Knife Sharpening How To Sharpen Knives In The Field

Knife Sharpening

 

 

 

Hi Everyone! This week I am going to be talking about Knife Sharpening again! I am going to be talking about How To Sharpen Knives In The Field. I have been taking requests from readers and Youtube channel subscribers lately and have been getting requests for more Knife Sharpening! So here were are. I was contacted by a United Stated Marine two weeks ago and he asked me how I would perform Knife Sharpening in the field on a knife like a Ka-Bar or any knife in the field? He told me he was using this little gadget with two tungsten carbide bits in it for Knife Sharpening.

Well, I am not really a big fan of these little pocket sized gadgets for Knife Sharpening and I would not want to be using one of them long term if someone asked me How To Sharpen Knives In The Field! You see the issue with the little carbide sharpener for Knife Sharpening is that they will work but, they will only work for a limited amount of time. You see these carbide sharpeners only work on the primary cutting edge of your knife and do nothing for the "back bevel" or "secondary edge" of your knife. Since the carbide is harder than most steels eventually your primary cutting edge will be gone because the carbide can actually tear/rip metal from your edge. That is what it's doing in the first place.

Knife Sharpening is easier to learn than most people think and it's just a matter of practice! So the little carbide is good in the short term for Knife Sharpening but terrible in the long run and for elongated stretches in the field. Another consideration for Knife Sharpening in the field I explained is that you don't want to carry a heavy stone in your pack or even a Knife Sharpening rig of some kind that takes time to assemble and disassemble. This is not a good idea is the shooting starts!

So this Marine asked me how I would perform Knife Sharpening in the field? He told me that he was not looking for the "razors" edge as that is not an effective style of edge for a soldiers field knife but, he did want to know how I would make a "workable" edge on my field knife.

Well, the fact of the matter is that the way I do Knife Sharpening in the field is basically the same way I do Knife Sharpening at home. I use DMT Diafolds. These small folding diamond plates are small in size and lightweight. I carry my DMT Diafolds in combo's of  220/325 mesh /grit and 600/1200 mesh/grit.

The DMT Diafold 220/325 for a blade that is really dull and/or rounded. This grit/mesh combo will allow you to begin the Knife Sharpening process and shape and form your basic edge. The DMT Diafold 600/1200 will allow you to thin and refine your knifes edge into something that is workable and quite sharp in the field.

I will also say that if you wish to refine and polish your edge even further when Knife Sharpening in the field then there is always the DMT Diafold 1200/8000 mesh as well that will allow you to get super polish if you want it. I use it at times just for one or two light strokes to refine a working edge in the field when camping. So in answer the the Marines question this is how I perform Knife Sharpening in the field. I have made this video to show everyone how to do it the way I do and I hope you enjoy this video! Next week I will be doing my own way of how to sharpen serrated knives at home. I hope you stay tuned to watch that one as well!