sharpening a knife with no stones?

[walshy155]

I would like to know how to do this as I don't have a stone (except a grey one, which is dark grey and then light grey on the other side and has a picture of a diamond on there, please tell me what this is) and would be useful in the wild if you left a stone at home, or even worse, in a survival situation. But anyway I will get a DC4 soon.

 

[Baggy]

Hi

It is all here

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11571&highlight=sharpening+system

 

[Graham_S]

I always carry a stone, usually a DC4.
However, sharpening a knife is just using an abrasive substance to remove metal to create an edge.
To that end you can use quite a few things.
There is a variety of fungus that makes a good strop (razorstrop fungus), fine grit sandstone can be used, slate is another good one.
I've used smooth stones fished out of a river to sharpen knives, in fact for years a stone I fished out of a river was my go-to sharpening tool for finishing an edge as it got my knives to a reliable hair popping edge.
In one of RM's programmes he uses crushed quartz rubbed into a stick to sharpen his machete.
Any fine grained sedimentary rock will do the trick as long as it's not too soft.

 

[walshy155]

I always carry a stone, usually a DC4.
However, sharpening a knife is just using an abrasive substance to remove metal to create an edge.
To that end you can use quite a few things.
There is a variety of fungus that makes a good strop (razorstrop fungus), fine grit sandstone can be used, slate is another good one.
I've used smooth stones fished out of a river to sharpen knives, in fact for years a stone I fished out of a river was my go-to sharpening tool for finishing an edge as it got my knives to a reliable hair popping edge.
In one of RM's programmes he uses crushed quartz rubbed into a stick to sharpen his machete.
Any fine grained sedimentary rock will do the trick as long as it's not too soft.

Hmm I have alot of quartz but how can I make that into a block or whatever to sharpen a knife?

 

[ged]

Hmm I have alot of quartz but how can I make that into a block or whatever to sharpen a knife?

You don't have to make it into a block. Did you read the link that Baggy gave you?

 

[shaggystu]

Hmm I have alot of quartz but how can I make that into a block or whatever to sharpen a knife?

smash it to get a couple of fairly flat surfaces (one on each side ofthe break) then rub the two halfs against each other to make them flat. you could also just rub it round and round in circles on an old concrete paving slab, maybe with some water added to make the job a bit quicker and easier, to make it flat (you have the added bonus that way of ending up with a beautifully polished concrete slab, honestly, it comes up a treat). i've used all sorts of random lumps of rock as sharpening stones over the years, pretty much anything works to an extent, it's just that some work better than others. i'd say get a knife that you're not bothered about (there's loads in the kitchen drawer, just don't let the mother/girlfriend/wife find out) and have a play with whatever stones you can find

stuart

 

[walshy155]

You don't have to make it into a block. Did you read the link that Baggy gave you?

Yes.

smash it to get a couple of fairly flat surfaces (one on each side ofthe break) then rub the two halfs against each other to make them flat. you could also just rub it round and round in circles on an old concrete paving slab, maybe with some water added to make the job a bit quicker and easier, to make it flat (you have the added bonus that way of ending up with a beautifully polished concrete slab, honestly, it comes up a treat). i've used all sorts of random lumps of rock as sharpening stones over the years, pretty much anything works to an extent, it's just that some work better than others. i'd say get a knife that you're not bothered about (there's loads in the kitchen drawer, just don't let the mother/girlfriend/wife find out) and have a play with whatever stones you can find

stuart

Thanks mate.

 

[EdS]

edge of car window works well.

 

[forestwalker]

Or take a stick, some PPG (pine pitch glue) and *fine* sand. Coat stick in hot, melty PPG, roll in sand.

But the fine grained rock polished smooth is easier as a long term solution. The Mors Kochanski style wet-dry paper on plywood also works, but costs actual money.