How To  Sharpen Your Pocket Knife To Be Razor Sharp – 8 easy steps

Many of us use pocket knives for different purposes. As they are easy to carry, we love to use them for cutting or opening various items. However, having a great knife always doesn’t do the work as any knife will get dull after a certain time. To keep it efficiently running, you will have to keep it sharp.

Since there are various types of pocket knives, you can go different ways. You can use a whetstone, electric knife sharpener, or honing rod to sharpen according to your requirements.

In this article, we will give you a step-by-step guide on how to sharpen your pocket knife to be razor-sharp.

The Step By Step Guide

Now let’s take a look at the step-by-step guide on how to sharpen your pocket knife using a stone as this is the most used method. You’ll need a sharpening stone and honing oil for this.

Step-1: Inspect The Damage Of The Blade

The first step is to examine how much damage your blade is. Before that, make sure all grease and dirt are removed from the edges of the blade. Now Look at the knife’s edges from both sides to assess the damage. You’ll need to start from the rougher grit of the stone if the knife is dull. Usually, the stones are marked indicating the grit level. If it’s not,  just drag a fingernail across the stone and see which grit is coarse and which one is smooth.

Step-2: Prep The Stone

Before using the stone, you should lubricate it using honing oil. Apply a good amount of honing oil but don’t drench it. Apply oil to the stone and wait to see if the stone soaks the oil. Apply more until the oil resides on it.

Step 3: De-Stress The Metal Edge

Now you should de-stress the metal edge of the knife to make the sharpening task easier.  The metal at the edge of the knife has got dull and damaged by use. Now to sharpen the knife you’ll have to remove the metal from the edge and replace it with the fresher and sharp metal lying beneath. Rub the knife’s edge on the stone by putting decent pressure. Hold the edge perpendicular to the stone while de-stressing the metal.

Step 4: Determine The Sharpening Angle

The sharpening angle is important to make your knife razor-sharp. Either side of the edge should be sharpened at the same angle. Otherwise, you can’t expect a good result. Certain devices are used to sharpen knives properly. But don’t you fret if you don’t have any?

Start off by keeping the holding against the stone at a 15° angle. Use a protractor to measure the angle. You can also use the paper folding method.  Take a paper. Its sides make a 90° angle with each other. Fold that into 3 equals which will make a 30° angle. Fold that into half and you will get 15°. However,  we recommend having a sharpening guide to get help with proper angling.

Step-5: Begin Sharpening Strokes

It’s time to start sharpening. Swipe the knife’s edge up and down holding the knife at the proper angle with the stone. Make sure you do the same number of strokes at both sides of the knife’s edge. The stone should travel through the whole area of the edge so that the sharpness gets distributed evenly. You can either sharpen one side and then start with the other or you can do alternate stroking which means one stroke to one side and then one to the other. Alternate stroking helps keep the number of strokes the same on both sides. The sharpening angle should remain the same at the tip.

The sweeping should go on until a burr forms. Burr is the accumulation of metal that forms on the other side of the blade when you are sharpening. It has to be removed in the end. So it’s perfect if you can stop just before the formation of the burr and this perfection comes with experience.

Step-6: Do The Micro Bevel

Once you are done with the primary level, it’s time to sharpen the micro-bevel which does the actual task of cutting. The angle should be a bit higher and 20° will be ideal. Follow the same process. This step also helps remove the burr. Sharpen the micro-bevel at coarser grit.

Step 7: Begin Using The Fine Grit

After finishing with the rougher grit turn the stone and swipe the knife in the same way at the fine grit. Again, make sure you have the same number of strokes on both sides.

Step-8: Strop Your Blade

Stropping is not mandatory. But it helps to keep the knife sharp for longer. You’ll require a leather strap and a polishing compound for this. First, apply the polishing material on the strap and then polish the blade by moving it up and down on the strap. Keep the cutting edge of the knife away from the leather to avoid ending up cutting the leather.

Final words

Finally, the sharpening is complete.

And many users are confused about how to maintain the knives to keep their sharpness for a longer time.

You need to keep the knife clean. You can wash it with warm water and a dishwasher. Then use a toothpick to remove dirt and let it dry. Keep the knife lubricated. This cleaning and lubricating will help keep the knife in good condition.

And if it seems to become dull frequently, you can sharpen it at a higher angle.

check out the video below on sharpening knives in an easy way. If you are an experienced user this might help you to understand more clearly.

How do I understand the time interval to sharpen or hone the knife?

If you are regularly using your knife,  you should know when it feels dull. However, if you cannot determine you can go through certain tests.

The common one can be done with a paper. Hold a piece of paper upright and try to cut through it with the knife. The paper will properly be sliced into two parts. But if the knife can’t cut it properly or tear it, sharpening is needed. If you are working in the kitchen with your knife and the knife smashes tomatoes rather than slicing them or slips through onions- you should sharpen the knife. However, there are some differences in sharpening and honing a knife. In general, users sharpen the knife once or twice a month and hone it once a week.

Different Methods To Sharpen Your Various Types Of Pocket Knives?

There are different ways and tools for sharpening your knife.

Whetstone

First comes the most common way which is using sharpening stones or known as a whetstone. Again, there are different stones that can be used. Commonly used ones include oil stones,  ceramic stones, and synthetic stones.

Oil stones are widely available at hardware stores. But don’t use them when you have a very dull and older knife. Ceramic stones should be used when you have acquired plenty of experience as their quality can vary a lot. Natural stones are the most expensive ones. Diamond stones provide great sharpening while synthetic stones need light lubrication or a soaking period before sharpening depending on their types.

While choosing the stone you should keep certain things in mind. The sharpening stone should have two different grit levels at least: a rougher grit and a smoother grit. Duller blades need rougher grits to be sharpened.  3-inch,4-inch, or 6-inch stones are needed for sharpening small knives. Buy an 8-inch stone if you have a bigger knife. The budget should be according to your use. You will also need honing oil to lubricate the stone.

Electric Knife Sharpener

Conversely,  if you want precise sharpening,  go with an electric knife sharpener.  They have the same two slots as manual ones but they sharpen the knife automatically and precisely.  They are also powerful.

Honing Rod

Honing rods are mostly made of steel. They are a great way to sharpen knives with serrated edges. There are also diamond and ceramic honing rods.

FAQs

Are all pocket knives stainless steel?

Apart from stainless steel, carbon, and tool steel are very common materials of which the pocket knife’s blades are made, most common steels are s30v, s95, cpm s35vn, nitro v steel, vg10, aus8, etc. However, stainless steel blades are mostly used as they are resistant to corrosion. Carbon steels also have their benefits. They are easy to sharpen and hold an edge well. But they are susceptible to corrosion.  On the other side, tool steels like titanium, and vanadium make stronger knives that provide decent resistance to corrosion but are not like stainless steel.

What should I oil my pocket knife with?

Keeping your knife lubricated is important as we’ve mentioned earlier. Different lubricants can be used for this purpose.  Some people even use water. The most popular lubricants are petroleum-based ones. Sentry Solutions Tuff Glide or Benchmade Blue Lab is very commonly used.

While sharpening the use of honing oil prevents damage to the knife blade due to the build-up of metal shaving.  You will find an oil that is specially designed for honing within 5$.

How to measure the sharpness of the knife?

You’ll want to know whether the knife is well-sharpened after the sharpening is done. The sharpness of the knife can be measured in different ways. The most common is the paper-cutting test as we’ve discussed earlier in this article. Shaving off arm or leg air also helps. If all hair comes off with an easy sweep, then you’ve done a great job.

Conclusion

The process we have discussed can easily be done by beginners.  Always remember, the constant angle is a key thing here. And maintain the knife the way we suggested. Always be careful as sharp knives can cause injury also.

Read More: How to Maintain a Pocket Knife