Which grit stones to use on a pocket knife

[chempe]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to know which grit stones should I buy sharpening my VG10 metal pocket knives.
I'm thinking on get one of these sets.

 

[3D Anvil]

It depends on the condition of your blade and the type of bevel you like. If the blade isn't damaged or super dull, and you don't want to change the edge angle, you won't need a course stone. A 1,000 is generally considered the meat-and-potatoes stone for edge maintenance. If you like a toothier edge and a satin finish you could get by with just a 1,000 and go straight to a strop with something like a 3 micron compound. If you like a more refined edge (shinier, less toothy), you could add a stone in the 3000-6000 range to use after the 1,000. And of course if you want a mirror edge you can go even higher, or go through a couple of strops with finer compounds.

If you have big chips or want to reprofile the edge, you'll want a course stone (120-300) or a course diamond plate. If the edge is *very* dull or you want to lay it back a degree or two, I like a 500 grit.

 

[Old Biker]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to know which grit stones should I buy sharpening my VG10 metal pocket knives.
I'm thinking on get one of these sets.

If you get one of those sets. My recommendation, is throw the stones that come with it away. Go to Gritomatic and buy the basic Diamond set for edge pro. It's a three stone set of Electroplated diamonds. It's all you need to make just about any knife sharp. After you get experience with your system you may decide to add more to it. Depending on what rabbit hole you want to go down.

O.B.

 

[AVigil]

If you get one of those sets. My recommendation, is throw the stones that come with it away. Go to Gritomatic and buy the basic Diamond set for edge pro. It's a three stone set of Electroplated diamonds. It's all you need to make just about any knife sharp. After you get experience with your system you may decide to add more to it. Depending on what rabbit hole you want to go down.

O.B.

Can confirm the basic diamond set works well. I go them with my Hapstone R2 and they do a good job.

 

[CAP55]

Save your money and get a Norton 2 sided oil stone and some mineral oil. Contrary to a lot of common thought, most start with too fine a stone and work a lot more to make up for it.

 

[cudgee]

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to know which grit stones should I buy sharpening my VG10 metal pocket knives.
I'm thinking on get one of these sets.

Just some advise, if you do get one of " These " sets just beware, you will have to adjust the clamp that holds the knife so it remains at the same angle every time you flip it. There are Youtube clips on how to do this, but i tried, and could not get it to work properly. Or measure with an angle cube and adjust the angle every time you flip the knife over, a complete pain in the a--e. There are others that have purchased these sets that have had no issues with them, but they can be difficult.

 

[scottc3]

OP search this forum for guided sharpening kits will help you use your money wisely. Plenty of choices. Worksharp is now a member, and their Precision Adjust kit now has two price levels of their reasonably priced kit, and / or up-gradable from the factory so you can work within your budget each month. There is already after market support such as Gritomatic's 4 inch stone holder for the kit, and thingiverse 3D printing plans; member 777 Edge has designed some of them.
Some knife companies VG10 has been reported to hang onto the burr sometimes, though with our KME, Sharpmaker's, and Worksharp Ken Onion Edition, I have not experienced difficult VG10 burr removal.

Also don't be surprised if a few years down this road, you own several tools to keep stuff around your house sharp. So, knowing your own propensities towards tools along with this common trajectory might help you decide what your first sharpening tool will be.
For example, CAP55's suggestion of trying the ancient skill of freehand with a 2 sided (course / fine) Norton India stone may call to you now or later. The tool is cheap, 12 to 25 bucks plus practice! And your already in the right place to start learning about sharpening.

 

[chempe]

I have a two sided Wüsthof oil stone, which I use for my chef knives, but my folder knife is so small that I messed up its edge because I could not hold the angle. That's why I need this tool. I already ordered one with a Lomvum protractor. I just wanted to ask which grits are preferable. I don't want to spend more money on this for now. Maybe next year. I must correct the edge on my Spyderco.

 

[cudgee]

I don't want to spend more money on this for now

You may be surprised and not have to . They wear quickly, but the set of stones that come with it may be enough for you till you work out what you want. I have done a fair bit of experimenting with them and can now get really sharp edges, just make sure you soak them for 5 minutes, then keep the water up to them. But don't dismiss them before you try them and you might save some money.

 

[chempe]

Save your money and get a Norton 2 sided oil stone and some mineral oil. Contrary to a lot of common thought, most start with too fine a stone and work a lot more to make up for it.

How do you flatten the two sided oil stone? I cut it many times and I'd like it to be flat.

 

[CAP55]

I have a single grit Norton India that I've used for over 30 years, one side is grooved from sharpening pointed tools the other is flat. I've never felt a need to flatten it since any dishing it might have is not visible without a straight edge, certainly not dished enough to make it unusable. Both the single grit and my double sided stone are used to sharpen everything from axes to kitchen knives and small pocket knives and if there is an effect of any minor dishing I don't see it and it doesn't affect the quality of the edge. I don't bear down hard during my sharpening stroke, the grit does all the work. I do use Mineral Oil which both lubricates and surfaces the metal grindings but I think the combination of using the full length of the stone and the light touch are what saves the stone surface. In the case of my kitchen knives I do touch ups with a ceramic wand and only go to the stones once or twice a year the other tools get sharpened as needed which could be once a year for axes to once a month for a pocket knife.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I'd also echo the mention above, that for most knives, perfect flatness of the stone isn't that critical. If the blade's cutting profile isn't dead-straight, as is the case with the vast majority of EDC knives, the stone doesn't need to be dead-flat. It's only important if the stone is to be used for sharpening specialty tools that must retain a perfectly straight cutting edge, like woodworking chisels or plane irons.

Resurfacing of sharpening stones is usually done to restore the cutting aggressiveness of the stone, if it was previously glazed or heavily clogged. And some waterstones which are very 'soft', i.e., they shed grit readily, can become excessively dished in the extreme, if they're not re-flattened periodically. But most oil stones won't be quite so soft as that, and most of those are actually much harder, most of the time. Some stones might have upturned edges as new, like a dried-out sponge. In cases like those, some partial flattening to knock down those upturned edges, or just very slightly radiusing (rounding) the edge, can be useful to prevent edge damage (heavy burring, rolling, chipping) as a blade's edge is drawn across the edge of the stone. I've done that with some of my stones.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I've found DMT Diafolds perfect for pocketknives. Coarse/fine or fine/ultrafine, depending on what sort of edge you prefer.

 

[kreisler]

for vg10 pocket knives the vi'nox dual-knife sharpener is a