Keep your pocket knives sharp!  Sharp pocket knives cut through things quicker making your cutting tasks less tiring.  Less force is required to make a cut so the pocket knives are less likely to slip and cut you.  When we talk about knife sharpening here we are talking about the thinner blades of pocket knives.  The angle of the cutting edge on pocket knives is smaller than on heavy bladed outdoor knives like hunting Knives, Bowie Knives or Survival Knives.

A key point in knife sharpening is to keep the original angle of the blade. You should be able to get an idea of the original angle by looking down the length of the blade, at the cutting edge from the front. The angle will vary based on what the purpose of the knife is for. Lansky and Timberline make knife sharpening kits that will help you maintain the proper angle as you sharpen.

There are a few choices on how to sharpen your pocket knives.  If the blade is still in good condition and just needs to have the edge touched up you should use a natural stone like an Arkansas stone. You may need to start with a course stone and then finish with a finer grit stone. People find they get a better edge that stays sharper longer by using a natural stone. You can purchase stones that can be used dry, or that need to be lubricated with oil or water.

If your pocket knives need some serious sharpening help, start with a Diamond sharpening stone. These stones tend to work on the pocket knives blade faster, geting them ready for a finer stone. Then finish sharpening your pocket knives with a natural stone.

A word of caution.  Some people have used a power-driven grinding wheel to sharpen dull pocket knives.  This can cause excess heat and take the temper from your blade, making the blade brittle.

There are two basic techniques of sharpening your pocket knives.

The first technique is using a circular motion. Start by holding the blade of your pocket knives away from you at the proper angle, based on the blade. Run the blade in a clockwise motion on the stone until you have sharpened that side of the blade. Turn the blade of your hunting knife over and repeat with a counter clockwise motion. An advantage to this method is the simplicity. The disadvantage is you have to be careful not to grind too much off one side of your blade. This will cause the cutting edge on your pocket knives to be uneven and crooked.

The second style of sharpening is to use the entire length of the stone and sharpen the entire length of the blade with each stroke. Start with your pocket knives blade edge facing away from you. Place the handle end of the blade on the end of the sharpening stone nearest to you. Push away from you, using the entire length of the stone and draw our pocket knives entire blade across the stone so the tip of the blade swings off the stone at the far end. Make sure you keep a uniform pressure on the entire blade and hold the correct angle. Turn the blade over and repeat the process, pulling the blade towards you. Make sure you do an equal number of strokes on each side of the blade. The advantage to this is you sharpen the entire blade of your pocket knives at the same time. The disadvantage is some people have trouble holding the proper angle and maintaining a uniform pressure.

How do you tell if your pocket knives are sharp? Some people want their pocket knives sharp enough to shave with. You can VERY CAREFULLY run you knife along your arm to see if it will cut the hair. Watch how much pressure you put on the knife or you could end up going to the hospital. We do not recommend this method. Another method, and the one I use, is to lightly and gently draw your thumb across (NOT ALONG) the blade. Your thumb is usually sensitive enough that you can feel the sharp edge of the blade. A lot of people disagree with this method but it has worked for me and I have yet to cut my thumb. A third method that has been used for a long time is to see if the blades on pocket knives cut paper. We do not recommend this method. Paper is basically wood that has been mashed together in a criss-cross pattern and we feel this is hard on the blade. If you want to cut paper, use scissors not pocket knives.

Keep your pocket knives all the time. That way they will be ready to do the job you bought them for when the time comes. An added plus of spending the time at home getting a quality edge on your pocket knives is that should your blade need a touchup in the field this can normally be accomplished quickly with a small pocket sharpener.  Enjoy your time outdoors, Stay Safe, and always return home.