Keep your Hunting Knives, Woodworking Knives and Survival Knives sharp! Sharp Hunting Knives, Bowie Knives and Survival Knives cut through things quicker making your cutting tasks less tiring. Less force is required to make a cut so the knife is less likely to slip and cut you. As we talk about knife sharpening here we are talking about heavy bladed outdoor knives like hunting Knives, Bowie Knives and Survival Knives.
A key point in knife sharpening is to keep the original angle of the blade. You should be able to get an idea of the original angle by looking down the length of the blade, at the cutting edge from the front. The angle will vary based on what the purpose of the knife is for. Generally Hunting knives have a blade angle of 15 to 20 degrees. Heavier blades like those on Bowie Knives and Survival Knives have blade angles up to 30 degrees. Lansky and Timberline make knife sharpening kits that will help you maintain the proper angle as you sharpen.
There are a few choices on how to sharpen your knife blade. If the blade is still in good condition and just needs to have the edge touched up you should use a natural stone like an Arkansas stone. You may need to start with a course stone and then finish with a finer grit stone. People find they get a better edge that stays sharper longer by using a natural stone. You can purchase stones that can be used dry, or that need to be lubricated with oil or water.
If your knife needs some serious sharpening help, start with a Diamond sharpening stone. These stones tend to work on the blade faster. Then finish sharpening your blade with a natural stone.A word of caution. Some people have used a power-driven grinding wheel to sharpen dull hunting knives. This can cause excess heat and take the temper from your blade, making the blade brittle.
A key point in knife sharpening is to keep the original angle of the blade. You should be able to get an idea of the original angle by looking down the length of the blade, at the cutting edge from the front. The angle will vary based on what the purpose of the knife is for. Generally Hunting knives have a blade angle of 15 to 20 degrees. Heavier blades like those on Bowie Knives and Survival Knives have blade angles up to 30 degrees. Lansky and Timberline make knife sharpening kits that will help you maintain the proper angle as you sharpen.
There are a few choices on how to sharpen your knife blade. If the blade is still in good condition and just needs to have the edge touched up you should use a natural stone like an Arkansas stone. You may need to start with a course stone and then finish with a finer grit stone. People find they get a better edge that stays sharper longer by using a natural stone. You can purchase stones that can be used dry, or that need to be lubricated with oil or water.
If your knife needs some serious sharpening help, start with a Diamond sharpening stone. These stones tend to work on the blade faster. Then finish sharpening your blade with a natural stone.A word of caution. Some people have used a power-driven grinding wheel to sharpen dull hunting knives. This can cause excess heat and take the temper from your blade, making the blade brittle.