Miniature sharpening stones
- Thread starter teksonn
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My understanding is to use them like a stone for an axe or machete, where you hold the knife still and run the stone along it's edge, instead of moving the knife over a stationary stone.
Think of it like the manual technique version of a clamp based sharpener.
Think of it like the manual technique version of a clamp based sharpener.
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Ok . . .
first off I tend to make fun of people who hand sharpen because the Edge Pro type guided sharpeners do such a great job (FOR ME) . . . so don't tell anybody I showed you these photos.
And I tend to over do it on my posts so without further ado lets get to over doing it :
Once in a while if I get a new knife and I need to knock a bur off the factory edge or to slightly touch up an almost shave sharp blade or if I sharpen some sucky stainless that is soft and just won't give up the bur on the Edge Pro etc., I will resort to this kind of caviler, carefree, free wheeling, tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth foolishness.
Mostly I do this with my Spyderco Ultra Fine Ceramic Triangle rod but you wanted to talk about stones so here are two (three if you count the white Norton 4,000 not in an "action shot").
The yellow one shown here is a Norton 8,000 I use for taking off ever so slight burs.
Often I hold the knife still and move the stone mostly always in an edge trailing motion. Held this way I am looking for the gap between the edge and the stone and just as I close the gap I move the stone towards me. I wear a fairly strong magnification jeweler's visor while doing this I don't go by feel I go by what I am seeing (the edge just touching the stone). Just one or two strokes per side then switch sides (gets a bit tricky).
I hold it this way when I have to remove a little more metal.
I hold it this way when I want to create a light bur or work a light bur until it is gone because I can see the glint on the bur when I get the light right. Again I'm moving the stone and the knife is stationary.
If I need to get into a recurve or ding in the blade I use the corner of the stone which I have prepared by smoothing and shaping it on a diamond plate.
If I need to touch up or debur some higher alloy steel such as this S30V I use my DMT Aligner stone in 8,000 diamond held the same way (though I don't use the corner of the stone obviously).
I made the small water stones by cutting down larger ones. The original idea was to use those stones hand held to help polish scratches out of the side of knives.
And one more photo. This is of the Norton 4,000 white stone and the 8,000 yellow stone with my ZDP-189 Dragonfly. There is no way one could sharpen a dull ZDP-189 blade with these stones but they do a good job touching up an edge that has been properly reprofiled and sharpened in the past.
first off I tend to make fun of people who hand sharpen because the Edge Pro type guided sharpeners do such a great job (FOR ME) . . . so don't tell anybody I showed you these photos.
And I tend to over do it on my posts so without further ado lets get to over doing it :
Once in a while if I get a new knife and I need to knock a bur off the factory edge or to slightly touch up an almost shave sharp blade or if I sharpen some sucky stainless that is soft and just won't give up the bur on the Edge Pro etc., I will resort to this kind of caviler, carefree, free wheeling, tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth foolishness.
Mostly I do this with my Spyderco Ultra Fine Ceramic Triangle rod but you wanted to talk about stones so here are two (three if you count the white Norton 4,000 not in an "action shot").
The yellow one shown here is a Norton 8,000 I use for taking off ever so slight burs.
Often I hold the knife still and move the stone mostly always in an edge trailing motion. Held this way I am looking for the gap between the edge and the stone and just as I close the gap I move the stone towards me. I wear a fairly strong magnification jeweler's visor while doing this I don't go by feel I go by what I am seeing (the edge just touching the stone). Just one or two strokes per side then switch sides (gets a bit tricky).
I hold it this way when I have to remove a little more metal.
I hold it this way when I want to create a light bur or work a light bur until it is gone because I can see the glint on the bur when I get the light right. Again I'm moving the stone and the knife is stationary.
If I need to get into a recurve or ding in the blade I use the corner of the stone which I have prepared by smoothing and shaping it on a diamond plate.
If I need to touch up or debur some higher alloy steel such as this S30V I use my DMT Aligner stone in 8,000 diamond held the same way (though I don't use the corner of the stone obviously).
I made the small water stones by cutting down larger ones. The original idea was to use those stones hand held to help polish scratches out of the side of knives.
And one more photo. This is of the Norton 4,000 white stone and the 8,000 yellow stone with my ZDP-189 Dragonfly. There is no way one could sharpen a dull ZDP-189 blade with these stones but they do a good job touching up an edge that has been properly reprofiled and sharpened in the past.
Last edited:
Hickory n steel
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I got this one when I was a kid and have used it for years to touch the edge on knives I'm carrying.
I use it just like I would any other stone, it's just a bit if a different technique as it's so small.
I use it just like I would any other stone, it's just a bit if a different technique as it's so small.
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