For the sandpaper method, I use:
1. A flat surface. A piece pf plate glass like a shelf from a medicine cabinet, will work, or you can use a cast iron table saw top, in which case you will want to use oil as a lubricant. If you can find a piece of flat polished granite, that is superb.
2. A honing guide. This will make life much easier starting out, as you can repeat the angle every time. This can be hand made from a block of wood, or commercially bought. The "Empire" style, which clamps the sides of the blade, can be had for about $15. It does poorly for chisels with beveled sides. The Veritas (Lee Valley) 05M02.01 ( about $36) has a clamp screw that sandwiches the blade, and just wide enough for the #5 or #7 Stanley irons (2 3/8") but is also very good for chisels, especially those with beveled sides. The Veritas Mark II 05M09.01 (about $55) has a wider roller and will take a wider blade, but has a setting guide that makes it very easy to set the angles. The roller position is also adjustable, to allow very long angles such as a skew chisel or a low angle block plane iron. As the guides can be used with oil stones, water stones, or paper, it will be usable for about any hand sharpening technique.
3: Wet-dry sandpaper (available at most automotive repair shops, but especially those that cater to car painters like Carquest, etc).
220 grit - to set a new primary bevel angle, take out large chips in the edge, and flattening the back of a cheap iron or chisel that has deep machining marks.
320 grit - removing moderate chips, removing 220 grit scratches
P400 grit - removing small nicks, starting point for a very dull blade, removing 320 grit scratches
P600 grit - starting to get a serious edge. Starting point when touching up the edge on mine if they are moderately dull, removing 400 grit scratches. Also used to remove the wire edge on the flat back after using the above grits
P1000 gr - Honing to sharp enough to shave with, removing 600 grit scratches, quick touch up as it dulls
P2000 gr - final polish and light touch-up for squirrely grain
Green rouge polishing compound - apply to leather strop, leather glued to flat board, or directly on unfinished flat piece of soft maple, etc. For use, blade is drug across from the back (not pushed edge first) to remove any 2000 gr scatches.
(Wet Dry above 2000 grit is made but hard to find and expensive)
Initially:
Spritz water from an old spray bottle onto the glass and back of the paper. Lay paper on glass and go to work. (Some glue the paper with spray adhesive, but I find this collects grit and causes uneveen spots in teh paper, so I don't do this)
Start by flattening back of iron or chisel absolutely flat through the 2000 gr.
Insert blade into honing guide and establish primary angle (for most Stanley blades 25 degrees is a place to start; bench chisels is about 35 degrees) and starting with 220, establish bevel all the way to the edge and through at least 2/3rds the blade thickness (all the way is better). Work through the grits to 600, and then flip blade over and remove wire edge with a couple side-to-side swipes.
Establish the secondary bevel: Slightly increase the angle by a couple degrees (with the Veritas guides, you can just turn the knob on the roller to increase the angle 2 degrees, and with a home-made wood guide, slide a piece of cardboard under the back edge of the blade) and work thorugh the 1000 and 2000 grits. finish with a side-to side back swipe on the 2000.
Rinse paper under a faucet to remove any iron and loose grit and store flat to dry
Drag the blade backwards across the honing strop for the final polish.
For touch-up, strop it. When that fails, go straight to secondary bevel and start at 1000 grit. It will only take a few swipes at each grit to get the edge back.
When secondary bevel is more than 1/2 the blade thickness, start over with a new primary bevel.
That's how I do it. Hope this helps
Go
Ran out of time, so hope I didn't forget anything. If I did, I'm sure others will fill in with their method.