!

I find 90%+ of the time, I just grab the Guided Field sharpener as it has all four tools handy, the two diamond plates, ceramic stick and strop. I tend to still strop mostly, but use the ceramic stick some and plates when things really need it.

 

[knoefz]

Hete's my 'on the go' sharpening system I described above, strip of plywood with leather glued to one side, loaded with some polishing compound.

And a diamond plate #1000 grit glued to the other side.

Usually stropping is sufficient for my outdoor trips.