As any outdoors enthusiast or avid camper knows, a sharp knife is one of the most important tools that they can have in the wilderness. Knives are versatile tools that can be used for a variety of purposes such as cutting wood for kindling, scaling fish, and even for protection. A well prepared person is never without a knife when he ventures into wild. While having any knife is better than not having a knife at all, having a sharp knife in your possession is of utmost importance. Dull blades can make cutting objects hard and render a knife nothing more than a blunt instrument. Blades that are not sharp are also dangerous, requiring you to apply much more pressure than normal to cut something. The added pressure can cause a knife to slip, resulting in a deep cut.
First, it’s important to know what makes a blade sharp in order to understand the principles behind knife sharpening. A knife blade is basically a thin wedge of metal that is thicker on the top and thinner on the bottom. As the wedge thins, the two sides come together to form a point, or the edge of the blade. The thin edge allows the user to focus a tremendous amount of force on a small area, creating a large amount of pressure. This pressure on the edge of the knife is responsible for cutting and crushing objects. There is also another component to the mechanics of a knife. At first glance, a knife edge appears smooth, however, on the microscopic level, the edge of the blade is jagged. These jags act like tiny saws that help to tear through objects. Over time as the knife is used, the edge of the blade becomes bent and the jagged edge becomes worn down. This makes a knife blade dull. One way to maintain the edge on a knife is to use a sharpening steel before use. In order to use a sharpening steel, hold the knife at a 20 degree angle to the steel and run it up and down the length of the steel several times, remembering to maintain the angle.
Sometimes, however, no amount of steeling will sharpen a knife. For knives that are very dull, a new edge must be reground onto the blade. When sharpening knives, there are several options available. The first tool that you can use to sharpen a knife is an electric knife sharpener. These devices span a large range of prices and quality but are easy tools to use for everyone. Electric knife sharpeners have small grinding wheels inside of them that rotate quickly. In order to sharpen the knife, the knife is guided along grooves that hold the blade at the correct angle. After a series of passes, the knife should be sharp. One disadvantage of an electric sharpener is that it can take off too much metal if used improperly. Also, only high quality and expensive ones are effective.
Another option that requires a bit more skill is a sharpening stone. Sharpening stones are pieces of rock or ceramic that are harder than steel. These can be used to grind down the blade, producing a new, sharp edge. Sharpening stones typically have a coarse side and a fine side. The course side is used for the initial sharpening, while the fine side is used to perfect the new grind. By following these steps for using a sharpening stone, you can make sure that your utility knife is sharp at all times:
1. Make sure that the stone is moist. Depending on the type of stone, you can use water or oil as a lubricant. 2. Start on the course side of the sharpening stone and hold the knife at a 20 degree angle to the surface of the stone.
3. Run the blade along the stone, along the length of the blade, starting at the top of the stone and pulling the back of the knife towards you.
4. Repeat this process on one side of the blade several times.
5. Flip the knife over and repeat.
6. Check the knife to see if it has developed a burr, which will look like a thin ridge on the blade.
7. Once a burr has been developed, flip the stone over to the fine side.
8. Drag the knife along the surface of the stone again several times on each side.
9. Steel the knife on a sharpening steel several times.
To test a knife for sharpness, take a piece of newspaper in one hand and try to cut it with the knife. A sharp knife will cleanly cut the paper with almost no resistance. If the paper tears, continue sharpening the knife.