In the Field

[Eric J]

Today I was asked by a Boy Scout if I had a sharpener on me. I didn't, but explained to him that I drove one up to the camp (Trask in Monrovia CA). He and another member went with me to the parking lot where I promptly rolled down my car window and used the edge to bring his knife back to shaving sharp in under a minute. The boys were impressed. There was a group of Cub Scout parents and scouts watching as well. The parents were dumbfounded. I explained how and why it worked. There will be interesting activities in a few driveways tonight

 

[James w]

Nice lol I use a coffe mug all the time just because

 

[jackknife]

Car window, coffee mug, bottom of soup bowl, smooth rock from a stream, side of a brick wall, all sharpen a knife pretty well if you're careful.

 

[bgentry]

That stuff is all great for touchups or for microbeveling. It's a neat skill to have to be able to use what's at hand.

Just don't mistake any of these touchup "found sharpeners" as a primary tool, or one you can use on a butter dull blade.

Brian.

 

[unit]

That stuff is all great for touchups or for microbeveling. It's a neat skill to have to be able to use what's at hand.

Just don't mistake any of these touchup "found sharpeners" as a primary tool, or one you can use on a butter dull blade.

Brian.

I think you underestimate what people have done in the woods out of necessity for generations. No one is suggesting that we throw away our honing tools, but it would be a mistake to think that these found sharpeners have not served as primary sharpeners for many who learned the skills necessary to make due with what they have available.

 

[cbwx34]

Today I was asked by a Boy Scout if I had a sharpener on me. I didn't, but explained to him that I drove one up to the camp (Trask in Monrovia CA). He and another member went with me to the parking lot where I promptly rolled down my car window and used the edge to bring his knife back to shaving sharp in under a minute. The boys were impressed. There was a group of Cub Scout parents and scouts watching as well. The parents were dumbfounded. I explained how and why it worked. There will be interesting activities in a few driveways tonight

I'm beginning to think that Cub/Boy Scouts should give a class on: How to Use Google & YouTube!

 

[Eric J]

They should have a better understanding of how to maintain their knives for sure! I see a lot of torn up blades at functions. Most Scoutmasters are clueless about sharpening (at least in my neck of the woods). Jackknife inspired me to freehand sharpen a few years ago. I'll be showing his video Monday night at the meeting!

I'm beginning to think that Cub/Boy Scouts should give a class on: How to Use Google & YouTube!

 

[awestib]

That stuff is all great for touchups or for microbeveling. It's a neat skill to have to be able to use what's at hand.

Just don't mistake any of these touchup "found sharpeners" as a primary tool, or one you can use on a butter dull blade.

Brian.

Exactly my thoughts!

 

[bgentry]

I think you underestimate what people have done in the woods out of necessity for generations. No one is suggesting that we throw away our honing tools, but it would be a mistake to think that these found sharpeners have not served as primary sharpeners for many who learned the skills necessary to make due with what they have available.

Hey welcome back! Nice to see you again.

I just see a lot of talk about coffee cups and car windows around here as if they were "the only thing you'll ever need". I disagree with that idea. To really sharpen a dull edge you need a better tool. Could you do it if you had nothing but a car window and a knife so dull it was 1/16" wide where there should be an edge? Probably. But you wouldn't want to. ...and that's my point: Really dull edges need something else.

Brian.

 

[jackknife]

Hey welcome back! Nice to see you again.

I just see a lot of talk about coffee cups and car windows around here as if they were "the only thing you'll ever need". I disagree with that idea. To really sharpen a dull edge you need a better tool. Could you do it if you had nothing but a car window and a knife so dull it was 1/16" wide where there should be an edge? Probably. But you wouldn't want to. ...and that's my point: Really dull edges need something else.

Brian.

For rebeveling a really dull edge, you can make do with what's around you.

I love my sister in law Diane, she's great. But she doesn't have a sharp knife in her whole kitchen. Since I do a lotos cooking, I took one knife of hers, that she agreed will be put aside for when I'm over helping make a family dinner. I took that knife out back and in 10 minutes had it re-beveled. How? Simple but crude, I used the cement steps back by the basement door. It was rough concrete, and took steel off pretty quick. When I had a nice bevel, I then went to a large soup tureen that had a nice big rough ring on the bottom. That took abut 5 minutes. Then I went to a smoother unglazed ring on a coffee mug. Took about 10 minute. A few minutes stropping on the back of my leather belt and it would slice newspaper nice and clean and smoothly. About a half hour total.

The concrete was rough, and did a good job like a very course stone. You can do the same on any sewer edge, sidewalk, cement block. It sounds rough, but if your going to finish on a smoother medium, no problem.

 

[leghog]

Today I was asked by a Boy Scout if I had a sharpener on me. I didn't, but explained to him that I drove one up to the camp (Trask in Monrovia CA). He and another member went with me to the parking lot where I promptly rolled down my car window and used the edge to bring his knife back to shaving sharp in under a minute. The boys were impressed. There was a group of Cub Scout parents and scouts watching as well. The parents were dumbfounded. I explained how and why it worked. There will be interesting activities in a few driveways tonight

I'd have explained to the scout that had he been prepared he'd need not ask. I'd then have let him wait to get home to sharpen his knife. At a later date I'd have shown him that frosted class can be used in a pinch to hone an edge.

 

[DeadboxHero]

If only I was a scout, I would have learned about knives much sooner

Good work Eric