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The Eze-Lap diamond sharpener. The instructions that came with it are not enough for my poor brain to run with.

"Lay blade flat on diamond surface ... elevate blades spine slightly ... rub in a circular motion ... periodically alternating sides."

OK. I'm not sure what that "rub in a circular motion" is supposed to mean. I must be stupid. I think I was envisioning a tool where you hold the knife in one hand, and then scrape the sharpening tool along the edge with the other hand. But that doesn't appear to be what the instructions are describing. I'm confused. The website doesn't offer any more detailed instructions. A video demonstrating how to use this thing on their website would be nice, but they don't have one.

That instruction sounds like generic version for the flat stones, not the rod you have.

Just do it the way you envisioned, or slide your edge along the rod as if you are sharpening a pencil.

Your sharpener looks similar to this one which comes with a visual demonstration.

Jeanette Isabelle

you now own a small round file. no magic involved: rubbing it against steel removes some of the metal. If you are skilled at holding it at a consistent angle, you can get a great edge. If less skilled, only a good edge. it helps to look at the edge under a lighted magnifier, and sculpt accordingly. I recently tried a smith sharpener system and it does better than I do freehand.

Thanks everyone.

Jeanette - Yes, that's how I would have expected to sharpen with this rod. I still wonder what those folks at Eze-Lap mean by their instructions saying "circular motion".

The standard "slicing, drawing" motion is what I will use. I tried that a little bit ago with a Mora Clipper I have that is used around the house (cutting boxes, etc.) so it dulls quite easily. I got it pretty sharp with the rod. Not shaving sharp, but I really didn't expect that. The rod is small (about 5 inches long) and my freehand sharpening technique had always been just OK, never great. A longer rod would help in aquiring and maintaining the correct angle while sharpening, but would not be portable.

But this small sharpening rod will fit my needs perfectly. I plan to include it in my BOB for emergency field use, not use it every day.

"Rub in a circular motion, periodically alternating sides"? That's what my wife orders me to do when she's frustrated with me! Maybe I'll have her take a look at your sharpener.

You can use a diamond rod in all sorts of ways. It's just an abrasive. It does what it does. And it's only as good as the user. What works for you is what works.

Using a circular motion is a valid technique when using a large blade on a small stone. You hold the stone steady, choose your angle, and move the blade in small circles, sharpening a portion at a time. When you can feel the blade grab the stone a little, you move to the next section of the blade. This method gives you a lot of control, a more consistent angle, and a pretty good "feel" for the status of the edge.

But if it's just a minor touch-up on an existing edge, you might use it more like a kitchen steel. Especially if you're adept at maintaining a consistent angle freehand (which most people don't do well).

I have had one of these for years. I like it and it is easy to carry. I use it just like any stone, even thought it is round.

I lost it along the way somewhere but I had a similar item once. I used to lay the diamond file on a flat surface like a desk top and cut into it with the knife blade. Worked about as well as anything else I had tried.

Haertig,

"circular motion" is an effective way to remove metal-
1st step in sharpening it remove metal. Instead of picking the knife up, moving it to the other end of the block, make a circle.
1) it removes metal in all directions, not just one.
2) you do not risk losing the angle by picking up your hand
3) it is easier to make sure you touch the full edge
4) you get a unique pattern to the metal removal. This makes it easier to see the pattern when you change from metal removal to setting the edge.
Keep in mind, you still need to make sure you remove the same amount of metal from both sides- When I use this, I will do the same number of circles on both sides.
I prefer to do this type of sharpening with a stone, as you get more surface area, but it applies to a rod as well.

Once the metal is removed to the point that a burr is forming on the FULL EDGE when you finish the circles, you move from metal removal to setting the edge. At this point, raise the angle VERY SLIGHTLY, any pressing lightly, use straight strokes in the direction of cutting, alternating sides.

Getting geeky- your metal remove is creating the primary bevel, the straight stroke are creating the micro bevel.