Skill #1 – Sharpening Without a Sharpener
We’ve all done it; set up camp in a remote place only to realize that we forgot to sharpen our knife. DOH! It’s frustrating spending all weekend doing camp activities with a knife-shaped bowling ball. What to do? Have no fear, there are many ways to sharpen and hone your knife in the field without a proper sharpener. Granted, you should never leave the house for a camping trip without something like a trusty Work Sharp Field Sharpener. But alas, it happens. Take these steps to bring your edge back in the field.
Begin by determining how “dull is dull”. If it wouldn’t cut warm butter, you need to scour the area for a rock with a relatively smooth surface. Look in creek-beds for one that has been smoothed by water. Chances are, you will be able to find a rough grained rock that has enough of a flat spot where you can draw your blade over from tip to tang. If your stroke is “into” the edge, just make sure the apex isn’t catching too hard on an uneven surface. If it is, draw the knife away from the edge (backwards). Do this until the edge reaches an apex. Then move to something finer.
A favorite “fine-grit” solution is a ceramic coffee cup. The underside of the cup will have a ring where there was no glaze when the cup was fired. This exposed raw ceramic is fine grained and will produce a keen edge. If the ceramic seems to get clogged, add some water and let it create a little slurry. This will make it sharpen even better.
Another go-to is the edge of a car window. The edge is sanded and has a frosted appearance. This extra fine abrasive is just enough to hone and knife and bring it back to “sharp”. Granted this method only works if you are car-camping.
Finally, your belt is a good substrate too. Find some fine sand or clay soil and wet a slurry onto the belt. Draw the knife backwards, making sure not to roll the knife. Laying the belt on a flat table will help. Don’t press too hard and be sure to make the same stroke over and over until you reach the apex.
Stay Tuned for the next Knife Skill: Understanding Angles
Knife Skills is a collection of important techniques that all people should know. These valuable life-skills will significantly improve your experience with knives and produce better results with all knife tasks.
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