How to Sharpen a Knife With a Rock
There’s a great joy in learning how to survive in the face of the elements. Even though it can be a little frightening, placing yourself in the middle of nature can be a great experience. If you’re surrounded by nature, it’s going to be pretty hard to find the modern amenities we all enjoy. One of these is the electric knife sharpener. What do you do if you don’t even have a proper sharpening stone? Here’s how to sharpen your knife when all you have is a rock or two.
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Instructions
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Understand what you’re doing when you sharpen a knife. On the microscopic level, the metal of your knife’s blade is anything but smooth. It consists of very small teeth that go out of alignment when you clean a fish or whittle a tree branch. When you sharpen your knife, you are aligning those tiny edges, making it easier to slice objects cleanly. A knife with a serrated blade is a whole different animal. Those factory-hewn teeth make it very hard to sharpen without the proper tools. You should always have at least one flat-bladed knife if you intend to do some sharpening with a rock.
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If you didn’t bring a sharpening rock with you, try to find the flattest, smoothest rock around. Look near bodies of water. Rivers, lakes and ponds flow over the rocks inside them. Over time, these rocks are worn smooth by the rushing water. All kinds of rocks will work for sharpening, but you will find that sedimentary rocks, such as sandstone, will do perhaps the best job because of the fact that the stone is made of very tiny, regular, abrasive grains.
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If you only have one rock, place the flat edge as close to the hilt as you can. Run the rock along one of the knife’s edges. Repeat this movement on the other side. Keep alternating until your knife’s blade is as sharp as you want it to be.
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Reduce some of the strain on your arm muscles by sharpening your blade on a large rock too heavy to lift. Sit or kneel beside the rock and glide the knife against the surface, alternating sides.
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You can speed up the process by using two rocks. Locate one of those huge, flat rocks on the ground. Place the knife’s blade against the large rock. Press a much smaller rock against the blade and pull the knife through, digging the blade toward you with equal force on both sides. Repeat this movement until you’re ready to slice through your catch, rope or whatever else you need in multiple parts.
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