Recently, at Value Village, I came across a $2 bag with 2 stones (one large with a fine and a course side, and one small) for sharpening things.
I've watched my dad sharpen things like axes, knives, chainsaws over the years, but my memory being what it is, I don't recall the details. So I've been watching some YouTube videos, thought I'd share.
How to sharpen Axes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpsFLNvTD4
How to sharpen Scissors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDaLNpdOYC8
How to sharpen Knives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzFzop12n68&feature=related
This vid is pretty high end, from a cooking school, they soak their stone, my dad just spit on his.
Info from Wikipedia about Sharpening Stones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_stone
How to sharpen a Chainsaw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6InGJyNYpA&feature=related
Anyone with real life experience and opinions please jump in, as this is just theory to me.
I have a whetstone I use for two things, in the kitchen for keeping my cleaver sharp enough to cut the north wind, and for my leather working tools.
If you're new to sharpening, I'd recommend picking up a guide that holds your blade at the proper angle for getting a good edge. You won't need it forever, just until you get a good feel for the angles you need and the motions required to move the blade over the stone.
You'll notice a huge difference between carbon and stainless steel for sharpning ( I hate stainless. It'll hold an edge for a long time, but it takes forever to get the edge in the first place)
Aphrael
Oh sweetheart, I don't have to run faster than the bear...
Several months ago I picked up 30 Rough Use Knives and 15 sharpening stones from Canada Ammo.com. The knives were ten bucks and the stones were 3 bucks. The stones are fine and course sided and 8 inches long. Neither the knives or the stones are high quality items and will not replace a proper meat cutting or a skinning knife but will work for everything else. I have at least one knife and stone in every quad, truck, trailer, cabin, and back pack or BOB. They are sold out right now, but when they come in they go fast. With free shipping, I'm in for another 30 knives and matching stones just to have for extras and Christmas presents. I can't believe i ran short of the original 30.
http://canadaammo.com/product.php?productid=279&cat=4&page=1