Using a ferro rod as a field sharpener?

[JWL]

Has anyone ever used a ferro rod as a field sharpener? I googled it and found no results.

I just tried touching up the edge of a pocketknife with a ferro rod and it worked beautifully. Just wondering if others have done this before.

 

[RescueRiley]

I think for steeling a blade, like a butchers steel it would do ok for maintenance.. but I don;t think real sharpening could be done on one. most of the time in the field I just maintain by stropping.

 

[JWL]

Yeah that's basically how I used it, like a chef would do with a knife steel. I've been playing more with it and it really works very nicely to touch up an edge.... though I agree I'd use other methods if the knife was really dull. This, for me, is just perfect for touching up a blade in the field.

 

[pialia]

Odd. I would have thought since the knife actually scrapes away at the ferrocerium it would be too soft a material to have an effect on sharpness of a knife. Perhaps the steel in the pocket knife is very soft? I know my small SAK is pretty darn soft anyway.

Try experimenting with some more wear resistant steel

 

[JWL]

Tried on several 1095CroVan blades, notably my BK14 and my BK4 (recurve "Machax"). Seems to work well, again not for hardcore sharpening but just for touching up a blade while in use..... I know that ferro rods can definitely dull a knife, so if you use it in the right way it stands to reason that it will sharpen as well.

This is more on the level of, say, using the bottom of a coffee cup to touch up a blade in emergency or in the field.....