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Compounds are available to 10000 grit
and beyond! Don’t have a strop? There are a number of
sources, but you can make your own. See
Jim Thompson’s tutorial
on making your own strops. Very easy to do, so make several,
taking note of the profile needed.
See the illustration on the right for how much compound paste to use at any given time... just a little bit at the end of the knife. An important thing to remember when stropping - When the compound gets black and shiny scrape it off and recharge the compound. Bent knives follow the same procedure as a straight blade, but extra care must be taken to maintain the angle of the blade relative to the abrasive surface because the leverage you have is not directly in line with the blade. Start with a 600 or 800 grit wet/dry sand paper. Lay the knife flat on the edge of the paper. Lift the back of the knife slightly about 5 to 7 degrees so as the edge that is to be sharpened is resting on the sandpaper. Slide the knife away from the cutting edge. Do this two times on one side then turn the blade over and repeat the process on the other side of the blade. You will have removed metal from up to about 1/16” from the cutting edge, which is normal. The key is to keep it almost flat on the paper and rotate from side to side. The pressure you put on the paper should be light but firm. After you have a good edge with the 600 or 800 grit paper repeat this process with 1000 grit paper and the then with 2000 grit paper. You may want to go to an even higher grit for a finer edge. Strop the blade on leather to clean off the burrs after sharpening.
Rip the paper sheet into ¼’s. Wrap one of the ¼’s around a dowel that will fit on the inside of the curve or hook on the blade. Lay the paper & dowel flat on the blade. Lift the paper & dowel up 5 to 7 degrees toward the cutting edge then stroke away from the edge.
Do the same number of strokes on each side until you have
achieved the desired edge. Remember to do the same number
of strokes on each side for even wear. Repeat the same process
with 1000 and 2000 grit wet/dry
Just like chisels and plane irons, don’t forget the backs!
Mike Komick and
Jim Esten Preferred Edge Carving Knives and Supplies mike@preferrededge.ca
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Stroke back and forth on each side until you get the
desired results. Caution: Do not raise the back of the blade too
high or you will remove the cutting edge with just a couple of
strokes and put shoulders on the blade. Double Edge Curved Blade
Start with 600 to 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper. 
sandpaper
or sharpening stone. You may want to go to a higher grit
for a finer edge. Strop the blade on leather to clean off
any burrs at the end of your sharpening. While some may
deem it overkill, a 10000 grit brings the tool up to a super
fine edge. 
