Have you got a dull BOB?

I’ve been going through the BOB lists and more often than not find one very important thing missing.

A knife sharpener.

Not only is a dull knife most dangerous but it’s a real pain in the hinder too!

Believe it or not my favorite knife sharpener is a chainsaw sharpener - but - it takes a right amount of practice to use one (without eating up the blade of your knife) and they tend to be very brittle and break easily.
They're also tough to carry around - so I’ve moved on to a diamond encrusted sharpener like the one in the picture.
It has a pocket clasp you can clip on your shirt pocket (like a pen) and as the sharpening surface is hidden when you’re finished using it there’s no worry about breakage. (The top screws off and is kept in the handle when not in use).


Gerber Pocket Sharpener

Learning to sharpen your knifes is a task any of you who think you'll be on the bug-out should learn.

Since there are sooo many different methods of sharpening, not to mention the *wet* vs. *dry* debate (oil vs. spit, toward draw vs. away draw etc) I’ll just make a suggestion here.

Go to a local second-hand shop or garage sale (before they’re outlawed) and buy up a bunch of used kitchen/butcher knifes. Start on those - then move onto your hunting/protection knife.

I also use the pocket sharpener to sharpen my broad tips - and my hoof knife - but both can be tricky and you do need practice.

Good Luck!

EDIT:

If you've got any great tips for sharpening - please post them!
Personally I use the sharpener *dry* and I manipulate the sharpener, not the knife, which I hold steady and at an angle with my left hand...
But those are just my ways!
Point is it work great for me - from my kitchen knifes, to hunting to throwing knives - but I’d like to hear what you’ve got to add.

peace

[edit on 26-2-2009 by silo13]

I keep a few of the gerber ceramic credit card knife sharpeners in my BOB

reply to post by Northern Raider


This kind?



I've only seen them, never had a chance to use them.
Maybe I'll order a couple.
Hard to break old habits though - that and they don't look versatile enough to use on broad-tips, hoof knives, etc and I like to keep the BOB at a bare minimum - but i'll check them out.

Thanks

reply to post by silo13
Aye. I have me one of those kiddies too.

My two Khukris both come with a Chakmak.

Job done.

Okay im still new here and when someone says "BOB" well i think of one thing and i know it is not what you guys are talking about so please...someone enlighten me *giggles*

reply to post by tasim


HA!

It's "Bug Out Bag" - sort of like a bag w/ essentials in it in case SHTF.

reply to post by Nirgal

My two Khukris both come with a Chakmak.

*Runs to goodle*...

brb

reply to post by silo13



Fair point, well before we get another swathe of "What does BOB mean?" questions...

A Khukri (Ghurka knife) usually comes with two smaller knives. One of which is a sharpening blade.

Linky.

Nomal threading may now resume...


[edit on 26-2-2009 by Nirgal]

Originally posted by tasim
Okay im still new here and when someone says "BOB" well i think of one thing and i know it is not what you guys are talking about so please...someone enlighten me *giggles*

Aha another one I see with a battery operated boyfriend

i keep a water slip stone in my bob (aka camping gear to anyone else) , and i have to say that i have a really horrid habit of useing spit instead of water , i keep that quiet obviously, hate blunt tools, m x

reply to post by morganathefey


There’s been enough spit flyin’ ’round the campfire for so many years it could probably drown us all.
(Ewww what a gross though)...
It is kind of manly huh - spit spit - hone hone...

Then there’s the field of thought being lubricant moves the tiny particles honed off away from the knife blade allowing an even finer angle, sharper cut.

As for my dry honing - its just habit.

That and probably my Grandfather would have knocked me off my campfire log if anything other than something ladylike came out of my mouth.
LOL, what a rush - He taught me to make a fire in the rain and wind, track, hunt, fire load and clean many different guns, flesh and gut a carcass, even how to make a ball out of an animals bladder - but spit -nooooo!



peace