Sharpening Stones?

[Matt Lukes]

Hell, how did they sharpen their swords?

Can you also not use a piece of leather, for the final stages of the sharpening?

Leather is used to remove the "wire edge" that remains after sharpening. I wouldn't really call it sharpening, its more like polishing.

Actually it's not just leather in a strop guys- the leather's just the holder for polishing compounds like jeweler's rouge.

And my reason for thinking it not necessarily likely soliders would have had formal sharpening stones is exactly what I said- because just a round pebble from a stream would do. Why would you think there should be formal soldiers' sharpening stones?