(Viking) whetstone and in general

Hard Kit is all other accoutrements that are not clothing, weapons or armour. This includes pots and tents, and flint & steel, and other things like that.

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Mirimaran
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(Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Mirimaran »

Hi all,

Does anyone have a viking whetstone, or used one in the past? What do you use, and how do you carry it? Looking to do some small kit projects!

Ken
"Well, what are you waiting for? I am an old man, and have no time for your falter! Come at me, if you will, for I do not sing songs of dastards!"
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Peter Remling
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Peter Remling »

I havn't used one but they were worn about the neck on a thong. You used it the same as a Arkansas stone except instead of using a light weight oil, you use water or saliva.
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Manveruon
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Manveruon »

I've got one I got from Ragnar at Ragweed Forge a while back: https://www.ragweedforge.com/SharpeningCatalog.html. I absolutely love how it looks - just gorgeous - but I admit I am not very skilled in its use. Sharpening knives is something I've always had some difficulty with, for one reason or another. Seems straightforward, but I always seem to screw it up somehow.
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Kortoso
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Kortoso »

I have one; I have it on a thong in my F&S belt pouch.

Do you need help learning how to sharpen a knife? That's definitely something that a Ranger needs to have signed off.

The key is keeping the same angle between the stone and the steel. The Viking stone from Ragnar is really a finishing stone; it's fine, not coarse.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Manveruon
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Manveruon »

Right - I've got a coarse stone for the heavy-duty sort of everyday sharpening, but I liked the idea of the Viking stone, so I got one as well.

That's really my problem, is that I seem to have a hard time keeping the angle aligned, and then I second guess myself, and the whole thing goes to hell, heh.
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Peter Remling
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Peter Remling »

Just take an older knife that you don't care too much about and practice. It becomes quite easy after a while and once a bevel is formed it will pull itself into the bevel. Don't look at it, just keep sharpening for a minute or so, a swipe on one side and then a swipe on the other. After a minute thumb the edge (carefully) to see if it's adequate, if not continue sharpening. Do this with the coarse stone and then go to the finer store.
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Kortoso
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Kortoso »

One other thing: Beware the wire edge. As you grind on one edge, the steel begins to curl onto the other side, making effectively a blunt edge even as you sharpen it. You gotta go from one side to the other as you go - and know when to quit.

You can detect a wire edge by running your fingernail crosswise across the blade (toward the edge), and if it hooks your fingernail, then you have a wire edge.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Manveruon
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Manveruon »

Good to know. I've heard of that before, and I've experienced it a couple times while sharpening. I think the biggest problems I've had with knife-sharpening are finding the right angle and knowing when to stop.
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by RikJohnson39 »

Those stones are beautiful and some day I will get one.
But for now, here is an inexpensive alternative. This is a dual-sided whetstone that I found in the sporting goods store for maybe a couple bucks. It is not as good as the ones described above but will do for now.

Step one is to SLOWLY drill a thong hole through the stone. I used a concrete drill at a very slow speed to avoid heating the stone.
Once done, I used a good file to round the corners and here is the result.

Image
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RikJohnson39
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by RikJohnson39 »

Manveruon wrote: I admit I am not very skilled in its use. Sharpening knives is something I've always had some difficulty with, for one reason or another. Seems straightforward, but I always seem to screw it up somehow.
As mentioned, the key is to keep a decent and consistent angle of the knife to the stone.
Here is a link to a simple jig that may help.
http://www.primitiveways.com/knife_sharpening_jig.html
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Le-Loup
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Re: (Viking) whetstone and in general

Post by Le-Loup »

I have always carried a whetstone. My early stones were ones found in creek beds, but I did not find them very efficient. I have become used to using a particular method of sharpening blades, & the smaller creek stones were not practicle for this method.
Image
Whetstone & small metal file I carry in my pack.



This is the method I use.
Keith.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost.

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