Added: 1 year ago
From: BushcraftOnFire
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  • Great Tips Geeza

  • I wonder if there is some way to permanently fasten some real fine diamond sandpaper to the inside of your belt... Great video as always :)

  • @CondemnedPatriot

    Money belts can easily house a diamond stone.. or other objects. I had a ferro rod in mine for awhile.

  • david I have a quote from Proverbs that say Iron sharpens iron= I use the 90 degree angle on the top edge of my other knife and a screw driver also works like a butcher steel. The window is great and an old highway worker trick

  • Love the idea of using materials at hand to sharpen knives. Great video!

  • learned a lot from this vid. great stuff

  • If you pause(s) the video at 3:30, it looks like one of the so called "rods" that are (suupposedly) some kind of unidentifiable creature. Does anyone else see this?

  • i have a sword here, the blade edge is literally flat, how can i make it sharp? is it just doing this same stuff but alot more?

  • @Rohjas66

    Yes.. pretty much any blade is the same.. work work work.. you will get it

  • @Rohjas66 You really need to start with a metal file or a grinder. This is just to get an edge. Make sure your edge is constant all the way down don't have a wavy edge. Then use these techniques but It would be even better to use man made tools.

  • Hilarious first you say that people in different country use rocks around them to get their knives just as sharp as our then you say you can't get them as sharp as with using sharpening tools, and i bought a Recon 1 it came sharp enough to shave with but not cut paper yet yours is sharp enough to cut paper and not sharp enough to shave your hair.

  • The other thing i wanted to mention is that you can use the palm of your hand like a strap too, at least if you have hands that are hard from working. I saw that done by an old knife seller in Turkey in 1984, he sold some simple but beautiful knives made in Bursa from his pushcart that he went from town to town with. I bought a small folding knife with bone handles from him, that i sadly have lost. I used it as a razor. (really)

  • A couple of comments. when strapping, it is a better idea to turn the knife over the back instead of over the edge, so you dont accidentally round the edge towards the end of the stroke. It takes a little practice to get that movement in because you have to turn the knife through a bigger part of the circle, but it is a technique i learned from my grandfather, and i allways use it.

  • how is he gonna use the same knife for every method hahah

  • I used the mouth of a beer bottle

  • very helpful tips, thanks 4 sharing

  • Very usable info, thanks for sharing. Btw nice video clip

  • Haha card bord strop very clever!!!

  • WANNA KNOW WHAT WORKS PRETTY GOOD? ON THE BOTTOM OF SOME CERAMIC COFFEE MUGS THERE IS A RING THAT IS NOT GLAZED IT IS ROUGH. THAT WORKS FAIRLY WELL FOR A ROUGH SHARPENING THEN USE A LEATHER BELT AFTER AND YOU SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO. USE THE ROUGH SIDE OF THE BELT AND THEN YOUSE THE SMOOTH SIDE AFTER THAT. I WOULD MAKE A VIDEO FOR YOU ALL BUT I DONT HAVE A CAMERA

  • Thanks for the video.

    I have been searching for a while now for a video that uses

    everyday common things, like this for instance. Until now, all I have seen was you needed super expensive items in order to even straighten a blade.

    I thank you for this video.

  • Note*  Never use your drinking water if you can help it

  • i like the idea but can't you use a medium sized rock (or any rock) on the ground? will that work?

    

  • @Gone2Huntin

    Yes.. you can use pretty much any flat rock.. Use water to begin on the rock so you don't grind away the edge too much. Experiment with the rocks you have there.. some work better than others

  • @BushcraftOnFire

    thank you btw i love your lifesyle living off the grid (your videos should teach m alot and they inspire me to do the same :))

  • Good tips...

  • Very resourceful. Great video.

  • 7:39 did he say derp???

  • that wood and brass knife u have is wat i have and its really dull and rough how would i sharpen that

  • @Pitbull01871 see our other knife sharpening video

  • hey guys, im just wondering, how come leather is so effective for sharpening knives? can leather actually change the shape of steel? and also, does stropping your knife sharpen it? i usually see people grinding their blade on some really rough surface rather than a strap of nylon or leather

  • @dynastyflygon

    It doesn't change the shape.. It aligns the edge of the blade for maximum sharpness

  • @BushcraftOnFire denim ain't too bad as a strop for just about mirror polish. Has a fair bit of "give" so probably works best on convex grinds.

  • excellent video

  • how many times did he say "in the bush"?

  • Thank you soooo much i cant afford tools so my knifes were always dull.. until i found this vid THANK U!!!!!

  • woooow...... I have a knife i use for wood carving and just craving in general... my knife has gotten so dull that I can literally push it hard on my skin and drag it and it does nothing... it has taken me forever to try and find a place to buy one and money to get it too.... thank you! this helps a lot!!!

  • One of the most useful videos on youtube

  • i've got an old katana i got a while back, but it's no good.it would even cut through a plastic bottle.i used it against my dagger, and it works like a charm.

  • great video its crazy what you can use to sharpen your knives

  • Hi David. I have a Schrade Old Timer, and it's a great little pocket knife. Unfortunately I accidentally broke the tip off of the blade. :( I was wondering if you have ever had this happen, and if there is anything I can do to hone a new tip onto the drop-point blade. As always, any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated!

    With Utmost Respect and Gratitude,

    Mike from NJ

  • @GoBlackwater

    I actually had that happen with my Schrade OT Sheath knife Mike.. I rounded the tip up to the spine with a grinder.. and resharpened the blade. Took off about 1/4" total length I think.. Not bad

  • Are you supposed to wet that "smith" when you go to sharpen a knife with it?

  • @TheSonofgun666

    Diamond Stones can be used wet or dry.. I like to wet mine personally. Either way.. clean them well when you are done.

  • @BushcraftOnFire Ok, thanks. You can just wipe them off with a clean cloth for cleaning, right?

  • @TheSonofgun666

    I clean them with water and a rag

  • WhT do u mean by u in the bush

  • @Torresboys13

    In the Bush would be out in the wild.. with no modern tools to sharpen your knives

  • @BushcraftOnFire I was surprised to hear you say the bush. Australians and New Zealanders use that term, but whenever I comment on a video I say wilderness because everybody understands that and Americans and Canadians don't know what I am talking about when I say "out in the bush".

    Thanks, it brought it a little closer to home for me. I like your vids and have subscribed. Looking forward to more.

  • If you're in a city, smooth concrete works pretty well, too.

  • Aboout anything that will dull a blade will also sharpen it

  • I usually have my knives in a leather sheath so I have a strop with my knife at all times

  • Great tips!

  • 3 people cut themselves tryin

  • Nice but in pretty sure my dad wouldent let me use the window

  • i used leather belt for knives since grandad taught me how when i was about 5 but i stopped useing for a few years then oneday was out needed to sharpen knife used belt and forgot about knife angle and sliced belt in half. i think i was in a hurry so was going to fast and to hard. didnt know about car window.

  • Thanks man I used a Starbucks glass cold coffee container and my blade is as sharp as new

  • thanks man you really helped me out .

  • Awesome!!!! Thanks.

  • I like these survival Technics that you show David. They are quite

    helpful. Thank you for uploading them.

  • love the sound of it lol

  • Great tips thanks so much!

  • FINALLY something useful and practical about knife sharpening. Good job, dude!

  • Out in the bush

    Out in the bush

    Out in the bush

    Out in the bush

  • do you NEED to have your knife razor sharp? seems unnecessary it seems sharp enough as is...

  • @trevor6744 well you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than with a sharp one.

  • nice video man. it really helped me. thanks

  • holy shit i have that same buck knife

  • Man this is exactly what I needed .Ask to see and you will see,LOL

  • Great job David ! I've been sharpening knives scary sharp for 35 years, and Have used the car window and every other thing from Coke bottles to spark plugs . Never tried the belt with dirt on it. Just goes to show you that if you keep an open mind ,even an old guy like me can learn new ways ! I have learned so much from your videos . Thanks Brother and God Bless you and yours !

  • @carvinrigged

    Thanks so much Bro! It's good to know that the videos are helping others.. Be Blessed

  • very helpful, thanks much for your video. 

  • I sharpen knives with a big grind with the whole surface of the grind on the stone. is that good?

  • @Gerritjoo

    Assuming that you have a single bevel on the grind that's fine. If you have a Microbevel (ie: a different angle at the very edge) then you should be sharpeing to that angle.. but I have made some of my microbevels flat grinds for ease. It's all preference IMO.

  • Dear Mr., I have a question about sharpening small knifes (the type with teeth on the blade). I truly have no clue how to sharpen every blade alongside every tooth so that they would be sharp like new. Could you kindly instruct me how to sharpen that kind of knife? Thanks.

    Regards.

  • @bipinformprotect

    I don't like.. nor do I use serated blades.But I have sharpened some. The way you do it is to use a small round sharpener (A fine chainsaw sharpening file will work) and run it in the semicircles between the teeth. Make sure your angle is kept in line with the original.

  • @BushcraftOnFire Thanks. That's clears everything.

  • @BushcraftOnFire hi david quick question, do u still use the smiths sharpener? about how long did it last?

  • @TheLibac2

    Honestly.. I do most all of my sharpening by hand unless I need to reshape a blade. Then I use either the Smith's or the KMC I just did a review on recently. I have had my Smith's for about 12 years.. and it's still going strong.

  • @bipinformprotect

    This isn't the proper way to do it. Bushcraft is right, but if u don't care about the appearance or the knife isn't very valuable u can just sharpen the back side or flat side of the serated edge. This will improve the edge but it will only go so far.

  • @bipinformprotect I don't know if you are looking for being able to do this out in the wilderness or not, but if you are at home or you have it with you, you can take a ceramic rod and run it back and forth between each tooth. By the way, the teeth are called serrations. Serrated edge.

  • how much pressure is needed and how much of an angle and witch of these is the best to sharpen a knife

  • @cocobird151

    Angle depends on your knife.. most are between 17 and 25 degrees. Pressure is ALWAYS VERY light..

  • how much pressure is needed and how much of an angle

  • can you sharpen your pocket knife with a tree or piece of wood

  • @cocobird151

    Actually drawing your blade VERY LIGHTLY through a piece of wood will align the edge.. thus, in effect, making the knife a bit sharper.

  • @BushcraftOnFire thanks for the help alsome video by the way

  • would those methods also work on big machetes

  • @cocobird151

    Yes it will

  • who needs to sharpen a knife so bad you would use cardboard or a window!

  • Great video Dave, thanks for the great info.

  • Great information!!!  Thanks a lot bud!!!

  • i have a question..... will any of theese methods work with a sword?

  • @TakinYoCup

    Sharpeing a sword, knife, ax, or any other piece of metal is basically the same. You always need to remember 2 things.. angle and pressure!

  • @BushcraftOnFire thanks.

  • Respond to this video... 

  • great vid is the green knife a shrade oldtimer if so i have the same one.

  • @TP980

    Yes it is.. Great lil knife! I have had mine for about 14 years now and I still carry it regularly.

  • @BushcraftOnFire

    I just got mine over the summer and i am already finding out how great of a knife it is

  • would the car window method work

    with my stainless more (clipper), or would the steel be too hard?

  • @WildyJohn

    I have used the car window on my SAK (Stainless) and it works fine.. remember though.. it's really to hone.. not to sharpen outright

  • @BushcraftOnFire thanks,

    I am pretty sure I'm getting a stone for christmas,

    but I needed something for the meantime

  • good video... helped alot

  • this helps much, thanks.

  • Too bad you can't carry a belt sander out to sharpen your knives with... lol ;)

    Great advice, and I really like the home made jeweler's rouge! It's one of those things that's so simple I'm like "Why didn't I think of that?!?"

  • I wished someone made a 2 sided stone with 200 grit diamonds on one side 400-500 grit arkansas stone on the other. I think that would be ideal for the minimalist needs in the bush. Diamonds are best for taking off big hunks of steel and more natural materials are best for honing that primary edge. The higher grits are easily taken care of with any smooth steel surface and leather belts etc. Butchers and other people who use knives all day can be seen ' steeling' all day long to keep their edges.

  • I wished someone made a 2 sided stone with 200 grit diamonds on one side 500 grit arkansas stone on the other. I think that would be ideal for the minimalist needs in the bush. Diamonds are best for taking off big hunks of steel and more natural materials are best for honing that primary edge. The higher grits are easily taken care of with any smooth steel surface and leather belts, etc.

  • Thanks again for another video.I always learn something from you. I never thought about the glass. The bottoms of ceramics cups have 600 or so grit equivalent.

  • Cool. All the methods except for the stones represent grit equivalents of 800 or more. Stainless steel tent pegs are good too. 800 grit and above will keep an edge and/or make the edge very sharp/polished. The trick is to have something under 300 grit if you have to re-profile and just over 300 grit for the primary edge. 99% of the edge should be there at the grit level just over 300. 300-600 meets all the needs in the bush. Over 600 grit or equivalent maintains the edge Over 1200 grit polishes

  • at 3:24 i thought he was gonna cut his wrist:S

  • i understand.untill i get get my sharpining stone what could i use?

  • @crazystreetskater1

    Many ideas were presented in this video.. Maybe you can practice on a flat stone? You can buy a used stone at a flea market for a dollar or two.. that might get you through as well...

  • i have a survival knife that has lost its edge.i need to get a knife sharpener but untill then could i use cardboard?

  • @crazystreetskater1

    You can possibly keep the knife stropped on the cardboard.. but you will have to sharpen it at some point.

  • This is great - very smart! Thank you very much!

  • Thanks!

  • Would a flat, water smoothed stone (ie beach shore) be the ideal texture/smoothness and not be in need of rock rubbing?

  • @jkrealm

    Yes... as long as the stone is flat & smooth it should work well!

  • ohh thank you! :] and one more question, i dropped my old knife a few times cause i got a new one and part of the blade is like chipped. is there any way i can smooth those chips our so its nice and sharp again?

  • @ELEVAT3x

    It depends on the size of the chips. I don't worry too much about small nicks.. they sharpen out after a few sharpenings. If I corrected every one every time.. I would wear the knife down too quickly. If it's a large chip.. you will have to do some honing work on it to get it reasonably back into shape... but you will have to take away a lot of metal to do this. The tip on my Schrade broke the very 1st day I used it.. and I had to reshape it.. Generally that's the exception

  • does that ruin your window?

  • @ELEVAT3x

    No... It doesn't harm your window in any way

  • I've got a schrade old timer 120t pal they're such a nice knife and very respectable:)

  • I've got a schrade old timer 120t pal made in the good old USA! They are such nice knives and very respectable

  • cool!! thanks!

  • would the car window work with 1095 ka bar carbon steel? i have a medium arkansas stone that wont even work

  • @slapoutz

    1095 takes a little more to sharpen in.. but once it is sharp it holds it's edge well.. The car window will definitely keep it in good repair until it needs to be put on a stone

  • wat is your second knife because i think i hav it is it a boyscout knife

  • @funtimeswithflames

    The floder is a Shrade Old Timer.. In fact.. both the knives are Schrade Old Timers.. a sheath.. and a folder.

  • That's really bizarre. I never would have guessed.

  • This is awesome advice, thank you so much. This is really good information for people who really want to go out there and 'rough' it, as well as for people in emergency situations. Keep the videos coming.

  • Saved to favorites!

    Very useful.

  • I've actually sharpened 1095 Cro-Van and most market grade 400-440 steel on the unglazed bottoms of ceramic coffee mugs and dinner plates or saucers. Also, I've had success in using quartz stones--smashed to a fine grit, dampened, and spread across a strap of leather (such as a belt, which was also used to strop the edge afterward :) ) The quartz grit method also works on smoothed river-stones (such as you had shown, which was clever btw)

  • Ah, edge-honing. I've become quite enamored with my Kabar 1221 (440-A). I've battoned through thick oak, pruned limbs, cleaned fish and game, used it in the crafting of well-made self-bows, sliced 550-paracord, sharpened tent-stakes, etc. It's never needed sharpening (not once), however, the edge does need to aligned and polished from time to time. I strop it across the toe of my leather harness boot. After six to eight strokes, sharp as a barber's razor.

  • Ray Mears technique

  • Great video!

  • Absolutely great video brother. I love the thinking out of the box mentality. Thanks

    for sharing.

  • Thanks Dave. Great vid. Never heard of the window trick. Very nifty.

  • always learn something from your videos. keep them up. the're great.

  • do you think a hard piece of birch bark (the smooth side on the bottom of silver birch) would work? it's like leather, only more brittle when turned in certain directions.

  • @MysteryMan159

    You would have to try it and let us know.. I have found that running your blade very lightly through a piece of wood will align the edge somewhat

  • @BushcraftOnFire ive herd someware you can use certain mushrooms to hone the knife

  • who knew there were so many ways!!

  • Dave, your the first person I've seen in a long time sharpen a knife correctly. Drawing a knife across a stone away from the edge never sharpens the blade, all it does is roll the edge into a micro roll of steel. The knife will dull faster because the roll of steel breaks off as you use it. Even sharpening a knife towards the edge will leave a roll of steel, the way I fix this is to very lightly run my blade at an extream angle across the cutting edge.

  • Cool now if I could just do that like you I would have it made!

  • thx bro that helps

  • Thanks for the informative vid.

    Too bad you don't have birch in you area Dave, strop fungus will get a knife shaving sharp.

  • Great, I have to try this. Thank you Mr Wendell

  • Another great how-to video. Thanks David!

  • great video man

  • maybe the smooth steel top of a used train line rail

  • broken toilet fixture and coffee mug bottoms and old crock jars work well i have found all these item where people have dump stuff.

  • Thanks for the vid. I notice that you draw the knife away from the edge on the card board (for exaple) but toward the edge on the back side of another knife blade- can you elaborate/explain when to draw toward and when to draw away and why?

    Also, what does 'batonning' the blade mean? Thank you.

  • @anyusmoon1

    Batoning is a way to split wood with a knife. You hold the knife at right angles to the end of the wood.. and hit it with a "baton" (usually another piece of wood) in order to split the first piece.

    I use the cardboard as a strop (always go away from the edge). I use the knife as a steel (always toward the edge.. although some go away from the edge on this as well)

    Hope that Helps

  • great!

  • YAY the schrade old timer, lol, not sure if you remember but we had a conversation about that folder, glad you still have yours, I'm planning on passing mine on to my son some day, great instructional vid David, loved it!!

  • will cotton straps work instead of nylon i usually have both just wondering

  • @TheHlavinka50

    You can try them.. but I have found that cotton is too soft to work off the burr.. Maybe you will have a different experience.

  • @TheHlavinka50 I have stropped my knife on my leg while wearing normal denim jeans and it worked fine.

  • @NPSurvival I've also stropped on denim... a few passes up and down the pant leg can slightly improve an edge that's been touched up with an 8000 grit ceramic rod.

    With regards to using the top of a car window, one wants to be mindful of the curvature of the glass, as this will affect the angle that the knife edge converges with it. As with the stones, opt for the flattest surface available.

  • really good video,,

  • Good info to know. Keep up the great videos.

  • Thanks for another good video Dave! God bless.

  • btw google use-light-bulb-sharpen-knife (sorry youtube makes it impossible to add a link) to see how an old halogen lightbulb can realy sharpen (as its quartz)

  • not to diss this vid, but I believe glas, be it a ceramic rod or windowglas will not sharpen, at most it can roll the edge center and straight but only if you do it correctly.. Same thing goes for stropping. The only thing that realy sharpens is using a harder material like a file or wetstone to remove minute parts of steel. If this isn't done first your knife will still be as dull as before. The stones used for this in the bush isn't just any rock u pick up neither, they use quartz for that.

  • Nice Video David

  • Brilliant video Dave, excellent stuff.

  • Great video Dave! The car window is great for me because I usually pickup camp. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

  • Excellent video. THX for sharing.

  • thanks!

  • I just bought the same smiths sharpener last year , I also got the smaller one with the duel sharpener and ceramic . I'm just having problems get the mechete because of the longer blade and the axe sharpened

  • @rbvmtr

    Hey Bro... On larger blades.. I try to do a piece at a time.. seems to work better for me.

  • @BushcraftOnFire yeah i've been doing that , a wal-mart item, new blade rounded no bevel and not sharp taken for ever to get it the way I want it . I should have gotten a file . if a had a blade grinder it would be quicker !

  • Dave I enjoyed this vid. It was nice watching you use the car window. I started doing that about 20 years ago when I needed to sharpen my knife when I was driving a route truck. I noticed the neatfreak in the vid. Im looking forwart to your review of the this bag.

  • Great Video as always Dave Funny though I just bought a pocket sharpener by smiths to keep on my EDC it's about the size of a lighter and works great I sharpened my pocket knife with it last night while at work and I can shave with it now..

  • 'Wet and Dry' fine grit sand paper from 220 to 600 grit on top of a flat and smooth chunk of board can be a good substitute. A half sheet of say, 400, works well on longer knives, but even a narrow piece, with a narrow and thin piece of board works nicely. This option can be very light wieght, very compact as well as inexpensive. A single sheet of this sand paper might be less than $1.50.

  • EXCELLENT...EXCELLENT video man! Keep up the good work!

  • Great tips. Thanks!

  • good tips m8 thanks

  • Love some in the bush knife sharpening techs. Honestly I consider sharpening my own knives on a stone a hobby because I enjoy doing it so I can spend all day sharpening my knives. Great Video Thumbs UP

  • brilliant tips thanks.