I use a couple of strips of natural chamois to keep knives in place when clamped…works very well. I think the best investment I’ve made in terms of accessories is a USB microscope for checking edges. It works extremely well for checking a variety of things related to the edge; angle, chipping, uneven grind, verifying whether you’re ready to move up with stones, etc.
I also use it off stand for checking stone contamination to avoid unnecessary stone maintenance.At 80-100X you can clearly see metal fragments and clear them more selectively with rare earth magnets. Speaking of which, I have two rod shaped magnets that I slide into a straw. I roll the straw down the length of the stones a couple of times, then hold the straw over the trash can and remove the magnets. the fragments fall into the trash and don’t adnere to the magnet, so it’s a lot neater. With other shaped magnets, just putthem in a plastic bag first. When you’re done, remove them from the bag as toss it;your magnets stay clean that way
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