How to Sharpen a Pocket Knife With a Stone

A dull knife, contrary to what intuition might say, is actually more dangerous than a sharp knife. Dull knives tend to slip more often than sharp knives. Use a sharpening stone to sharpen your pocket knife and make it a safer instrument. Using a sharpening stone is easy and can be done in nearly any setting. By having a sharp pocket knife, you can impress friends and family with the keen edge on your blade.

Things You'll Need

• Course grit sharpening stone
• Fine grit sharpening stone
• Lubricating oil

Instructions

1. Take a course grit sharpening stone and apply a light film of lubricating oil on it. Be sure that the sharpening stone can be used in a wet state. Some sharpening stones are designed for dry use only.

2. Place the blade of your pocket knife against the stone with the cutting edge pointing away from you. The angle between the shaft of the blade and the edge of the stone should be 45 degrees.

3. Raise the back end of the blade, the noncutting edge, to change the angle between the cutting edge of the blade and the surface of the sharpening stone. Continue raising the back of the blade until the cutting edge is at a 20 degree angle to the stone's surface.

4. Use moderate pressure and push the blade away from you, creating friction between the blade's cutting edge and the surface of the stone. The friction gently grinds the blade, sharpening it.

5. Repeat the process of pushing the blade across the sharpening stone. The number of times required will vary depending on the dullness of the blade. Try a dozen strokes and if the blade is still dull, try a dozen more. Turn the blade over and repeat the process on the other side of the knife blade. All of the angles remain the same.

6. Replace the course grit sharpening stone with the fine grit sharpening stone. Keep the 45 degree angle between the knife's shaft and the edge of the stone, but increase the angle between the surface of the stone and the cutting edge to 30 degrees. With the 30 degree angle, push the knife away using moderate pressure.

7. Repeat for a dozen strokes, then turn the blade over and repeat the 30 degree stokes with the blade's other side.

Tips & Warnings

• Some knife enthusiasts fiercely defend their view that oil should not be used when sharpening a stone because the oil clogs the blade's pores. Avoid debate unless you understand you will probably not change an enthusiast's opinion on the subject.

• A pocket knife should never be treated as a toy.

Resources

• The American Knife and Tool Institute