Sharpening a kukri in 'the field'

C

C_1

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Aug 14, 2009
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I posted a thread for an 'inexpensive light chopper for camping,' and after some suggestions, and thinking it over, I ordered a Cold Steel Kukri 13 in.

It was also recommended that I take a 4-6 in file with me for touch up. Now my question is, which file do I buy? They have it at Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes, correct?

And is there anything else that packs light which can help smooth out the edge after the file? Some sandpaper or something?

Im pretty much a newbie so any help is appreciated. Thanks
 
I guess they recommended the file because its a quick and easy fix to dents or whatever from chopping? I dont know. Thats why I started this post.

Im kind of on a budget, so something inexpensive; and easy to use, when out in 'the field.' So a round diamond-coated rod will do the trick? Which one do you use? What are your thoughts on the Eze-lap?
 
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I assume you are talking about the CS Kukri machette. I just went through a simular thing. I have both the CS kukri machette, and a KHHI khukuri and I was looking for a way to maintain the edge on the KHHI one and there were a few posts that ranged from using a file, to a belt sander. The best was sharpening rods, they follow the curve great and give a good edge. What i finally setttled on getting is the Smiths Retractable Diamond Sharpener, it gave me a workable edge in no time and its about the size of a pen when colapsed
 
I'm on a budget ,too. I have a couple of the Gerber ones, about $10-12 bucks. There are China copies out there too that I've bought that worked well also. They are easy to carry in the bush. I guess you could use a small file to better a dented edge , but just for regular touch-up and stuff the rod is the ticket.
 
Yeah, CS Kukri machete.

Same here, I read that bringing a file will be a good thing, but using a belt sander is the best. Im guessing the file wont give it a razor sharp edge but a workable one. And bringing a belt sander while camping doesnt seem like a sound idea..

I was looking at the retractable sharpening rods as well. Seems nice and compact but then again, its kind of short. Did it work well for you?

So get both a sharpening rod and a file? Which file?
 
I did a quick look up for diamond sharpening rods on Amazon and this is what Im looking at:

Schrade SCHDDS Diamond Dust Sharpening Rod $7
Lanksky Folding Tapered Diamond Sharpening Rod (3.5") $12
Lanksky Retractable Diamond Rod (3.5) $13
Lanksky Folding Diamond Rod (3.5") $16
Smith's Retractable Diamond Pocket Sharpener (5.25") $16
EZ Lap Diamond Sharpening Rod (5") $23

Which one would you recommend?

I was also looking at those lil Gerber pocket sharpeners. Are those the ones you have and are they any good?
 
I like the Gerber's cos they are light,the rod has different profiles to use , and they aren't expensive. The Lansky one with the brass handle is good, but HEAVY and more expensive. Some of the other Lansky ones are ok, but the diameter of some of the rods are a little small for my liking.

The tapered ones are good for serrations ( which I don't like , but can work on other blades as well . Like I said , I like the Gerbers and their knock-offs, but you probably have more choices than I have. If it's for the bush, I'd get a straight ,retractable one . At home or base camp , I use the 12" fine DMT for my knives.

I'd get a fine cut mill file (8-10") if I was gonna use one on a knife.
 
I don't use a file on my khuks, but I've read about some serious khuk collectors using it as their primary sharpening implement... probably what the gurkhas used!

Another idea for field sharpening from another khuk expert in the UK was bringing some sheets of wet/dry sandpaper, placing them on one's leg while kneeling, and pushing the khuk edge-trailing down the paper. You can take multiple grits that'll weigh next to nothing. Personally, I haven't used this method lately, but I do often used sandpaper glued to a paint stirring stick for touch-ups.

Files and such don't have to be absolutely round in order to sharpen a khuk. Flat sharpeners can be used, as long as they're relatively narrow... say, no more than 1 1/4" wide. Most khuks aren't so drastically recurved that you'd actually need cylindrical sharpening tools.
 
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C_1 said:
Yeah, CS Kukri machete.

Same here, I read that bringing a file will be a good thing, but using a belt sander is the best. Im guessing the file wont give it a razor sharp edge but a workable one. And bringing a belt sander while camping doesnt seem like a sound idea..

I was looking at the retractable sharpening rods as well. Seems nice and compact but then again, its kind of short. Did it work well for you?

So get both a sharpening rod and a file? Which file?
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I was able to get an edge that slides through paper with the smiths retractable one. Its short but you just use over lapping pulls to get to the end. I recently put a large nick in the blade of the KHHI khukuri and was able to file it out in about 10 minutes and bring back the paper slicing edge with the smiths with about 6 strokes per side and a quick run on a strop. I will be working the edge on the CS kukri tomorrow I am sure it needs it, I did some trail work just over a month ago and its still attached to the pack because the real khukuri came in the next day and I have been playing with that instead
 
hiwa said:
I don't know why someone would recommend a file to sharpen a curved blade like a Kukri.
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Because it's cheap, it works, and it's very fast.

It's certainly not the best sharpening method in the world. A belt sander is undoubtedly better at home, and sandpaper on the leg or a diamond rod may provide a far smoother finish in the field. A file, however, will provide an acceptable edge far more quickly than any hone will, is commonly available anywhere, and can be used for other things besides.

Don't be fooled by the curve, either. Even a fairly wide file will work just fine in my experience, although the center of the file won't be doing much work. A narrow or rounded one makes this a non-issue.

What a file will not do is give you an edge that push-cuts paper or shaves cleanly. If you want this you will need to use another method. I used to put such edges on my khukuries. After some time and thought, I realized that I do not routinely push-cut paper or shave with khukuries and thus, I stopped caring about whether or not they would do this.
 
Dave Rishar said:
Because it's cheap, it works, and it's very fast.

It's certainly not the best sharpening method in the world. A belt sander is undoubtedly better at home, and sandpaper on the leg or a diamond rod may provide a far smoother finish in the field. A file, however, will provide an acceptable edge far more quickly than any hone will, is commonly available anywhere, and can be used for other things besides.

Don't be fooled by the curve, either. Even a fairly wide file will work just fine in my experience, although the center of the file won't be doing much work. A narrow or rounded one makes this a non-issue.

What a file will not do is give you an edge that push-cuts paper or shaves cleanly. If you want this you will need to use another method. I used to put such edges on my khukuries. After some time and thought, I realized that I do not routinely push-cut paper or shave with khukuries and thus, I stopped caring about whether or not they would do this.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, how did you make it push-cut sharp without messing up the convex grind?
 
I think Im going to go with the Smiths retractable rod sharpener and a flat 5 inch fine file. Is this sufficient to better an edge when camping?
 
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