Sharpening Round/head Knife In The Old Days...

[leathertoolz]

This is a case where operator skill is more important than the abrasive object being used. My old stockman's pocket knife is always shaving sharp and all I ever use to sharpen it is a couple of Arkansas stones followed by a quick stropping on my boot top. My three brother in laws all carry high dollar "tactical" pocket knives which they attempt to sharpen on fancy Lansky setups, etc. Their knives are never what I would consider sharp. Of course in a "tactical" situation they may have me beat, as long they did not need a sharp knife. It is a matter of how much time you put into developing the skill to use the tools that are available not the tools that are available..

Thank you for the comment.

it's skill that matters! : )

[zuludog]

Just been watching a TV programme about Stonehenge and its associated structures

In some burial mounds archaeologists have found bronze daggers and their whetstones dating from the early Bronze age, about 1800 to 1500 BC

A bit of Surfing shows that Whetstones dating from the same sort of period have been found in South East Asia, China, and Italy

Even before that, stone axes were shaped & polished by rubbing them against another stone.

So it would be pretty obvious that metal workers had a long history, experience, & tradition of sharpening things

[krusatyr]

The bottom of most ceramic dishes have an unglazed ceramic "ring" that is more or less the equivalent of manufactured ceramic sharpening stones. Embarrass your wife/friends by sharpening your dinner knife on the dishes while waiting on your order at a restaurant.