How To Sharpen Your Survival Knife

Maintaining your blade's cutting edge should always be a concern, especially if you're venturing into potentially hazardous conditions. Sharpening a knife is a talent that may be learned.

To achieve that razor-sharp blade, you must master the art of sharpening. When sharpening, you essentially brush the edge of your survival knife against a sharpening stone.

 

Sharpening your knives can be done on a variety of surfaces, including:

 

Another Knife's Blade

The thickness of the second blade serves as an excellent sharpener for the first. It is a hard surface with a rounded edge that can provide your blade with the necessary rubbing.

 

The Underside of a Ceramic Mug

While ceramic sharpeners are available on the market, you don't need to worry if you don't have one. Instead, use the back of a ceramic cup. The cup's rim provides an ideal area for honing your knife.

 

Strap made of leather

While leather straps do not sharpen the blade, they do realign and refine it. You can even utilize your leather belt to restore your knife's functionality. You may sharpen the blade by rubbing it against the edge, allowing you to make the best use of it as is.

 

A Stone with a Smooth and Round Edge

In the lack of a sharpener, a smooth stone is the next best thing. The blade will operate absolutely fine if you rub it against the side of the stone. Furthermore, whether in the wilderness or at home, you may easily locate a decent-sized stone laying about in your yard.

 

Traditional Knife Sharpeners

The instruments indicated above are unusual, and most people don't sharpen their knives with them on a regular basis. You make the best of what you have in a crisis, and you may need to turn to one of the options listed above. However, you are not required to do so on a daily basis. It is usually better to go prepared while embarking on outings into the wilderness, such as hiking, camping in the woods, or overnight fishing trips.

 

Sharpening Diamonds

A diamond sharpener is the greatest instrument for sharpening knives and produces the best results. You've probably seen chefs brush their professional blades against that rough-textured rod with a handle in movies. That's a diamond sharpener you're looking at. It is the most compact and portable tool available. It delivers the greatest results because it is the toughest material found naturally on Earth.

 

Things to Consider When Sharpening Your Survival Knife

Here are some tips to consider before sharpening your survival knife:

 

Proper planning is key - Survival knife sharpening is a difficult task. While the procedure is not lengthy, it is rather difficult. If you don't properly prepare your tools, you could not obtain the greatest outcomes.

 

Add Water to the Surface - Moisture on the surface is critical for adding exactly the appropriate amount of slip to the surface. Whetstones, in particular, must be soaked for at least five minutes before use. The lack of moisture has a substantial impact on their performance.

 

Use a Firm Surface - Because the knife's blade must be sharpened with extreme care, you must position the sharpener on a stable surface. If it wobbles, it is not only harmful to you but is also counter-productive because it might impair the blade's angle.

 

Conclusion

Sharpening a survival knife isn't as complicated as it seems. All you need is a durable, round-edged, and smooth surface to polish your blade whenever and wherever you want.

In fact, if you're outside, you'll have access to a variety of stones that can serve as an excellent knife sharpener.