RH Preyda Deluxe Honing Kit Discussions | Drop

Apr 26, 2016

So I'll need these stones, and then leather for stromping? (I can't remember the word, sounds German). I'm new to knives so... Can you just sharpen using these? My knife has S35VN steel. Hm, then I also need something to file the stone flat, too? Then honing oil, then anti-rust oil, then who knows what else lol. I've never realized how extensive owning a good knife can be. *sign*

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Apr 26, 2016

SurefireStrop. Close! You don't NEED a strop, but it doesn't hurt. If you're gonna go that direction, get a multi-material strop. It should have leather and a fabric. The best one I've used was a friends that had leather, thick canvas and then a nice denim.

Apr 26, 2016

RidevaDemocritusThanks. Hm, denim too? What's the brand, if I may ask?

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Apr 26, 2016

SurefireThere isn't one. He made it. But yeah, you can cut up a pair of old jeans and use that. Now that I think about it, the denim may have been sewn to the canvas, but I'm not 100%.

Mcurty10

RHPreyda_Michael

Apr 27, 2016

SurefireYou will not need anything to file these stones flat. That is the great thing about Natural Arkansas stones. Knives will not wear a belly in them. The homing oil comes with the set and you will only need 2-3 drops of it to impregnate the stone with the oil. As far as needing anti rust oil for the blade i think you will be fine with out it. Knives are fun and exciting to me so this kind of product is perfect for that edge perfectionist like myself

Apr 27, 2016

Mcurty10Hey, thanks for your advice. I have a cheap 'stone' with two sides that's got a nice belly on it. Are they even stones? Looks like two slabs of concrete to me. Anyway, not having a belly is amazing, though, even with the soft stone?

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Mcurty10

RHPreyda_Michael

Apr 27, 2016

Surefirehey no problem The cheap stones you are refering to might me a synthetic stone which will over time wear a belly and eventually break. I can say for certain with out seeing them but that is what it sounds like. These natural arkansas stones are amazing. Even the soft stone will not wear a belly in it. enjoy sharpening on these theres nothing like it.

dsmegst

Apr 27, 2016

SurefireIt sounds like you have some composite (man made) stones that wore down. You can flatten them by grinding the stones on a brick or a concrete slab in a pinch. S35VN is a pretty tough steel to sharpen but it just takes more time and strokes. I use Spyderco ceramic stones for touch up and paper wheels to sharpen but in the end, we're all doing the same thing.
Don't move up to the next grit until you know you've formed a burr. Then repeat with the next grit. With the fine stone, get rid of the burr and you should be good to go. Stropping is not really necessary with a pocket knife but there is a personal satisfaction when you get to the next level of sharpness. :)
I strop with an old leather belt. Keep the strop pulled tight and avoid bowing. Good consistent angles are still important when stropping. A little bit of white or green compound on the strop can speed things up.

Demandrius

Apr 27, 2016

SurefireAny honing stone, no matter how resilient, will eventually become dished, or develop a "belly" with use. Arkansas stones will, however, last a *very* long time before needing to be lapped (flattened). Flattening an Arkansas is not easy, and takes a lot of time. The only really reliable tool for lapping an Arkansas stone (to me) would be to use a diamond lapping stone. If you ever do find yourself in a situation where you have to lap your arkansas stones, you should have become experienced enough in sharpening to roughly know what you're doing :).

Apr 27, 2016

Mcurty10Ok, thanks :) I'm in for the big set. Hopefully the stones here won't be dripping in oil after a year of sharpening. Hm, oily box of stones :)

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Mcurty10

RHPreyda_Michael

Apr 27, 2016

Surefirethose two guys know what they are talking about. the one thing you can do with arkansas stone is boil them for about 20 mins and that will get some of the oil out so they wont be dripping of oil.

Apr 27, 2016

dsmegstGreat! I do have a leather belt. Thanks :) Not bowing... you mean I should keep the belt straight? Do you just leave the belt on the table and brush the blade on it? Or do you make a loop with the buckle and hang it on the hook or something?

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Apr 27, 2016

Mcurty10Eh, so that's something to keep in mind. Thank you.

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Demandrius

Apr 27, 2016

SurefireIf you must strop, you need to make a loop with the belt and attach it to something, then pull the belt taught towards youself. Pull your blade, spine first, towards you, then roll the blade on the spine, and pull it, again spine first, away from you. Never "push" a blade on a strop, and never roll on the blade.

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Apr 27, 2016

DemandriusGot it! Thank you so much :) I assume that after sharpening, you'll get scratches on the blade, that's when you strop to smooth the surface and coax the metal chips in line? Because that's the only thing I could think of as the result of such action... But great stuff, I've learnt a lot thanks to all of you.

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Demandrius

Apr 27, 2016

SurefireAligning of the microscopic "teeth" on the edge of the blade is the main purpose of stropping. However, this is only the case if you use leather or cloth to strop (some people use newspapers too). If you add a compound to your strop, you're actually taking off miniscule amounts of metal, and technically continuing the sharpening process.

Apr 27, 2016

DemandriusOk, Thank you :)

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dsmegst

Apr 27, 2016

SurefireI hook one end to a nail on my workbench, pull tight and strop. Demandrius describes it well. Don't do it like you see in the movies. One consistent stroke at a time, keeping the angles from beginning to end. Good luck.

Apr 29, 2016

SurefireAlso, if you want to get in to the wonderful world of strops, check out Larry at whipped dog (www.whippeddog.com). He deals in shaving equipment, but a big part of that is straight razors, and, you guessed it, strops. I've asked him a ton of questions in the past, very nice and helpful guy! Plus, he does good work. Also, check out stropping videos on youtube. I learned to strop my straight razor that way, and it's really not too difficult once you get the hang of it. Don't spend a huge chunk of change on your first strop though, because you'll inevitably eat it up a little when learning the spine-flip method that @Demandrius is talking about (or maybe you wont, but I sure as hell did!)

Apr 29, 2016

RidevaDemocritusThanks, spine flip Eh? I'll have a look. Thank you all for your generous advices. :)

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