What's the best sharpener for tool steel?
There are lots of sharpeners out there. I prefer the Arkansas stones, not because I live here, but because they work great and I know how to use em. I like to start with a Norton India Stone and finish on the Arkansas medium/soft, then strop.
Ron of KME uses these in his sharpeners. It's a great way to get your angle right.
I use some very old stones that my dad had. they seem to do a better job than anything I can get now. I finish with a razor stone and a strop with yellow stone on it.
My uncle showed me how make these steels years ago and gentle strokes will bring the high carbon blades back to hair shaving sharp several times before I have to go back to a stone.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/roughcountry/001-2.jpg)
learn to use a set of flat stones, there are plenty of good ones... Spyderco Ceramics, all the different diamond types, good ole Arkansas stones, Japanese water stones etc....
If you learnt to sharpen knives on flat bench stones you can do what ever you want to the edge, you arent limited in edge type/geometry (other then how the blade was made).
Like Lin I use the Norton Arkansas stone alot on my personal knives, it gives a nice toothy/aggressive edge that holds up well in the field.
WOW those things are crazy looking
Rough
That is one great looking steel! Beautiful and function that's when handmade stuff really shines!
Thanks Ray, this is a new one for the leather bench. It's a bit finer than the ones for hunting but even those are way finer than commercial steels.
This one is made from a 7/16 Oregon chainsaw file and a 80 grit numatic drum sander, then magnetized.
I use a short one in the hunting pack.
I keep a steel in the kitchen, but I worked it over on the belt grinder with a 400 grit belt until it was really smooth. Works nicely to re-align the edge without taking any metal off. Get twice as much mileage out of the edge before it has to go back to the stone.
Will someone tell me how to make my own steel or do a build a long for us this sounds very interesting. And i dont know how