keeping a knife sharp in the field

S

SkaerE

Joined
Sep 9, 2001
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whats the best method? can't imagine everyone packs a spyderco sharpmaker in thier pockets everyday.

so first off, when camping/backpacking etc - whats the best, easiest, most foolproof?

second, in a survival situation, your knife is gonna get dull - what then?
 
For several years now I've carried a cut down Ez-lap hone in my wallet. It's one of the small pocket diamond jobs with the red plastic handle about 6 inches long by about an inch wide. I cut down the handle leaving just enough to hang onto behind the diamond part of it. Since its flat I keep it in the side pocket of my Eagle Creek trifold wallet. I'll touch up my pocket knife now and then with it.

I've always thought if you carry a knife, you should carry something small to touch it up with.
 
Can't say what the best method is, but I can tell you what I do.

I carry a soft piece of buffalo leather about 6 in. square and a piece each of 600 grit W/D and 1500 grit W/D paper.

Also, I just picked up 3 credit card sized diamond sharpeners in 400, 600 and 1200. The whole lot doesn't take up much room and sharpens everything I'm likely to carry into the bush.
 
I carry a dmt duosharp with a coarse and fine side and a gerber diamond rod I got free when I bought an ez out.
 
In a survival situation you will be lucky to have a knife.

But anyway, A little piece of sandpaper will last for literaly years, A while back I was asked to do a dovetailing seminars. It wasn't about sharpening so I thought rather than bring all my stones I would just stick two pieces of sandpaper to a block of wood and use those if a tool got dropped. Was still using those two scraps in a pro shop years later. They changed, but they still sharpened. So get some good PSA sandpaper and glue it to something. I wouldn't bother with the stones.
 
Protactical said:
In a survival situation you will be lucky to have a knife.

But anyway, A little piece of sandpaper will last for literaly years, A while back I was asked to do a dovetailing seminars. It wasn't about sharpening so I thought rather than bring all my stones I would just stick two pieces of sandpaper to a block of wood and use those if a tool got dropped. Was still using those two scraps in a pro shop years later. They changed, but they still sharpened. So get some good PSA sandpaper and glue it to something. I wouldn't bother with the stones.
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Sounds like a great idea! Cheap, convenient, and easy to carry.
What grits do you recommend? Thanks.
 
SkaerE said:
... in a survival situation, your knife is gonna get dull - what then?
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Sharpening in those conditions is more to do with accidental impacts than actual dulling from use. It takes a *long* time to dull even decent knives on vegetation. I have tried using woods to benchmark edge retention many times but you have to cut so much of it, literally thousands of cuts, and similar for chopping, and even then you don't have a horribly dull blade, it just starts to have problems slicing paper, and if you have one of the better steels it takes even longer.

However one bad glance, or one miscut, or a dirty piece of bark and the edge is *gone*. I carry a means to reshape the edge, with an axe this is a bastard file and a coarse/fine hone, DMT 600/1200 works very well. For most knives the file won't work so I carry some 100 aluminum oxide sandpaper on a piece of hardwood which works as an aggressive pseudo-file for the harder steels, this will grind out any damage and the DMT will quickly micro-bevel.

-Cliff
 
Here's an idea, never take a dull knife into the bush. That means never store a dull knife and always check your edge before you head out.

I carry a little US military ceramic stone with me in the bush but I rarely use it. Mac
 
I carry a coarse/fine oval shaped diamond hone that stores in it's handle in the field to take care of things. I agree with Cliff on this one. I usually carry at least two knives in the woods, usually an F1 for small things, and a BK-1 brute for chopping/batonning etc. The F1 has never needed touch up, and the Brute has only needed care when accidently smacking rocks while chopping, and even then, I could have waited til I got home, but I can't stand a non optimal knife when it doesn't have to be that way. For those of you knife knuts that are saying "what, only two knives" I will add that I usually carry a wave or juice and a sak usually a rucksack or hiker, I used to carry a small hatchet also, but I can pretty much do anything a hatchet can do with my BK Brute. If you haven't looked at a brute, you should, that thing is an animal. Cliff, when you say for most knives a file won't work, what are you specifically talking about? I used a 2nd cut hand file to reprofile my Kershaw outcast D2 blade just fine as well as a becker companion. Also, several knives with D2 blades that are advertised at RC 60. It is much faster than working at them forever with stones. I am not bashing you at all, I am sincerely asking for clarification on your statement. I don't always agree with your methods or testing, but I respect your opinions.
 
Cliff Stamp said:
I have tried using woods to benchmark edge retention many times but you have to cut so much of it, literally thousands of cuts, and similar for chopping, and even then you don't have a horribly dull blade, it just starts to have problems slicing paper, and if you have one of the better steels it takes even longer.-Cliff
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Agreed, I did a test on 55-57 AUS8 from KA-BAR and once sharpened and polished with high # it basically wore me out trying to blunt it on hardwood.

If you have no particular skill and dont mind a little extra size DMT make a sharpmaker style system than has a couple of diamond stones (they look about medium) that would weigh very little. The base is a lot smaller than the Spyderco too. They (DMT) also make a Lansky type system that is pretty nice and very light. The advantage of course is the width and the lengevity of DMT's stones, which, according to the rep at SHOT Show said they never wear out due to blah blah blah...

Anyway DMT stuff is pretty nice and they use water not oil. Clean them up if dirty/clogged up looking with a pencil eraser.
 
The Outcast is 54/56, so it should file readily. I have not hard much success with filing harder steels as they have to be viced or similar to allow you to press down hard enough to get solid cutting action and a 200 grit silicon carbide waterstone is usually more effective. Which brand of files do you use?

-Cliff
 
I use Nicholson files, and I have to admit that I file the blades while installed in the flip of my EZE Sharp. The files remove steel fast (faster than my 200 grit silicon carbide)
 
What stone is it exactly and how are you using it? I'll have to pick up some decent files. I have used black diamond, mastercraft, crocodile (come with machetes) and a nicholson (but it wasn't new).

-Cliff
 
This stone

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=33025&cat=1,43072,43071&ap=1

edge leading with pretty firm pressure on the blade. I don't know exactly how much pressure, but I would estimate 10lbs or so.

remember that the larger the file, the more aggressive the teeth (given the same designation ie bastard, 2nd, fine) I typically will use a/an 8 or 10 inch second cut or bastard hand file. A mill file will give you a smoother cut, but the hand file is more aggressive.
 
I use the same stone but way more force, about 50-70 lbs. I cut it into blocks and use them like files.

-Cliff
 
I simply carry a ceramic rod with the knife. For 1095 steel it seems just perfect for me.
DSCN1677.jpg
 
SkaerE said:
so first off, when camping/backpacking etc - whats the best, easiest, most foolproof?
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I bought myself Gatco Tri-Seps. Actually, now I like it more than Tri-Angle - it is compact and only one stone to wash instead of 4 after sharpening. It sharpens knives usually not as good as Tri-Angle, but knives usually can shave hair on my hand after sharpening. However, it took me a while to learn to use it properly.

SkaerE said:
second, in a survival situation, your knife is gonna get dull - what then?
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Get knife with soft steel and sharpen on almost any stone. I read this recommendation before, apparently stating this was the reason why Finnish hunters liked knives with soft steel.
 
OmegaA,

How do you like the Gatco Tri-Seps? I'm thinking of buying one but they don't say if the diamond version is fine, medium or coarse.

Do you have the ceramic or diamond version?

Would you recommend it?

I'm looking for a portable sharpener for backpacking that is easy to use (I'm a sharpening newbie so it needs to be idiot-proof) and capable of sharpening S30V steel.
 
Fallkniven makes (or at least sells) a credit card size diamond/ceramic combo stone. Comes in a leather pouch. Weights nothing. Costs about $30 (largest version DC4). I love it.
 
I have a plastic spice pot containing
*wet&dry
*240grit
*360grit
*800grit
*1500grit
*small piece of leather with buffing compound
*film pot with bees wax type stuff in for protecting leather and carbon steel
*sponge to apply the wax
 
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