Things You'll Need:
- Arkansas sharpening stone
- Lubricant
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Step 1
Inspect the blade of each hunting knife for nicks or gouges. Grind down damaged areas if the damage is not severe. The blade must be discarded if the nick is too great to file down.
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Step 2
Run the blade down the length of a piece of paper to determine how dull or out of true the metal has become. A clean straight cut is what is desired. Any jagged tears or failure to make any cut at all is an indication that the blade needs sharpening.
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Step 3
Use a sharpening stone to hone the edge of the hunting knife's blade. These are typically rectangular pieces of Arkansas stone of differing roughness glued together. A small amount of honing oil applied to the stone will suffice.
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Step 4
Drag the knife's blade across the sharpening stone at the angle at which the original edge was honed. Looking at the knife's blade edge will give an idea of the angle to draw across the stone.
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Step 5
Pull the blade slowly and carefully towards the body at the proper angle. Alternate edge sides after each draw. Continue to hone the edge until the hunting knife's blade will easily slice through a piece of paper.
