knife sharpning

there is alot of debate about which is the best / most usefull knife in survival situations but a dull knife is as bad (almost)as no knife, and sharpening knives is not simply a matter of slapping the blade aginst a stone. one of my friends use to sharpen his knife on a grinder(god forbid) and they were junk in a few weeks. i personaly use a lansky sharpner as it sets a constant angle and leaves an edge like a factory fresh blade, but when in the field i like these small (credit card size diamond "stones" they are actully flat steel plates) smokey mountain knife works sells them, but you can get them from russel knives which also sells a small assortment of good field sharpening equipment. keep it sharp and a good knife won't let you down.

I bought an interesting little sharpener at Big 5 a couple of weeks back.

Made by Smith's, found in the knife section.
It's bright yellow plastic.

It sharpens by drawing the blade through a notch with two carbide inserts within that are set at an angle.
About ten strokes will bring a very dull blade back.

The other side also has a notch and there are a couple of angled ceramic rods in it for the final finishing.

I've tried quite a few other methods and usually use a couple of Arkansas stones - one soft, one hard - but this little sharpener did a good and quick job.

Smith's makes two models of this sharpener.
A small pocket sized one for $3.99 which is what I have.
The other, larger and will also sharpen scissors - $7.99.

Just the thing for a survivalist pack methinks....

I keep one of those steel plate diamond imbedded sharpeners in my bag which I daily take to work. Got it at Wally World. I also have in this same bag one of those rod type diamond impregnated sharpeners. Both have slots in them for sharpening fish hooks.
I am constantly amazed, but I shouldn't be, at the number of people who have no concept of how to sharpen a knife.
OLde timers at this shipyard taught me to sharpen my knives. I am grateful to them for this lifelong skill. Like many such small skills, riding a bicycle, these stick with you the rest of your days.

I have discovered that a knife and in like manner a screw driver are two of the most openly abused tools in the inventory. Horrible abuses suffered by these two tools and by people who do not know how to properly use or maintain them.

I also keep a number of stones of different fineness or grit in my garage for sharpening knives, axes, and blades of different parts as well as working specific surfaces like stoning cylinder heads. Some of these as well as an assortment of files I keep in a oil bath in an olde tupperware container.

What would one do out in the wild..if you did not have this equipment to help maintain an edge? I suppose if you knew enough about stones and differenty types of stones you could eventually find one suitable for maintaining an edge on such equipment.

One intresting piece of information which at the time caught me totally off guard..was a demonstration in National Geographic Magazine of some African Peoples butchering an Elephant. One group was given regular knives in the task and the other group was given flint knives made by the operators of the experiment. The ones with the steel knives finished first but not that much faster than the flint group.
What the shocker was to me is that under magnification the flint is actually a sharper edge than the steel knives. Up to this point I had never considered such. The steel under the same magnification looked pitted and porous by comparison.
It was a very intresting experiment and remains in my memory to this day for its surprises.

Thanks to all for their posts on this thread,
Orangetom

Well there is so much that I could say on this subject. I have a several opinions on it. I am going to just voice one at this time.

GO BACK TO BASICS.

If you find yourself in sit X, what is going to happen if you loose or break your lansky system or the diamond steels?

Go to the hardware store and buy a plain whetrock. Learn how to use it to get a Decent edge. After you practice this look up on the internet or where ever and find natural stones that have been used in the past as whetrocks. See if you can find some laying around your area. Try pick up any rock and see if it will work.

In my opinion, survival is about knowing the basics, living is about expanding on those basics.

[edit on 24-1-2007 by ultralo1]

[edit on 24-1-2007 by ultralo1]

I am glad you brought this up as I have said in other posts. Knowledge is the one tool that you can't break or misplace, and the more you have the more likely you will be able to apply it in situations that are not expected.


Edit to remove all caps.

[edit on 24-1-2007 by mrwupy]

I need to learn how to sharpen knives correctly. Every time I attempt it, they become duller than when I started. I guess I need to find someone in my area that can teach me "hands on" so that I can see what I'm doing wrong.

Here is a small walk through

www.buckknives.com...

I use a commercial knife sharpener from a meat packing plant to put the right shape on the blade.
Very few new knives have a proper shape to the blade

From then on it only takes a fine Diamond plate to keep the knife sharp.

Different types of blades take a different first shaping for the use they will be put to.
A fishing knife is a lot different edge from a hunting knife and different from a meat cleaver.

Scandinavian, Sabre, Convex, Hollow Grind....many blade edges, many differing ways to sharpen them. A Convex is the ultimate in strength and this edge needs nothing but a good stropping irregularly to keep it at its absolute best.

Over sharpening is as bad to a blade geometry as under sharpening and bluntness.

A Scandinavian is a good strength / edge compromise and very easy to field maintain, but again, needs a bit of thought to maintain. A Lansky is not the best way to maintain one of these.

Could I suggest you make an entire thread devoted to the differing blade edges and their respective methods of sharpening? That would be helpful.

The bottom of a ceramic plate or bowl can put a nice edge on a blade, so good one can shave the hairs off one's arm fairly easily.
In a survival situation I suppose the best place to look is in a riverbed for a hard flattish piece of rock.

To sharpen a blade you must think blade.
Push too hard and your edge will curl, too light and it'll take forever.
Pull away from the edge (opposite cutting direction) on the sharpening stone and you'll get debris and feathering on your edge, but sharpen in a circle or into (cutting direction) the blade edge debris and feathering will slough off.
And your angle of attack must be right, smaller angle, sharper but more delicate edge, higher angle will make a less sharp, but more durable edge.
And when finished check the both sides of the blade feel equal with no edge chaff and feathering and if there is remove it by lightly honing it.
Note, I always lighten up toward the end of my sharpening because the sharp edge is more delicate and that is all that is needed to remove edge feathering.

That's mostly my method and I can shave my arms with a swiss army knife blade.

(Note: I do not normally shave my arms, or my legs.)

I have my grandfather's carborundum "razor stone" from the 1930s. It puts a super-sharp edge on a blade, but the sharpness quickly dissipates. Obviously for putting the best edge on your ... straight razor (gasp!).

I keep it for dressing a deer when I am trying to save the hide, and am afraid it will tear. A super-sharp blade means you can slice, instead of snagging your way through fascia.

Ok, that's not why I have it. I keep it for in case my wife the medical professional has to perform surgery in a crisis situation.


That, plus I have a really mean beard that it constantly 5 o'clock shadow, no matter how hard I shave. I have my Granddad's old straight razor. I am tempted to use it, but I never do because I'm afraid I'll decapitate myself!

I been gifted a variety of sharpening devices. They're crap.

Using a stone is not a difficult skill to acquire it just requires practice. You'll get a better and longer lasting edge than you will with any other "tool".

reply to post by wcssar





Just bought the new Gerber tactical downrange sharpener........LOVE IT. And it fits perfectly in front pouch on my Chris Reeves Pacific Sheath.

Desert Dawg
I bought an interesting little sharpener at Big 5 a couple of weeks back.

Made by Smith's, found in the knife section.
It's bright yellow plastic.

It sharpens by drawing the blade through a notch with two carbide inserts within that are set at an angle.
About ten strokes will bring a very dull blade back.

The other side also has a notch and there are a couple of angled ceramic rods in it for the final finishing.

I've tried quite a few other methods and usually use a couple of Arkansas stones - one soft, one hard - but this little sharpener did a good and quick job.

Smith's makes two models of this sharpener.
A small pocket sized one for $3.99 which is what I have.
The other, larger and will also sharpen scissors - $7.99.

Just the thing for a survivalist pack methinks....

I bought the exact same sharpener at my local Walmart sometime last year. It does work really well. I just pull my pocket knife blade a few times through the ceramic side every so often, and it keeps it fairly sharp. Just last night, though, I got out one my Arkansas stones and put my knife to it, and I could tell quite a difference. Nothing beats a good stone sharpening.

I would definitely recommend the ceramic/carbide sharpener for a survival/camping situation, though. Quick, easy and effective.