Batson was an aerospace engineer, master bladesmith, author and educator.
James Lucian Batson Jr., an aerospace engineer, master bladesmith, author and educator, passed away June 5, 2026, after a brief illness at the age of 90. He was born Feb. 2, 1936, in Steubenville, Ohio, the son of James L. Batson Sr. and Bertha Mae (Cummings) Batson.
Batson spent 33 years as an aerospace engineer at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, working on several key defense and rocket programs. He earned his master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn University in 1967 and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas in 1972.
Outside of his engineering career, Batson was a pioneering figure in the knifemaking and blacksmithing communities. An American Bladesmith Society (ABS) master bladesmith, he co-founded the Alabama Forge Council, served as president of the Artist-Blacksmith Association of North America and founded the Batson Bladesmith Symposium, now in its 38th year. His extensive contributions to the craft earned him inductions into both the ABS Hall of Fame and the BLADE® Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame®. Additionally, in the February 2014 BLADE Magazine issue, he was ranked No. 9 among the top 13 knifemakers from 1989 to 2000.
An active researcher of historic cutlery, Batson authored numerous articles and books, particularly focusing on the history of the bowie knife and the material science of bladesmithing, publishing his final book at age 90.
His other accomplishments included sailing the Olympic-class sailboat called the Flying Dutchman in the pre-Olympic trials in 1967. He skippered a cruise sailing across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas five times in 1972. He also earned the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts as a youth and continued to lead Troop 400 as an adult, hiking part of the Appalachian Trail with the Scouts.
Following his passing, ABS Chairman and President Kevin R. Cashen paid tribute to Batson’s immense legacy and humble nature in the organization’s newsletter: “It was always a fun pleasure to point out to people that this down to earth, very approachable, guy in bib overalls, was an actual rocket scientist! That was the first thing I admired about Jim, his unpretentious and humble demeanor that had him working beside anybody to get the job done … In sorting old, and yellowed, papers one thing became noticeable about halfway through the years spanning the ABS timeline. Suddenly the volume and organization of the documents exploded … I saw one man single-handedly remake the ABS, setting it on a climbing trajectory as if it were the rockets he had worked on in his other career.”
Batson is survived by his wife, Barbara, two children, two stepchildren, 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A memorial celebration is planned for this fall in Huntsville.
Remembering Others The Knife Industry Has Lost:
Betty Dowell, Driving Force Behind Knifemaker Ted Dowell, Passes
B. R. Hughes, Pioneering Writer And Bladesmithing Teacher, Passes Away
With 200 years under its belt, the U.S.A. was in the spirit of celebration in 1976. And the nation’s bicentennial not only brought out the best in citizens, but knifemakers as well.
BLADE® Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® member Jimmy Lile was one of them, offering up a set of knives for America’s 200th birthday in the July/August issue of that year’s American Blade. Unlike other custom makers advertising flashy commemorative pieces, “The Arkansas Knifemaker” took a more stoic and serious approach to his collection.
Jimmy Lile produced 276 bicentennial sets. The first run of 76 featured historic inscriptions: colonies (1-13), Declaration signers (14-69) and Revolutionary icons or battles (70-76). The second identical run was numbered 1-200 to mark each year of American independence.
The bowie and dagger composing the set were sober in design and ornamentation, with clean lines the defining feature of the coffin-handle knives. Yet, what the pair lacked in stars and stripes celebration, they more than made up for in Lile’s deadly serious and patriotic scrimshaw on the handle scales. One might even cast the inscriptions as stark warnings.
On the bowie it reads: “When government has taken everything from the individual, he is no longer within its power, he is free again.” While the dagger is inscribed with, “In democracy, you cannot give to the people that which you first do not take from them.”
Interestingly, these do not appear direct quotes but paraphrases by Lile. The first most closely resembles a passage from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s novel The First Circle. The second bears a striking resemblance to a line from an essay by French economist and philosopher Frédéric Bastiat.
No matter the words’ origins, they stand as portents as sharp as the knives they were inscribed on. And they’re as relevant 250 years after our country’s founding as they were at its bicentennial.
It happens. You use your kitchen knife and hit a bone and the edge chips out. Or the cutting edge of your pocketknife breaks or dulls as you lightly pry a paint can or some other stuck container. It’s just the dynamics of steel. Blades go dull through normal use or get damaged through misuse or extreme abuse (image 1). Sometimes it’s unavoidable, as the knife might be our only option for a tool at a given point. So, you have a damaged cutting edge, rendering the knife unusable. How do you rectify this minor catastrophe to restore the knife to service as a capable cutting tool?
In addition to knife writing, I run a knife repair and sharpening business. In the course of this venture, I have developed an edge-repair system that has breathed life back into what were otherwise inoperable knives. And at the risk of shrinking my customer base, I’m going to share with you my method of taking a blunted or broken blade and reapplying an edge so it’s as sharp—maybe sharper—than the day it came out of the box. This does require some specialized tools, but nothing so outlandish as to seem out of place in a common home shop or in possession of a serious knife collector or user.
Image 1: Here we have a chef’s knife with dings in the edge. When we get done with it, the blade will be fully repaired, sharpened and ready to be placed back into service.
Before we begin, there is something that needs to be said about this type of work. Regardless of the knife—kitchen knife, hunting knife, pocketknife, tactical folder, etc.—the edge repair technique I will guide you through is the same. Furthermore, and I cannot emphasize this enough, safety comes first, last and in between. Any type of knife-sharpening activity is inherently dangerous. Be sure to do this work in a well-lit area and undertake this work only when you can give it your full attention. Forcing yourself to repair a blade when you’re tired, stressed or distracted is a recipe for getting cut—perhaps badly. To this point, you should have a first aid kit handy; even with complete focus, accidents do happen. And, hold your celebratory beer or cocktail until after you’re done getting your knife in order.
Edge Repair Tools
If you have experience with sharpening, chances are you have the background for blade repair. I recommend using a belt sander or some sort of belt grinder for the process. You use this equipment to address the damaged portion of the blade and it makes life a lot easier, trust me on this. If you are in need of a sander, an economical choice is Harbor Freight’s 1 x 30 belt sander. It’s cheaper than many sharpening stones, around $50 minus tax, and worth every penny. While you’re at it, pick up a couple of packs of 80-grit belts, just so you don’t have to interrupt a project if the grit wears off one.
Image 2: First step is to grind the edge down past the deepest ding to remove them all. This reduces the height of the blade somewhat but not to the point where it is detrimental.
I recommend 80 grit, it’s coarse enough for fast stock removal but doesn’t heat the blade up too fast. I find 60 grit works and stays cooler, but eats steel much faster and isn’t advisable for a beginner. You can get in trouble fast at this grit size and larger. As for grit medium, zirconia and ceramic belts last longer but conversely are more expensive than aluminum-oxide belts. That said, aluminum oxide will work for these repairs.
As mentioned, heat is an issue in edge repair. Too much and you can ruin the temper of your blade. In turn, you need some way to keep the steel cool while working on your knife. A spray bottle or a jar of cool water will suffice for this task. I prefer a spray bottle because leaving an open jar of water on the workbench sometimes doesn’t work out as it’s easy to knock over and make a mess. So, I keep a spray bottle close to give a few spritzes almost immediately after each pass.
To do this project, you’ll also need some sort of angle guide sharpening kit, such as a Lansky Diamond Kit or Work Sharp Precision Adjust. Honestly, any brand of sharpener that holds the blade steady in a clamp and allows for angle adjustment while honing will do. The key here is angle consistency. You’re going to use the belt sander first to take out the damage as well as restart the cutting edge, then you’ll finish with the angled-guided sharpening system to refine your new cutting edge.
Fixing Chips
Image 3: Now that the dings have been removed, we need to create a starter edge. Best way to do this is to approximate a 20-degree angle and carefully grind away.
The first aspect of edge repair is evaluation and determining if a chip in the edge requires rigorous reshaping. Keep in mind, some minor dings come out with normal sharpening. If the damage is severe, you have to turn to the belt grinder and essentially remove the entirety of the edge just past the deepest point of the chip (image 2).
With the damage removed it’s time to restart your cutting-edge bevel on the grinder; think of it as the first draft of your final edge. It does not have to be perfect, simply a roughing in of the edge. Note, depending on the thickness of the knife’s steel, you may need to thin material behind the edge. Nearly all the knives I repair—be they pocket or kitchen—I put a 20-degree bevel (image 3). Further, I’ll sharpen them to the same angle. I know, there is some clinching of teeth out there among those who believe a more acute angle is required for culinary cutlery. That’s fine and you can apply it, if you wish. I’m explaining the system I use, and 20 degrees is a very durable, yet sharp edge. Note, 20 degrees are measured on each side of the blade, right and left; as a whole, the edge total of both sides will be 40 degrees.
Image 4: The final step in this process is to use a quality angle sharpening kit—such as the Work Sharp Precision Adjust — and continue to fine tune and finesse the final cutting-edge sharpness. This is where you want to take your time to get it right. Be sure to set the sharpener to whatever angle you desire. For this one, I am using a 20-degree angle.
After you have the edge damage removed and the new cutting-edge ground in, it’s time to sit down with the angle guide sharpening kit and really shape the edge (image 4). This is where you want to take your time; you want the cutting edge right. Again, I personally use a 20-degree edge bevel on kitchen knives and pocketknives. However, this is a personal choice and what the steel in your knife can manage. Remember, softer steels will lose a more acute edge more quickly. Whatever sharpener you choose to use for this step, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper use so you can get the best edge possible.
After you have a sharp edge that is fully restored, be sure to give the blade a few passes on a leather strop. If you do not have a strop, a piece of cardboard or the backing of a legal pad should work as well.
Reapplying The Edge
Image 5: After you fine-tune the edge sharpness, congratulations! You have successfully finished repairing edge damage. I would say, from start to finish, you can have a knife repaired in about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the knife.
Congratulations! You have fully restored a damaged cutting edge (image 5). Most people consider edge damage the end of the road for their knife. This is especially hard in the event that the knife has sentimental value attached to it. By learning to restore damaged cutting edges, you develope the skills to revive a tool that was once useless, giving it a second life of service. Resharpening a dull edge is similar, but removing the aftermath of hard use and abuse is a few steps beyond and much more satisfying.
Learning how to restore a damaged knife and giving it new life is an incredibly gratifying experience. It’s also potentially a heroic skill. You never know when a friend’s cherished pocketknife might pick up a nasty chip or a family member might foul a favorite kitchen knife prepping Sunday dinner. Edge repair mastered, you can save the day.
As with so many tools, knives require other tools to keep them up to snuff. A vicious cycle, to be sure, but one in the modern day has been simplified with innovation. Modern knife maintenance equipment is leaps and bounds beyond what it was a few short years ago. In turn, there is little excuse to pocket a dull blade or carry around a knife whose action is choked with lint and fouling. While the concept remains the same—a sharp and functional knife—we’ve gathered up some of the latest maintenance equipment designed to keep your blades edgy and acute.
Horl Rolling Sharpener
ROLLING DEEP—Horl is shifting its popular rolling sharpener system up a gear with its most recent iteration. Underneath the hood, the Horl3 Pro features a planetary gear system, increasing the sharpening head’s rotation. Geared 1:3, the sharpener hones at a much faster rate than the company’s previous versions, cutting work time down. Further, the Pro is also more versatile, offering six sharpening angles—10, 13, 15, 20, 22 and 25 degrees—so you precisely match its acuteness to the knife you’re sharpening. The new Horl still has all the features that made the system all the rage in the first place, including quick-change heads, diamond sharpening disk, ceramic honing disk and magnetic angled holding pad. MSRP: $399
Hapstone Bench Stone
STONE COLD—Freehand sharpening is an art, one that requires the right tools. Hapstone delivers with affordable and effective bench stones in its Optimal line. Made in the Ukraine, the stones are designed to hone steel with hardnesses up to 62 HRC, which covers most of the modern super steels. The 8×2.8-inch stones use aluminum oxide as the cutting medium and a vitrified binder, and the company pre-laps the stones to ensure a smooth working surface. Hapstone offers five grit sizes—220, 400, 500, 1000 and 1200—giving sharpeners the full course to re-form, sharpen and hone their edges. MSRP: $36-$44, depending on grit size
SharpeningSupplies.com Logbook
KEEPING TABS—If you’re serious about your knives and their upkeep, SharpeningSupplies.com cooked up an absolute must-have maintenance tool. Low-tech as it comes, the online retailer’s Sharpening Logbook helps you keep track of a ton of useful data on your sharpening sessions. Designed to document each knife’s session, there’s room to record knife and date specs, grits used, sharpening angle, edge condition, faults, sharpness before and after, personal notes and more. Additionally, the back of the book has some very useful guidance on sharpening in general. For those who are resolute about achieving and maintaining a pristine edge, this is the type of sharpening D.O.P.E. that proves vital. MSRP: $10
Edge Pro BevelTech
PROFESSIONAL DEGREE—Perhaps you run a sharpening business or maybe you simply take a professional approach to your sharpening projects. Either way, Edge Pro’s BevelTech system is tailored to the most exacting hone hounds in the knife world. Designed for installation in a workspace (though there are less-permanent mounting options), the all-metal angle-adjustable sharpener is designed for precision projects or high-volume honing. Features that should intrigue those undertaking either are an adjustable tilting retention surface, oversized ball grip on the sharpening arm, angle-gauge attachment point on the arm, laser-engraved angle-adjustment graduation and quick-attachment stone holders. Edge Pro offers four different tiers of its system, with more sharpening stones as you go up. But each is built around the base precision sharpener. MSRP: Starting at $435
Knafs Launchpad
TO THE MOON—Since we talked about Knafs’ Bit Driver Grande in a bit, we’ll pitch an accessory for it that is well worth add to the cart with it—the Launchpad. Simply put, it’s a holding system for the driver, giving you an easy and organized place to hold the tool and a whole array of bits. Here’s the great thing about the 3D-printed accessory: you can spend a little coin and buy one from Knafs or—if you have a 3D printer—the company offers the files for free to print one at home. MSRP: $9
Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener
EDGY ANYWHERE—Anyone who aims at recapturing a knife’s edge is likely familiar with Work Sharp’s standby Guided Field Sharpener. It’s been around for a hot minute, but never in what’s being offered now. The Guided Field Sharpener Elite offers complete angle-guided edge maintenance in a system that delivers it anywhere. Where Work Sharp has kicked it up a notch is the sharpening surfaces it includes in the kit, with the Elite coming with 220-, 400-, 600- and 800-grit diamond plates. That takes users from course to extra-fine and covers nearly every sharpening necessity you’re likely to encounter. Plus, Work Sharp throws in a handy zippered carrying case to keep everything organized. MSRP: $75
JRW + KPL Knife Maintenance Tray
TRAY CHIC—Keeping your workbench organized during a teardown is half the battle, and KPL has teamed up with the pocket-art wizards at JRW Gear to deliver a dedicated workspace solution. The JRW + KPL Knife Maintenance Tray is a premium, multi-layered, riveted storage platform precision-machined to house your entire maintenance arsenal. Designed with custom-bored pockets, it features dedicated slots for your lubes, detailing swabs, hardware and loose knife parts. It even includes a custom cutout perfectly sized for an oil-resistant JRW dump tray to catch small screws before they roll away. Finished with silicone rubber non-slip feet to keep the station securely anchored while you work, you have a steady place to get jobs done. MSRP: $135
Sharpal 202H Adjustable Angle Sharpening System
ALL IN ONE—If you want a single setup that handles everything from total edge repair to a mirror polish, Sharpal has a comprehensive solution. The 202H Adjustable Angle Sharpening System is a seven-in-one kit built around a heavy-duty metal chassis and an anti-slip base. The heart of the system is its smooth angle adjustment, delivering a wide 10-to-35-degree range with precise 0.2-degree granularity. To guide your progress, the kit includes seven different 1×6-inch abrasive plates, starting with 220-, 325-, 600- and 1000-grit diamond surfaces. From there, 3000- and 6000-grit whetstones smooth out burrs before you finish on a leather strop with green compound. A reliable flip mechanism lets you work both sides evenly without losing your exact angle. MSRP: $180
Knafs Bit Driver Grande
DRIVER’S SEAT—Man does not live by sharp edges alone. Sometimes there are screws to tighten and liners to swab clean. In these situations, a bit driver is the hero of the story and Knafs has a solid—not to mention manageable—option in its Grande. What’s to like about this self-contained system is that it’s the larger brother to its original driver, which, in turn, fits into the palm better to deliver more torque. At the same tick, it has an elongated neck, perfect for more control in precise operations. The tool comes with three Wiha Torx bits (T6, T8 and T10), has a spinning cap run on ceramic bearings and a body of durable, yet light, aluminum. MSRP: $38
Lansky 4-Rod Diamond/Ceramic TurnBox Crock Stick
TURNING HEADS—Lansky is updating its classic V-rod format by packing an extra refinement stage into a highly portable layout. The latest 4-Rod Diamond/Ceramic TurnBox Crock Stick system features a compact hardwood block with integrated internal storage for the rods inside the base. Perfect for a kitchen drawer or a hunting pack, the system utilizes preset 20- and 25-degree angles to keep your bevel geometry completely consistent. The two-stage sharpening process leverages two 5-inch medium 400-grit diamond rods for rapid steel removal, followed by two 5-inch fine 1000-grit ceramic rods for daily touch-ups. Lansky then takes the system a step further by including a dedicated leather strop and polishing compound to deliver a true factory-level mirror edge. MSRP: $65
Designed by Allen Elishewitz, KA-BAR’s USA-made drop-forged EPT pairs a 2.5-inch blade with a clip-equipped sheath for easy pocket carry.
KA-BAR has expanded its line of drop-forged steel tools with the Elishewitz Pocket Tool, or EPT. Designed by veteran maker and former Force Recon Marine Allen Elishewitz, the compact fixed blade targets the growing daily carry market with a format tailored specifically for pocket carry rather than belt wear.
Built for Daily Duty
The EPT centers around a short, broad 2.5-inch drop-point blade ground flat to a 20-degree edge per side. KA-BAR crafts the knife from 0.1875-inch thick 425 high-carbon stainless steel, hardened to 56–58 HRC. The stout blade geometry offers plenty of strength for routine cutting tasks while keeping the overall footprint manageable.
Because the knife utilizes a one-piece drop-forged construction, the skeletonized handle is integral to the blade. A finger ring integrated into the butt end assists with control during use while serving as a quick-draw indexing point when pulling the knife from a pocket.
Pocket-Friendly Carry
Rather than relying on a traditional belt sheath, the EPT comes equipped with a custom USA-made sheath featuring a reversible, loop-over wire pocket clip. This setup allows the fixed blade to ride deep inside a pocket in much the same manner as a standard folding knife.
At 6.75 inches in overall length and weighing 3.2 ounces (0.2 lbs for the knife alone), the U.S.-manufactured piece delivers the structural integrity of a fixed blade without adding unnecessary bulk to a daily kit.
Elishewitz Pocket Tool (EPT) Specs Designer: Allen Elishewitz Overall Length: 6.75 in. Blade Length: 2.50 in. Blade Width: 1.70 in. Blade Thickness: 0.1875 in. Blade Steel: 425 High Carbon Stainless (56–58 HRC) Blade Type/Grind: Drop Point, Flat Grind Edge Angle: 20 degrees per side Construction: Integral drop-forged 425 stainless steel Weight: 3.2 oz. total (2.24 oz. knife weight) Sheath: USA-made sheath with reversible wire pocket clip MSRP: $78
Three options to stay keen when you’re out and about.
Active lifestyles often need specialized tools. Out hiking, camping or hunting, a workbench instrument is out of place. This is especially true for one of the most vital pieces of knife kit—sharpeners.
In recent years, the market has trended toward larger bench-mounted sharpeners that, while dynamite at extracting a precise edge, are all but impractical in the field. Out and about, a solid portable sharpener is more than worth its weight in gold. Even better, for those who take a more minimalist approach to edge-maintenance equipment, most mobile sharpeners are more than capable of serving as primary tools for bringing a knife back to life.
Given this isn’t the time of Charlemagne, this class of sharpeners should have an angle guide integral to their design, eliminating guesswork. And since they’re less elaborate, portable sharpeners should be cost-effective, as well. You do not want to spend a ton on something that might be lost. Most of all, these options should prove easy to tote around, be it in a pocket, tool pouch, vehicle glove compartment, backpack or anywhere else you want to cram one.
There are plenty of portable sharpeners available today, but in our trials, we found the following a cut above the rest.
Wicked Edge Venture Pro WE26
The Wicked Edge Venture Pro features a movable 20-degree angle guide that helps to keep your angle consistent, so that even beginners can achieve desirable results. And while not quite pocket sized, the until is perfectly proportioned for sharpening on the go.
Wicked Edge, primarily known for its high-end guide-honing systems, has recently turned its discerning eye to mobile sharpening. The result is the Venture Pro WE26. While more compact than most everything else the company offers, it is no less effective.
Starting with the build quality, Wicked Edge has constructed a system built to last. The Venture Pro’s frame is sturdy T6-6061 aluminum alloy, keeping the unit relatively light, yet extremely durable. The company holds the system together with stainless steel screws and a tension spring. And the honing surface is a double-sided diamond-coated steel plate—if you drop one, you don’t have to sweat it shattering. A cam system holds it in place and allows a painless switch between sides and grit size—500-grit diamond and a fine-grit ceramic. A plus. Yet this is only part of the sharpener’s selling points.
What really grabs attention is that the Venture Pro is a railed angle guide. The system is slick, essentially allowing you to pull your knife through, while the guide maintains a consistent 20-degree angle over the entirety of the sharpening surface. This element of the system deserves mention in and of itself. It is molded from a thermoplastic blend of POM (Delrin) and PTFE (Teflon), the result is a slick surface that all but guarantees a smooth stroke on each pass. The guide is removable and has a storage position on the rear of the sharpener for easy storage in a more compact configuration. The final perk, the unit includes a leather strop and a built-in guide on the rear side, so you can hone a blade to a mirror finish.
The Venture Pro features both 500-grit diamond stone and ceramic honing surface, as well as a leather strop. Wicked Edge sells other grits and different angled guides, to tailor the system to your knives.
The Venture Pro definitely isn’t pocket-sized, but it is small enough to be considered portable. Its size is a plus in this respect; it’s large enough to tackle a wide range of knife types and sizes. I found the system easy to master over the course of several sharpening sessions with pocketknives, tactical folders, kitchen knives and even scissors. The routine is simple: place the blade into the guide as far up to the tang as possible, draw the knife through while moving forward and repeat on the other side. The angle guide slides so easily across the frame of the sharpener that it almost feels like it’s not even there.
Given that the 500-grit side is diamond, I did not have to apply a ton of pressure to achieve the desired results. And, if you’re sure of your freehand skills, the guide can be removed to speed up the process.
At home, at camp or anywhere, the Venture Pro works every time to provide you with a guaranteed sharp edge. As a bonus, several other plates with different grit sizes are available as well as different angle guides (15, 17 and 25 degrees), in case you have a particular system you want to adhere to. No matter what, this made-in-the-U.S.A. sharpener has an edge.
Venture Pro Specs Frame Material: T6-6061 Aluminum Alloy Sharpening Material: 500-grit diamond stone, ceramic hone and leather strop Weight: 10 oz. Sharpening Surface: 8.25” Features: Continuous 20-degree angle guide, integral handle Country Of Origin: U.S.A. MSRP: $189
Spyderco Sharpmaker
Absolutely time tested, the Sharpmaker has been a honing mainstay for a spell—namely because it works so well. Very simple in design, the portable sharpener features course and fine grain sharpening rods that can be set for a 20-degree edge and simply requires a downward stroke to do their business.
Spyderco’s model 204 Sharpmaker is a versatile, made in the U.S.A. sharpener and could be a primary sharpener on its own. But it’s how it breaks down, with all its hones nestled in the base, and the cover snaps over all of it, fully encasing the stowed sharpener that makes it a top choice for a portable sharpener.
The Sharpmaker utilizes two pairs of alumina ceramic rods—medium grit (brown) and fine grit (white)—held in the plastic base at a 20-degree angle, forming a “V” shape. The proper way to use this is to hold your knife to where the blade is perpendicular to the tabletop and then, starting at the blade tang end, place the blade onto the home and, in one motion, travel down the hone and at the same time pull the blade toward you. Gentle pressure is generally all that is required to achieve a sharp edge. As an added safety precaution, Spyderco includes two brass protection rods that prevent cutting your hand while holding the base.
The Sharpmaker’s design allows you to sharpen on any flat surface—tabletop, workbench, desk or even the tailgate of a pickup truck. Making the tool extremely convenient, the alumina ceramic rods do not require lubrication with oil or water. Though they do require occasional cleaning. The rods darken over time due to swarf collecting on the surface. Scotch-Brite pads and powder sink cleaner make quick work of this fouling and restore the sharpening surface. Another cool feature of the Sharpmaker is the two grooves on the bottom of the base. This allows you to set any two matching hones into the base, with their flat sides up for a makeshift bench stone.
The Spyderco Sharpmaker 204 is the best sharpener to use with serrated knives, as it is easy to set up, easy to use and doesn’t use oil or water for lubrication. The points of the triangular-shaped hones capture each tooth in the serration pattern effectively.
The triangular shape of the hones was done on purpose and is a brilliant design. When you set up the honing where the flat sides face each other, the Sharpmaker effectively sharpens plain-edge blades. Rotate the hones so that the points face each other, and the Sharpmaker easily addresses serrated knives.
How well does the Sharpmaker work? Simply put—very well. It’s a must-have if you own any serrated knives, but as I said earlier, it will work just as well on plain-edge blades. The sharpener is easy to set up and easy to use. There’s no mess since you don’t use fluid for lubrication, and it breaks down into an ultra-compact form factor that stows easily.
Sharpmaker Specs Frame Material: ABS plastic base Sharpening Material: Alumina ceramic stones Weight: 1.4 lbs. Sharpening Surface: 7” Features: Plain edge and serrated sharpening surfaces Country Of Origin: U.S.A. MSRP: $127
Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener
The Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener packs a lot into a small and affordable system. In addition to an integral angle guide, the system includes a diamond-infused sharpening plate, ceramic honing rods and a leather strop.
The Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener is the ultimate compact sharpener that is packed with so many features that you must use it to believe it. The unit is manufactured for Benchmade by Work Sharp, so it comes with a pedigree of a company that knows a thing or two about sharp cutting edges.
What you get with the Guided Field Sharpener (GFS) are coarse and fine diamond-coated sharpening plates held onto the body using rare-earth magnets. You also get a fine-grit ceramic rod for quick touch-ups. This rod has two sharpening surfaces—regular and ribbed, which are for more aggressive honing. You also get a smaller diameter ceramic rod, which addresses serrations. On top of all this, the unit has two sets of integral angle guides set permanently at 20 degrees. Finally, at one end of the sharpener frame is a leather strip for the final polishing of your edge. Folks, what you have right here is a comprehensive sharpening system in a pocket-sized form factor.
While the Guided Field Sharpener works very well on folding hunters, tactical folders, multi-bladed pocketknives and some smaller fixed blades, it also handles larger blades, such as kitchen knives, as well. You must be mindful when working with a larger blade on a smaller sharpener and move the blade more efficiently to cover the entire cutting edge in one stroke.
The Benchmade Guided Field Sharpener is made by Work Sharp and was designed as a comprehensive compact sharpener to take with everywhere. Aside from its accoutrements, one of the more desirable features of the tool is its lightweight, coming in at less than 5 ounces.
Using GFS is simple, you lay your blade onto the angle guide, then hold the handle steady and move the blade across the surface of the plate. You do need to remain conscious of your angle, as the guide only starts you at the right incline. Generally, you’ll start with the diamond hone to establish the edge, followed by the fine grit to define it. Finally, a few swipes on the ceramic rod, along with a finish on the leather strip, result in a hair-popping sharp edge.
Overall, the Benchmade sharpener is sized perfectly for everything from a rucksack to a coat pocket. It’s a powerful tool in a compact package, and a value. To this, it’s worth noting that the GFS is assembled in the U.S.A. from foreign and domestic components.
Guided Field Sharpener Specs Frame Material: Polymer Sharpening Material: Diamond plates, ceramic rods and leather strop Weight: 4.7 oz. Sharpening Surface: 6.87” Features: Integral 20-degree angle guide Country Of Origin: Assembled in U.S.A. from domestic and foreign components MSRP: $50
Timeless and iconic, it remains practical and complementary to other options today.
The novaculite sharpening stone is a wonder of nature. Almost pure microcrystalline quartz in content, this dense, fine-grained rock was formed from 318 to 416 million years ago during the Devonian and Mississippian periods in ancient seabeds and later pushed toward the surface with the peaks of the Ouachita Mountains of western and central Arkansas. Massive sedimentary layers ranging from 250 to 900 feet thick produced the stone, which takes its name from the Latin novacula, meaning “sharp knife” or “razor.”
From there, the stone was destined for a rendezvous with the knife blade, rendering a sharp edge that gets the job done and holding a place in working knife history dating back centuries.
The novaculite deposits in Arkansas were formed 318 to 416 million years ago and it takes plenty of mechanical muscle to push around the material. The deposits run from 200- to 900-feet thick, in turn the operations are substantial. And while the weathered novaculite is somewhat bland to the eye, once broken up the beauty of the natural material shines through. (Images courtesy of Chis Stillian)
Today, however, there is a bit of … well … friction as some may claim modern synthetic stones are eclipsing or at least competing with novaculite for some nebulous title of “best.” Synthetic stones often offer faster sharpening and convenience, while novaculite is valued for its refined finish and traditional appeal. Truth is that each has its place, and novaculite was and is a key participant in the knife-sharpening exercise.
“It gives a razor-sharp, polished edge with smooth feedback that many prefer over synthetics,” explained Chris Stillian, owner of Natural Whetstone, LLC. The company was founded by close friend David Davenport two decades ago, and when David passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris and his father, Shawn, kept the central Arkansas company going.
“The stones wear very slowly,” Chris continued. “Some last decades because they’re 99 percent plus pure quartz with no fillers. They’re natural, made in the USA and work great for chefs, woodworkers and knife users.”
Danny Kirschman founded Dan’s Whetstone Company, Inc., in Pearcy, Arkansas, in 1976, and his son Steve is currently CEO of the family venture. His roots in novaculite are long and deep. “The erosion-resistant quartz formations of the Ouachitas produced the finest and rarest natural abrasive in the world,” he offered. “Danny Kirschman’s opinion and what we share with others is that the one thing that sets novaculite products apart from other sharpeners is their unique crystalline structure. The novaculite stones wear less aggressively than most manmade abrasives due to the natural bonding of the crystals.”
Best Steel For Novaculite
Dan Kirschman, by the company’s largest saw, spent his formative years as a mining engineer, until his hobby of cutting and polishing novaculite developed into a full-time business. Dan’s Whetstones now has a 500-acre quarry and manufactures more than 300 different products from the stone. (Images courtesy of Dan’s Whetstone)
Both Stillian and Kirschman agree that the disadvantages of novaculite usage lie in cutting speed and other aspects. Chris commented, “It cuts slower than diamond or water stones, so it’s better for refining edges than heavy profiling. It needs oil instead of water, can glaze if not cleaned and doesn’t bite hard on modern super steels. Top grades cost more because the dense material is rare.”
Steve added, “The most common complaint is their low abrasion rate. Because the stones are exceptionally hard and dense, they remove material much more slowly than synthetic stones. They are best suited for maintaining an already sharp edge rather than ‘hogging off’ metal to repair chips or reprofile a blade. There is no truly coarse Arkansas stone. Even the soft Arkansas is relatively fine compared to a coarse synthetic stone. Novaculite is composed of quartz, which has a Mohs hardness of around 7. While this is harder than standard carbon steel, it is softer than the vanadium and chromium carbides found in modern, high-alloy super steels.”
Further, since Arkansas stone is a natural product, every stone is unique and may exhibit internal flaws, cracks or variable grit. Oil is required to keep metal particles, or swarf, from clogging the pores, which leads to a bit more cleanup. Lubrication keeps the stone from “loading” with metal, which can reduce its effectiveness.
Similar to many sharpening systems, Arkansas stones of different grit sizes are used in conjunction. On the right is a soft stone with a courser grit, good for raising a burr and initial honing. On the left is hard stone, used for final edge polishing and day-to-day maintenance. (Image courtesy of Chris Stillian)
Novaculite works best with simple carbon and low-alloy stainless steels like 1095, O-1, 440C and A2. Since such steels are commonly found on hunting, working, kitchen, bushcraft/survival and everyday slipjoint and fixed-blade knives, a broad area of application exists. High vanadium super steels such as S35VN, M390, CPM-3V and others—often seen in premium chefs’ knives and high-end custom knives—are best served with diamond stones, for example, because their carbides are harder than the quartz in novaculite.
Reviving Arkansas Rock
Even the casual observer can, therefore, discern the proper employment of the novaculite sharpening stone with the blade steel that will produce the best results. One giant of the knife industry recognized the value of the Arkansas stone years ago and built a catalog empire on its sturdy reputation.
The late BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® member A.G. Russell began selling Arkansas sharpening stones in the mid-1960s after moving his family back home to northwest Arkansas from Marin County, California. During the move, he discovered that his whetstones had gotten lost in transit.
Novaculite is microcrystalline quartz in structure and while it can seem extremely smooth to the naked eye, at the microscopic level the formation’s cutting properties become evident. On the left is ultra-fine black stone at 5000x magnification and the right hard Arkansas stone at 2500x magnification. (Image courtesy of Dan’s Whetstones)
“He tried to buy replacements in local hardware stores, but none stocked them,” remembered A.G.’s wife and fellow hall-of-famer Goldie Russell, who runs the company today. “Having lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas, for a while when he was a teenager, A.G. knew that the only deposit of novaculite was in that area. A.G. went to Hot Springs and found someone who was cutting stones. He purchased stones and began selling them to local hardware stores.”
From there, A.G. bought ads in magazines, particularly Guns & Ammo and The American Rifleman. Soon enough, he became a supplier to Brownells, a major gun retailer, capitalizing on the mutual affinity of gun enthusiasts for knives. Together with the magazine effort and his own sales acumen, Russell re-energized the popularity of the Arkansas stone.
“The frequency of A.G.’s ad in magazines and then the offering of these stones in the A.G. Russell Catalog of Knives was very important in making these stones readily available nationwide through the late 1960s and the 1970s,” observed Goldie. “There is still a large quantity of the small stones that he had cut during those years in our inventory. That is how he started what became A.G. Russell Knives.”
It’s a misnomer Arkansas stone’s hardness corresponds to its color. Similar colors can be noted in different grades, as the coloration is purely a matter of trace mineralization in the stones. (Image courtesy of Chris Stillian)
Novaculite stones, therefore, maintain their place in the practical and the historical aspects of the knife industry, and their relevance is not likely to fade. Those who are familiar with their capabilities remain loyal. They appreciate the investment of time and effort required to bring out that razor-sharp edge, and there is something timeless and reaffirming in the process.
Novaculite Grades
The stones themselves are available in four major grades. “Users should be aware that color is not the determining factor in grading novaculite,” explained Kirschman. “Some users have been defining whetstone grades by color, but the same colors may be seen in more than one grade. Color is caused by trace minerals that are dispersed through the rock during sedimentary formation more than 350 million years ago and subsequent geological activity.”
The major grades of novaculite include the following:
Soft Arkansas: The most popular all-purpose stone often used by wood carvers, sportsmen, butchers, commercial knife sharpeners and even housewives who desire keen, polished edge in a minimum of time.
Hard Arkansas: A fine grit stone good for everyday maintenance and popular among woodcrafters and the dental industry.
Translucent and True Hard Arkansas: An extra fine stone with a glassy feel and used in industrial applications requiring an extremely fine polish. It appears in a variety of colors.
Black Arkansas: Sometimes referred to as “surgical black” stone, the finest grade abrasive available today, delivering a mirror polish.
Among the most critical factors of using natural stones to sharpen knives is using honing oil. Oil keeps metal particles, or swarf, from clogging the stone’s natural pores, thus reducing its effectiveness. (Image courtesy of Chris Stillian)
The proper method of sharpening with a novaculite stone involves preparation and practice. “It’s an oil stone, so put a few drops of honing oil on it,” advised Stillian. “Hold a consistent angle, 15 to 20 degrees for most knives, use light to moderate pressure, and take smooth strokes. Start on soft or hard if the edge is dull, and finish on black or translucent. Raise a burr, then lighten pressure. Clean with soap or solvent to avoid glazing. Strop afterward for extra keenness, if you like.”
Those About To Rock
According to Chris, consistent purchasers and users include enthusiasts, woodworkers and chefs who “keep buying them for the feel, longevity and heritage. Synthetics rule high-volume work, but real Arkansas novaculite—especially the rare translucent and black grades—still sell at a premium to people who want the genuine article.”
Steve sees emerging interest as well. “The rising D.I.Y. (do it yourself) sharpening culture is a major driver,” he commented, “with the hobbyist segment now accounting for nearly 35 percent of total whetstone sales worldwide. Online tutorials and a deeper appreciation for craftsmanship have fueled this demand. Sustainability is a driver, as well. Modern consumers increasingly view natural stones as a “green” alternative to synthetics.
“Niche premium positioning, even while high-end market saturation is slowing growth in North America to about 4 percent, means natural stones remain a staple for professional chefs who prefer them for maintaining blade integrity,” Steve concluded. “And technological integration means that manufacturers are now developing beginner-friendly kits and instructional digital content to tap into 62 percent of home users who are interested in traditional sharpening but lack confidence in the technique.”
The future presents an atmosphere of coexistence among the Novaculite and synthetic options. The global whetstone market topped $457 million in value in 2024 and is expected to reach $677 million within eight years. Natural stone demand should stay steady, supported by its faithful and traditional users while welcoming explorers to these Ouachita wonders.
