EDGE UP
Knives Illustrated|January-February 2021
TIPS, TRICKS, AND TECHNIQUES TO SHARP WHEN ADVENTURING FAR FROM HOME
JASON HOUSER
EDGE UP

As nice as it would be to have an electric sharpener, a stone, or any other sharpener at the ready when knives need to be touched up, life doesn’t always work in your favor.

The fact is that situations occur that may be out of our control, leaving us stranded without a conventional way to put an edge on our knives. It might be as simple as going camping and leaving it at home, or it could be something as drastic as a survival situation occurring deep in the wilderness.

Hopefully, you never find yourself in a survival situation where your life depends upon having a sharp knife nearby, but if it does, will you know how to maintain the sharp edge on your trusted tool? No matter your experience level, there are simple ways to keep your knife in good working order. Additionally, these techniques do surprisingly well at sharpening just about any style of knife.

AN ASSIST FROM A CUP OF JOE

A ceramic coffee cup is something many campers, hikers, and all-around outdoorsmen have with them. If not, the world is full of litterbugs and it really isn’t difficult to find a piece of ceramic along a riverbank. With a piece of ceramic from the cup, you can sharpen your knife with a little improvising. All that you have to do is to turn it upside down and run the blade against the raw, rough part that’s at the bottom of the cup. Hold the mug upside down in one hand, and then place the base of the knife blade at a 45-degree angle against the exposed ceramic rim at the bottom.

Keeping a firm grip on both the mug and the knife handle and maintaining that 45-degree angle, drag the knife against the rim using even pressure as though you were using traditional sharpening steel.

This story is from the January-February 2021 edition of Knives Illustrated.

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This story is from the January-February 2021 edition of Knives Illustrated.

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