Sharpening Knives 101
The basic skill of properly sharpening knives is simple, but yet essential to keeping your survival pocket knife (or any other) razor sharp, and at the ready.
First you need a sharpening stone. There are lots of varieties, sizes and shapes. The sharpener shown in the picture happens to be a Double Sided Diafold Sharpener
The key to sharpening a knife is to hold the knife at the angle of the sharpened edge, and to push it forward across the sharpening stone while holding that angle steady.
You don’t slide the knife back up the stone. You lift the knife and start over from the top of the sharpener and slide down.
The hardest part when sharpening by hand (without a jig) is to hold the knife blade at the proper angle. It may help to set it on the edge of the stone, look closely at the blade edge, and lift the knife until you can see the angle of the sharpened edge of the blade begin to sit ‘flat’ against the stone (sharpener surface).
It’s pretty simple… but worth a few pictures to show you how.
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In a hurry??? Use the bottom of a ceramic cup–yep–it works!!
Thanks JayJay, great tip.
I use the V or X style sharpeners. Basically a jig with a handle. Usually have diamonds in them. Be sure that the sharpener steel is harder then the knife steel.
I also refuse to buy knives made of cheap (soft) steel. I’d rather be using the knife than sharpening it every day. Avoid Chinese made knives. Piss poor steel. I have a knife that my grandfather made. Still in good working order. He died, almost 70 years ago, before I was born.
Gerber used to be a quality brand. Now there mostly Chinese crap. Good locations for manufacture include USA, Austria, Sweden, and Germany.
Be well.
A comment from the MSB Facebook page which is relevant here… “Diamond file, some dripping water onto it when sharpening, to float off the microscopic filings and all will be well. Using oil blocks pores on sharpening stones and files and doesn’t let the filings float away. Just sharpened my Buck and I’ll tell you, slightly frightened of its edge now! Sharpening a machete is also a ‘very’ worrying task…”