Pocket Knives Sharpening Guide…
Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2010
by Doug Marek
D Marek's Online
Pocket knives are pretty much useless tools if they are not sharp and very dangerous as well! The good news is you don't have to take your pocket knives to a professional knife sharpener. You can just as easily sharpen your pocket knives yourself and save money. Pocket knives must stay sharp, or they can harm you while using them. How often you have to sharpen your pocket knives depends on how often you use them and also how well you keep them clean. Cheap pocket knives tend to be more difficult to sharpen and to maintain a sharp edge. Make note that cheap doesn't mean inexpensive, many manufacturers offer quality pocket knives at affordable prices.
The first step is the preparation before sharpening your pocket knives - It is best to sit at a table or work bench and lay out all the necessary supplies. You basically need a sharpening stone and some sort of lubricant such as mineral oil or water. A rag or paper towel can sometimes be handy as well.
Place 3 to 5 drops of your chosen lubricant - on top of the fine side of the stone; if no lubricant is available most stones can be used without any lubricant, ceramic stones work best if no lubricant is available. The lubricant helps reduce friction and heat while sharpening your pocket knives. In most cases the only time you will need to use the coarse side of the sharpening stone is if you have a damaged blade and need to smooth out the damaged part.
Lay one edge of the pocket knives against the stone - and slowly slide the edge of the pocket knife from the handle to the tip of the knife toward you completely across the stone. While doing this, be sure the pocket knives angle is about 10 to 15 degrees off the sharpening stone. Maintaining the pocket knives angle may take some practice, if you are having difficulty maintaining the same angle you can use a sharpening guide. Keeping this angle tight like this will increase the ability of the pocket knives to work against wood.
Sharpen the first side of the Pocket Knives blade by using the process above - Some pocket knives have curved blades or blades longer than the stone; in this case you'll need to sweep the blade sideways as you work, so the entire edge is sharpened evenly. Apply moderate pressure as you sharpen your pocket knives. No need to bear down hard on the blade. After you make one stroke, start back at the beginning and repeat. Typically doing this about 6-12 times is sufficient for each side of the pocket knives.
Flip the pocket knife over and repeat the same steps - Do this at least two to three times to sharpen the blades of your pocket knives evenly. It is important to repeat the process evenly on both sides of your pocket knives to increase the sharpness and to keep the blades of your pocket knives even.
Wipe the blades of your pocket knives - Also be sure to clean your sharpening stone and work area with a cloth or paper towel.
Proper sharpening maintenance of your pocket knives will prolong the blades life of your pocket knives and keep your hands safe while using your pocket knives. Keep doing this as often as needed, usually at least once a week if you use your pocket knives daily. As an added note, if you have any chips and scratches to the blades of your pocket knives have them repaired professionally.
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