So ill start out by saying I'm pretty new to free hand sharpening. I did when I was a boy but somewhere along the way I moved to the city blah blah blah. Anhow today my one and only knife currently was duller then my ex girlfriend. I just moved halfway across the country and as such have no sharpening equipment. So being the stubborn b****rd I am I went and found a ceramic tile coffee mug and leather belt. 10 minutes later my knife is able to roughly shave a few hairs and cut paper once more. Has anyone else had any luck sharpening with random abrasives and If so what'd ya use? Oh happy saturday.
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Sharpening with random things
- Thread starter noob93
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Bowls and mugs work great - I usually finish with a few 'steeling' passes on the glazed rim.
Better or harder grades of steel don't respond as well to this or to many of the other improvised sharpening methods, but it works fine for most.
I like ashes from the campfire for a stropping compound - just smear on some smooth wood, water optional.
Better or harder grades of steel don't respond as well to this or to many of the other improvised sharpening methods, but it works fine for most.
I like ashes from the campfire for a stropping compound - just smear on some smooth wood, water optional.
Cool I thought about using the top rim actually just wasn't sure it'd do any good. That stropping idea sounds cool I'll have to give that a try next time I'm having a fire. Ya I wouldn't imagine harder steels would respond very well but hey 1095 has its strong points
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Unglazed ceramic ring on the bottom of coffee mugs. I used to keep several "grits" of coffee mugs at my desk at work. Have also used the glazed rim like a smooth steel. For stropping - cardboard backing from legal pads, steno pads, magazine covers. With or without some green buffing compound. Also the hard paperboard pallet corner protectors work great as strops, especially with some green compound.
Top of a car window works in a pinch. The unglazed underside of a toilet tank lid can be used as a coarse stone. This is the part that contains the clean water used for flushing so is normally clean. You can also use a brick, or any flat rock.
For basic steels, as long as you have a good understanding of what is going on when you are sharpening, you can improvise with a lot of things to get a functional edge on a piece of steel.
Top of a car window works in a pinch. The unglazed underside of a toilet tank lid can be used as a coarse stone. This is the part that contains the clean water used for flushing so is normally clean. You can also use a brick, or any flat rock.
For basic steels, as long as you have a good understanding of what is going on when you are sharpening, you can improvise with a lot of things to get a functional edge on a piece of steel.
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Unless I need to do some heavy or precise work, improvised sharpening is all I really do anymore for my EDC's. Once the principles are grasped, tool possibilities really open up, much like self defense or combatives.
Currently, the fanciest steel in my rotation is the 154CM on my Emersons. I "downgraded" intentionally because of the ability to maintain simpler steels under a wider range of conditions. There's also that satisfaction of knowing that you can get a screaming edge with whatever crap you happen to pick up.
*Martin - thx for reminding me about the ash. Imma have to try that. Nothing but pine and spruce in my area tho. Wonder how the pitch will factor in.
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Won't matter, the silica uptake is what counts, and even softwoods take up plenty. I was surprised when I looked into percentages of silica in various ash samples.
Normally I bust it down a bit with water and just smear it into the wood. In reality, I could do the same thing with a hardwood plank and some sand and use it like a knife board to grind an edge as well. There's historical precedent for all this.