All outdoorsmen use a knife and yet seemingly a very small minority can sharpen one. Houston, that’s a problem.
It seems to be a lost skill of the ancients, but let’s see if we can’t help you out a little. Because of the complexity of the topic, I won’t be able to totally train you in one short article, but I’ve included some links below for further instruction.
To begin, nowadays most knives are constructed of metal that is so hard that you cannot adequately sharpen them on an Arkansas stone. That’s why I recommend using a fine diamond stone. With them, you’ll be able to obtain an edge within minutes. I’ve had good luck with Smith’s Consumer Products.
You see some people grinding their knife in a circular motion, cutting into the stone and cutting away. Which way is the correct method? It doesn’t matter as long as you use the correct angle all the way down the edge.
For simplicity, I cut into the stone three times on each side. You will have a tendency to get a steeper angle as you get into the curvature of the blade. To eliminate this habit, I recommend lifting your elbow when you reach this point of the procedure. Watch the YouTube at the end of the article to comprehend what I mean.
If the edge is really dinged up and mushroomed, I’ll slide the blade backwards the first four revolutions and then start cutting motions into the stone.
To put on a finer edge, you’ll now advance to the Arkansas stone. Add a few drops of honing oil before you start. Use the same procedures as you employed on the diamond stone until the edge feels smooth. When it does, then test it by slicing a piece of paper.
Most boning knives and fish fillet knives are going to be made of softer metal. So to sharpen one of them, you’ll want to start right off on an Arkansas stone. Then, to get a wicked edge, you’ll need to progress to a smooth steel. Doing this will put an unbelievably sharp edge on them.
For smooth steel to perform, it is imperative that you properly prepare it. I use 80-grit emery cloth and rub it up and down to put microscopic lines in the steel. You want these lines running straight from head to tail. If the steel is dinged up, rusted or has pits, it will harm your knife more than it will help it.
To use a smooth steel, I hold it in my left hand against my bottom rib for stability and cut away from me, almost like I’m peeling a carrot. Do this move at the exact same angle that you sharpened it. If you do this every two minutes while filleting fish or boning out your game, it is possible to stay razor sharp all day long.
With some practice, you can become proficient at sharpening. But if you try to learn on a cheap knife from China, you’ll be frustrated and lose faith. Use good knives. I’ve had good luck with Knives of Alaska. They’re well-made and constructed out of good materials. The metal is hard so they will hold an edge but not so hard that they cannot be easily sharpened.
I have an article on Amazon Kindle titled “Knife Sharpening” that goes in greater detail: http://tinyurl.com/jonty2p.
For the knife sharpening video on YouTube, go to Ron Spomer Outdoors: http://tinyurl.com/zztdog5.
Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.
