Question: Seeking organization advice -- sharpening tools

My graver sharpening method consists of (template assisted) hand sharpening on a couple of different grits of water stone, followed by polishing on a leather strop.

Because of budget issues (this is a hobby, I doubt I could recoup money spent on equipment), I can't justify any kind of powered upgrade for my sharpening set up for now.

I'm wondering how folks who are doing this the hard way like me manage all of the sharpening "stuff." I don't have the space for a dedicated sharpening station. And wet sharpening is, to me, a worst-of-all-worlds combination of: being inherently messy, yet also needing to be clean between steps to avoid contamination.

My "engraving" space feels invaded by all this stuff: a water tray for soaking stones, an elevated tray for air drying stones, a small metal pan for sharpening which allows me to slide my template back and forth as needed, paper towels for wiping between grits, a leather strop block, and stroping compound.

I feel like a black-and-white halfwit in an infomercial. There has got to be a better way!!

Any advice?

Go onto diamond stones which need no water and are relativly cheap. I use a toast (yes bread toast) rack to store my diamond lapping discs. These were £4 each on eBay and i have various grits. If you have a drill press you can use that as powered assist before you get a hone.

I found plastic chopping boards are a good surface to use templates on. So is any form of perspex

I have a hoover to suck up any dust. I store all of this in a small drawer.

I was seriously looking at water stones and contacted the distributor. He advised that if you are using carbide tools the only real way to sharpen them effectively is diamond. I got a set with my templates and they work great. I invested in a ceramic lap and some diamond spray and that puts a real polish on the gravers. I did invest in a cheap variable speed bench grinder for initial shaping because on most profiles there is considerable metal to remove. The stones and templates fit nicely in one drawer of the toolbox I keep by my bench.

The table top drill press from Harbor Freight is the cheapest way to get a power hone without a lot of work. I built one of these. http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?15498-Low-speed-bi-directional-6-quot-power-hone Not sure on what I spent. I also built it inside of an electrical junction box that added another $20 to it. But it fits in an 8x8 box and weighs about 3 pounds.

even if it's a hobby, you'll likely find that you will amass quite a lot of "stuff". much of this "stuff" can be created from odds & ends in the junk drawer. such will cost nothing, or at least very little. you will need at the very least, a small, portable, folding bench. with a bit of creativity on your part, it should be easy to find a spot under a stairwell, or other out of the way location to store yer "stuff". to succeed at any level in this art, one must adopt and practice a positive attitude.
i hope i'm wrong, but your post almost seems that you're accepting failure before you even start. take some time - look thru this forum. there's perhaps dozens of tips, tricks, and little ideas that will assist you in getting off to a good start. good luck, and be patient.

For 20+ years my entire hand sharpening "system" could fit in the palm of your hand. Takes up no room whatsoever.

Here it is. I would sharpen the face on the diamond hone, then sharpen the heel on the ceramic which has brown (coarse) on one side and white (fine) on the other. The 3/32" HSS blank was used as a guide for heel sharpening, and if I needed a mirror polish on the heel I would use the red ruby stone.