ANSWERED: Field/Stone Sharpening 45VN (Para 2)

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rocketbomb said:
What knife or knives have you used so far that worked well for you?
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I had a USAF survival knife and it made me feel safer but it was very heavy. And every motion with it seemed to require more energy than necessary.

I had a generic pakistani 3.5" blade that I liked but it was too heavy.

I borrowed an ESEE 3 once and that was good. But I hated the sheath on my hip especially with a pack.

I used to carry a machete a long time ago and that was great, but really heavy and annoying on your hip and I don't like having to take the pack down to get my knife.

The first lockback I trusted was the opinel because of the big hunk of metal keeping it from closing on my hand.
 
rocketbomb said:
What knife or knives have you used so far that worked well for you?
Click to expand...
I had a USAF survival knife and it made me feel safer but it was very heavy. And every motion with it seemed to require more energy than necessary.

I had a generic pakistani 3.5" blade that I liked but it was too heavy.

I borrowed an ESEE 3 once and that was good. But I hated the sheath on my hip especially with a pack.

I used to carry a machete a long time ago and that was great, but really heavy and annoying on your hip.
 
shoes_1389718c.jpg


I wear these when sharpening with a river rock. Changed my life!
 
Everybody sharpen like a man!

Then remember to remove all unnecessary thread from the lining of your whitey tighties, shaving off .006 ounces from your overall weight and potentially increasing your speed by approximately three steps every 6 hours…





Like a man!
 
campandtravel said:
1. Find the Diamond/CBN Sharpmaker rod, in your pack.

2. Sharpen your knife

3. Throw the rod, back in the pack..
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I use to do a fair amount of hiking, mountain biking, caving, etc...

I'm well versed in hand sharpening. Sharpening stone's, river rocks, mountain stone's, old rusty pipes, frosted edge of glass, etc, etc, etc...

I use to carry and still have an old stone, I use to carry. It's all of 1"x4" and always worked wonders, in the field.
Now a days, I'll carry a Spyderco Sharpmaker, diamond rod. Barely weighs a thing.

Maybe it's the perspective of what you are sharpening with, that could have a little change?
I know, for myself, I could always find a courser rock, out on my hikes.
We have sand stones, that are about a 400grit.. or mountain stones that can be 200grit..

I would never deprive myself of the knife/steel, I could possibly be saving my life with. Not over a OZ of weight and whether I could only sharpen it on a river rock. (Just my thought)
 
winnerone23 said:
Maybe it's the perspective of what you are sharpening with, that could have a little change?
Click to expand...
Nope. After more than 30 years of back-country overnighters, I've found this is the best way to go. Sharpen on a river rock. I get shave-worthy edges (and I actually shave with my knife in the field) and have to carry no extra weight. It's the right solution for being in the field, for sure.

All of the other people I know who are in the field a lot agree. Not one of them has a stone. It would break, or get lost, or just weigh too much. For a weekend warrior that's fine, you can just get another one at Home Depot. But it's not okay when you're out there. It's funny to me that people on this board have such trouble understanding that.
winnerone23 said:
I use to do a fair amount of hiking, mountain biking, caving, etc...
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Uh huh. And how many weeks or months without resupply does your caving expedition last? People seem to be trying to pretend that their use case is my use case instead of answering what I asked.

Anyway this thread has been answered. 45VN is not good for my use case (being in the field). Wish I could close the thread.
 
campandtravel said:
The question is if I can sharpen 45VN on a river stone.
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Easy. Buy the knife, dull it on purpose and get a sample of the river stones you are likely to encounter during your hikes/trips/expeditions/whatever and try to sharpen. Because not all stones are equal, as you surely know.

If you succeed sharpening to your standards (not anyone else's standars), keep the knife for your hikes. If not, try with another steel and keep the knife for other uses or sell it.


I don't know how/where you hike but for what you mention about the weight savings, you seem to enjoy going ultralight. Usually ultralight goes along with long hikes where you try to cover as much terrain as possible each day. Again, USUALLY, most of the ultralight hikers live by the leave-no-trace motto, which means very little woodcraft (no fire processing, no hacking at stuff, etc). That said... what kind of cutting needs do you have during the day to foresee the need for sharpening your knife daily? Food prep, unless you cut against a rock, does not damage the edges too much. Cutting open food packages doesn't chip your blade either...

Just curious.

I like knives and have a bunch. Folders and fixed. And when I go "hiking or rock/ice/alpine climbing"... I usually get one of the ligthest ones in my arsenal, make sure it has a decent edge and forget about it. Unless I have to cut cord to replace belay/abseil ropes... sometimes I don't even use it during the whole trip.

Mikel
 
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